Noticias

In a heartbreaking blow to animation fans and the Canadian entertainment industry, Nelvana, the storied Toronto-based studio that brought us iconic cartoons like the Care Bears, Babar, and pivotal Star Wars animated adventures, has reportedly shuttered its doors after more than five decades of creativity. Workers at the company have shared that operations ceased last Friday, marking the end of an era for one of North America’s pioneering animation powerhouses.

Here’s the Tldr… Shutdown Announcement: Nelvana, founded in 1971, has reportedly closed down as of late August 2025, with employees confirming the studio’s abrupt end amid ongoing financial struggles at parent company Corus Entertainment. Studio Legacy: From humble beginnings...

Shown out of competition in Venice in conjunction with the festival giving a lifetime achievement award to its 92-years-young titular subject, documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo is essentially a cinematic fan letter, written with love but chock full of gushing, purple prose, some of it by the subject herself.

Swiss filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe is already known for his essayistic celebrations of auteurs and their masterworks, including Lynch/Oz, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist and The People Vs. George Lucas. He may take writing, directing and co-producing credits here, and appears onscreen as Novak’s interviewer, but it’s Novak who feels like the one who’s largely in charge.

That commitment to seeing the world through Novak’s eyes comes with a certain price in credibility. However much you might admire her as an actor, especially for her most famous and justly celebrated performance in Vertigo...

Image Source: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Before sci-fi television became all about grim philosophy and prestige reboots, there was the original Battlestar Galactica. Premiering in 1978, it was a chrome-plated fever dream that combined ancient astronaut theories, genocidal robots, Shakespearean villains, and disco-era hair all played completely straight.

Born out of perfect timing, Galactica was ABC and Universal’s response to the Star Wars craze. They poured money into the project, tapped effects wizard John Dykstra, and even released the pilot theatrically (Saga of a Star World) to emphasize its blockbuster ambitions. George Lucas saw the similarities and sued.

It only lasted one season, but Galactica still lives rent-free in the pop culture memory bank.

The Ryan Gosling-starrer Star Wars: Starfighter has recently begun filming, and it confirms the space opera saga is finally set to leave creator George Lucas behind in hopes of saving the franchise. The upcoming movie, directed by Shawn Levy, will be unrelated to the Skywalker saga that Lucas developed over decades.

Star Wars: Starfighter is an all-new standalone adventure. The film, which has begun production, is an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored in Star Wars.

The above statement was made in an official press release from Lucasfilm (via StarWars.com) that confirmed the Gosling-led movie had started filming. At the same time,...

Forget about superheroes, this is the age of the MCU: Mel (Brooks) Cinematic Universe.

Even though the 99-year-old Brooks hasn’t directed a movie since the days of the Clinton administration, several of his classic comedies are now being sequelized, and even prequelized. Back in 2023 there was the belated streaming series follow-up to Brooks’ 1981 film History of the World, Part II (appropriately titled History of the World, Part II). And now there is a Very Young Frankenstein pilot in the works. As far as we know, there are no current plans to make Life Stinks II: Even Stinkier.

But the Brooks-associated project that people seem to be most looking forward to is Spaceballs 2,...

According to scooper DanielRPK, Ghost Rider actress Eva Mendes will portray the wife of Ryan Gosling’s character in Star Wars: Starfighter, Lucasfilm’s next cinematic juggernaut. While her name is curiously absent from the official cast roster, this behind-the-curtain revelation confirms what many fans hoped was inevitable: Mendes will apparently be starring alongside her real-life partner for the very first time in a Star Wars production.

This return fulfills a personal vow Mendes made in 2024, telling The Times, “That’s the one thing I would love to do,” referring to acting with Gosling. She added:

He gets something out of me that’s never been accessible before.

That quote now reads like prophecy fulfilled.

In “Megadoc,” Mike Figgis, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker of “Leaving Las Vegas,” dishes about the chaotic making of “Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s self-produced $120 million experimental epic.

Who better than Figgis to capture the 83-year-old cinema legend’s creative frenzy as he set off to make “Megalopolis,” a long dreamed-about passion project, with his own money and no distributor on board? Aside from knowing Coppola for decades (he met him while directing Nicolas Cage in “Leaving Last Vegas” in 1996), the British filmmaker has also worked in documentaries, tracing the life and career of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood in “Somebody Up There Likes Me” in 2019.

Figgis was on the ground Thursday to introduce the world premiere of “Megadoc” at Venice Classics, and recounted how he found himself embedded with the shoot. It all started after Figgis sent Coppola an email to congratulate him when he heard he was finally making “Megalopolis...

The Simpsons has obviously showcased countless thinly-veiled celebrity parodies over the years — from the Raffi-like children’s singer Roofi, to the diminutive George Lucas lookalike Randall Curtis, to Steven Spielberg’s “non-union Mexican equivalent” Señor Spielbergo, who directed A Burns for All Seasons.

But only a few members of the show’s core group of Springfieldians are blatant caricatures of famous people, like Mayor Quimby who’s seemingly a stand-in for Ted Kennedy. And heavyweight champ Drederick Tatum, who is just Mike Tyson minus the ear-biting scandal.

Then there’s Rainier Wolfcastle, star of the McBain franchise and co-owner of Planet Hype. It didn’t take much detective work to...

It’s well known that George Lucas approached David Lynch to direct Return of the Jedi (1983), and that Lynch (thankfully) demurred, instead pursuing Blue Velvet (1985). Less well-known is the fact that the two films share an editor—Duwayne Dunham, an unlikely hyperspace lane between two otherwise distant cinematic galaxies. As a director himself, Dunham has a body of work that poses yet another wrinkle in space-time: since making his feature debut with Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), he has specialized in tales of misfit youngsters, predominantly for the Disney Channel. The announcement that his new film, the long-gestating Legend […]

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George Lucas recently gave fans a rare insider perspective on his Star Wars universe, naming The Phantom Menace as “one of my favorite movies” during a fan event celebrating the 1999 prequel (via Screenrant Instagram). Known for its political intrigue, introduction of a young Anakin Skywalker, and the controversial Gungan character Jar Jar Binks, Episode I has long divided audiences and critics alike – it is, in fact, the lowest ranked Star Wars film on Rotten Tomatoes – but Lucas disagrees with the general consensus.

In particular, Lucas singled out the ever-divisive Jar Jar Binks, stating, “Of course Jar Jar is my favorite character,” while also praising actor Ahmed Best: “… you did a fantastic job.

There are many stars in Francis Ford Coppola’s batshit crazy and, some would say, botched $120-million dystopian epic from last year, Megalopolis, which the legendary Hollywood auteur paid for out of his own pocket.

But there is really only one star in Mike Figgis’ fascinating fly-on-the-wall account of that film’s extremely ambitious and chaotic shoot, and that’s Coppola himself. The Godfather director steals the show here as an energetic, pugnacious and visionary circus ringleader who put his money where his mouth was for a project that wound up flopping critically and commercially. And he did so, as he keeps telling everyone, “to have fun.”

Megalopolis, the film, may not be lots of fun to sit through, but its making-of, Megadoc, is a blast, offering a rare inside glimpse at a major movie artist at work. And unlike many behind-the-scenes exposés, this one actually shows how the sausage gets made,...

September is stacked on Netflix. The month kicks off with a huge wave of licensed favorites on September 1 and then rolls out new and recent titles every few days after that. Below is a title-by-title rundown with quick, factual details on what each film is about, who’s in it, and exactly when it lands so you can plan your queue.

Dates below reflect the U.S. Netflix schedule provided; availability can vary by region. The list includes every movie on the calendar for September (live sports events aren’t included).

‘Billy Madison’ (1995) Universal Pictures

Adam Sandler stars as an immature heir who must repeat grades 1–12 to prove he deserves his father’s company,...

Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, and Richard Dreyfuss in ‘Jaws’ (Photo © Universal Pictures)

50 years ago on June 20, 1975, Universal Studios released Jaws, a film about a great white shark terrorizing the fictional beach community of Amity Island, creating the very first summer blockbuster. And it was all due to the vision and talent of a young director named Steven Spielberg.

Jaws, the film that scared people out of the ocean and into the movie theaters, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. As part of the summer-long celebration, the PG-rated thriller is returning to the big screen for a Labor Day weekend run beginning August 29, 2025.

Before celebrating its return, let’s examine...

How Did Samuel L. Jackson Become Mace Windu In Star Wars? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Before Grogu stole our hearts and lightsabers got color-coded like candy, one Jedi stood out, not just because of his power, but because he rolled in with a purple lightsaber. Yep, we’re talking about Mace Windu, the smooth, stern, no-nonsense Jedi Master brought to life by none other than Samuel L. Jackson.

But how did Mr. Cool himself land a role in Star Wars? Was it a Jedi prophecy? A Force vision? Nah, just good old-fashioned Samuel L. Jackson charm, a love for the franchise, and maybe a little sass. From side-eyeing Anakin’s Chosen...

Solo: A Star Wars Story emerged as one of the biggest flops in the Star Wars franchise, and its director, Ron Howard, cited nostalgia as a major factor for its downfall. During a 2019 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Howard stated:

Maybe it’s the idea that it’s too nostalgic. That going back and revisiting an origin story for a beloved character may not be what the fans were looking for.

Howard’s comment implied that the 2018 movie focused too heavily on the backstory of an iconic character. And sadly, it did not meet the audience’s expectations, resulting in a poor box office performance of $393 million (via...

Jonathan Demme's 1991 film "The Silence of the Lambs" remains a landmark in horror cinema. Based on the novel of the same name by author Thomas Harris, the film is the only one within the horror genre to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and is also the most recent film to sweep the "Big Five" Oscars, which consist of Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally), Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), and Best Actress (Jodie Foster). Only two other films have accomplished the "Big Five" sweep: Frank Capra's 1934 romantic comedy "It Happened One Night" and Miloš Forman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Peacemaker's Season 2 premiere featured a handful of shockers, including that Justice Gang scene that retcons the Dceu. James Gunn assured fans they haven't seen anything yet, that's why he's keeping the season's last three episodes top secret.

James Gunn explained why they only gave screeners for the first five episodes of Peacemaker Season 2 to select audiences. "I am the one who's keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there's too many surprises in those last three episodes," he asserted (per DC Film News on X). Especially 6 and 8, they are just crazy, my favorite things I've ever done of anything." That tracks with Gunn's previous statement about the...

Despite being made almost 60 years ago, Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” still holds up.

Its groundbreaking special effects inspired George Lucas, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan and more. The cultural impact can be seen in “Blade Runner” and even in David Bowie’s work. The film is a staggering experience, from its “Dawn of Man” sequence to its ending. In between, there are spaceships and Hal, the super-intelligent computer that was way ahead of its time. Kubrick had AI on screen before it was even a term.

Speaking about the film’s impact, executive producer David S. Goyer called its technical achievements “amazing.”

Goyer was joined by cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker in conversation at the Variety 120 Screening Series presented by Barco, a summer-long program hosted by Jazz Tangcay that celebrates Variety‘s 120th anniversary by showing iconic films, including “All About Eve” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Goyer explained...

Andor is arguably the best Star Wars project of the recent past, and the series giving a new meaning to George Lucas‘ greatest quote is another feather in its cap. However, Andor reinterpreted Lucas’ iconic quote as an ominous warning, and it should not be taken lightly.

It’s like poetry, sort of. They rhyme.

Lucas famously made the above statement in a BTS documentary (via Av Club), comparing the narrative structure, beats, and motifs of the original and prequel trilogy movies. The filmmaker implied that the epic space opera saga was designed to have recurring elements that would rhyme for a poetic effect. However, Andor has given that comment a new meaning,...

James Gunn would love to do to Peacemaker season 1 what George Lucas did for Star Wars, and it’s not in the way you think!

Caution: This article contains Spoilers for Peacemaker season 2

Peacemaker returned for its second season, which had to address the big changes in the DC Cinematic Universe. When season 1 premiered in 2022, the Dceu was still the “Snyderverse” with hopes that Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in Black Adam would spark a new wave of films set in this universe.

That didn’t happen, of course, with Black Adam and The Flash combining to fail at the box office and basically kill off the Snyderverse films...

The Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal has been in the spotlight all summer, but that hasn’t stopped the actor from checking out Andor, one of the best recent Star Wars projects, which he admitted became his favorite despite breaking several of George Lucas‘ rules.

Unforgivably late to this party. The best political thriller series maybe ever?

Pascal made the above statement in an Instagram story (via Reddit), where he praised the epic space-opera series starring Diego Luna in the titular role. Despite tall praise from Pascal, the series undeniably broke several of Lucas’s rules for the Star Wars franchise, and here are some of the biggest boundaries Andor crossed in terms of storytelling.

Before the thrilling dinosaur-filled terror that was Jurassic Park, there was a different dinosaur movie that reigned supreme. The film in question will be coming to Netflix next month.

The Land Before Time will arrive on Netflix on Sept. 1st. Don Bluth created the iconic 1988 animated movie with a story penned by Judith Freudberg and Tony Geiss. The eponymous film would pave the way for countless spinoffs, including a whopping thirteen direct-to-home video sequels, a TV series, and even multiple video games.

The first film, and the only one in the franchise to receive a theatrical release, followed the journey of the young herbivore Littlefoot to the Great Valley. Joined by his triceratops friend,...

Ewan McGregor has been acting since the 1990s, but he is most renowned for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Though critically reviled, the prequels have gained a resurgence in popularity, not least because of McGregor’s performance.

His popularity was more than obvious at this special evening event at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto. McGregor needs to speak only two simple words to drive a crowd wild. And he knows it. McGregor took to the stage with his now memorable ‘Hello there’, before talking about all things Star Wars.

Journey to Star Wars

Ewan McGregor was six-years-old when Star Wars: A New Hope came out.

With a net worth of $1.1 billion, Roger Federer has entered the billionaire celebrity club three years after his retirement. Forbes has reported that the legendary tennis player is now among the 20 billionaire celebrities, which includes the likes of pop musician Taylor Swift and basketball player LeBron James.

Roger Federer, who once had a Pamela Anderson poster in his room, might have retired at the age of 41, but to this day, he is one of the highest-paid tennis players. Owing to the numerous injuries he suffered throughout his career, Federer decided to hang up his racket in September 2022. However, that did not stop him from becoming a billionaire.

A Deep Look...

The world of Star Wars is changing as Lucasfilm prepares to bring George Lucas’ space saga back to theaters in 2026 for the first time in seven years with The Mandalorian & Grogu, followed by Shawn Levy’s collaboration with Ryan Gosling on Starfighter in 2027. However, a new rumor has suggested that a movie believed to be dead and buried could be making a surprising comeback.

While there have been several rumored Star Wars movie projects to have come and gone from the likes of Taika Waititi, Rian Johnson, and Patty Jenkins, it seems that the latter of these may be making an unexpected return – again – to the line-up of future Star Wars movies.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is closing in on the 50th anniversary of its release, and the movie continues to captivate audiences. George Lucas's saga of a moisture farmer from Tatooine who saved his father and the galaxy from eternal damnation changed the world of science fiction and filmmaking forever.

Despite its success, work on A New Hope wasn't smooth sailing. There were changes along the way, and among them was a key change to Luke Skywalker that didn't sit right with actor Mark Hamill. Via The Direct, Hamill was on a recent episode of ITV's This Morning, where the legendary actor revealed his character's name was initially Luke Starkiller,...

As James Gunn brings Peacemaker into his new Dcu with Season 2, he’s clearing up some canonical confusion for fans.

Following this week’s season premiere ‘The Ties That Grind’, the DC Studios boss explained that he doesn’t plan to retcon Season 1, despite subbing in Isabela Merced‘s Hawkgirl and Nathan Fillion‘s Green Lantern for two Dceu characters featured in the first season finale.

“No, unfortunately I’d have to change too many little things throughout Season 1, and it would cost too much money,” he told TV Insider. “And I’d rather just give that money to a few more CGI shots of superheroes.

“But I think that we deal with it. We say, canon is really Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker Season 2. I’d love for people to watch Season 1. Obviously, we’re changing that one thing, but we’re not gonna go back and reshoot all of...

Actress Katee Sackhoff hated playing Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian and admitted to screaming at her manager as she lost all her confidence during the Star Wars gig. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sackhoff spoke about working on the show’s third season.

It just broke me, where I started doubting everything about myself.

Sackhoff made the above statement, admitting that the experience led to an altercation with her former manager. She added:

You’ve told me my entire life this is easy for me, and it’s not fucking easy, and now I’m falling apart.

Sackhoff explained that she lost it one day and screamed at her manager.

Tony Tost believes that Americana has been "gobbled up by the zeitgeist".The 50-year-old filmmaker's picture - which stars Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser and Halsey - has tanked at the box office but he believes that it will be appreciated in the long-term.Tost posted on social media platform X: "One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released."As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I'll be curious to see how it'll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!"Tost also shared a screenshot of his Letterboxd post when Americana was...

Peacemaker season 1 took place in the Dceu, but the second season takes place in the Dcu. The switch between universes is surprisingly painless, as the only significant retcon is found in a “Previously in the Dcu” recap of the first season.

In the season 1 finale, Peacemaker confronts the Justice League — Superman, Aquaman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman — after they arrive too late to help in the battle with the Butterflies. In the new version, the Justice League is now the Justice Gang, with Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl showing up in addition to Mister Terrific, Superman, and Supergirl, who are left hidden in shadow.

James Gunn was asked (via ComicBook) if...

Tony Tost, the Poker Face showrunner who made his feature directorial debut with Americana, is looking forward to a time when his movie can be appreciated outside of this current cultural moment.

Tost took to X late Thursday to offer his thoughts on the film that hit theaters last weekend from Lionsgate and stars Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser and Halsey. Centering on an array of people tracking down a rare Native American artifact, the project was the subject of social media debate after collecting a mere $500,000 from its launch in more than 1,100 theaters.

“One of the great things about movies is that they outlive the zeitgeist into which they were released,” Tost posted. “As someone whose first film sorta got gobbled up by the zeitgeist, I’ll be curious to see how it’ll stand up after this moment is over. Hopefully fairly well!”

The Damnation creator also shared...

“Star Wars” changed movies forever. That much is widely understood.

To put into perspective the magnitude of the Death Star-like juggernaut that was the original 1977 film, consider this: Before it was later subtitled “A New Hope,” the film simply known as “Star Wars” opened in 43 theaters on May 25, 1977 before going wide on July 15, which at the time meant just 757 theaters. It was the number one film at the U.S. domestic box office for the rest of the summer.

In Week 47 of its release, it was still number one at the weekend box office. By then that was April 1978, almost a full 11 months after its premiere.

That is how you change the landscape of movies forever. Having that level of success. And yes, the front-loaded, “opening weekend is everything” ethos of blockbusterdom that we’re familiar with today had not yet set in. But that is extraordinary, culture-changing dominance, regardless.

The Force Awakens and its follow-ups had so few memorable characters, it’s a wonder Disney – and Oscar Isaac – are still talking about potential spin-offs

There might just be a strange irony to this week’s news that Oscar Isaac, Aka the tousled X-wing pilot Poe Dameron, is up for a return to Star Wars if the script is right. Because before the actor’s comments in a new interview with Variety, it was quite possible to forget that the sequel trilogy ever existed. Was The Force Awakens really a film, or just two hours of Disney rummaging through George Lucas’s recycling bin? Did The Last Jedi split the...

Is George Lucas not as good as Christopher Nolan? Podcast host Joe Budden thinks that the Star Wars creator cannot even be mentioned in the same league as Nolan. The whole conversation started when Marc Lamont Hill revealed on the podcast that he never watched the cult film, Fight Club.

The rest of the team began questioning Hill on the classics he has or hasn’t watched. When somebody mentioned Star Wars, Budden was clearly not impressed. He said dismissively, “Get the f**k out. I’ve never seen Star Wars.” Budden went on to share that Star Wars is the movie version of the Beatles, indicating that he wasn...

Industrial Light and Magic has defied gravity and other forces to remain a leading light of the visual effects sector for half a century.

As the company marks its golden anniversary this year, Jazz Tangcay, Variety‘s senior artisans editor, details her story on the San Francisco-based firm founded in 1975 by George Lucas. Ilm became part of Disney with the Mouse’s 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm. But Ilm has maintained a high degree of autonomy.

Tangcay notes that another distinctive aspect of Ilm’s company culture is that it has a history of long-serving staffers and leaders.

“From Janet Lewin, who is the senior vice president and general manager of Ilm, on down, there is so much passion for what they do that people stay there,” Tangcay says. “They’ve been there 20 years, 30 years. They love what they do. There is a passion for what they do and how they have...

When Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy wore a “The Force is Female” T-shirt at a 2018 Nike event, it sent a message that didn’t sit well with many Star Wars fans. The slogan, tied to a women’s empowerment campaign, suggested a shift that felt out of step with the saga’s loyal, mostly male audience. Marvel faced a similar storm, with its post-Endgame focus on heroines like She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel earning the nickname “M-She-u” from frustrated fans who felt male heroes were being sidelined.

Disney wanted to make Star Wars and Marvel more inclusive, but in doing so, they overlooked the heart of their audience. A 2024 Wrap report shows...

Disney’s $4.05 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 sparked hope for a revitalized Star Wars era. The deal promised to blend the franchise’s epic legacy with Disney’s blockbuster expertise. Early successes, like The Force Awakens breaking box office records, fueled global excitement. It seemed like a perfect mix of nostalgia and innovation.

Yet, this promise quickly unraveled. Strategic blunders, creative misfires, and a disregard for fan feedback plagued Disney’s approach. Prioritizing rapid output over coherent storytelling drained the brand’s vitality. The studio alienated core audiences while dismissing critics as “toxic.”

From trilogy chaos to theme park flops and streaming saturation, the once-unassailable saga now faces declining viewership.

When Disney announced its $4.05 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, it marked a seismic shift in the entertainment landscape, bringing iconic franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones under the Mouse House umbrella. But this wasn’t the start of their relationship—it was the culmination of decades of creative synergies.

Long before the deal, Lucasfilm and Disney (along with its owned entities) had forged a bond through groundbreaking theme park attractions, media broadcasts, and mutual respect for storytelling innovation.

This history reveals how two Hollywood powerhouses intertwined, setting the stage for what would become one of the most lucrative partnerships in pop culture.

Here’s the Tl;Dr… Early Collaborations...

For 50 years, the team at Industrial Light & Magic has been at the forefront of technological innovation in storytelling.

It all began when George Lucas realized that no facility could possibly deliver what he had in mind for “Star Wars,” and so Lucasfilm’s visual effects division, Industrial Light & Magic was born. Since then, dinosaurs, digital Yoda, cyborgs and water tentacles are a few of the company’s creations that

have changed the world of effects.

In celebration of 50 years, Ilm’s creative director Rob Coleman breaks down five of its greatest creations.

Davy Jones

“He’s an amazing character,” Coleman says of the character who first made an appearance in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” “The high-water mark on that film was that it’s based on Bill Nighy’s performance. Hal Hickel, the animation supervisor, and John Knoll, the visual-effects supervisor, worked with Gore Verbinski on ensuring...

Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, is about to film his passion project with two Rebel Moon stars at his side. The director made his feature film in 2004 with Dawn of the Dead, but became a box-office darling with 300, which landed with the strength of a Spartan’s kick in 2007.

After stepping away from Warner Brothers’ DC Universe in 2017, Snyder has worked on bringing original IP with his signature style to theaters. One such project was his 2021 zombie heist movie Army of the Dead, and the next was his Netflix duology, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver.

Now, Deadline has reported that Snyder will finally make The Last Photograph, a smaller-scale story he’s been hoping to realize for years, and with Rebel Moon stars Stuart Martin and Fra Fee in tow.

Industrial Light & Magic turns 50 this year.

In those five decades, the company has continued to push the envelope with groundbreaking visual effects, from the T-1000 in “Terminator 2,” Davy Jones from “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” to the Tyrannosaurus Rex from “Jurassic Park.”

But none of these innovative creations would exist without George Lucas and “Star Wars.” Ilm would not exist today, and without Ilm, “Star Wars” would be a very different movie.

Lucas had a vision. Coming off the success of 1973’s low-budget hit “American Graffiti,” he wanted to shake up the status quo even more. But with “Star Wars,” his next project, he realized there wasn’t a company that could deliver his vision. That’s when his Industrial Light & Magic was launched.

“Ilm was born out of necessity,” says Ilm visual-effects supervisor John Knoll.

For “Star Wars,” Lucas spoke with “2001: A Space Odyssey’s” visual-effects artist Douglas Trumbull.

There’s a conventional wisdom when it comes to Martin Scorsese‘s 1977 musical “New York, New York” — largely exacerbated by the director himself — that it’s an experiment that didn’t quite come off, an unwieldy attempt to combine the Hollywood classicism Scorsese revered with the New Hollywood emphasis on improvisation and gritty authenticity that Marty had learned from his mentor John Cassavetes, and had applied to his previous three feature films.

The fact that the movie was a commercial disappointment when it came out didn’t help its reputation; the perception was that Scorsese had broken his winning streak the same way Steven Spielberg would break his own two years later with another old/new Hollywood mashup, “1941.” Like William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer,” another auteur passion project that opened the same week, “New York, New York” was pummeled at the box office by “Star Wars,” a movie directed by...

George Lucas created Star Wars with the 1977 original movie under the production banner of Lucasfilm, which not only set the foundation for modern blockbuster filmmaking but also gave us one of the most beloved and rewatchable franchises of all time. Although Lucas only directed the first installment, he was heavily involved with the creative process for the original trilogy.

After a sixteen-year gap, Lucas returned to the galaxy far, far away with the prequel trilogy in 1999 and helmed all three installments. As a result, Lucas had a guiding hand in shaping six Star Wars movies. Among the six Star Wars installments made under Lucas, which one is the most rewatchable?...

It is hard to imagine that anything about the original Star Wars could have been better. The film’s cast have gone on to be the faces of the franchise, the franchise itself has continued to grow decade on decade, and the Star Wars Saga is one of the most profitable IPs in cinema history. However, that doesn’t mean actor Mark Hamill is not willing to raise a few gripes about the role that would become one of the most memorable – and inescapable – of his career, including being annoyed with George Lucas for one major change he made to the character of Luke Skywalker.

Hamill appeared on This Morning in the U.

It is now a well-known fact that Luke Skywalker's last name in the original script of A New Hope, then titled just Star Wars, was Starkiller. It was later changed to the iconic version, which went on to define the entire saga across three trilogies.

But when the swap was done, Mark Hamill was not one of the first people to find out.

Speaking on This Morning, Hamill reminisced about filming an eight-page screen test for the first movie with Harrison Ford. The actor admitted that he did not have any clue about the rest of the story, and even presumed that Ford would play the protagonist, and he would be the leading man's teenage "annoying sidekick."

Imagine Hamill's surprise when he found out that was not the case. However, neither Ford nor George Lucas was of much help when he asked for more context clues. Lucas, famously, did...

Mark Hamill may be forever remembered as Luke Skywalker, but when he first came across Star Wars, he didn’t think he was reading the script of a groundbreaking space saga. Instead, he thought it was some kind of comedy.

While speaking on the UK talk show This Morning, Hamill revealed that when he was given pages to read for his screen test, he couldn’t quite believe the dialogue. “The thing is I didn’t get the whole script, for the screen test it was only eight pages. I thought, ‘Who talks like this?’ So I spoke to Harrison [Ford] and you know what he said? ‘Hey kid, let’s just get it done.’ He was no help at all,” Hamill joked.

Hamill admitted he even confronted director George Lucas about what he thought was a parody. “I went to George. I said, ‘George this is sort of like...

Mark Hamill may be known worldwide as Luke Skywalker, but when he first read the script for “Star Wars,” he didn’t think he was about to star in one of the most famous movies ever made. Instead, he thought the whole thing was a joke.

During an appearance on the UK talk show “This Morning,” Hamill explained that when he first got his hands on the script, he assumed director George Lucas was working on a spoof of old sci-fi adventures like Flash Gordon.

“The thing is I didn’t get the whole script, for the screen test it was only eight pages. I thought, ‘Who talks like this?’ So I spoke to Harrison [Ford] and you know what he said? ‘Hey kid, let’s just get it done.’ He was no help at all,” Hamill said with a laugh.

Hamill shared that he even went directly to Lucas about it.

George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are names that dominate any conversation when it comes to Hollywood greatness. They’re not just movie directors; they’re epic world-builders. They are storytellers and also businessmen who turned imagination into billion-dollar empires. Lucas gave us galaxies that are so much loved, even decades later. Spielberg, meanwhile, knows exactly how to tug at your heart at the right time.

Though their styles couldn’t be more different, their impact is equally unmatched. And when it comes to wealth, they’re still the two giants sitting at the very top of the mountain. It doesn’t look like anyone’s pushing them down from their perch anytime soon.

But the real question is, who has pulled in more over the years? Time to dive into their fortunes and see how each of them built such astronomical wealth.

George Lucas’ Mind-Blowing Fortune Will Make Your...

When writer/director George Lucas sent his film Star Wars (later to be known as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) out into the world in 1977, there weren’t many who were confident it would have any success at the box office. It was a tough production that went $3 million over budget, and even cast and crew members were predicting it would be a failure. As we know now, it quickly became a surprise hit, making $410 million worldwide during its initial run and surpassing Jaws to become the highest-grossing film of all time (for a while). Lucas got to bring his epic space opera saga to the screen with follow-ups and prequels that had substantially larger budgets than the first movie’s $11 million… but if the movie hadn’t been a hit, he had a low budget backup plan for a sequel: a film adaptation of the Star...

Since Superman was released, fans have been clamoring for a World’s Finest movie starring Robert Pattinson and David Corenswet. Now, the Star Wars prequel, Rogue One, shows how James Gunn can finally make it happen.

In a recent Screen Rant interview with Wētā’s Guy Williams (who worked as a VFX supervisor on James Gunn’s film), he explained how the idea can work despite the drastic difference in tone and visual aesthetics of the two films:

[The director’s] job is to figure out how to take a concept that barely holds in your brain and turn it into a two-hour story that you can see. So, I guarantee you that there’s a handful of directors out there that could figure out how to tie those two together and make it work.

It’s like saying, “Do you think that Rogue One Star Wars fits into the universe of the original Star Wars?...