Actualités

As Hayden Christensen prepares for his return in Ahsoka season 2, he is considering another return to Star Wars. After playing Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy from 2002 to 2005, Christensen reappeared on-screen in Ahsoka season 1, haunting his Padawan from beyond the grave, and he is set to reappear in the next season.

Having been involved in the Star Wars universe for over 20 years, Christensen has become a critical star of the franchise. His return in Ahsoka was surprising, though it came after cameos in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and in Obi-Wan Kenobi. While he will appear in Ahsoka season 2, Disney has not announced another opportunity for the actor.

While speaking at a panel at Fan Expo Boston for which Screen Rant was in attendance, Christensen expressed his excitement about the prospect of reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker once more. The decision is not Christensen's to make, as it...

Liam Neeson Secures Biggest Hit Since 2020, Smashes $38.2M Worldwide (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Liam Neeson has scored his biggest box office win in more than half a decade with the reboot of The Naked Gun. He stepped into the role once made famous by Leslie Nielsen and turned it into another career milestone.

The film, which earned an extra $1.7 million on Wednesday in the US, has now taken in $38.2 million worldwide after only six days in theaters. The total pushes it past the $32.6 million made by Honest Thief in 2020, making it Neeson’s highest-grossing film of the decade.

The Naked Gun Reboot Crosses $38.2 Million in Less Than a Week

Of The Naked Gun’s total, $23.1 million has come from domestic audiences and $15 million from overseas markets (per Box Office Mojo). It is a sharp contrast to his recent titles like Absolution ($4m), In the Land of Saints and Sinners ($3.6m), and...

Gina Carano played Cara Dune in the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, but after making a few controversial statements, Disney ditched the actress, prompting her to file a lawsuit against the studio alleging wrongful termination and discrimination. The trial was due to start in September, but that won’t happen as Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company have reached a mutual agreement in their legal dispute with the actress.

“The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with Gina Carano to resolve the issues in her pending lawsuit against the companies,” reads a statement from the studios. “Ms. Carano was always well respected by her directors, co-stars, and staff, and she worked hard to perfect her craft while treating her colleagues with kindness and respect. With this lawsuit concluded, we look forward to identifying opportunities to work together with Ms. Carano in the near future.

A couple of days ago, the news broke that Matt Smith had been cast in a villainous role in Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter. The actor was eyed to play a young Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, prompting many fans to wonder whether Darth Sidious might return...again.

Fortunately, Lucasfilm isn't heading in that direction and, according to Jeff Sneider's latest newsletter (via SFFGazette.com), Smith's character will be neither a Sith nor a Dark Side Force user. Instead, he'll have a military background.

"I'm told that the Force won’t be with Smith, who is playing some kind of military general in the film, which takes place five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker," the insider writes.

Blade star Mia Goth is also expected to play one of the movie's villains, and it wouldn't be...

After becoming the actor's biggest box office opening in over ten years, The Naked Gun reboot has helped Hollywood veteran Liam Neeson to another huge milestone, superbly taking the comedic baton over from the late great Leslie Nielsen. Officially, thanks to another $2.7 million domestically on the most recent Tuesday, The Naked Gun has surpassed the $32.6 million earned by 2020's Honest Thief to become the actor's highest-grossing movie of the decade so far.

So far, from just six days in theaters, The Naked Gun has earned an impressive $32.9 million, split between a domestic haul of $21.4 million and a further $11.4 million from overseas markets. Neeson's recent filmography doesn't boast much financial success, with the likes of 2024's Absolution, 2023's In the Land of Saints and Sinners, and Marlowe from the same year all struggling to even hit $10 million worldwide. In fact, the last time Neeson saw huge blockbuster success was as part...

MobLand stars Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren are trading organized crime for cold-case murders in Netflix's new mystery comedy, The Thursday Murder Club.Based on the best-selling debut novel by Richard Osman, the upcoming adaptation looks to bring the twist-filled book to life, and it already looks like a treat for fans of the instantly-recognizable cast.

Netflix has dropped an all-new trailer for The Thursday Murder Club, which features Brosnan, Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imri putting their detective hats on to solve cold-case murders. However, when someone dies at their doorstep, it is up to their mystery-solving club to investigate the possible murder. Brosnan plays an ex-union activist named Ron Ritchie, who, in the book, is a farcry from the generally suave roles played by the former James Bond actor. Mirren is Elizabeth Best, an ex-spy, while Kingsley plays an ex-psychiatrist named Ibrahim Arif. Rounding out the group is x-nurse Joyce Meadowcroft,...

You may have heard that actor Matt Smith has recently been cast as a villain in Star Wars: Starfighter, starring opposite Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. Starfighter will be released on May 28, 2027. This marks the second theatrical release after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, following director Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, which is planned for May 22, 2026.

Smith is no stranger to playing the villain, and with a multitude of alien races in the Star Wars universe, it’s hard to know how he'll show up as he faces off against Gosling. So, who is Matt Smith? Here are some of the actor's most well-known roles, pulled from his IMDb page.

Doctor Who

In the long-running BBC science fiction series, a relatively unknown Smith landed the coveted title role as the Eleventh Doctor after David Tennant's exit from the show in 2010. His primary run as Doctor Who spanned Seasons 5, 6, and 7.

The Crown

In 2018, Smith earned his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Prince Philip in the Netflix series "The Crown."

House of the Dragon

Smith is most recently known for embodying the ruthless Prince Daemon Targaryen on HBO’s "Game of Thrones" spin-off "House of the Dragon." He is slated to return for Season 3 of the series, which is currently in production.

Last Night in Soho

Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) cast Smith in his psychological horror film Last Night in Soho, also starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie.

Morbius

As part of Sony's extended Spider-Man universe, Smith took another villain role in 2022's Morbius, playing opposite Jared Leto.

See Matt Smith's entire filmography on IMDb...

Matt Smith has already explored the cosmos as a Time Lord in Doctor Who and fought in wars on behalf of House Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon. Oh, and he was a vampire in Morbius.

Now, Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) has confirmed that the British actor is heading to a Galaxy Far, Far Away after joining the cast of Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming movie from Deadpool & Wolverine and Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy. Ryan Gosling will lead the cast, while Mia Goth (X) is also attached to star.

We don't have specific character details, but the trade has learned that Smith is playing one of the movie's villains.

The report explains, "Casting has been gearing up on the project over the past couple of weeks, with Levy meeting with a number of actors for this key role; sources say execs...

The ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Doctor Who’ star, Matt Smith, has officially joined the cast of ‘Star Wars: Starfighter,’ the upcoming standalone feature from director Shawn Levy for Lucasfilm.

Sources close to the actor confirm that Smith will portray a key villain in the film, taking on a major role opposite previously announced stars Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth.

‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is set to begin filming this fall, with a theatrical release date scheduled for May 28, 2027.

Also in news – ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight to pen Denis Villeneuve’s James Bond Movie

Scripted by Jonathan Tropper, the new instalment in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise is set approximately five years after the events of ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,’ and will introduce a slate of new characters to the beloved universe. While specific plot details remain under wraps, the film is said to expand the mythology beyond the Skywalker saga,...

Production on "Star Wars: Starfighter" is set to begin this fall. "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy will direct the film from a script written by Jonathan Tropper. Academy Award-nominee Ryan Gosling will headline the film, with Mia Goth also set to star. This film will be set five years after the events of "The Rise of Skywalker," and will be the next film in Lucasfilm's marquee franchise following Jon Favreau's "The Mandalorian and Grogu," which will hit theaters on May 22, 2026.

As principal photography nears, more actors are being cast in what appears to be a much-needed new direction for big-screen "Star Wars" adventures, given that the franchise has mainly been a television fixture thanks to its several shows on Disney+. Now, Emmy-nominated actor Matt Smith has joined the cast of "Starfighter," and fascinatingly enough, he was originally cast in the Sequel Trilogy, but his role was ultimately axed.

Ryan Gosling’s upcoming Star Wars movie added a new cast member this week, with House of the Dragon star Matt Smith being cast in a key role. In August 2025, Deadline reported that Smith, known for playing Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series, would join the Gosling-led movie.

Directed by Shawn Levy, the movie, titled Starfighter, had previously confirmed that Mia Goth would play a villain. As a result, Smith is now the third confirmed cast member for the movie, which is reportedly expected to start filming in the fall of 2025. Here is what Smith’s casting means for Starfighter and who he might be playing.

What Matt Smith’s Casting Means For Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars Movie Matt Smith in House of the Dragon (Credits: HBO).

Actor Matt Smith rose to prominence with his role as the Eleventh Doctor in the popular sci-fi series Doctor Who. He also...

Actor Matt Smith is reportedly entering the Star Wars universe, joining the cast of Shawn Levy’s upcoming film, “Star Wars: Starfighter.” Smith, best known for his roles in “House of the Dragon” and “Doctor Who,” will portray a key villain in the highly anticipated movie scheduled for release on May 28, 2027.

Smith was previously considered for a role in 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which ultimately did not materialize. In a 2018 report, Smith was rumored to play a younger version of Emperor Palpatine, a character later reprised by original actor Ian McDiarmid. Smith confirmed during an appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast with Josh Horowitz that the earlier role was a significant, transformative part that unfortunately “never got quite over the line.”

Casting Continues for ‘Starfighter’

Lucasfilm and director Shawn Levy have been actively casting for additional villain roles, including a female antagonist initially linked to actress Mikey Madison.

Matt Smith is no stranger to big-budget, blockbuster franchise fare. From Doctor Who and Terminator to Game of Thrones and Marvel, the actor has done his fair share of work in the realm of tentpole material, all while distinctly retaining his unique wildcard quality.

Smith is a highly versatile actor who brings a great deal of range to his work, so whether he is provocatively dancing in a board room opposite Jared Leto’s ill-fated Dr. Michael Morbius or rocking up in the upcoming Caught Stealing with a full-blown mohawk, audiences can expect a certain degree of verve from him.

This is why it's so exciting to hear the news, reported by Deadline today: Smith has signed on to play a villainous role opposite Ryan Gosling in the upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter.

"House Of The Dragon" Season 2 UK Premiere – Arrivals | Samir Hussein/GettyImages

Earlier this year, it was revealed...

The Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighterhas found its villain. The film, from Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, isn’t set to be released until December 2027, but a former Doctor Who star has reportedly been cast in a key role.

Per Deadline, sources have revealed that Matt Smith, who memorably played the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who from 2010 to 2013, has been cast as one of the villains in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Starfighter. Smith is also known for playing Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crown, a role for which he was nominated for an Emmy in 2018. Most recently, Smith was seen as Prince Daemon Targaryen in HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon. Representatives for Lucasfilm and Smith could not be reached for comment on the casting.

Sources told Deadline that casting on Star Wars: Starfighter has shifted into a higher gear over the past weeks,...

Matt Smith is the latest star to join the cast of the upcoming Star Wars spinoff movie led by Ryan Gosling!

Star Wars: Starfighter will take place five years after the events in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, but details on the plot are still not known as of this time.

Deadline reports that Matt will be playing the villain role.

Keep reading to find out more…

Also starring alongside Ryan will be Mia Goth. Another famous star reportedly turned down that role.

The standalone adventure will go into production in Fall 2025 and will be released in theaters on May 28, 2027.

Next up for Matt is the release of his movie Caught Stealing (watch the trailer now!) and he will begin work on the third season of House of the Dragon next year.

Matt Smith is headed to a galaxy far, far away.

The “House of the Dragon” star has joined the cast of Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter” for Lucasfilm, sources close to the actor confirm. He will appear in a villain role, opposite previously announced cast members Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth. Lucasfilm could not be reached for comment.

This isn’t Smith’s first brush with the “Star Wars” franchise. The “Doctor Who” alum was previously cast in “The Rise of Skywalker,” but ultimately didn’t appear in the film. “We were close to being in it, but it never quite happened. I think the thing they were thinking of before. Eventually, the part became obsolete and they didn’t need it. So, I never got to be in ‘Star Wars,'” he told the Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2021. He declined to elaborate on the role he would...

“Doctor Who” alum Matt Smith is set to join the galaxy far, far away in “Star Wars: Starfighter,” starring Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth and hitting theaters Memorial Day Weekend 2027.

Details are light on Smith’s role and the plot of the film, which will be directed by Shawn Levy (“Deadpool & Wolverine”) from a script by Jonathan Tropper. But Smith is reported to play a villain in the film, which will be set five years after the events of Disney/Lucasfilm’s sequel trilogy, which ended with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019.

Since that film, Disney has not released a “Star Wars” movie in theaters, opting for a series of Disney+ shows that have ranged in reception from the critically acclaimed “Andor” to the fan-maligned “The Acolyte.” The first of those streaming series, “The Mandalorian,” will get a theatrical film follow-up with “The Mandalorian & Grogu” in...

Matt Smith is confirmed to be joining Ryan Gosling in the upcoming movie, Star Wars: Starfighter. Excitement is building for Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter, an upcoming Star Wars movie set five years after the sequel trilogy. It's due to start production later this year, with Ryan Gosling and Mia Goth in starring roles.

Deadline has revealed that Matt Smith, of Doctor Who and House of the Dragon fame, is joining the movie in a villain role. He will presumably be playing alongside horror star Mia Goth, who has already been confirmed as the movie's second villain. They'll be going up against Gosling, who is presumably the titular "starfighter" pilot.

Matt Smith Has Been Trying To Get Into Star Wars For Years

Matt Smith has become one of Hollywood's hottest properties in the years since he left Doctor Who, his reputation growing due to his electrifying performance in House of the Dragon.

Matt Smith is finally getting his turn in the Star Wars galaxy.

The House of the Dragon star, who at one point was eyed to appear in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has been tapped to join Shawn Levy’s Star War: Starfighter, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Lucasfilm could not be reached for comment.

This is one of multiple villain roles, according to sources, with Levy still looking to cast a female antagonist that at one point had Mikey Madison eyed for the part. Ryan Gosling stars in Starfighter, which has a release date of May 28, 2027.

In 2018, Smith was reported to be joining the ninth Star Wars movie, but that role did not come to fruition. Journalist Josh Horowitz asked Smith on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about rumors the role was for young Palpatine, with Smith declining to comment. (Original actor Ian McDiarmid ended up returning as Palpatine.

Deadline reports that Matt Smith has joined the cast of Star Wars: Starfighter, with the actor set to play one of the villain roles in the movie. Ryan Gosling is already attached to star in the film, with Mia Goth also on board.

The film, which will be directed by Shawn Levy from a script by Jonathan Tropper, is a new standalone adventure set five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. It will feature all-new characters and explore a period of time that has not yet been explored on screen. Production is expected to kick off this fall. The film will hit theaters on May 28, 2027.

Related Sony releases a new poster for Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing

You may recall that Matt Smith was supposed to appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He joined the cast in what was supposed to be a “key role,...

Exclusive: After fighting battles for House Targaryen, Matt Smith is ready to take his next fight to a galaxy far, far, away. Sources tell Deadline that the House of the Dragon star is on board to join Ryan Gosling in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Starfighter. Mia Goth is also on board, with Shawn Levy directing the pic. Jonathan Tropper penned the script.

Lucasfilm and reps for Smith could not be reached for comment.

The film will shoot this fall and is set to bow on May 28, 2027. While exact details are vague on who Smith will be playing, sources say it will be one of the villain roles. Casting has been gearing up on the project over the past couple of weeks, with Levy meeting with a number of actors for this key role; sources say execs made the decision to go with Smith to play the next great villain in the Star Wars universe.

For half a century, Star Wars fans have accepted a simple yet enduring truth: Han Solo is the rugged smuggler with a fast ship, and Chewbacca is his loyal sidekick. But what if we’ve had it backward this whole time? What if Han Solo is actually Chewbacca’s pet?

Yes, it sounds ridiculous. But stop for a moment and really think about it. Look past the blaster and the bravado, and the dynamic between Han and Chewie starts to look a lot less like “pilot and co-pilot,” and a lot more like “dog and human”—except Chewbacca is the one holding the leash.

Let’s break it down.

Chewie is clearly the adult in the room

Han Solo is the plucky, rude, yapping scoundrel. He runs his mouth. Constantly. He’s impulsive, arrogant, and more often than not, just making things worse. And who’s always there to clean up the mess?...

Following the recent news that Naomi Ackie is in talks to join the cast of DC Studios' Clayface movie, we're hearing that Max Minghella is also being eyed for a key role.

According to Nexus Point News, Minghella would play a character named John, "a detective and fiancé to Caitlin Bates, who’s suspicious of his fiancée’s relationship with Matt Hagen/Clayface."

We're not sure if Minghella is actually in negotiations as of yet, but Ackie is now believed to have been officially offered the role of Bates, while Tom Rhys Harries will play Hagen.

Though this is just a rumor for now, the source has been scooping the trades with major casting news for months at this stage, so we're inclined to believe this is on the level.

Clayface's story will reportedly "center on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort,...

Exclusive: Billie Lourd is set to join the ensemble of the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios AI pic Artificial, which Luca Guadagnino is directing. Lourd joins a cast that already includes Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Cooper Hoffman and Ike Barinholtz.

Official plot details are being kept under wraps, although the film is being described as a comedic drama set in the world of artificial intelligence. While unconfirmed, sources say the film revolves around the period at OpenAI in 2023 that saw CEO Sam Altman fired and rehired in a matter of days. Details behind who Lourd will be playing are unknown at this time.

Simon Rich wrote the script and will produce alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford, as well as Jennifer Fox.

Lourd most recently starred in Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl and voiced a role in the animated Smurfs movie. On TV,...

The Naked Gun is on track to set a major box office record. The 2025 movie is a reboot and legacy sequel that stars Liam Neeson as the wacky cop Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the character played by Leslie Nielsen in the 1982 parody series Police Squad! and the original Naked Gun movie trilogy that spun off from it.

2025's The Naked Gun was directed by Akiva Schaffer from a script he wrote with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. It marks Liam Neeson's first time toplining a comedy movie since 2020's Made in Italy, a dramedy in which he co-starred with his son, Micheál Richardson.

Per Deadline, as of Saturday morning, The Naked Gun is projected to debut with a total of $16.5 million at the domestic box office, premiering at No. 3 behind The Bad Guys 2 and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

If it does indeed hit that number by the end of Sunday,...

While it may be some time before the next feature-length Star Wars film is released in theaters, fans of the franchise can at least take heart that the television side of things is still alive and kicking. The high output of the Star Wars series on Disney+ has helped to keep the saga relevant following the disappointing release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with multiple seasons of shows like The Mandalorian and Andor introducing new corners of the galaxy far, far away. Another Star Wars series, Ahsoka, is gearing up to begin filming its second season, and now a new report has indicated that one returning Star Wars alum might have a bigger role than they did in the first season.

Hayden Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, appeared briefly in Ahsoka Season 1, and the actor has been confirmed as returning for the second season.

Having completed three weeks of release at the global box office, Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth broke new ground in the face of heavy competition. The movie braced for an impact a couple of weeks ago, when director James Gunn’s Superman debuted in theaters with a bang, and it had to buckle in once again this week, as Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps delivered a similarly impressive debut. Despite these challenges (and mixed reviews), Rebirthpassed a major box office milestone this weekend. The seventh installment in the legendary action-adventure franchise has now outperformed every movie in the MonsterVerse franchise, but is still trailing its three immediate predecessors.

With over $290 million domestically and another $416 million from overseas markets, Rebirth’s cumulative global haul currently stands at $718 million. The movie was produced on a reported budget of $180 million, which is lower than the $265 million that Jurassic World Dominion is said to have cost.

Mark Hamill was done. He had just wrapped his arc as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and was ready to give up his day job.

“I didn’t expect to be this busy at this stage in my career. I thought this stage of my career I'd be spending more time with a metal detector wandering around the beach. You know, playing with the dogs in the backyard,” Hamill revealed to a packed Hall H during a panel for his upcoming film, The Long Walk, at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday. “And I said to my agents, I said, ‘You know what? I'm not motivated anymore.’ This is 2019. I said, ‘You know, I think I'm going to retire and just do voice-over.’ And the only people who objected were my agent, and my wife — it's good to have me out of the house.”

But then Mike Flanagan happened.

Before introducing Batman in Brave and the Bold, the Dcu will dive into the Dark Knight's rogues' gallery with the R-rated body horror Clayface. Wolf King actor Tom Rhys Harries is expected to star as Matt Hagen, a Gotham-born actor who transforms into the shapeshifting monster Clayface. Speak No Evil director James Watkins will deliver Clayface on a low $40 million budget based on a reportedly strong script from Doctor Sleep writer Mike Flanagan. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Mickey 17 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actress Naomi Ackie is in early talks to join Clayface. The Welsh actress reportedly emerged as the frontrunner after reading sessions took place in the U.K. last week and will shortly begin formal negotiations for the Dcu horror. But that wasn't all, as THR went on to share the first plot details for Clayface.

In its report, THR revealed that...

We recently learned that Tom Rhys Harries will play the title role in DC Studios' Clayface movie, and THR is now reporting that the project may have found its female lead.

Naomi Ackie is in talks to join the cast, but no details on her role have been disclosed. There's a chance she will play Matt Hagen's love-interest, Dr. Caitlin Bates, who did not originate in the comics.

Nexus Point News recently shared the following character breakdown: "CEO of a biotech startup seeking to create cutting edge medicine and medical technology. Bates sees Hagen as a way to grow her company and cure his condition. Throughout the process she falls in love with him while her fiance John grows suspicious of their relationship."

The trade does reveal a few more plot details, noting that the story "centers on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort,...

DC Studios is in early talks with actor Naomi Ackie for the female lead role in “Clayface,” its 2026 horror film starring Tom Rhys Harries, Variety has confirmed.

The horror film — written by Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins — focuses on the titular Batman villain, who starts out as an actor who, after his face is disfigured, turns in desperation to a highly experimental medical procedure. As so often happens with highly experimental medical procedures in comic book movies, things don’t go quite as planned, and the actor’s body transforms into a clay-like material that can reshape itself into anyone’s appearance.

Ackie’s star has been steadily rising over the last few years, with supporting roles in 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and 2025’s “Mickey 17” and “Sorry, Baby”; she also played Whitney Houston in the 2022 biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and headlined Zoë Kravitz...

The upcoming DC Universe movie Clayface may have found its female lead, and all it took was for DC Studios to journey to a galaxy far, far away.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Naomi Ackie is the top choice for the female lead role in Clayface. Sources state that, following reading sessions last week in England, DC is due to begin formal negotiations with the actor this week. If cast, Ackie would become the second actor to board the Dcu project, after Tom Rhys Harries, who was tapped back in June to play the titular shapeshifting Batman villain. While no character details for Ackie's role were shared, she will likely be playing scientist Dr. Caitlin Bates, an original character created specifically for Clayface, who was first mentioned in a recent report on the movie by Nexus Point News. THR alludes to Dr. Bates in its article, mentioning her only as...

Back in 2021, filmmaker Mike Flanagan let it be known on social media that he was interested in making a “standalone horror/thriller/tragedy” movie that would center on the Clayface character. A while after that, he confirmed that he had met with veteran DC movie producer Jon Berg to pitch a “horror-leaning” take on Clayface, as well as ideas for the DC properties Scarecrow, Justice League Dark, and Constantine. The meeting “kind of went nowhere.” But then, in March of 2023, Deadline broke the news that Flanagan had scheduled another Clayface pitch meeting, this time with DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran. And at the end of last year, it was announced that Flanagan is officially writing a Clayface movie that will be part of the DC Universe film franchise that’s being overseen by Gunn and Safran. A few months ago, Speak No Evil director James Watkins was hired to take the helm,...

DC Studios is making some serious headway with Clayface, its unexpected and eerie entry into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting today that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Mickey 17 star Naomie Ackie, 32, is in early talks to join the cast of the upcoming film, which will be directed by Speak No Evil’sJames Watkins. Ackie would join rising Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries, who has already been cast in the title role, playing one of the most bizarre and tragic characters from Batman’s rogues gallery. According to insiders, casting sessions recently took place in England, where Ackie emerged as the top choice. Formal negotiations are expected to begin this week.

The movie, written initially by Mike Flanagan with a recent polish by Hossein Amini, is described as a “body horror thriller” with structural and emotional echoes of David Cronenberg’s The Fly.

Exclusive: We are hearing that Sorry, Baby and Mickey 17 actress Naomi Ackie is the top choice for the female lead in DC Studios’ Clayface, about the Batman antagonist.

While it’s still early in the dealmaking process, if she accepts the part, Ackie will star opposite Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries in the James Watkins-directed genre movie. We were first to tell you about Harries and Watkins’ attachment to the process.

Clayface will be shooting at Warner Bros Leavesden studio in the UK.

Word is leaking about Ackie and Clayface at an exciting time for DC. Its first movie under studio label bosses Peter Safran and James Gunn, Superman, is coursing to $409 million worldwide, another comeback for superhero movies. DC is heading to San Diego Comic-Con this week strutting its stuff for the second season of HBO’s Peacemaker.

Clayface is a shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and...

Lili Reinhart, best known for playing Betty Cooper on the hit CW series Riverdale, has signed on to star and produce an adaptation of the popular romance novel The Love Hypothesis for Amazon MGM Studios, according to Deadline. Reinhart will play Olive Smith, a biology PhD candidate who enters into a fake relationship with a difficult yet attractive professor named Dr. Adam Carlsen, who will be played by Tom Bateman, before the two begin developing real feelings for one another. The film will be directed by Claire Scanlon, who previously directed the 2018 Netflix romantic comedy Set It Up starring Glenn Powell and Zoey Deutch. Reinhart announced the news with a post on her Instagram, which can be seen below:

Written by Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis was published by Berkley Books on Sept. 14, 2021. Originally published under the title Head over Feet in 2018 as Star Wars fan fiction for the characters of Rey and Kylo Ren,...

“The Love Hypothesis,” which began as a Rey x Kylo Ren “Star Wars” fan fiction, will soon receive a film adaptation from Amazon MGM. The company announced a lead actor today, with Tom Bateman set to star as Dr. Adam Carlsen.

Bateman, it should be noted, is married to the actress behind Rey, Daisy Ridley.

“Hypothesis: Tom Bateman is the perfect Adam Carlsen,” Amazon MGM Studios posted on X. “Amazon MGM Studios announced that Tom Bateman is set to star in ‘The Love Hypothesis,’ a romantic comedy based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Ali Hazelwood.”

You can view the post below.

Hypothesis: Tom Bateman is the perfect Adam Carlsen. #TheLoveHypothesis

Amazon MGM Studios announced that Tom Bateman is set to star in The Love Hypothesis, a romantic comedy based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Ali Hazelwood. pic.twitter.

Despite not having stepped into the Star Wars Universe for eight years, Rian Johnson is still having to address the controversies surrounding his entry in the sequel trilogy. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi would wind up being critically successful, garnering an impressive 91% "fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes from 482 critics' reviews. However, its 41% audience score from over 100,000 submitted reviews would end up telling a different story. Many of the complaints from fans would ultimately stem from the fact that the director addressed the plot points of Episode VII - The Force Awakens in a way they didn't find satisfactory.

There has been endless discourse about The Last Jedi online, with some fans even going so far as to say that Johnson intentionally undermined J.J. Abrams' story beats that were all set up at the end of Episode VII. Johnson would argue against this...

Star Wars: The Last Jedidirector Rian Johnson has provided an update on his Star Warstrilogy, and it may not be the news some are hoping for. Star Wars' upcoming movies have been difficult to pin down in recent years, with release dates, updates, and story details consistently feeling limited—Johnson's trilogy, which was only loosely defined, among them.

Now, The Last Jedi director has provided a disappointing update for those who were enthusiastic about seeing what Rian Johnson could do with an entire Star Wars trilogy. Speaking with Rolling Stone about his Star Wars trilogy that was thought to be in the works, Johnson shared:

"Nothing really happened with it. We had a great time working together, and they said, 'Let’s keep doing it.' I said, 'Great!' I would kick ideas around with Kathy. The short version is Knives Out happened. I went off and made Knives Out,...

Over the nearly five decades of Star Wars, the franchise has grown much bigger than many of its early fans and creators ever anticipated. There are so many Star Wars characters to meet and explore that even the most extensive encyclopedias can barely include them all.

With this kind of expansive universe comes a real danger: that some characters' motives and true purposes in various stories become assumed rather than explained. The most misunderstood Star Wars characters, however, also happen to be the most interesting to analyze.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi..Rey (Daisy Ridley).. | Photo: Industrial Light & Magic/Lucasfilm..©2017 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 1. Rey Skywalker

Rey Skywalker -- known as simply "Rey" for most of the sequel trilogy films -- is a complicated, deeply layered, and flawed hero. She has significant amounts of power that she often unintentionally misuses. She is stubborn and used to doing things her own way.

Four-time Grammy Award winner Ed Sheeran has revealed his favorite Star Wars movie. Ed Sheeran has long had a reputation for being a Star Wars fan; the award-winning musician even made two cameos in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, playing a First Order stormtrooper and an alien named Engi Golba.

Speaking in an interview on Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce, Sheeran revealed he has a surprising choice for a favorite Star Wars movie - a controversial choice many fans have actually tried to cut from the saga. "I think Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is my favorite," he revealed. "I know that's unpopular, but I was eight when it came out, and I really liked it... I liked Jar Jar Binks."

Ed Sheeran says his favorite Star Wars movie is The Phantom MENACE“I think Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is my favorite... I know that's unpopular, but...

A few weeks ago, we launched a contest inviting readers to submit personal essays about what’s gone wrong with the movie business—and how it might win back the audiences that seem to have largely abandoned it. We received many excellent entries, but five stood out as the best. We’ll be publishing one each day this week.

Here’s the fifth and final essay, courtesy of Mr. Mike O’Neill!

Back in 2019, massive hits like Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a live-action remake of The Lion King, and animated sequels to Frozen and Toy Story topped the box office and brought in huge audiences. But in 2020, movie theaters shut down due to the pandemic—and even though we’ve largely returned to normal, box office receipts are still far from where they once were.

While it would be easy to blame the pandemic or other obvious factors,...

The Star Wars franchise has taken on all-comers to become of the most successful movie series of all time. It's not had a completely smooth run - with both the response to the prequel films and the box office failure of Solo upending momentum throughout the decades - but it has stood the test of time to showcase that it deserves its flowers as one of the all-time great Hollywood franchises.

It took that vast and expansive world that audiences fell in love with on the silver screen and brought it to the small one via a multitude of Disney Plus shows. It found immediate success here too as audiences flocked to watch the likes of The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi but there were some misses along the way too, with The Book of Boba Fett disappointing critically and The Acolyte ending up cancelled.

Unfortunately, as the fate of the...

The film that vaulted acclaimed actor Lupita Nyong'o to superstardom is fittingly a breakout streaming hit 12 years after its theatrical debut. The award-winning historical drama, 12 Years a Slave, is a fast climber on the Paramount+ film charts.

Per Flix Patrol, 12 Years a Slave is a high-ranking new entrant on Paramount+'s global movies chart, placing just outside the podium in 4th spot. Sir Steve McQueen's biographical adaptation slots in just behind Paramount's 2022 sci-fi horror flick, Significant Other, the billion-dollar Tom Cruise-led sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, and Ridley Scott's historical epic, Gladiator II.

Nyong'o's films have been enjoying strong success in the streaming market this year. Along with 12 Years a Slave, her horror prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, became a global hit on Netflix, topping the charts in multiple countries. Meanwhile, another acclaimed horror movie starring Nyong'o, Jordan Peele's Us, hit Netflix on Jun.

Ed Sheeran is known for being a major Star Wars fan and even made a cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Recently, Sheeran revealed which one of the 12 live-action Star Wars movies he loved the most, and which characters from the film he liked, giving two surprising answers!

The singer-songwriter recently appeared on the Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce podcast and revealed that Episode I: The Phantom Menace is his favorite movie in the Star Wars franchise.

"I'm not going to lie. I think Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is my favorite film out of the Star Wars films," Sheeran said. "I know that's unpopular, but I was eight when it came out, and I really liked it. It gives me a lot of nostalgia."

The Phantom Menace, as well as Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith received severe backlash from a large section...

Exclusive: Pine Bay Pictures, Morning Moon and Traction have added Billie Lourd, Matt Barr and Elizabeth Tulloch to Josh Plasse’s comedy-drama The Pirate King starring Rob Riggle and Jordana Brewster.

Military vet Riggle stars as Todd, a Marine veteran struggling with Ptsd and addiction who finds unexpected redemption when he joins a group of pirate reenactors, giving him a chance to fight for custody of his daughter and rebuild the life he thought was lost forever.

Star Wars and American Horror Story star Lourd is also producing the movie. She’s starring in this summer’s Paramount animated pic Smurfs as Worry Smurf. Cameras are rolling in Virginia Beach.

Additional newly added cast names include Nichole Sakura (Superstore), Leander Suleiman (Saturday Night), Annabeth Gish (Before I Wake), Brett Cullen (Joker), Chris Witaske (The Bear). Also Adele Abinante is making her feature film debut as Todd’s daughter, Emmylou. Country...

There was a scene in 2015 in The Force Awakens that signaled a passing of the torch. In the film, Han Solo hands Rey a blaster for her protection. It seemed the character and Harrison Ford were passing on the legacy of the franchise to Rey and actress Daisy Ridley in that very moment.

The actress received praise for her portrayal of the new character, and it seemed like the future was endless for both the character and Ridley. Many projects were announced, and rumors were circulating that Ridley would be involved.

Now there seems to be a setback. Recently, it was announced that Sharmeen Obaid-Chino's movie centered on Rey has been shelved. The film went through many writers, and it seemed there was not a plan that involved moving forward with the film or Ridley's involvement.

Not only does the character of Rey deserve better, but Daisy Ridley. The franchise...

Director Victoria Mahoney knows a little something about stepping into a beloved franchise and coming out the other side. In between her lauded 2011 feature film debut “Yelling to the Sky” and a wide assortment of TV directing gigs, Mahoney was hired as the second unit director on J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

A “Star Wars” gig? That sounds great for any director, but when Mahoney was hired in 2018, it came with some added weight: The position meant that she’d be the first woman to direct on a “Star Wars” film ever.

So, yes, Mahoney knows a little something about stepping into a beloved franchise. For her second feature, Netflix’s “The Old Guard 2,” Mahoney is once again taking an established (and adored) series and making it her own. Following Gina Prince-Bythewood’s smash hit “The Old Guard,” Mahoney’s film picks up where the superhero story ended,...

The Charlize Theron action film The Old Guard was a hit for the Netflix streaming service when it was released in 2020, but the sequel The Old Guard 2 has had an unexpectedly bumpy ride while making its way out into the world. It went into production back in 2022, and filming had to be halted briefly after a fire broke out at the film studio where the movie had been shooting; Rome, Italy’s historic Cinecittà Studios. Then there was a shake-up at Netflix during post-production, so the project got shut down for a while – and then there were reshoots. Theron was quoted as saying that it was back on track and coming soon last summer, but there was still another year left to wait. Now the movie is finally streaming (you can read our review Here)… which means it’s time to start talking about another sequel! But The Old Guard 2...

Charlize Theron is back in The Old Guard 2 from Netflix. However, one of her most iconic characters would be presented to the world in 2015 with Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. Since the release of the film and the subsequent reaction, George Miller would be developing a Furiosa solo prequel, which Theron would not be in consideration for. Theron reacted by saying, “Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner. We get so hung up on the smaller details that we forget the thing that we emotionally tap into...