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
How Apple Helped J.J. Abrams Design the New ‘Star Wars’ Lightsaber
The new Star Wars: Episode 7 lightsaber was the most hotly debated topic that came out of the first teaser trailer. What is this thing? Where did it come from? It turns out those answers might come from a very unlikely source: Apple.
The Amazing ‘Star Wars’ Concept Art of Designer Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars illustrator and designer Ralph McQuarrie is responsible for some of the most iconic imagery in the pop culture and the history of movies. McQuarrie designed the look of many of the Star Wars characters including Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the Stormtroopers, as well as locations like the Death Star and Tattooine. In fact, it was McQuarrie's artwork that eventually sold 20th Century Fox on the idea of letting George Lucas actually make a Star Wars movie.
‘Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ Trailer: A Higher Class of Hero
Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of the popular 1960s NBC spy series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is very much a throwback to the classic spy movies. Whereas most modern spy movies, like ‘Skyfall’ or the upcoming ‘Kingsman’, do their best to distance themselves from the Roger Moore style, ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ actually embraces it. It’s even set in the 1960s. But, is there an audience for a good, old fashioned spy movie? Watch the new ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ trailer and see for yourself.
‘Spectre’ First Look: Daniel Craig is Back as Bond
‘Spectre’, the upcoming 24th James Bond movie, is currently filming in Austria where it is probably as cold and snowy as wherever you are right now (damn you, Polar Vortex!). The cast and crew took some time out to update 007 fans on the progress of the upcoming film with a video blog on what they're currently shooting, which they promise manages to top even ‘Skyfall’.
‘Hitman: Agent 47’ Trailer: Your Number is Up
In theory, there's nothing wrong with rebooting the ‘Hitman’ franchise (a popular video game series that spawned only one 2007 film). The Timothy Olyphant version was nothing particularly interesting or exciting, so the chance to try again is something that we can't fault Fox for. But, when you reboot a movie and it still looks as stale and by-the-books as the new ‘Hitman: Agent 47’, then what was the point in the first place?
Hugh Jackman Confirms Patrick Stewart’s Involvement in Upcoming ‘Wolverine’ Sequel
Yesterday, Sir Patrick Stewart revealed that he would not, as was widely suspected, be returning for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. He did, however, tease his involvement in the next ‘Wolverine’ movie saying, “we have been talking about a Wolverine movie, which would team Hugh Jackman and myself together.” He offered no further details, so we took this rumor straight to the man himself, Wolverine, and asked Hugh Jackman for some details.
Watch Hugh Jackman’s Reaction When He Learns About the Marvel and Spider-Man Deal
We spoke to Hugh Jackman earlier today for his upcoming movie ‘Chappie’ (we’ll have much more on that movie soon), and as we were making small talk, we asked Mr. Jackman whether he had heard the news yet about Marvel and Sony Pictures coming to terms on an agreement that would allow Spider-Man to crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He had not. He was very surprised.
‘Straight Outta Compton’ Trailer: You Are Now About to Witness the Strength of Street Knowledge
‘Straight Outta Compton’, the biopic of controversial gangsta rap group N.W.A., hasn't had the easiest road to the big screen. The film has been in development since 2009, with a number of directors set to direct. Finally, Universal Pictures came on board to make the film happen with director F. Gary Gray (who had previously worked with both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre on previous projects), but the big question is, was it worth the wait?
Marvel Reacts to James Gunn’s Idea For ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’: “Whoa, That’s Risky”
Not much is known about ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ yet, and that’s just the way Marvel wants it. But, just because we know nothing about ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ doesn’t mean that Marvel knows nothing about it. Director James Gunn said he sat down with the studio to detail his vision for the upcoming superhero sequel, and their reaction was, “Whoa. That’s risky.”
‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2’ Will Be Released in IMAX 3D
For the past two years, ‘The Hunger Games’ movies have topped the yearly box-office charts, beating two Marvel movies (‘Iron Man 3’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) without the help of 3D ticket sales. Well, today Lionsgate announced that ‘Mockingjay, Part 2’ will be released in IMAX and 3D, which should put it squarely in the running with ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ and ‘Avengers 2’ as the biggest movie of 2015.