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‘Gladiator II’, Ridley Scott’s sequel to his 2000 epic historical film, is slated to release on Friday, November 22nd in the U.S. and a week earlier in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

The Original Movie I rewatched the original movie as part of Bryant Park Movie Nights, an outdoor event in New York City sponsored by Paramount+. At various turns in the movie - Maximus gaining the upper hand in a fight, a popular line being delivered - a crowd of a thousand strangers would cheer and holler. Historical epics are films with the highest of stakes, torture or death to the protagonist or their family. Their storylines are primal and visceral. When an older woman passing through the park asked me what the film was about before the film began, I put some thought into my second answer (my first led to her thinking it was an...

Actress Eva Green poses for Chapter II of the Roger Vivier “Express” campaign, in a new short film, directed by Andrea Danese and Nicolangelo Gelormini, for the fashion brand credited with handbags and the creation of the modern day ‘stiletto’ heel, declaring “…to wear dreams on one’s feet is to begin to give a reality to one’s dreams…” :

About her ongoing film career, Green said "...there are simply not enough good roles for women, and for the last 20 years it has been so male-dominated and continues to be so."

The French actress and model started her career in theater before making her film debut in 2003 in Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial "The Dreamers".

She achieved international recognition when she appeared in Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005) and portrayed 'Vesper Lynd' in the 'James Bond' film "Casino Royale" (2006).

In 2006, Green was awarded the 'BAFTA' Rising Star Award.

As Spanish film festivals go, few have demonstrated the mainstream clout and drawing power of this year’s Seville European Film Festival (Seff), which boasts one of its most audience-friendly lineups of stars and films to date.

Sevilla aims to bring the best in European cinematographic culture to the south of Spain for dialogues between new artists and recognized figures from the industry while also dedicating space to new media for cinematographic expression. Always a haven for independent and arthouse fare, the festival has broadened its program in recent years to include more mainstream titles and A-list guests. It’s an intentional trend that the festival’s team hopes to continue nurturing in future editions.

This year’s Official Selection jury features two European cinema legends, producer David Puttnam and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons.

Irons is the more recognizable of the two, given his on-screen work in films such as...

By the time 1983 was over, Tom Cruise was ready to conquer the world. Thanks to his roles in "The Outsiders" and "All the Right Moves," the man who would one day swing around the tallest building in the world in "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" (giving his then flailing career new life) had established himself as one of the most promising actors of his generation. That same year, by dancing in nothing but a pink button-up shirt and his tighty-whities in "Risky Business," he also provided the world with one of the most iconic visuals in teen coming-of-age dramedy history. Yet, it would take another three years for both Tom Cruise the blockbuster star with a mega-watt grin and the serious artist to fully emerge with "Top Gun" and "The Color of Money." Why the delay?

In a word: "Legend." Director Ridley Scott's 1985 fantasy adventure is as visually wondrous...

Decca Records US is set to release the soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated Gladiator sequel on November 15, 2024. Gladiator II: Music From The Motion Picture by composer Harry Gregson-Williams features an epic orchestral score, comprised of over 100 musicians and singers from across the globe, and meticulously crafted to accompany the blockbuster new movie starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, with Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington.

The soundtrack also includes the timeless hit song “Now We Are Free” composed by Hans Zimmer for the original Gladiator film almost 25 years ago and featuring singer Lisa Gerrard.

From legendary director Ridley Scott, and a screenplay by David Scarpa, story by Peter Craig and David Scarpa, and based on characters created by David Franzoni, Gladiator II continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered...

Ordinarily, the discussion of movie runtimes sight unseen is as silly as getting worked up over a title treatment. The length of a film you have not seen will only be of note when you buy your tickets and, should you be taking a date or hanging with friends, attempt to coordinate before- and/or after-film plans. Beyond this, whether a movie runs 80 minutes or 200 minutes is immaterial to your eventual enjoyment of it. It may seem odd if a seemingly expansive Western runs under two hours or a romantic comedy pushes two-and-a-half hours, but so what? If anything, it should be exciting that the movie is already challenging your expectations before you set foot in a theater.

I wouldn't say the work of Ridley Scott is the exception to this rule, but the master filmmaker behind "Alien," "Blade Runner," and "American Gangster" has long been satisfied with releasing shortened theatrical cuts of his movies,...

Zack Snyder is known around the world for his iconic movies. But more importantly, he is known for his “director’s cut” films which reveal a completely different side to the story.

A still from Zack Snyder’s Justice League | Credits: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Before James Gunn took over, the reins of the Dceu were in the hands of the 300 director. Snyder created an extraordinary world with the superheroes but more than that, he created some iconic director cuts along the way. Right now, it seems that Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker: Folie à Deux might be in desperate need of that.

Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux Has Become a Laughing Stock

In 2019, the world laughed and then cried with Joaquin Phoenix as the legendary actor gave one of his best performances in Joker. With the first film doing great, fans eagerly awaited Todd Phillips and Phoenix’s sequel.

The 2007 crime drama "American Gangster" began its life as a 2000 New York Times article called "The Return of Superfly," written by journalist Marc Jacobs. The article detailed the rise and fall of Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug kingpin who operated in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Lucas was apprehended and jailed in 1976 and sentenced to 70 years in prison, but was able to get his sentence shortened by becoming an FBI informant. He was a criminal who took a job with the cops -- notably, Detective Richie Roberts -- who collared him.

Star screenwriter Steve Zaillian wrote a massively long adaptation of Jacobs' article and showed it to director Ridley Scott as early as 2002. Scott declined to direct it, however, choosing to work on his ancient war epic "Kingdom of Heaven" instead. The screenplay, called "True Blu" at the time, also crossed the desk of Brian de Palma. De Palma...

Uwe Bolls „Bandidos – Ein Leben zwischen Freiheit und Gesetz“ erscheint zwar erst Mitte Dezember auf Blu-ray, in die Amazon-Verkaufscharts ist er aber schon einmal hervorragend eingestiegen – als meistnachgefragte Dokumentation.

„Bandidos – Ein Leben zwischen Freiheit und Gesetz“ erscheint am 12. Dezember auf Bau-ray (Credit: Dolphin Medien)

Zugegeben: Wer glaubt, so manche Plattform würde bei den hochgelobten Algorithmen am Ende auch nur mit Wasser kochen, sieht sich beim Blick auf die Blu-Ray-Verkaufscharts von Amazon derzeit womöglich ein wenig bestätigt. Denn so gelungen „Königreich der Himmel“ von Ridley Scott auch sein mag – als „Dokumentation“ mag man das Schlachtenepos dann vielleicht doch nicht einordnen…

Das aber nur am Rande, denn es beeinträchtig den Vorverkaufserfolg von „Bandidos – Ein Leben zwischen Freiheit und Gesetz“ von Regisseur Uwe Boll allenfalls optisch. Tatsächlich ist diese Dokumentation innerhalb ihres Genres die aktuell meistverkaufte beim eTail-Giganten – und das, obwohl die Blu-ray im Vertrieb von Dolphin Medien erst am 12. Dezember erscheint.

An ethereal beauty like no other, Eva Green has scooped up multiple roles in innumerable star-studded projects and never once ceased to leave viewers baffled with her tremendous emotional complexity. After starting her acting career through theatre, she debuted in Hollywood in 2003 and didn’t take long to become one of the most sought-after actresses of all time.

Eva Green in Casino Royale. | Credits: Sony Pictures.

Also renowned for playing a Bond Girl in 2006’s Casino Royale, she didn’t hesitate to bare herself to star as the peerless spy’s love interest even though it was only the beginning of her career. This was because, before this film, Green starred in The Dreamers, which had her pulling some risky moves with her co-star to calm her nerves before shooting an intimate scene.

Eva Green Took Some Real Risks While Shooting The Dreamers

When she got cast in Casino Royale...

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus not only gave an origin story for the Xenomorphs but also pitched a dramatic and nihilistic origin for humanity itself. The sci-fi film featured Michael Fassbender as the android David, who joins the Prometheus crew in finding the Engineer on the moon Lv-223. It also featured Charlize Theron and Idris Elba.

Scott’s Alien prequel of sorts has received much flack over the years for its overreliance on philosophy and convoluted plot. Despite showing a lot of promise in the opening sequences, fans seemed to be lost as the story progressed and revealed the Engineer. Fans still seem to be confused about the Engineer suddenly going berserk in the middle.

Why Did The Engineer Unleash All Hell On The Prometheus Crew? Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace, and Michael Fassbender in Prometheus | Credits: 20th Century Fox

Ridley Scott returned to the sci-fi genre after a long detour to various genres with Prometheus.

Apple TV+ recently released the director’s cut of Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which adds 48 minutes to the historical epic’s runtime, bringing it to 205 minutes. Going to need a bathroom break for that one. However, Scott told Total Film he easily could have gone longer as the story of Napoleon is so complex and expansive.

“Well, you could do a film that ran a week about Napoleon Bonaparte,” Scott said. “Really, the biggest challenge is: how the hell do I narrow this down? The story of Napoleon is so complex, and I only wanted to look at the man. Not so much the battles, but more the man, and what makes him tick, and his obsession with somebody called Josephine.“

Vanessa Kirby’s Josephine gets more attention in the director’s cut, with her relationship with Napoleon fleshed out further. “She was not at all attracted to him at all,...

Plot: “Napoleon: The Director’s Cut” stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and military leader. The film is a fresh and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. The director’s cut delves deeper into Josephine’s origin story and features more extravagant costumes, new larger-than-life sets, and the previously unreleased Battle of Marengo scene. The audience is also given more details about Napoleon’s demise, from his attempted assassination to his failed invasion of Russia.

Review: When Ridley Scott’s Napoleon debuted in 2023, it received a less than enthusiastic welcome. While our own Chris Bumbray gave the film a positive score, he was the exception to the rule. The majority of critics and audiences found the film to be ambitious.

If there's one thing we love here at Empire, it's a good old meaty Director's Cut. And if there's one thing we really love here at Empire, it's a good old meaty Ridley Scott Director's Cut. Kingdom Of Heaven, Blade Runner, Gladiator — you name it, there's a pretty good chance Sir Ridders' Final Cut is the definitive one to seek out. And with that being said, today Scott has unveiled a suitably epic-sized new cut of his Joaquin Phoenix starring historical epic Napoleon. Surprise dropped on Apple TV+ today, the Alien filmmaker's newest Director's Cut boasts a whopping 48 minutes of never-before-seen footage to savour. Check out the legendary auteur's typically sardonic announcement of the new cut below:

Grossing a whopping $221 million at the global box office upon release last year, Scott's Napoleon struck a chord with cinemagoers thanks to its staggering sense of scale, Phoenix and co-lead Vanessa Kirby's magnetic lead performances,...

“Napoleon” is back on the march.

Ridley Scott’s historical epic from last year, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as the arrogant military-leader-turned-emperor Napoleon, is getting the director’s cut treatment, with 48 minutes of new footage being added to the runtime. It’s available now on Apple TV+. Watch a new trailer below.

What’s interesting is that, when “Napoleon” was released last fall, Scott claimed that there was a superior four-and-a-half hour version, that would eventually see the light of day. The version arriving on Apple TV+ today is a little shy of three-and-a-half hours. Did he get more judicious during the assembly of this new version? Did Apple blanch at paying for more visual effects and score in service of a movie that didn’t move the needle much? While it’s unclear now, Scott is about to embark on the press tour for “Gladiator II” (out this Thanksgiving...

Like the opposite of a winter invasion of Russia, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon director’s cut has appeared very suddenly on Apple TV+ – and is available to watch right now.

Fans of 19th century battle sequences, weird flirting and vegan hats rejoice – Ridley Scott has been beavering away on his Napoleon director’s cut, and it’s just stealth-dropped onto Apple TV+.

Total Film broke the story, alongside a lengthy interview with Scott. In it, he discusses the 48 extra minutes the cut adds onto the film (bringing its new runtime up to a bum-numbing 205 minutes). As is to be expected, given the name of his new edit, it sounds like the director prefers this version, as it allows him to dig more into the relationship at the heart of the film between the titular emperor (Joaquin Phoenix) and his long-suffering wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).

“The extra [48 minutes] is not entirely devoted to Josephine,...

Star Wars and Jaws defined the 1970s so much they directly paved the way for Alien. Alien was even pitched as a knock-off of one of those movies. Interestingly, Alien‘s impact on cinema was comparable to that of Star Wars.

‘Star Wars’ caused the director of ‘Alien’ to completely rethink his creative direction

It might be difficult for modern viewers to understand the impact of the original Star Wars. Prior to George Lucas’ magnum opus, big-budget Hollywood science fiction films like The War of the Worlds and 2001: A Space Odyssey were rare. Once Star Wars premiered in 1977, Hollywood became much more comfortable with science fiction. By 1979, several expensive space movies were blasting off into theaters including Alien.

During a 2024 interview with Wired, director Ridley Scott revealed what he thought when he saw Star Wars. “I was stunned,” he recalled. “Star Wars just turned my head about completely. So...

Ridley Scott has been very active these past few years delivering film after film of varying genres. The master filmmaker has been entertaining audiences since the 70s and some of his films like Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator have become some of the most iconic films of all time. However, the director’s recent works have not lived up to the audience’s expectations.

Russell Crowe as Maximus Decimus Meridius in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator | DreamWorks Pictures

After films like The Last Duel, House of Gucci and Napoleon not doing well at the box office, Scott is aiming to strike back with Gladiator II. The film is a sequel to the beloved 2000 film Gladiator starring Russell Crowe. The sequel will see the return of some familiar characters from the first film. However, Djimon Hounsou’s Juba will not make an appearance in the hotly anticipated sequel.

Gladiator Fans Won’t...

Hulu’s hit series Only Murders in the Building returns for its fourth season this month as the crime-solving trio takes a trip from New York City to Los Angeles to solve yet another murder. But just because they’re moving coasts, doesn’t mean that Oliver (Martin Short), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Charles (Steve Martin) can escape the deaths that keep plaguing their apartment building.

We also get to see what happens to the Solar Opposites in the aftermath of the series-changing finale when the full fifth season of the series drops this August.

Here’s everything that’s coming to (and leaving) Hulu in August.

Hulu New Releases – August 2024

August 1

Billion Dollar Wreck: Complete Season 1

Buddy Valastro’s Cake Dynasty: Complete Season 1

Interrogation Cam: Complete Season 1

Naruto Shippuden (Dubbed) Eps#450 – 461

The Banger Sisters (2002)

The Beach (2000)

Because I Said So (2007)

Brothers Mcmullen (1995)

Casino (1995)

Drumline (2002)

Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)

Eragon...

Acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott is promising to raise the bar for epic historical action sequences with his forthcoming Gladiator sequel, slated for a November 2024 release. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, the British director teased that the introductory battle will surpass even some of his most breathtaking combat scenes from past classics like Kingdom of Heaven and the recent Napoleon drama.

Set two decades after the events of 2000’s Oscar-winning Gladiator, the sequel will continue the saga of ancient Rome through the eyes of a new protagonist thrust into the gladiatorial arena. Inspired by Russell Crowe’s commanding portrayal of the famed general Maximus Decimus Meridius, the new hero will face harrowing challenges battling exotic beasts and skilled opponents within the Colosseum.

Advancements in visual effects technology have enabled Scott to realize his most ambitious visions to date. Using CGI and AI, environments like the 100,000-seat Colosseum can be recreated with pinpoint historical accuracy.

Ridley Scott has delivered some epic battle scenes in his films, from the Battle of Kerak in 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven” to the Battle of Austerlitz in 2023’s “Napoleon.” But his upcoming sequel to “Gladiator” features an action sequence that’s larger than anything he’s done in the past, according to the legendary filmmaker.

“We begin the film with probably the biggest action sequence I’ve ever done,” Scott told Empire in a recent interview. “Probably bigger than anything in ‘Napoleon.’”

“Gladiator 2” stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Commodus, the original film’s antagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix. Set years after 2000’s “Gladiator,” the sequel sees Lucius living as a young adult in the northern African region of Numidia, where he was sent by his mother as a child. Events bring Lucius back to Rome as a gladiator, where he...

Ridley Scott has never been afraid to go big. He’s delivered thunderous sword-clashing skirmishes in Gladiator, Kingdom Of Heaven and Robin Hood. His previous film, Napoleon – released just days before Scott’s 86th birthday – featured no fewer than six battle sequences in its depiction of the French Emperor’s reign. So you best believe that, on his return to the Colosseum with Gladiator II – arriving over 20 years after the first instalment made audiences around the world think daily of the Roman Empire – Scott is ready to go big. Bigger, in fact, than ever before.

“We begin the film with probably the biggest action sequence I’ve ever done,” the legendary director teases, speaking to Empire in the Joker: Folie À Deux issue. “Probably bigger than anything in Napoleon.” Gladiator II is set more than two decades after the events of the first film – following Paul Mescal’s Lucius on his own story of vengeance,...

Shows and Films Coming to Hulu in August 2024. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Hulu has planned to churn out some amazing content in August. From the premiere of highly awaited original shows to the streaming release of blockbuster films, the streaming platform has a lot to offer.

For starters, we are getting the fourth season of the hit mystery comedy-drama, Only Murders in the Building. But that’s not all! Here are all the shows and films being added on Hulu in August 2024:

August 1 Billion Dollar Wreck: Season 1 Buddy Valastro’s Cake Dynasty: Season 1 Interrogation Cam: Season 1 Naruto Shippuden (Dubbed) Episodes 450 to 461 The Banger Sisters The Beach Because I Said So Brothers Mcmullen Casino Drumline Eddie Murphy: Raw Eragon Flubber Fool’s Gold The Full Monty Garfield Garfield: A Tail Of Two Kitties The Guardian Horrible Bosses Horrible Bosses 2 I Feel Pretty In Time John Carter Kingdom of Heaven Knocked...

If you’re like me, you spend a lot of August yelling “Summer is over!” to your nearest and dearest — and they don’t take kindly to that. Summer TV is in its twilight, while fall premieres loom on the horizon after the Emmy Awards on September 15.

But summer is not over, and there’s plenty of new titles to stream in the Disney bundle. Disney+ will premiere new Star Wars and “Winnie the Pooh” titles for kids, as well as the original series “Are You Sure?!” following BTS’s Jimin and Jung Kook. Hulu will become home to “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Woman King,” “Smile,” and more movie titles, as well as the home for FX series — this month: “The New York Times Presents: Lie to Fly: Documentary Premiere.” Hulu originals “Solar Opposites” returns on August 12, and “Reasonable Doubt” for its second season starting August...

Ridley Scott has made some of the greatest films that have stood the test of time and are celebrated today. The filmmaker is behind classics such as Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, etc, and at 86, he continues to churn out epic films mounted on a huge scale. The director is also known for being a perfectionist and is very particular about the look of his films.

A still from Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven | 20th Century Fox

One of his most divisive films was the theatrical version of Kingdom of Heaven. Audiences expected the historical epic to be on the level of Gladiator but it lacked depth and characterization. Several crucial scenes that the director wanted to put were cut from the theatrical version. However, the director’s cut version of the film became a significant improvement over it.

Frustrating Studio Interference On Kingdom of Heaven Led...

A new listing has revealed the existence of Napoleon: The Director’s Cut, from Apple and Ridley Scott. More here.

The latest update from the classification and rating administration of the Motion Picture Association of America has brought with it apparent confirmation that there’s more Napoleon on the way.

Ridley Scott’s latest film until his next one – which happens to be this winter’s Gladiator 2 – starred Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. It was a pretty decent movie too, which cost Apple a reported $200m to make. Certainly the staging of the battle sequences was prime Ridley, even if some other stuff wasn’t.

Not for the first time in Scott’s career – Blade Runner, Kingdom Of Heaven, The Counsellor, Robin Hood, the list goes on – there’s an extended version of one of his films getting an airing. This, interestingly, is seemingly being billed as the Napoleon: Director’s Cut.

“Seven Types of Ambiguity,” the Australian TV series involving a mystery told from the shifting perspective of seven characters, is getting an Arabic adaptation as an original production for beIN Media Group’s Tod streaming platform.

Titled “Mirage” or alternately (“Sarab”) in Arabic, the first international adaptation of the six-part ABC series – which is based on the acclaimed novel by Australian author Elliot Perlman, revolving around the disappearance of a child in suburban Melbourne — is being transposed to a Middle East setting. Just like the original, each episode of the ten-part Rashomon-like show is told from a different point of view.

Shooting is underway on the Arabic adaptation of “Seven Types of Ambiguity” which is being directed by Egypt’s Ahmed Khaled (“The Thief of Baghdad”) and toplines Egypt’s Khaled El Nabawy (“Kingdom of Heaven”) and Yosra El Lozy who recently starred in surrogacy-themed Ramadan drama “Selat Rahem.

There isn't a more wearisome topic in the oft-wearisome realm of Film Discourse than the unkillable movie runtime debate. For those who actually care enough about cinema to read up on the wisdom dispensed by the medium's most learned critics and scholars, this superficial subject was succinctly settled when Roger Ebert wrote in his 1992 essay "The Thrill of Breaking the 120-Minute Barrier," "Bad movies are always too long, but good movies are either too short, or just right."

Of course, I've seen good movies that dragged a bit, and bad/disappointing movies that could be vastly improved by an expanded narrative focus. Franchise-launching first installments often fall into that former camp due to an excess of track-laying exposition; James Cameron's "Avatar" sags during its first two acts as he brings us up to the speed on the history/flora/fauna/what-have-you (and what you have is a lot) of...

Special Agent 007 has become immensely popular since decades as it is one of the oldest spy franchises in film history. Throughout the years, numerous actors have portrayed the iconic character, but it was Daniel Craig who took the character’s popularity to a whole new level. The Knives Out actor played James Bond for 15 years and was the longest-serving actor in the role, arguably overtaking Sean Connery in terms of popularity and portrayal of the character.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale. Credits: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

While Daniel Craig took up the role in five movies, in Casino Royale, Eva Green stole the spotlight from him by becoming a key highlight in the film, and even being remembered as ‘The Hottest Bond Girl.’ Interestingly, Green did not want to be a part of the film, until Barbara Broccoli decided to persistently pursue her to be a part of it.

How do you like that? Orlando Bloom and I have something in common: we’ve both tried to erase Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy from our memories. Well, not exactly. While participating in Variety‘s “Know Their Lines” video series, Bloom drew a blank when asked about a line by his Troy character, Paris. Bloom thought the dialogue came from his Kingdom of Heaven character, Balian de Ibelin, or Legolas Greenleaf, his elven archer from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. To his surprise, the line came from Troy, a movie he’s tried to wipe from memory.

“Oh my god, ‘Troy.’ Wow. I think I just blanked that movie out of my brain by the way,” Bloom explained. “So many people love that movie, but for me playing that character was just like [slits throat]. Am I allowed to say all of these things? I didn’t want to do the movie.

Orlando Bloom has fond memories of making movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings,” but Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 historical epic “Troy” is a different story. During an interview for Variety’s “Know Their Lines” video series, Bloom blanked on one of the lines said by his “Troy” character Paris (he thought it must be from “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Lord of the Rings”) and admitted that he has mostly blocked the movie out of his mind.

“Oh my god, ‘Troy.’ Wow. I think I just blanked that movie out of my brain by the way,” Bloom said. “So many people love that movie, but for me playing that character was just like [slits throat]. Am I allowed to say all of these things? I didn’t want to do the movie. I didn’t want to play this character.”

“The movie was great. It was Brad [Pitt]. It was Eric [Bana] and Peter O’Toole,...

When Universal decided to jump on the first weekend of May, a slot normally taken up by Marvel’s popular superhero movies, they were hoping the combo of “Barbenheimer” stars, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, would make “The Fall Guy” a huge early summer hit. That’s not what happened. Read on for the weekend box office report.

Going into the weekend, “The Fall Guy” had everything going for it, from two of the biggest Oscar-nominated stars from 2023’s biggest blockbusters – one who recently hosted “Saturday Night Live” to great success – plus reviews had been great going back to its premiere at the SXSW Film and TV Festival. Universal even screened the movie for exhibitors (i.e. theater owners) at the annual CinemaCon to get excitement going for the start of the summer movie season.

On Friday, Universal opened “The Fall Guy” nationwide into 4,002 theaters, another indicator that many were expecting a huge hit,...

David Fincher’s star-studded crime thriller Se7en is one of the best in the genre. The film featuring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in the lead, starred Kevin Spacey as a serial killer executing murders across the city based on the seven deadly sins. However, when the film was released, Spacey decided to be absent from the marketing campaign and the opening credits due to a genius reason.

Kevin Spacey in Se7en

Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt headlined Se7en as an almost-retired detective and his young partner investigating the brutal murders by the serial killer. The film can be easily credited as a horror piece due to the horrific murders that are shown. But what made it more popular for the fans was the shock to find out who the killer was. Spacey planned to make it play out that way.

Kevin Spacey wanted the audience to emerge...

The Cannes Film Festival has named the eight members of its main Competition jury who will join previously announced president Greta Gerwig in deciding the Palme d’Or and other key prizes at 77th edition running from May 14 to 25.

They are Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, U.S. actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter J.A. Bayona, Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and French actor and producer Omar Sy.

The wife and long-time collaborator of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, screenwriter and photographer Ceylan co-wrote 2014 Palme d’Or winner Winter Sleep and also took co-writing credits on Cannes selected films Three Monkeys (Best Director Prize 2008), Once upon a time in Anatolia (Grand Prix 2011), The Wild Pear Tree (2018) and About Dry Grasses (2023).

Ceylan also appeared as an actress and took art director credits on her husband’s early films...

In the early days of home video, people hardly ever asked questions like, “Which version should I watch?” These days, skilled editors can make post-production edit changes to their films, sometimes producing multiple ‘directors’ versions of the same motion picture. Examples of such editors include Michael Mann, Oliver Stone, and Ridley Scott, (who has director’s cuts of Kingdom of Heaven and Blade Runner).

However, the conventional group of director’s cut enthusiasts appear to be amateurs, in contrast to Zack Snyder. His numerous extended cuts offer a more intimate glimpse into his techniques and obsessions than those of any other director.

Needless to say, most casual moviegoers these days most likely associate Zack Snyder’s Justice League with the term ‘director’s cut’. Well, we can’t deny that in recent years, Snyder, 58, has gained a reputation for releasing extended cuts of his films, prompting many to question how far artistic freedom goes.

Today, BritBox International announced that the Original thriller After the Flood will premiere on Monday, May 13. Two episodes will drop each Monday until the May 27 finale.

The British streaming service also debuted the trailer and key art for the six-part series.

After the Flood is a mystery thriller set in a town hit by a devastating flood. When an unidentified man is found dead in a lift in an underground car park, police assume he became trapped as the waters rose.

As the investigation unfolds, PC Joanna Marshall, played by Sophie Rundle, becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to him and why. The mystery unfolds across the series while we also see the real impact of climate change on the lives of residents in this small town.

The floods threaten to expose secrets, and fortunes and reputations are at stake. But how far will people go to protect themselves?

The...

Christian Bale is known for his insane transformations and some of the most critically acclaimed roles in Hollywood. The 50-year-old Oscar winner has worked with some of the greatest directors and delivered some critically and commercially successful flicks. However, he also has a fair share of flop films in his career. Interestingly, many of these projects even came after his highly successful, The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Trilogy

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the most significant works in Christian Bale’s filmography. His incredible performance as the Caped Crusader in Nolan’s gritty world elevated the trilogy’s quality and made Bale a household name. Surprisingly, even that stardom could not save the American Psycho fame from some of the biggest flops in his career.

Here are 5 films by Christian Bale that did not get any help from his Batman...

Brad Pitt can immerse into different roles with ease and he will always find a way to marvel at it. With a decades-long career in Hollywood, the actor has worked with several directors in several movies but not with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese.

Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Pitt almost had the opportunity to work with the director but he felt that he would not be fitting to the character in a crime thriller. However, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood star was involved in the film behind the camera.

Suggested“We were in the lavatory trying to sell our passports”: Brad Pitt’s ‘Troy’ Co-star Had To Resort To Extreme Means To Earn Some Money After Spending It All on Drinks and Gambling Brad Pitt Rejected A Martin Scorsese Movie of His Own Production Martin Scorsese. Credit: Apple Music Podcast

Martin Scorsese’s 2006 crime thriller,...

Watching the extended director’s cut DVD of Kingdom of Heaven nearly 18 years after its release (and nearly 20 in the case of the film’s original theatrical run) is a curious thing. Among Ridley Scott’s many insights into what may still be his most beautiful looking historical epic to date, the director muses on the commentary track that the home media market is something of a godsend. Because even two decades ago, the modus operandi was “faster and simpler.”

“I think the value of this digital market is people are more willing or more ready to sit at home and enjoy the longer version,” Scott reflected. “Thank God for DVD.”

That long lost home market of yore really was a gift to filmmakers, and few of them benefited from it better than Scott. The British director famously achieved a kind of absolution when he was able to re-edit Blade Runner...

Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” was revered by the British critics and scored well at the European box office, but it found a muted stateside response. (The Metascore is 64 — respectable but not stellar.) During the awards race (ballots are due January 16 at 5 Pm Pt), the movie scored well with crafts — but the Golden Globes nominated Joaquin Phoenix for “Beau is Afraid,” not “Napoleon.”

All of this leaves the 86-year-old filmmaker waiting a while longer to return to the Best Director circle; his fourth nomination was in 2016 for “The Martian.” He caught up with us on Zoom at his vacation home in Provence before he wraps the last few weeks of post production on “Gladiator 2,” which will be released Thanksgiving weekend. He likes to skirt around some questions.

Anne Thompson: You’ve got to finish “Gladiator 2?”

Ridley Scott: This house belongs to a general Robert of Napoleon’s army. I...

Quinn Donoghue, whose long career as a Hollywood publicist included beating the drum for Superman, Pink Panther and Three Musketeers films, Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s 21 Grams, has died. He was 86.

Donoghue died Dec. 28 in Los Angeles, his son Alex Donoghue announced.

Donoghue also served as a unit publicist on Norman Jewison’s Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Quest for Fire (1981), Roman Polanski’s Frantic (1988) and Bitter Moon (1992), Michael Caton-Jones’ Rob Roy (1995), Robert Altman’s Kansas City (1996) and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

He did publicity for Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther (1963), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) and Richard Lester’s The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge (1974) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989), Superman II (1980) and Superman III (1983) and Cuba (1979).

Plus, he produced several films,...

Ridley Scott came, he saw, he conquered. The legendary director's "Napoleon" might not be a box office hit in the traditional sense, but it was a generally successful experiment in theatrical releases for Apple. Not only that, it might even prove to be the first of many such releases for the tech giant going forward.

"Napoleon" itself was more of a mixed bag, so far as the theatrical cut is concerned. As Chris Evangelista noted in his review for /Film, the version released in theaters plays like "a CliffsNotes tour through the life of Napoleon Bonaparte," racing through major events in the infamous French emperor and military commander's life at a breakneck speed. As for what it does leave in, well, a lot of it is not only historically inaccurate but -- perhaps more importantly -- it's also just less interesting than what happened in real life.

As "Napoleon" wraps...

Ridley Scott has found the god of music for his upcoming ‘Gladiator’ sequel, reports ‘Variety’.

Harry Gregson-Williams has been hired to compose the score for the hotly anticipated Paramount feature, which is due to be out on November 22, more than 24 years after the Oscar-winning original starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix.

The film, adds ‘Variety’, marks the seventh collaboration between Scott and Gregson-Williams. The composer has penned the scores for ‘The Martian’, ‘Prometheus’, ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’, ‘Kingdom of Heaven’, ‘The Last Duel’ and ‘House of Gucci’.

Other credits for Gregson-Williams include ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’, ‘The Meg’, ‘Mulan’, ‘The Gilded Age’, ‘The Equalizer’, ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and all three ‘Shrek’ films.

In something of a nice twist, ‘Variety’ notes, Gregson-Williams also spent many years as the protege of Hans Zimmer, who was the composer on the first ‘Gladiator’ (and landed...

Ridley Scott has found the composer for his upcoming “Gladiator” sequel.

Harry Gregson-Williams has been hired to score the hotly-anticipated Paramount feature, which is due out Nov. 22, more than 24 years after the Oscar-winning original.

The film marks the seventh collaboration between Scott and Gregson-Williams, with the composer having penned the scores for “The Martian,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “The Last Duel” and “House of Gucci”, as well as composing themes for “Prometheus” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Other credits for Gregson-Williams include “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” “The Meg,” “Mulan,” “The Gilded Age,” “The Equalizer,” “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and all four “Shrek” films.

In something of nice twist, Gregson-Williams also spent many years early in his career as a protégé of Hans Zimmer, who was the composer on the first “Gladiator” (and landed an Oscar nomination for his work).

With a script penned by David Scarpa,...

2023 was a surprisingly great year for several movie genres, but action fans in particular had a bounty of terrific options to choose from. When it came time for a few of the /Film writers and editors to get together and rank our favorites, our individual lists were overflowing with great titles. But in accordance with the unwritten laws/demands of the Internet, we were forced to make some tough decisions, whittle our choices down to a collective ten films, and rank them accordingly.

As is often the case, the movies that didn't make this list could easily comprise an impressive list of their own. When the inventive and propulsive "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," the energetic and comedic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," the brutal and pulpy "Sisu," the touching and hilarious "Polite Society," and the moody and subversive "The Killer" get relegated to honorable mentions, it becomes clear how...

Writer, director, and producer Ridley Scott has been making movies for decades, but one of his earliest features was also apparently one of his most difficult. The man behind "Napoleon" (read our review!) is no stranger to directing historical epics, real-world dramas, and even existential science-fiction, but in an interview with Wired in 2007, he revealed that the most difficult film to create was his 1982 science fiction classic, "Blade Runner." Loosely based on the 1968 Phillip K. Dick novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?," "Blade Runner" is a noirish sci-fi starring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, who hunts down renegade android "replicants" in his job as a blade runner. In the course of hunting down a handful of such replicants that escaped from an off-world labor camp, he starts to question the very nature of humanity. It's heady, moody stuff, but it's also a deeply beloved film that inspired both a sequel and an animated series.

Aardman’s flock of clay chickens is back. And so is their composer.

23 years after Chicken Run became a stop-motion smash hit, Ginger, Rocky, Babs, Mac and the rest of the coop are returning for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, landing on Netflix on Dec 15. If the music sounds similar, it’s because Harry Gregson-Williams, who composed the original score alongside John Powell, has also returned.

In the more-than-two decades since the first film, the L.A.-based Brit — who has worked closely with Hans Zimmer for much of his career — has scored dozens of major titles for filmmakers including Ridley Scott, Joel Schumacher, Ben Affleck and Antoine Fuqua. Alongside movies such as Shrek 1, 2 and 3, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Kingdom of Heaven, The Chronicles of Narnia, Prometheus, The Martian, The Meg and House of Gucci, the music man has also ventured back to Aardman for the...

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Rupert Everett, Mark Bonnar, Paul Rhys, Ben Miles, Riana Duce, Ludivine Sagnier, Edouard Philipponnat, Miles Jupp, Scott Handy, Youssef Kerkour | Written by David Scarpa | Directed by Ridley Scott

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend” – one of cinema’s most famous quotes from John Ford’s 1962 classic western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. That quote can be used to describe how Ridley Scott has chosen to approach the story of Napoleon. Scott has chosen to ignore much of the historical accuracy in this historical biopic and that has caused historians to be irate and critics to be torn.

Joaquin Phoenix is Napoleon and throughout the film we get to witness his rise and fall across 32 years, from the beginning of the French Revolution to the eventual death of Napoleon in 1821. The first instance we get to see what Napoleon is all...

Ridley Scott’s career is marked first and foremost by its sheer prolificness. There are very few directors of any age who work frequently enough to have two films coming out the same year. Scott’s done it three times in 2001, 2017, and 2021; and those later two times were when he was past the age of 80.

Since he made his debut with the swashbuckling period drama “The Duellists” in 1977, Scott has been a steady, constant presence at the cinema. His longest break has been two four-year gaps between releases — “1492: Conquest for Paradise” and “White Squall” from 1992 to 1996 and “The Martian” and “All the Money in the World” and “The Last Duel” from 2017 to 2021, the latter gap widened by the pandemic. More frequently, Scott only goes two or even just one year before dropping a new film, resulting in an impressively robust 28 filmography.

What’s even more notable about Scott’s...

There’s a good old fashioned box office battle brewing.

Disney’s “Wish,” an animated adventure that had been expected to dominate the Thanksgiving holiday is facing off against Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” for the top spot over the five-day stretch. And the dystopian prequel, which is currently in its second week of release, is showing impressive resilience against the family flick. Plus, Apple Original Productions’ “Napoleon” is out-pacing initial estimates and giving the other two, more commercially-oriented films a run for their money.

Well, that’s the good news. The bad is that neither “Wish” nor “Napoleon” are performing like Thanksgiving blockbusters of yore, with the Disney movie looking like another box office dud for a studio that had previously enjoyed an unprecedented record of success. “Wish” earned a disappointing $3.9 million over Thanksgiving, bringing its total to $12.2 million. It is projected to...