Noticias

John Krasinski and Natalie Portman's new Apple TV+ adventure movie debuts with a disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score. The former is widely known as Jim Halpert from The Office. From there, he leveraged that fame into one of his passion projects – co-writing, directing, and starring in the post-apocalyptic horror movie A Quiet Place, followed by writing and directing its sequel, A Quiet Place Part II. Recently, Krasinski has opted for more family-friendly fare – including writing, directing, a voicing a role in the fantasy comedy If.

On the other hand, Portman is widely recognizable as Padmé from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. From there, she went on to become one of the most acclaimed actresses of her class, earning three Academy Award nominations for Closer, Jackie, and winning one for her performance as a troubled ballerina in Black Swan. Portman also has a strong track record in action movies, from her...

Natalie Portman has a dream: to return to the Star Wars universe as a Jedi. The Oscar-winning actress became famous for playing Padmé Amidala, the young queen of Naboo, in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace when she was just 16 years old.

During a recent appearance on The One Show on Tuesday, 6 May, Portman shared her thoughts about possibly bringing Padmé back.

Hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo asked her if she ever imagined reviving her Star Wars character and how she would like to see Padmé return.

Portman replied with enthusiasm, saying: “With a lightsaber. I think she’d have to be a Jedi. If somehow she were brought back from the dead. That would be exciting.”

Related: Padmé’s Return? Natalie Portman in Talks for ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 Cameo

The question came up while Portman was promoting her new adventure film Fountain of Youth, directed by Guy Ritchie.

Exclusive: Film Bridge International has wrapped filming in New Jersey and New York on action-thriller The Florist, starring Dennis Quaid (The Substance), Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional), and Sky Katz (Raven’s Home).

Babak Najafi (London Has Fallen) directs from a script written by Eran Creevy (Welcome To The Punch) and Scott Windhauser (Mafia Wars). The film also features Anna Schafer (The Trials of Cate McCall) and Leonidas Gulaptis (A Nice Girl Like You).

Pic follows Carl Rikker (Dennis Quaid), an introverted, quiet horticulturist who loves his day job. However, he holds a dark secret – at night, he moonlights as a ruthless assassin. His identity is threatened when he forms an unlikely friendship with a teenage girl.

Film Bridge has secured international distribution partners including Square One (Germany), Mediaset (Italy and Spain), Monolith Films (Poland), Rialto Films (Australia/Nz), Cinesky (Airlines/Ships), Falcon Films (Middle East), Spenztos (Greece), and Pt Prima...

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

After hitting the road in support of his latest album, Leon, and selling out massive venues like the Red Rocks Amphitheatre later this May, Leon Bridges will keep his touring streak going through the summer and fall with his just-announced co-headlining The Crooner & The Cowboy Tour with Charley Crockett.

At a Glance: Where to Buy Leon Bridges Tickets Online

Where to Shop: StubHub Tour Dates: Now – Sept. 2025 Buy...

The action cinema of John Wick, Havoc and John Woo’s The Killer has constantly evolved as it’s travelled between filmmakers and eras.

Now on Netflix, writer-director Gareth Evans’ Havoc is an ultra-violent stew of influences. It’s set in a benighted US city, but was shot in Wales; its bullet-strewn action is directly inspired by Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo.

Then again, action cinema has always been a particularly international genre, taking in disparate bits of American westerns, low-key French thrillers and more besides. When John Woo directed A Better Tomorrow, released in 1986, its contemporary gangland setting and ferocious shoot-outs changed the look and feel of action cinema forever. Widely credited with inventing what was later dubbed the ‘heroic bloodshed’ genre, it made a star out of its lead, Chow Yun-fat.

Woo continued to hone his signature style – slow-motion photography, close-quarters action, and his characters’ habit of holding...

Good afternoon Insiders, welcome to another edition of your weekly newsletter with Max Goldbart steering things. Scroll down for more. And sign up here if you aren’t already on our list.

Netflix Unpacks Apac

Singing from the same Kim sheet: Sara Merican headed to Tokyo this week for a Netflix Asia Pacific showcase event, which brought together many of the streamer’s key players from the region. Amid the manga and k-drama deluge, she sat down with Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s VP of Content for Apac to discuss everything from the streamer’s multi-billion-dollar program and movie investment in Korea to how she hopes zombie films from Indonesia and Thailand will land later this year. She even got into talking about the chance of live sports coming out of Apac (spoiler: not likely). An interesting nugget was the disclosure that Netflix is potentially on track to spend even more...

Natalie Portman Stopped Acting After Star Wars Prequels ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

After The Phantom Menace hit theaters in 1999, it was supposed to be a return to the galaxy far away that would satisfy fans waiting nearly two decades for more Star Wars content. However, the film’s reception wasn’t exactly stellar, and the two sequels didn’t fare much better. Natalie Portman, who played Padmé Amidala, found herself in the spotlight, not just for her role but for the harsh criticism of her acting. Despite being the only major female lead in the trilogy, the backlash was hard to escape. At just 16 years old, Portman struggled to cope with the critiques of her performance, especially when many dismissed her abilities as an actress. It wasn’t long before she took a step back from the industry to process it all and reevaluate her next move.

Natalie Portman Faced Criticism...

What are the greatest action movies of all time? It’s a controversial question, isn’t it? Any time any publication or site puts out a new list of what they consider the best action movies of all time, it can’t help but generate a ton of controversy. Nevertheless, we here at JoBlo have decided to throw our hats into the ring with a list we really hope generates some nostalgia among our viewers but also encourages them to seek out the movies on this list that they may not have seen. But first, some may wonder where superhero movies are on this list. Given how broad that genre is, we decided to stick to old-school action, so we have left them off the list, as they deserve their own ranking. There are also a few absences from the list, notably some Jackie Chan Hong Kong films (like Police Story...

Natalie Portman has spoken in detail about the impact of being sexualized as a young performer, describing her early years in the film industry as defined by what she called a “long Lolita phase.” Speaking with Jenna Ortega in a feature for Interview magazine, Portman reflected on the image projected onto her following her debut in Léon: The Professional, filmed when she was just 12.

“There’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am,” Portman said. “I’ve talked about it a little before — about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it. Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me.”

She described building a persona to protect herself from attention she didn’t want.

Actress Natalie Portman (“Fountain of Youth”) poses for the Spring 2025 issue of “Interview" magazine, wearing Pierre Cardin, Dior, Coach and a whole lot more, photographed by Katja Rahlwes:

Portman began her acting career at age twelve, when she starred in "Léon: The Professional" (1994).

While in high school, she made her Broadway debut in a 1998 production of "The Diary of a Young Girl" then gained international recognition starring as 'Padmé Amidala' in "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" (1999).

From 1999 to 2003, Portman attended Harvard University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology…

….while continuing to act in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy and in The Public Theater's 2001 revival of Anton Chekhov's play "The Seagull".

,In 2004, Portman was nominated for an ‘Academy Award ‘for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ and won a ‘Golden Globe Award’ for the romantic drama "Closer".

Portman's career progressed with starring roles as 'Evey Hammond' in "V for Vendetta...

Natalie Portman Hollywood Survival (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Natalie Portman has pulled back the curtain on the intense reality of growing up under Hollywood’s spotlight and how she built armor to survive it.

The 43-year-old was already navigating a world where youth and innocence were paradoxically entangled with adult perceptions of sexuality when she first stepped onto a film set at just 12, starring in the R-rated Léon: The Professional. And as she reflects now, decades later and with an Oscar to her name, it wasn’t just acting she had to learn, it was self-preservation.

Jenna Ortega and the Bond Between Former Child Stars

In a recent conversation with Jenna Ortega for Interview magazine, Portman explored that early tension.

“I think there’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am. I’ve talked about it a little before — about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized,...

After making her onscreen debut at 11, Natalie Portman quickly learned to separate herself from her public image.

The Oscar winner recently opened up about being subjected to “a long Lolita phase” when she was “really sexualized” as a child actor, making her debut performance in Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional.

“I think there’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am,” she told Jenna Ortega for Interview. “I’ve talked about it a little before—about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it. Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me. And I felt like my way of protecting myself was to be like, ‘I’m so serious. I’m so studious.

Natalie Portman told Jenna Ortega during a discussion for Interview magazine that she endured a “long Lolita phase” as a child actor, referring to how the industry sexualized her at a young age. She was just 12 years old when she filmed her breakthrough role in “Leon: The Professional.” The “Black Swan” Oscar winner has long been outspoken about Hollywood’s sexualization of child stars.

“There’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am,” Portman told Ortega, with whom she starts with in the upcoming movie “The Gallerist.” “I’ve talked about it a little before — about how, as a kid, I was really sexualized, which I think happens to a lot of young girls who are onscreen. I felt very scared by it. Obviously sexuality is a huge part of being a kid, but I wanted it to be inside of me, not directed towards me.

Star Warsprequel trilogy star and Hollywood icon Natalie Portman explains why one interview question particularly irks her.

Speaking to Interview Magazine, Portman was asked about how she finds herself within the various characters she portrays and whether she looks for any of that kind of connection when going into a role. "I don’t know that it’s always the same for me," Portman replied. "I always hate the question of 'How do you relate to your characters' because I'm usually most interested in playing someone who's quite different from me."

"Because if it’s like me, I'd rather just live my own life," Portman explained. "But I think, because I have an aspect of my life that’s quite logistical now—I've got two kids who are in school and I want to spend as much time with them as possible—sometimes I take a job that is great,...

Natalie Portman is often seen as a serious figure, but that isn’t exactly how the actress looks at herself. While in conversation with Jenna Ortega for Interview Magazine, the actress revealed how her early start in the industry, and the sexualization that came with it, led to her putting up barriers that many people just see as being her.

Portman made her movie debut at the age of 12 in Leon: The Professional, in which she played a young girl with an uncomfortable relationship with Jean Reno’s middle-aged killer and courted controversy for the “Lolita” style appearance in the film – which was actually meant to see the pair become lovers in an early draft of the script. Speaking to Ortega, Portman said:

“I think there’s a public understanding of me that’s different from who I am. I’ve talked about it a little before—about how, as a kid,...

Hollywood might be the world’s largest film industry, but even the entertainment powerhouse has drawn ideas from international films. While remakes have always existed, most cinema buffs remain ignorant that some of their beloved Hollywood blockbusters owe their origins to overseas classics.

The rise of remakes in Hollywood is no coincidence—studios often lean toward stories that have already proven successful. But in doing so, the originals sometimes get overshadowed. Here’s a look at ten Hollywood hits that were actually inspired by international films, proving that great storytelling transcends borders.

The Departed – From Infernal Affairs A still from The Departed | Credit: Warner Bros.

Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is often hailed as a modern classic, but did you know it’s actually a remake of a Hong Kong crime thriller? It is the remake of a film named Infernal Affairs. The movie became very popular and also paved...

In an unexpected twist, Deepika Padukone has been cast in a pivotal role in Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming movie, King. After taking time off to focus on motherhood, she has decided to portray the character of Suhana Khan’s mother.

An Unexpected Casting Choice

Deepika’s addition to the cast is surprising, especially considering her recent emphasis on her family life. However, the allure of reuniting with Shah Rukh Khan was too tempting to pass up. This marks their sixth project together, and fans are buzzing with excitement to see them share the screen once more.

A Brief Yet Impactful Role

Reports suggest that Deepika’s role in King will be brief but impactful. Both Shah Rukh Khan and director Siddharth Anand were keen on having her for this special part, and she gladly accepted. This isn’t the first time Deepika has taken on a supporting role for...

Deepika Padukone’s Next Project Revealed (Photo Credit – Instagram)

It is not a hidden fact that Deepika Padukone’s glimpse was shown as Amrita, the mother of Ranbir Kapoor’s Shiva, in the 2022 film Brahmastra. The actress will most likely make an appearance in the sequel of the film, wherein her character is likely to have an integral part to play. However, according to the latest development, the actress is now set to essay the role of another star kid’s mother. We are talking about none other than Suhana Khan. Yes, you heard that right! The actress will play have a cameo appearance as Suhana’s mother in the thriller flick King which also stars Shah Rukh Khan in the titular role.

According to an exclusive report in Peeping Moon, director Siddharth Anand has roped in Deepika Padukone for an extended cameo in King. However, her character will have...

Léon: The Professionalstar Gary Oldman reveals that his iconic "Everyone!" line delivery was never intended to make the final cut of the movie. Released in 1994, director Luc Besson's action thriller stars Jean Reno as Léon, an assassin who takes the 12-year-old Mathilda (Natalie Portman) under his wing after her family is murdered. Oldman plays Léon: The Professional's main villain, Stansfield, a corrupt and violent DEA agent. One of the most iconic lines of Oldman's career comes when he demands that a subordinate bring him "everyone" as backup before he then repeats the word in an exaggerated yell.

During a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Oldman reveals that his shouting delivery of the word "everyone" was actually intended as a joke for Besson. The actor recalls wanting to make the director laugh on one particular take, but then the moment ended up in the final cut of the movie.

It is a testament to his acting ability that it was years before I realized that Gary Oldman is British. With an ability to nail accents, the dedication to drastically change his appearance and the talent to convey the full spectrum of emotions, Oldman is one of the most eclectic and underrated actors of our time.

Born March 21, 1958, in London, Oldman began his acting career on the British stage in 1979, and made his film debut in "Remembrance" in 1982. In 1984, he reluctantly accepted the role of punk rocker Sid Vicious in "Sid and Nancy," a performance which garnered him critical acclaim and launched a diverse and successful career that has spanned almost four decades, and includes everything from small indie films to blockbuster franchises.

Oldman is well-known for his portrayal of some of the most memorable villains in the history of the cinema, from the campy Zorg in "The Fifth Element...

How Was Gary Oldman Convinced That Christopher Nolan Is A Great Director? (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Gary Oldman is widely regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation. With a career spanning decades, he has showcased remarkable versatility, earning critical acclaim for roles in films like Sid and Nancy (1986), Leon: The Professional (1994), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and Darkest Hour (2017), which won him an Academy Award for Best Actor. However, to a new generation of filmgoers, Oldman is fondly known for playing Jim Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy.

In Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Oldman portrayed Gotham’s most honorable cop, rising through the ranks to become police commissioner. His profoundly emotional performance was a key anchor in Nolan’s grounded take on the Batman mythos. While Oldman has worked with some of the greatest filmmakers in the industry, a...

Gary Oldman’s iconic “Bring Me Everyone” scene from “Léon: The Professional” was originally just an outtake the actor filmed to get a laugh out of director Luc Besson, but the filmmaker ended up keeping it.

“I did a couple of takes, ‘Bring me everyone, everyone.’ And to make Luc Besson laugh as a joke, I went to the sound guys and I said, ‘I’m going to be really, really loud,'” Oldman explained during a sit-down with “The Late Show’s” Stephen Colbert. “And I did that, and he kept it and put it in the film — that was just an outtake. It was just me having fun.”

The “Slow Horses” actor went on to give more details about his time shooting the movie in New York, mentioning that during a building explosion scene and while a huge crowd was watching the crew work, a real-life bank robbery took place across the street.

Christina Ricci has been an accomplished actress and has starred in several popular films and series since her big screen debut in Mermaids (1990). But one role she missed out on was that of Mathilda in the classic 1994 film, Léon: The Professional, losing out to Natalie Portman. And in a new interview with the YouTube show, First We Feast (via The Wrap), Ricci reveals the ridiculous reason why: she was "too common and healthy looking."

That may come as a surprise to some, considering one of Ricci's most famous roles was the rather gothic Wednesday Addams in the early 1990s hit film, The Addams Family and its sequel. She explained to her Yellowjackets co-star Melanie Lynskey why she lost out on her "dream role:"

"I really wanted to be in 'Léon: The Professional,' but I was too common and healthy-looking. What a time to be twelve."

Léon: The Professional,...

Christina Ricci talks about how she lost a major role to Natalie Portman. The Yellowjackets star started her career as a child star, featuring in the 1990 movie, Mermaids, and scored her big break portraying Wednesday Addams in the 1991 movie The Addams Family. She transitioned into more adult-themed roles in 200 Cigarettes, The Ice Storm, Buffalo '66, and many more. In the Tim Burton-directed Netflix series Wednesday, she appeared as Marilyn Thornhill, a teacher at Nevermore Academy.

Most recently, Ricci played a sadistic healthcare worker in the hit show Yellowjackets. The show follows a group of girls who are stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash, taking place in dual timelines. Ricci's character, Misty, is one of the survivors in the present timeline who is still haunted by what happened to them in the woods. While promoting the show's season 3, Ricci reflects on her childhood career, where she admits...

Denis Villeneuve's Sicario had among the most rousing finales the crime-thriller genre has seen, as it presented the crusade of hitman Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) against the Mexican drug cartels. Partnered with the U.S. government and guided by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), he exacted revenge against the crime lord who killed his loved ones by executing Fausto Alarcón and his entire family.

It was a harsh but ultimately satisfying ending, as the audience came to understand the pain Alejandro carried with him throughout the 2015 film. But it also set a high bar for Italian director Stefano Sollima, who, three years later, paints another bloody mission for Alejandro and Matt in Sicario: Day of the Soldado. In the sequel, the duo's new grisly mission is to turn rival cartels against each other.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on February 27, 2025: Sicario: Day of the Soldado was a mostly satisfying sequel to Denis Villeneuve's original Sicario.

Sister Wives Season 19 is on a mid-season hiatus but thoughts turn to Season 20 and Meri Brown. Has she been cut from the show? This week, some TLC fans wondered if that were the case. Read on to find out why.

Leon’s Mom Filmed For Season 20

Some Sister Wiives fans think that perhaps they might see the child custody battle between Kody Brown and Christine in spring. However, that seems unlikely as the Tell-All was probably filmed before that.

Additionally, we can expect to see the scenes of Kody and Robyn on a horse, as well as Meri Brown and Jenn Sullivan. They’ll be discussing the desire for Leon’s mom wanting a man in her life. However, some fans think that once Season 19 is over, Meri will not ever return.

Season 20 – No Meri?

On Reddit this week, u/Suitable-Lawyer-9397 shared a poster by TLC and told followers that they noticed Meri’s absence.

A new movie by Luc Besson, June and John, which was filmed with a phone in Los Angeles during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, has a new trailer and poster ahead of a spring 2025 release, per Variety. The film from The Fifth Elementdirector stars newcomers Mathida Price as June and Luke Stanton Eddy as John.

Kinology, who co-produced with Besson's EuropaCorp, originally showcased the film to potential buyers and distributors during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, but nothing was heard about it until the unveiling of the trailer and poster. The official plot, according to Variety, follows:

"John, a young man stuck in a monotonous routine, whose life is transformed when he meets June, a vibrant and fearless woman. Together, they embark on a whirlwind adventure filled with passion, risk, and self-discovery — a race against the clock (and the law) that injects color, magic, and love into their lives."

Will 'June & John...

The era of the aged action hero continues, with Léon: The Professional star and genre icon Jean Reno the latest star to add his name to the ever-growing roster. Following in the footsteps of Taken star Liam Neeson and The Old Man’s Jeff Bridges, Reno will lead the upcoming revenge thriller, The Butler, which finds the French-Spanish actor starring as a man with a violent past who has turned his life around in the name of service. Of course, his quiet life could never last, and he is soon forced to once again call upon his particular set of skills when his life, and the lives of the family he now buttles for, are threatened. Which sounds very unlike 2013's The Butler starring Forest Whitaker...

The project is all set to be directed by Tom Edmunds (Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back), working from a script written by Craig McInnes,...

There were a lot of great pivotal moments in the action movie genre in the 1990s. From Heat(1995) to Léon: The Professional (1994), these movies dominated the box office for their action-packed sequences and innovative plots. One of the most popular movies of that decade, Speed, revolutionized the action genre. Directed by Jan de Bont and starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper, the 1995 film is quintessential in the genre for giving high stakes, a realistic premise, and a new style of shooting these exhilarating action sequences that were genuinely dangerous. Speed centers on an LAPD cop, Jack Traven (Reeves), who has to save a lot of people from a bomb that will blow off if the bus drops below fifty miles per hour. This is a simple yet thrilling plot that changed the layout of action movies and also introduced audiences to a new kind of hero that defied the brooding,...

Léon: The Professional and Ronin actor Jean Reno is ready to take out the trash in The Butler, an upcoming action thriller from Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back director Tom Edmunds. According to Variety, the project finds Reno dusting off a twisty revenge tale with over-the-top action and “upstairs/downstairs family drama.” Expect more casting announcements as the feature-length endeavor develops.

The Butler could become a hot ticket at Berlin’s EFM (European Film Market) festival next week, with principal photography arranged in Ireland for the early summer. As an esteemed member of the action genre’s old guard, Jean Reno is always ready to throw down in the face of danger. In The Butler, Reno plays a retired World War I commando who surrendered his fatigues for a quiet and orderly life as a family butler. Still, when mobsters disrupt his tranquil life to collect an unpaid debt,...

"What's in a name?" William Shakespeare's Juliet once asked. "That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet." That may be true, as far as it goes, but would an A-List actor by any other name sell as many box office tickets?

An actor's name is their brand, so choosing the right name to attach your career to is of the utmost importance. An actor's name can signal all sorts of things to an audience -- familiarity or friendliness, sexiness or masculinity. Some names signal cultural identity, while others are designed to be as bland as possible so as to avoid drawing the wrong sort of attention from a prejudiced crowd. Actors may even adopt different names for simplicity's sake, or to craft an identity wholly separate from their private lives. With all that in mind, read on to learn about fifteen actors who changed their names for Hollywood.

“The Talent,” a glitzy party-set psychological thriller toplining Ester Expósito, one of the biggest breakouts of “Elite” stars, will be brought onto the market at Berlin by Spain’s Film Factory Entertainment.

Handling many of Spain’s biggest non-global streamer movies, Film Factory has acquired worldwide rights to “The Talent”outside Spain. It will present at next month’s European Film Market a first promo of the movie whose talent package is compounded by Fernando León de Aranoa, who co-writes and produces. Helmer of San Sebastian Film Festival Golden Shell winner “Mondays in the Sun,” one of the early big breakthroughs for Javier Bardem, León directed Bardem once more in the Oscar shortlisted “The Good Boss,” which also won six 2021 Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars, including Best Film and Director, and the European Film Award for Best Comedy.

Produced by Leon’s Reposado PC and The Mediapro Studio,...

These days, no matter how many Get Outs and Parasites we throw at them, Hollywood is reluctant to make any movie that isn’t part of a franchise. There was a time, however, when the bigwigs could be approached with a sequel idea and say, “Actually, that’s good enough to stand on its own.” They weren’t always right, but at least they could say it.

5 Die Hard

You might know that Die Hard is based on a book, 1979’s Nothing Lasts Forever, but did you know that it’s actually a sequel to 1966’s The Detective? That’s right: Die Hard is technically Die Hard 2. In fact, The Detective had already been adapted in 1968, and the star of that film, Frank Sinatra, had it written into his contract that he must be offered the starring role in any sequels. Fortunately, Die Hard was given the chance to develop...

Known for redefining the action genre with his distinctive style, Luc Besson boasts a résumé that includes movies like The Fifth Element and Léon: The Professional. The renowned French director took his sweet time in the 1990s to build a reputation for himself with his visually striking, genre-defying movies. However, the director’s ambition took a wild turn with his 2017 sci-fi epic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which is set to arrive on Max on January 17, 2025.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a sprawling, idiosyncratic adventure of sorts. It follows the exploits of Valerian and Laureline, a pair of United Human Federation soldiers in the 28th century who are tasked with maintaining order throughout the human territories. However, when danger looms overhead, Valerian and Laureline must race against time to protect the City of a Thousand Planets and the fate of the universe.

The...

Avatar and MCU star Zoe Saldana takes the lead in a divisive action thriller from 2011, which is due to land on Netflix in the new year. Not only does the movie find the Guardians of the Galaxy actor at the forefront, it was co-written and produced by controversial Taken and The Fifth Element filmmaker Luc Besson, and helmed by Transporter 3 and Taken 2 director Olivier Megaton. So, it has quite the action movie pedigree, if not the critical response to back it up.

Co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton, the action outing is titled Colombiana and stars Zoe Saldaña alongside the likes of Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis, Lennie James, Callum Blue, and Jordi Mollà. Colombiana is all set to hit Netflix in the new year on January 1, and could make the perfect post-New Year’s Eve viewing. You can check out the official synopsis below.

Natalie Portman was discovered while munching on pizza? (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Yes, This wasn’t to admire her love for pepperoni but to ask if she wanted to model. But young Natalie Portman? She wasn’t having it. She shot back, “No, but I would like an agent.” Seriously, she had ambition before most kids even knew what ambition meant.

This wasn’t just about pizza and models. Natalie Portman was on a mission, even as a kid. Born in Washington, D.C., she bounced around a bit before settling in Long Island, where she attended Solomon Schechter Day School. She studied ballet at the American Theater Dance Workshop and soaked up every creative opportunity she could get. Natalie was different. She wasn’t into being just another kid—she was a hustler with a goal and a serious drive.

That Revlon encounter was a turning point. Instead of taking the easy modeling gig,...

Natalie Portman is a movie star, activist, producer, and major investor and her long list of accomplishments has earned herself a staggering net worth. Born in Jerusalem, Israel as Natalie Hershlag, Natalie Portman and her parents moved to the United States when she was a child, ending up in Long Island after a few moves around the East Coast (via Biography). Portman began her career at the young age of 12, appearing in Léon: The Professional as the co-lead Mathilda Lando. This incredibly mature performance was the start of an exceptional career.

Since 1994, Portman's movie career has taken her from broad comedies to multiple franchises to dark and sinister dramas, and everything in between. She can play Padmé Amidala in Star Wars as well as she can play Nina Sayers in Black Swan. Portman has earned three Academy Award nominations with one win and five Golden Globe nominations with two wins.

Watching an Action film is a surefire way to spark adrenaline: car chases, fight scenes, and big theatrical explosions are all perfectly timed for the heroes to look as cool and powerful as possible. Yet there cannot be a hero if there's no villain. Over the years, audiences have witnessed evil geniuses, disingenuous billionaires, and strong fighters who wreak havoc on unsuspecting cities across the world. Some fade away into oblivion as soon as they are defeated, but others have stood the test of time.

A-list actors have often expressed that playing the bad guy is more fun and challenging. In order to deliver a compelling on-screen villain, it's important to dig into their motivations and discover what makes them tick. When they manage to steal a scene and become the character that audiences are most drawn to, then it's clear they've done their dastardly job well.

Cyrus Grisson (John Malkovich...

In a pairing that initially seems odd but eventually makes total sense, Variety reports that rapper, actor, and media personality Snoop Dogg will star in and co-produce director Luc Besson's upcoming film The Last Man. The new movie is said to be a comedic sci-fi adventure in the vein of The Fifth Element, Besson's 1997 blockbuster starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Gary Oldman. As of this writing, no other casting decisions have been made.

Besson and Snoop first collaborated on the 2006 live-action-animated hybrid film Arthur and the Invisibles, in which the latter voiced the character Max. According to Besson, the pair have been eager to team up on a new project ever since.

Related Luc Besson's 10 Best Movies, Ranked

From action to sci-fi to crime thrillers, these 10 movies offer a glimpse into what makes Besson's storytelling so entertaining and thought-provoking.

"I’ve been a big fan of Snoop Dogg...

Quick Links 'Closer' Is a Unique Drama Starring Natalie Portman Natalie Portman's Multi-Faceted Portrayal of Alice in 'Closer' Is a Defining Moment Natalie Portman Has Effortless Chemistry With All Her Co-Stars in 'Closer'

When an actress starts out in the acting business as young as Natalie Portman did, should their career endure, they'll have a film that signals that they have fully transitioned from a child to an adult. Portman's acting career began at the age of 12 when she portrayed the protégé of a hitman in 1994's Leon: The Professional. The debut garnered the actress favorable reviews, and it kicked off a career that sent her to a "galaxy far, far away" when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequels, beginning in 1999.

Portman was never without work, and she shined in roles across genres, but it was 2004's Closer that proved to audiences...

A seriously underrated action thriller series has just landed on Prime Video. Beginning back in 2010 before coming to an end in 2013, Nikita finds Mission: Impossible III and Die Hard 4 star Maggie Q taking the lead as a woman with a particular set of skills who escapes from the mysterious, nefarious organization in which she was trained and disappears...before returning three years later to take them down.

Airing on The CW, the series adapts Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, and Taken filmmaker Luc Besson's French 1990 action movie La Femme Nikita for U.S. audiences. While the series has largely been forgotten, it’s well worth taking another look, as Nikita boasts not only the action movie talents of Maggie Q, but also an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes. All four seasons of Nikita are now available to stream on Prime Video, and you can check out the official synopsis below.

"Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid??" Madman has revealed their brand new re-release trailer for the action classic Leon: The Professional, written & directed by Luc Besson, first released in late 1994. Also known as just The Professional in the US, this has gone on to become a cult classic with a ton of fans who absolutely love it. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year, Madman is releasing a new Blu-ray 4K Special Edition for anyone to add to their shelves. 12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Leon, a professional assassin, after her family is killed. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégé and learns the assassin’s trade with him. This stars Jean Reno as Léon, Natalie Portman as Mathilda, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello, Michael Badalucco, & Ellen Greene. I always like the little plant she has. Roger Ebert originally gave it...

A24 has just released the trailer for Babygirl — an intense and unconventional erotic thriller that plays with power struggle, consent, grooming, and coercion. Our own Chris Bumbray enjoyed the provocative film at TIFF this year, saying in his review, “It’s controversial, but it’s also one of the sexier films to come along in recent memory. Kidman deserves major praise for her consistent refusal to play it safe as an actress.”

Babygirl stars Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Antonio Banderas (Desperado), Harris Dickinson (The Iron Claw), Sophie Wilde (Talk to Me), and Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional). Babygirl will cheekily be released in theaters just in time for Christmas viewings, giving it a December 25 release date. That’s the same weekend Disney is releasing Mufasa, Paramount is releasing Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Angel Studios is releasing the faith-based post-apocalyptic film Homestead.

Reijn directed Babygirl from a screenplay she wrote herself.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

For Hollywood stars, hearing that a project "went another direction" with casting choices isn't a rare occurrence. Sometimes an actor just isn't the one filmmakers are searching for -- but it's always better when they're told this before the cameras start rolling. Over the years, plenty of projects have ground to a halt because one of its core players just aren't clicking with what's on the page, resulting to an alternative choice taking over.

There are also times, however, when a passing comment or a personal blunder can lead to someone being ejected without question. It not only changes the trajectory of the project, but can also lead another actor ending up with a thriving future that could've been someone else's. Here's a list of box office break-ups that could've resulted in a very different film, leaving the original choice...

Over the past few years, Apple TV+ has been attracting a host of A-list actors to their original shows, many of whom rarely work in TV. Apple TV+ has never had as many subscribers as other big streaming platforms, but it's consistently delivering some of the most entertaining shows on TV. One of its main strengths is that it consistently attaches big names to its shows, and these actors have elevated their shows.

Actors like Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett are bona fide movie stars, but they have all starred in their own Apple TV+ shows. While this isn't exactly unheard of, it's remarkable that there are so many Apple TV+ shows with A-list stars. This is one way that the streaming platform has managed to differentiate itself from the competition, and it has produced some unforgettable performances.

Related The 25 Best TV Shows On Apple TV+ Right Now...

Natalie Portman recounts being ‘lured’ onto a private jet by a Hollywood producer. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

You won’t believe this. Natalie Portman dropped a bombshell about a wild experience from her early Hollywood days. The Black Swan star revealed that a producer lured her into a private jet alone. What was supposed to be a routine flight turned into a creepy, manipulative encounter that Portman is finally opening up about.

In an interview with the Mirror, Portman spilled the details: “I was like, yeah, why wouldn’t I accept a flight on a private plane with a big group of people? And I showed up, and it was just the two of us, and then one bed was made on the plane.” Yup, just the two of them. One bed. That’s some red-flag severe material.

At the time, Portman didn’t even realize how messed up the situation was.

Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are two of Hollywood’s most accomplished actresses. Having started their career at a young age, they have since given multiple iconic performances including portraying beloved characters in the MCU.

Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman | Credit: Universal Studios

Though they never shared the screen in the superhero franchise, they have previously collaborated on the 2008 romantic drama The Other Boleyn Girl. Portman, who played Anne Boleyn in the movie, later revealed that her decision to join the film was highly influenced by Johansson’s casting, as she had admired her for years and was eager to work with her.

Natalie Portman Joined The Other Boleyn Girl Only Because of Scarlett Johansson

The 2008 romantic drama, The Other Boleyn Girl, stars Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as sisters, Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn, respectively, who vie for the love and favor of King Henry VIII, leading to political intrigue and personal betrayal.

Netflix’s Family Pack—originally titled Loups-Garous—is a French adventure-comedy that takes audiences on a time-traveling journey to the Middle Ages. Directed by François Uzan, known for his work on Lupin, this family-friendly thriller centers on a modern family who unexpectedly finds themselves transported back to the year 1497 after playing an old board game, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow. Here’s a complete breakdown of the cast and characters in Family Pack, a fantastical medieval tale.

What is the Netflix movie ‘Family Pack’ about?

When Jérôme, Marie, and their kids travel to the countryside to visit Gilbert, they uncover a dusty board game, The Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow. An earthquake soon throws them into a different era, where their modern-day instincts and skills are tested in the 15th century. They discover they’ve been thrust into a dangerous game where they must use newfound powers to battle werewolves each night,...

Based on the game The Werewolves of Millers Hollow, the French Netflix Original Family Pack is a comedy of errors time travel film that surprisingly has a lot of heart to it. I suppose you could say the same about Jumanji, a film that certainly feels like it inspired this one, but because of one thing only, people play a game and then get transported to a different time. Family Pack follows Jerome and his family, a mixed bag of chips, who are all uninterested in this game he wants to play. Still, Jerome hands out the cards to his family members in the hope that they can actually do something together for once, but his father, who has Alzheimer’s, doesn’t remember the rules that Jerome was expecting him to, so the family doesn’t really get to play. When Jerome puts the cards back and shuts the wooden game board,...

Action films have carved out their niche within the cinematic landscape, thriving on adrenaline-pumping sequences. In Timo Tjahjanto‘s latest Indonesian action film, The Shadow Strays, now streaming on Netflix, the female protagonist’s hyperkinetic fight scenes mirror her inner struggles and societal conflicts. Her retaliation to seeking restitution becomes another unauthorized mission in life to amend the traumas of a violent childhood incident that haunts her sleep. It propels her into a world where physical strength and bravery reign supreme and the inevitable clashes are not merely displays of power but moments of catharsis. However, despite the smooth choreography and stunning visual effects dominating the narrative, the plot feels predictable and clichéd. There is a major lack of originality and anything out of the ordinary in its storytelling.

A young assassin, codenamed 13 (Ribero), is part of a vigilante organization known as ‘The Shadow’. Her latest mission is to...