News

The Art Directors Guild has pulled back the curtain on its 2025 career honorees and added a legend from Hollywood’s Golden Age to its Hall of Fame.

Art department veterans Lisa Frazza, Barbara Mesney, Dan Sweetman and J. Dennis Washington are set for the guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, while the late Oscar winner Carl Jules Weyl — whose credits also include Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood — is its newest Hall of Famer. Read more about them below.

They will be feted at Adg’s 29th annual Excellence in Production Design Awards on February 15 at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

“We’re thrilled to recognize these fantastic artisans, who represent the pinnacle of craftsmanship and artistry in art departments,” Adg Awards producers Michael Allen Glover and Megan Elizabeth Bell said in a joint statement.

Here are bios of the 2025 honorees and the awards they’ll receive, provided by the...

From child actor to Academy Award winner to accomplished director, Jodie Foster has built an impressive career spanning over five decades in Hollywood. Her journey is a testament to both raw talent and business acumen, setting her apart from many of her peers in the entertainment industry. While many child stars struggled to maintain their success into adulthood, Foster not only survived but thrived, building a fortune estimated at $100 million.

Jodie Foster in a still from The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | Credits: Orion Pictures

Her story isn’t just about acting talent – it’s about strategic career moves, smart financial decisions, and an uncanny ability to adapt to the ever-changing entertainment landscape. What makes her success even more remarkable is her ability to maintain a relatively low profile while consistently delivering box-office hits and critically acclaimed performances. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Foster has managed to avoid the typical pitfalls of child stardom,...

Adam Siegel, currently Managing Director of Lincoln Center Theater, has been named the new Executive Director of New York’s Second Stage Theater, taking over from Interim Executive Director Lisa Lawer Post on April 1, 2025.

The announcement, made today by Second Stage’s Board of Trustees, puts Siegel in place to partner with Evan Cabnet, the recently announced Artistic Director of the nonprofit theater company who officially launches his first season of programming in Fall 2025.

Siegel joins the organization full-time April 1, 2025, following a month-long transition period.

“I am thrilled and honored to be joining Second Stage Theater,” said Siegel, “an organization whose mission, artistic integrity, and commitment to excellence and continued growth have made it one of the premiere theaters in the country. Plus, this opportunity to join forces with my good friend and colleague, Artistic Director Evan Cabnet – with whom I have worked for over 20 years, including the last eight...

Did Matthew McConaughey pass on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )

Yes, Matthew McConaughey turned down the MCU. And not because he didn’t love the script or because of creative differences. Nope. The reason McConaughey gave us was a whole vibe shift. He didn’t want to feel like the “amendment” to an already successful project. My ego went to Kurt Russell, and we got golden Dad vibes. McConaughey? He had bigger (or maybe we should say darker?) plans in mind.

Here’s the tea: McConaughey wasn’t looking for another blockbuster role to “add some star power” to the mix. In his own words, he didn’t want to be part of a movie just to fill a colorful part for a “big-name actor.” Instead, he opted for something else—a villainous choice—starring as the twisted, sinister Water Padick in The Dark Tower. The...

One Shot invites close readings of the basic unit of film grammar.Paprika.More than a decade ago, Satoshi Kon’s premature death left a vacuum in the animation world. Not many directors so intuitively understood how the form could convey cinematic subjectivity, or were as imaginative in their experimentation. He used character designs that were unusually realistic for anime, then found ways to fray that realism. Think of a man vomiting scrawled katakana in Paranoia Agent (2004), or a nighttime chase in which a murderous specter appears to sail across rooftops in Perfect Blue (1997). In Kon’s cinema, the boundaries between reality, dreams, imagination, and memory are in constant flux.The lead character of Kon’s final completed feature, Paprika (2006), is a psychiatrist who treats patients with an experimental device that lets her enter their minds as they sleep; the title refers to the mischievous persona she assumes within that headspace.

Robert Picardo is enjoying a major return to form these days. The 71-year-old actor is back with the franchise after two-plus decades away. He'll make his live-action return to the franchise with the expected 2026 debut of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, reprising his role of The Doctor, once again. It's a role that he's awfully familiar with, having played the character for nearly 200 episodes.

He appeared in 164 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, and 17 more episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy. The latter of which was his first return to the franchise since Voyager ended in 2001. Though, with Prodigy and unlike Starfleet Academy, this wasn't live action. Instead, he returned to Star Trek to perform a voice role for the first time in years.

Prior to Prodigy, the last time he leant his voice to the franchise was for Star Trek Online in 2014.

It only goes to show you that Picardo has done...

Contact is a tremendous movie. 27 years after its release, Robert Zemeckis' film remains awe-inspiring. The Carl Sagan adaptation is emotionally, intellectually, and viscerally engaging science-fiction. It's the full-package. For cinematographer Don Burgess, it is the most challenging film he's shot. Which is saying a lot considering he just made Here with Zemeckis, in which the two explore the passage of time from one angle.

Interstellar is arguably one of the best films made by Christopher Nolan. Its sci-fi narrative continues to impress viewers, offering plenty of deep thematic undercurrents along with a poignant space exploration journey. However, some fans believe that Nolan’s concept for the film wasn’t exactly original and came from an episode of the sitcom Friends.

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is known for its originality (Credit: Paramount Pictures).

On Reddit, fans of the sitcom discussed an episode of the series, which sees Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani appear in a play. The play seems to have similar themes to Interstellar and fans cannot help but notice similarities. As a result, some fans believe Joey was directly responsible for inspiring the hit sci-fi blockbuster, and here is everything you need to know about it.

Friends Fans Think One Episode Was the Inspiration For Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar...

Matthew McConaughey’s first job was hunting armadillos (Photo Credit – Facebook)

Before Matthew McConaughey became alright, alright and stole scenes in Dazed and Confused, his days started a little less glamorous. Picture this: a young McConaughey, headlamp on, raking sand traps at the crack of dawn. His first real job? Not acting — but taming the golf greens of Oak Forest Country Club in Longview, Texas.

“We had 77 sand traps,” The actor recalled in an interview. His morning routine started at 3:30 a.m., with the first golfers teeing off at 6:45. “I had to have those traps raked by 7:30,” he explained. It wasn’t just a typical raking gig, though. Oh no, there was a quirky twist. Enter the armadillos.

The club’s greenskeeper had a unique request. On top of raking traps, McConaughey had a side mission: armadillo hunter. Those little critters were wreaking havoc on the greens,...

Robert Zemeckis has always been a filmmaker who doubles as a magician. His films are loaded with neat little tricks, and, as is the case with any good magician, you find yourself wondering how he pulled them off. His debut "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" used clever editing, archival footage, and stand-ins to recreate the Beatles' debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The "Back to the Future" trilogy is bursting with eye-popping special effects. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" seamlessly blended live-action and animation. "Death Becomes Her" is overloaded with gross-out gags. "Forrest Gump" found fun little ways to insert Tom Hanks into moments of televised American history. The list goes on and on. But at some point, the trickery began to overwhelm the process. His "Beowulf," "The Polar Express," and "A Christmas Carol" embraced heavy motion-capture animation with ghastly, uncanny valley results ("The Polar Express" has somehow become a recurring...

Women don’t have it easy in Hollywood. And they didn’t back in the ’80s when former New York Times Magazine editor Lynda Obst got her start as a producer. As famously chronicled in her 1996 book “Hello, He Lied — and Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches,” she sold her first movie “Flashdance” (1983) to Dawn Steel at Paramount, only to have the newly minted production team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer take over along with all the credit for its breakout success. Still, it was a winner for the Associate Producer, and she was on her way.

Always a heavy smoker, Obst passed away at age 74 from Copd (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). She was devoted to her family, including her brother, agent Rick Rosen, and son Oly, a producer/manager, whom she has described as “my confidant and best friend.”

“She was a trailblazer for women in the industry...

Producer and author Lynda Obst, of Sleepless In Seattle, The Fisher King and Contact fame, has died after an illness.

A morning of not very nice news today, as we learn that producer Lynda Obst has died, at the age of just 74.

Obst produced and executive produced films such as Flashdance, Sleepless In Seattle, Contact, Interstellar, The Fisher King and Adventures In Babysitting. She also penned a couple of outstanding books about her time in the film industry, namely Hello, He Lied and Sleepless In Hollywood: Tales From The New Abnormal In The Movie Business.

Obst appeared on a special interview episode in April 2021, and it was striking how forward she was in her thinking, bringing up such topics as quantum computing and how that might affect the movie industry.

Lynda Obst had been unwell for a little while, it turns out, but had been working in recent times on...

Lynda Obst, who had producing credits on high-profile films including “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Flashdance” and “Adventures in Babysitting,” died Tuesday in Los Angeles. She was 74.

“I was immensely proud of her. She was a trailblazer for women in the industry at a time when it was very difficult for women to have prominent roles. She was passionate about her work but even more passionate about her family,” her brother, WME’s Rick Rosen, said to Variety.

Obst told the Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that she had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Most recently, she served as producer or executive producer on TV series including “The Hot Zone,” “Good Girls Revolt,” “Hot in Cleveland” and “Helix.” Obst’s final feature producing credit was Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” in 2014. Among her other credits were “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Hope Floats,” “Bad Girls” and “The Fisher King.

Lynda Obst, one of the most prolific female producers in Hollywood, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, according to her brother, WME partner Rick Rosen. She was 74.

Obst had previously been open about suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or Copd.

The producer’s long list of hit films includes Flashdance, The Fisher King, One Fine Day, Contact, Hope Floats, Interstellar and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. She also executive produced Sleepless In Seattle, TVLand’s Hot in Cleveland and had a deal at Sony Pictures Television.

“I was immensely proud of her,” Rosen said. “She was a trailblazer for women in the industry at a time when it was very difficult for women to have prominent roles. She was passionate about her work but even more passionate about her family.”

Obst’s son Oly, a partner at 3 Arts Entertainment, said today: “My mom was a trailblazer...

Lynda Obst, the pioneering producer who put her mark on beloved films like Sleepless in Seattle, Contact, Flashdance, The Fisher King, Adventures in Babysitting, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Interstellar, died Tuesday. She was 74.

Obst died at her Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, her son, manager-producer Oly Obst, told The Hollywood Reporter.

“My mom was a trailblazer and a fierce advocate for women. Also, she was an amazing mother, sister and best friend,” he said in a statement. “[My wife] Julie and I are incredibly grateful that she was my mom and that my daughters got to have her as a grandmother. We will miss her.”

Obst’s brother Rick Rosen, the longtime and respected partner of TV at WME, said: “Our family is immensely proud of the career that she had and the role model she was for women in the industry, but beyond that,...

Jodie Foster's career has been famously wild. As a child, she appeared in lightweight Disney films like "Napoleon and Samantha" and "Freaky Friday," while also taking the world by surprise playing an underage sex worker in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver." Throughout the 1980s, she successfully continued acting as she grew, appearing in films like "Foxes," "The Hotel New Hampshire," and "The Accused," for which she won her first Academy Award. In 1991, Foster won her second Oscar for playing FBI cadet Clarice Starling in Jonathan Demme's bleak serial killer thriller "The Silence of the Lambs," one of the few films to win "The Big Five" Oscars. That same year, Foster made her directorial debut with the child-prodigy drama "Little Man Tate."

From then on, Foster was a Hollywood staple, leading multiple high-profile studio dramas like "Maverick," Robert Zemeckis' "Contact," and "Anna and the King." She also worked with...

When we talk about legends of the Star Trek franchise, specifically about those behind the scenes, few names hold as much weight as Ronald D. Moore. Coming up on Star Trek: The Next Generation, he became integral to the show's later success. While not the main driving force behind the creative that so many fans came to love, he was a huge part of it.

So much so that he'd help do the same for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the first two Next Generation-era films (Generations and First Contact). He was as much about Star Trek as anyone was and could be. Eventually, however, the desire for a new challenge arose and he'd get that challenge.

Thanks to the then-named Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy), Moore would go on to create and develop a remake of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. A sleeper hit in the late 1970s, the show...

Ed Wheeler, a veteran actor who appeared in Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Broadcast News, Mickey Blue Eyes and many other films, TV shows, stage productions and commercials, has died. He was 88.

His wife, Messeret Stroman Wheeler, told Deadline that he died August 21 at Englewood (NJ) Hospital of respiratory failure due to pneumonia complications.

Born on February 18, 1936, in Brooklyn, Wheeler got his start in showbiz doing TV commercials, including national ads for the likes of Luvs diapers, Reynolds Wrap, Sudafed, Pepcid AC, Computer Associates and many others.

He trained under Gene Frankel and Vin Diesel’s stepfather Irving Vincent and earned his first screen credits on such TV series as Watch Your Mouth, 3-2-1 Contact and The Core of the Apple. Wheeler’s first film role was opposite William Hurt, Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News (1987).

He went on to appear in such films as Presumed Innocent,...

Now streaming on Shudder as the perfect early Halloween treat for found footage fans, V/H/S/Beyond is brimming with mind-bending tales of sci-fi terror from a team of talented filmmakers including Kate Siegel, who makes her directorial debut with "Stowaway." Written by Mike Flanagan and starring Alanah Pearce as an ambitious freelance reporter investigating mysterious lights in the desert sky, "Stowaway" takes a haunting look at the costly price of capturing proof of extraterrestrial life, as well as the gruesome side of space travel when one isn't prepared for it.

To celebrate the release of V/H/S/Beyond, Daily Dead recently had the pleasure of talking with Kate and Alanah about collaborating on the thought-provoking and eerily innovative "Stowaway," including the creative freedom of the found footage format, the sci-fi influences of films such as Contact and The Fly (as well as Stephen King's short story "The Jaunt"), the adventures of filming in the desert,...

Kate Siegel is happy to get very real about extraterrestrial life very quickly. When asked if she believes in aliens, she offers a specific and chilling response.

“I’m a huge sci-fi reader…Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors of all time,” she says. “In the world right now there’s a lot of discourse about aliens being real. The needle is turning towards, ‘Yes, aliens exist.’ It’s a matter of when and where we will contact them, and not if they exist. I imagine that aliens are here on this planet and we’ll end up realizing it’s something obvious, like an octopus or a fungi structure is actually an alien that had been here forever. I think the most terrifying realization would be that they were under our noses all the time.”

This analysis makes Siegel the perfect contributor to “V/H/S/Beyond,” the seventh chapter in the horror anthology series,...

Star Trek's newest era has not been the most universally acclaimed version of the era. The series has seen seven shows and counting announced and or begun filming since 2017. Each show has been received pretty differently from one another. Some shows, like Strange New Worlds and Prodigy, are beloved for their refreshing but familiar takes on the franchise.

Others, like Lower Decks and Short Treks, intrigued fans for their uniqueness and ability to expand the universe. Then there are shows like Picard and Discovery that did more harm than good to the health of the franchise.

That doesn't mean every show is without merit, nor does it mean that the worst shows in the Nu Era of Star Trek don't have some redeeming qualities. Yet, the desire to expand ideas past their original inception and add nuance to a variety of factors didn't sit well with a lot of fans.

The 20th anniversary HollyShorts Film Festival is set to honor a quartet of major Hollywood talents, from industry veterans to an up-and-coming star.

Actor Tom Skeritt, actor-director Alden Ehrenreich, director Catherine Hardwicke, and young actress Lexi Underwood will receive laurels at the prestigious Oscar-qualifying festival, which runs from August 8-18.

HollyShorts will present its Luminary Award to Ehrenreich in recognition of his work in front of and behind the camera. Ehrenreich’s directorial debut, Shadow Brother Sunday, screened last year at HollyShorts following its world premiere at Tribeca Festival.

‘Shadow Brother Sunday’

“I was very flattered to have my film Shadow Brother Sunday included in this wonderful festival last year and had a great time meeting all those involved,” Ehrenreich said in a statement. “I am even more flattered – flattered times two – to be chosen to receive this special honor. I am proud to see the Los Angeles film community gather and support each other.

Steven Spielberg’s ‘new original event film,’ set for release in May 2026, is called The Dish.

Steven Spielberg’s next film – his first since 2022’s The Fabelmans – is due out in May 2026, and it now looks as though it has a title. During a recent IMAX presentation for investors, a slide showed a string of upcoming releases from various Hollywood studios, and there, sandwiched between the next Avengers film and The Mandalorian And Grogu is a film called The Dish.

As first noted by World Of Reel, this is undoubtedly Spielberg’s previously untitled project, vaguely billed by Universal Pictures as a “new original event film.”

The Dish title also sounds of a piece with the report going around that Spielberg’s cooking up some sort of UFO-themed movie with screenwriter David Koepp. Certainly, the title brings to mind his friend Robert Zemeckis’ terrific 1997 sci-fi film Contact, in which Jodie Foster...

Nailing the final entry of a classic cinematic trilogy is always the most difficult to get right. Tasked with sticking the landing and tying the narrative strands across three movies together requires a precise amount of pre-planning that must be executed in ways that both trump its predecessors and satisfy fans at once with a compelling conclusion. Every once in a while, we get perfect trilogy-enders like The Good, the Bad and The Ugly, The Return of the King, or The Last Crusade. But more often than not, we get limp and lackluster results like The Godfather Part III, Jaws 3D, Terminator: Rise of the Machines, Alien 3, Back to the Future 3, Men in Black III, and countless other movies that fail to live up to the first two instalments. That begs the question, where does Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome register on the scale of all-time good or bad final chapters in movie trilogies?...

Sir Patrick Stewart has enjoyed a career that many others only end up dreaming of. From theatrics to movies to being part of some of the biggest cinematic franchises of all time, Stewart has been the recipient of several awards and accolades. While he has portrayed several brilliant roles, the actor received widespread acclaim when he joined the Star Trek franchise as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard | Roddenberry Entertainment

Starting from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stewart has appeared in many other movies and series set in the sci-fi universe. Yet, there was one project that convinced him to almost end his Star Trek journey.

The Star Trek Project That Made Patrick Stewart Leave the Franchise

Tom Hardy and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Nemesis | Paramount Pictures

Sir Patrick Stewart has enjoyed a splendid career, full of some astounding projects and roles. Yet, among the many characters he has essayed,...

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in Here.

Opening theater this fall, and during awards season, is the upcoming movie Here.

Reuniting the director, writer and stars of Forrest Gump, Here is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the most relatable of human experiences. Robert Zemeckis directs from a screenplay by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Killers of the Flower Moon, Dune, A Star is Born) and him.

Watch the trailer now.

Told much in the style of the acclaimed graphic novel by Richard McGuire on which it is based, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in a tale of love, loss, laughter and life, all of which happen right Here.

Sony Pictures has also released a second video in which Zemeckis, Wright and Hanks discuss their latest collaboration.

The cast includes Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery and Paul Bettany.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright star in the latest film from Robert Zemeckis – the time-shifting, camera-locking Here. Take a gander at the new trailer:

Time is constantly on the move in Here, the next film from director Robert Zemeckis, but the camera doesn’t. Written by Eric Roth, Here’s big concept is that it takes in thousands of years of history, but always from the same location and without resorting to all the tricks we’ve grown used to as cinema’s evolved – so no shifting camera angles, no establishing shots, and no obvious edits.

What Zemeckis and his team use, though, is CG trickery, and lots of it. Using a piece of AI-powered software called Metaphysic Live, Here digitally de-ages leading actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright and follows them as they grow from young lovers, to a middle ages family with kids, and onwards to their inevitable old age.

“Illinoise” is something of an anomaly for a Broadway show. It is competing in the Best Musical race at the 2024 Tony Awards, but the story is told entirely through modern dance as a trio of singers lead the audience through the music of Sufjan Stevens. It doesn’t fit any typical mold for Broadway. The production’s hopes of winning the coveted Best Musical prize at the Tonys hinge on “Illinoise” becoming yet another anomaly: it’s hoping to be the first tuner in 25 years to win Best Musical without nominations for Original Score and Book.

In addition to a nomination in the top category, “Illinoise” picked up bids for Choreography (Justin Peck), Orchestrations and Lighting Design of a Musical. Industry insiders who once believed the show’s unique storytelling would make it a slam dunk to take home the crown immediately changed their predictions because of the many places the dance piece fell short.

This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

Since 2020, Star Trek: Discovery has harbored a strange sci-fi temporal anomaly. Starting with the episode “Die Trying,” in season 3, director David Cronenberg—the mastermind who gave us The Fly and more recently, Crimes of the Future—has appeared semi-regularly as a mysterious figure known only as “Dr. Kovich.” As Discovery’s latter seasons have gone on, Kovich’s true purpose has become more clear, even if we don’t fully understand why he wears that all-black, somewhat contemporary-looking suit.

While it’s been tempting to say that David Cronenberg has just been playing David Cronenberg this entire time, the Discovery series finale actually fully answers the question of who Kovich really is and his larger role in Star Trek canon. In fact, Cronenberg’s strange character is revealed to be, perhaps, one of the most crucial people in the entire universe.

Kovich Is...

Every April 5th, Star Trek fans celebrate First Contact Day. As established in the 1996 movie Star Trek: First Contact, First Contact Day celebrates the anniversary of Vulcans establishing contact with humans, after the latter launches their first warp-capable vehicle. From that moment, humanity took its first steps into the wider galaxy, establishing Starfleet and then exploring the cosmos, as documented in the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise.

But apparently First Contact and Enterprise weren’t enough to tell that Star Trek origin story. According to a report by THR, the first film in production will be an origin film “set decades before the events of the 2009 movie that was directed J.J. Abrams, likely around modern times,” and dealing with “the creation of Starfleet and humankind’s first contact with alien life.”

At best, such an origin story is repetitive and unnecessary. At worst, it misses the entire point of Star Trek.

It was announced today in the Hollywood Reporter that Simon Kinberg is taking over the development of the new "Star Trek" feature film, currently working its way through pre-production at Paramount. This new film will be the fourth to be connected to the Kelvin timeline of "Star Trek," a timeline which started with the events of J.J. Abrams' 2009 "Star Trek" film. As of this writing, Toby Haynes ("Andor") is slated to direct, while Seth Grahame-Smith has signed on to write. Kinberg is a notable Hollywood player who wrote "X-Men: The Last Stand," "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "X-Men: Apocalypse," and "Dark Phoenix" (among many others) and who produced "The New Mutants," "Deadpool," "Logan," "X-Men: First Class," "Cinderella," "The Martian," and "Elysium" (among many others). He is a franchise guy through-and-through, and Paramount likely wanted a new producer with high-profile experience.

It has been reported that the new "Star Trek" movie will,...

Robert Zemeckis has always loved his toys, but the "Back to the Future" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" director's fondness for tinkering with the latest filmmaking technology has eclipsed his passion for storytelling for a long time. However, between his love-it-or-hate-it Best Picture winner "Forrest Gump" and his motion-capture phase in the aughts, there was a period where Zemeckis found a string of projects that eloquently married his love of tech with his maturing sensibilities as a storyteller. This began with 1997's "Contact," a film adaptation of the late Carl Sagan's 1985 novel of the same name and possibly the unofficial start of the "Matthew McConaughey Takes Off His Shirt in All His Movies" era (but feel free to fact-check me on that).

McConaughey, as it were, plays Palmer Joss, a successful Christian philosopher, and the love interest for the film's protagonist, the scientist Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Ann Arroway (Jodie Foster...

Jodie Foster is undoubtedly one of the biggest female stars in Hollywood. The actress made a name for herself by playing the young prostitute Iris Steensma in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, after having appeared in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore two years prior. But, while her filmography includes some important titles like The Accused (1988), Sommersby (1993), Maverick (1994), Contact (1997), Anna and the King (1999), Panic Room (2002), Flightplan (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Brave One (2007), Nim’s Island (2008), Carnage (2011), Elysium (2013), The Mauritanian (2021), and Nyad (2023), her best-known role is that of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, which also brought her her second Oscar. Recently, she also appeared in True Detective: Night Country.

But, while she has definitely gathered a large number of major roles, she has also – as you might have assumed – rejected and lost several other major roles, and from what we know now, one of these roles was a major Star Wars role.

Eric Roth wanted Robert Zemeckis to make a sequel to 1997’s Contact – but the conversation didn’t get very far.

In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, I’ve had the enormous pleasure of chatting at length to Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth. You can find the episode right here…

Early on in the conversation, he talks about working with director Robert Zemeckis, the pair of whom both took home Oscars for Forrest Gump. They’ve reteamed on another movie that’s due later this year by the name of Here, but Eric Roth told me he’d originally approached Zemeckis with an idea for something else.

“I called Bob actually to see if he’d be interested in me writing Contact 2 for him, because I really liked that. I really like that whole arena”.

Zemeckis, in Roth’s words, quickly declined the idea, with difficulties surrounding getting...

Oscar nominations were announced in Los Angeles at 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 23. The backlash began by sunrise. Barbie received eight nominations, including for best picture, but where were individual nods for director Greta Gerwig or star Margot Robbie, the A-list architects who constructed a billion-dollar blockbuster out of an $18 plastic doll that was born in 1959? Barbie fans went berserk online, denouncing the Academy for what they saw as a sexist snub. Breathless press coverage of the controversy dominated the news cycle for days, and even Hillary Clinton weighed in to support her shunned sisters.

By Jan. 26, producer Lynda Obst had heard enough. “I have to write about this misplaced horror,” Obst unloaded on Facebook, offering a history lesson pulled from personal experience, reminding her readers that comedies rarely fare well at the Academy Awards in top categories. Furthermore, she and best friend Nora Ephron “didn’t flip out” when...

On-set accidents aren’t something that we often get to hear from stars and individuals involved in a major project, more so because of them being rare than anything else. Thus, when legendary actress Jodie Foster recently went public with an incident that featured her in a life-or-death situation, it was sure to raise a lot of eyebrows.

Jodie Foster in a still from Contact (1997)

This incident took place when she was still a young child actress in the industry and during the shoot of her then-upcoming film Napoleon and Samantha, the lion they were shooting on set grabbed her lightly with jaws and started carrying her. This was such a terrifying experience that every crew member upon seeing this was scrambling all over the place.

Jodie Foster Was In The Jaws Of A Lion On The Sets Of Her Film Napoleon And Samantha

Jodie Foster in a still from...

Get ready for a journey into the future as “Halo” makes its long-awaited debut with Season 1 Episode 1, titled “Contact.” Airing on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 12:00 Pm on Showtime, this thrilling series transports viewers to the year 2552, where a battle for independence unfolds on the planet Madrigal.

In this epic sci-fi saga, humanity finds itself locked in a struggle for freedom from Earth’s control. However, the path to independence takes a dangerous turn when a fatal encounter with the formidable Alien Covenant threatens to derail their plans.

Enter Master Chief John-117 and his elite team of super-soldiers known as “Spartans.” These legendary warriors are humanity’s last hope as they join the battle to defend Madrigal and secure the future of their species.

With breathtaking visuals, intense action sequences, and a gripping storyline, “Halo” promises to be a game-changing addition to the world of science fiction television. Fans of the...

Get ready for a cosmic journey as “Resident Alien” returns with its highly-anticipated Season 3 premiere, titled “Season 3 First Contact.” Set your calendars for Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 8:59 Pm on Syfy, because this episode is about to take you on a thrilling ride through the past two seasons of the show.

In “Season 3 First Contact,” viewers will get a chance to recap all the incredible moments, mysteries, and hilarious antics that have unfolded in Seasons 1 and 2. It’s the perfect opportunity to refresh your memory and catch up on the adventures of Harry Vanderspeigle, the alien who crash-landed on Earth and has been trying to blend in as a human doctor.

“Resident Alien” has captured hearts with its unique blend of science fiction, humor, and heartwarming moments. From alien conspiracies to small-town shenanigans, this series has it all, and this recap episode promises to be a fantastic refresher for dedicated fans...

Julian Senior, the veteran Warner Bros. marketing and publicity executive in Europe who enjoyed close relationships with filmmakers including Oscar winners Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, David Puttnam and Neil Jordan, has died. He was 85.

Senior died Jan. 1 of pneumonia and heart failure in a hospital near his home in Borehamwood, England, Conor Nolan, his friend and onetime Warner Bros. colleague, told The Hollywood Reporter.

A native of South Africa, Senior joined Warner Bros. in 1970 after an eight-year run at MGM, where he was an advertising and publicity consultant in its European Regional Office, and he stuck with the studio through 2000.

At the start, Senior helped mastermind the advertising and publicity campaign for the landmark Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971), and he also worked with the famed director on The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

“He taught me how publicity, advertising and marketing operates,” Senior once said of Kubrick.

On Saturday, October 28th rugby fans around the world watched as the final leg of the 2023 Rugby World Cup played out in France at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis. All the matches played in nine venues across 10 host cities. South Africa beat New Zealand 12-11 in the final to win their third consecutive match by one point and claim a record fourth Webb Ellis Trophy.

Prior to that at the Six Nations Championship, on March 18, 2023, Ireland won the tournament for a 15th time, along with a 13th Triple Crown and a fourth Grand Slam; it was also the first time they won the title in Dublin.

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international men’s competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Previously called the Home Nations Championship and the Five Nations Championship, the tournament has been running since 1883.

Six Nations and producers of Formula 1: Drive to Survive...

Tracy Tormé, a UFO expert and son of stylish crooner Mel Tormé who co-created the 1990s series Sliders and was hand-picked by Gene Roddenberry to serve as the head writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, has died. He was 64.

Tormé died Thursday of complications from diabetes in Escondido, California, his sister and brother, actress Daisy Tormé (Superman & Lois) and recording artist James Tormé, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Tormé also was a writer on Saturday Night Live during its eighth season (1982-83); wrote and produced with Travis Walton the fantasy drama film Fire in the Sky (1993), starring D.B. Sweeney and Robert Patrick; and was a consultant on the acclaimed Robert Zemeckis sci-fi drama Contact (1997).

He wrote the original treatment for the Francis Lawrence-directed I Am Legend (2007) and received co-producer credit on that film, which grossed $585.4 million for Warner Bros. Smith battles mutants as the last human in New York...

This Star Trek: Picard article contains spoilers.

Do you remember how great it felt when Jean-Luc Picard stepped onto the bridge of the restored USS Enterprise-d, with all the members of his senior staff around him and ready for one last adventure? Remember how much better that was than watching Icheb from Voyager get mutilated or watching Picard ride dune buggies in Star Trek: Nemesis? Patrick Stewart does not.

In a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Stewart talked about an upcoming Star Trek movie centered on at least part of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. “I heard only last night about a script that is being written, but written specifically with the actor, Patrick, to play in it,” Stewart told host Josh Horowitz. “And I’ve been told to expect to receive it within a week or so.”

That sounds exciting, right? After all, while...

Prepare for an intergalactic showdown as Showtime launches the much-anticipated “Halo” series with Season 1 Episode 1, titled “Contact.” Airing at 8:00 Pm on Monday, January 8, 2024, this sci-fi epic catapults viewers into the year 2552, where humans on the planet Madrigal are embroiled in a fight for independence from Earth.

The stakes escalate when a fatal encounter with the formidable Alien Covenant adds a layer of complexity to the struggle for autonomy. Enter Master Chief John-117 and his elite team of super-soldier “Spartans,” as they join the battle to defend Madrigal against extraterrestrial forces. The episode promises a riveting blend of high-stakes conflict, cutting-edge technology, and the indomitable spirit of the Spartans.

For fans of the iconic gaming franchise and newcomers alike, “Halo” on Showtime is set to be a thrilling ride through the expansive universe of one of gaming’s most beloved sagas. Don’t miss the premiere, where “Contact” marks the...

Jodie Foster is fast becoming a sure thing for a Best Supporting Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars and her status as Golden Globe favorite for “Nyad” only boosts that theory.

Foster c0-stars in this Netflix biopic which charts Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim across the 110-mile open ocean from Cuba to Florida. Annette Bening takes on the titular role while Foster features as Nyad’s coach and friend, Bonnie Stoll. Foster arguably has the meatier role out of the two as the entire climax of the film features Bening’s Nyad swimming, largely without dialogue. That leaves Foster’s Stoll as the narrative anchor and the actress delivers a supporting turn that feels like a co-lead (this is something Oscar voters love in this category but we’ll get back to that later). Critics love Foster’s performance, too.

Peter Debruge (Variety) observed: “Foster proves a...

The Golden Globes displayed a fair amount of consensus with the Recording Academy when it unveiled its first Golden Globe nominations for Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television, giving nominations Monday to such recently Grammy-nominated comedians as Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Trevor Noah and Sarah Silverman.

Rock was nominated for Netflix’s Selective Outrage, which was certainly the most discussed special of the year given its kickoff of a livestreaming initiative for the service, as well as Rock’s long anticipated dissection of his altercation with Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards, when Smith rose from the audience and slapped Rock on stage after a joke made at the expense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Establishing itself in recent years as the leading purveyor of stand-up specials, Netflix leads this morning’s noms haul in the category with a commanding five nominations out of six, seeing Sykes recognized...

Advances in astronomy and science make it more clear by the day that, unexpectedly, the math is on the side of aliens. As late as the 1990s, scientists weren’t sure that there were planets anywhere else in our galaxy or in the universe beyond, but advances like the Kepler Space Telescope have led astronomers to believe now that nearly every star is like our sun, possessing so-called “exo-planets,” and that, by extension, there are many habitable planets with conditions to support life as we recognize it.

Recent estimates imagine...

Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey didn’t speak to his mother for almost a decade after she developed a habit of spilling intimate details about him to the press. The 52-year-old actor shot to fame in the 1990s with roles in films like ‘A Time To Kill’ and ‘Contact’ but said that because of his status, he and his mother Mary ended up becoming “estranged” for a period of time as she would spill intimate details about him to the media, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Speaking on the ‘Whine Down’ podcast, he told host Jana Kramer: “I tried to change my mom. For eight years her and I had an estranged relationship where I couldn’t have more than a conversation of, ‘Hi, Mom, doing good. Love you. Bye.’ Anything she asked me, I couldn’t tell her personally because she didn’t have a governor, she’d go to the press.

Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey didn’t speak to his mother for almost a decade after she developed a habit of spilling intimate details about him to the press. The 52-year-old actor shot to fame in the 1990s with roles in films like ‘A Time To Kill’ and ‘Contact’ but said that because of his status, he and his mother Mary ended up becoming “estranged” for a period of time as she would spill intimate details about him to the media, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Speaking on the ‘Whine Down’ podcast, he told host Jana Kramer: “I tried to change my mom. For eight years her and I had an estranged relationship where I couldn’t have more than a conversation of, ‘Hi, Mom, doing good. Love you. Bye.’ Anything she asked me, I couldn’t tell her personally because she didn’t have a governor, she’d go to the press.

Daft Punk will continue their 10th anniversary celebration of Random Access Memories this November with a “drumless edition” of their Grammy-winning 2013 album.

Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition), due out November 17, features all 13 songs from the original LP, but as the title suggests, the drums and percussion have been stripped from the defunct dance duo’s tracks.

Ahead of the reworked LP’s release, Daft Punk has shared the “drumless” version of the ballad “Within”; although already one of Random Access Memories’ less percussive tracks, the “drumless edition” take spotlights Chilly Gonzales’s piano work.

Daft Punk are still keeping the good times rolling as they celebrate the 10th anniversary of their final studio album. After sharing an extended deluxe version of it earlier this year, the French house duo have announced Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition), a track-by-track reimagining of the record without a single drum beat.

While it’s hard to imagine most Daft Punk songs drumless, Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) should pique interest in fans wanting to delve deeper into the layers of the band’s compositions. Pre-orders are ongoing now before the album is out in full November 17th.

See the artwork and tracklist for Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) below.

Earlier this year, Daft Punk released a deluxe edition of Random Access Memories, featuring 35 minutes of previously unreleased music. In an interview corresponding with its release, Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter said he was “relieved” that the duo disbanded,...