Mike Sampson is the Editor-in-Chief of ScreenCrush. He studied to become a lawyer and worked as an architectural planner after graduating college but neither of these professions afforded him the opportunity to watch movies and TV for a living. He previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of JoBlo.com for 10 years. He lives in New Jersey and probably spends too much time playing video games and overthinking things.
Mike Sampson
‘Magnificent Seven’ First Look: Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt Saddle Up
After the huge success of Guardians of the Galaxy, newly-minted A-list star Chris Pratt had his pick of projects. He quickly signed on to star in another franchise, Jurassic World, which somehow made him an even bigger star. Then came a more curious choice: a remake of The Magnificent Seven...
Animated ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ Movie Has Officially Been Rated R
After teasing that they were planning the movie with an R rating in mind, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has confirmed that the upcoming animated film Batman: The Killing Joke has officially been rated R by the MPAA.
Sam Register, president of Warner Bros...
‘Ghost in the Shell’ Begins Filming, See First Photo of Scarlett Johansson
One of the things we just didn’t have time or space to get into in our Captain America: Civil War review, is just how great Scarlett Johansson is in the film. Black Widow is so dynamic and exciting to watch, it’s almost a crime Marvel hasn’t given Johansson her own action movie yet...
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Review: A Superhero Movie That Lives Up to the Hype
When Marvel Studios began ambitiously building towards the first Avengers movie, many openly wondered: how can they do this? Many times over the years, notably in Sam Raimi’s bloated Spider-Man 3, too many characters had clogged up the screen, diluting those films of any real focus. This was a legitimate concern for Marvel and for The Avengers, a movie that was going to star not one, but seven superheroes. Flash forward to 2016 and seven superheroes suddenly seems like an intimate gathering. Now Marvel has arrived with Captain America: Civil War, the latest in their progressively expanding franchise, with a lineup that includes 12 superheroes and three villains. Have we reached peak superhero? Is this finally, once and for all, just too much?
NOPE.
Steven Spielberg’s New BFF Mark Rylance Joins ‘Ready Player One’
Earlier this week, Steven Spielberg announced an upcoming project, The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, which would star recent Oscar-winner Mark Rylance. Rylance won his Oscar for Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, and stars in Spielberg’s upcoming The BFG...
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Officially Announced, New Logo Revealed
Last week came word that Sony Pictures may have inadvertently tipped their hand to the official title of the upcoming Spider-Man reboot by registering a few telling web site URLs. Late last night that speculation was confirmed at a CinemaCon panel when star Tom Holland took the stage and announced that the film would officially be called Spider-Man: Homecoming...
Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Returning to Theaters This Summer
One of the most common reactions after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters was to go back and rewatch the original trilogy again. Part of that is nostalgia, and part of that is that The Force Awakens was, for better or worse, a rehash of a lot of similar plot points from A New Hope...
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Writers Tease Thanos’ Big Introduction
This is not a surprise to anyone who has been paying any attention, but Thanos will be the big villain in Marvel’s two-part Avengers: Infinity War finale. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building up to this ever since that Mad Titan’s debut in the Avengers post-credits scene back in 2012...
Who Are Rey’s Parents? Daisy Ridley Knows and Says It’s Not Even That Important
One of the biggest questions (of many) to come out of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was, Who are Rey’s parents? Much is made in the film of Rey being an orphan and left behind on Jakku with Unkar Plutt, slowly counting down the days until her family returns for her (spoiler alert: they never do)...
‘Batman vs. Superman’ R-Rated Edition May Get Released in Theaters
After a disappointing weekend that saw it lose to a horrible Melissa McCarthy comedy in only its third week of release, Batman vs. Superman looks poised for a total domestic run between $325 and $340 million. That’s below Deadpool, Furious 7 and even American Sniper and certainly not what Warner Bros...