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
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill Talk ’23 Jump Street,’ College Life and Their X-Rated Bet
Jonah Hill probably shouldn't have made that bet.
Back when '21 Jump Street' was about to hit theaters, a drunk Hill made a ridiculous bet with an equally drunk Channing Tatum based on the possibility that their movie open over $35 million. The bet? As Hill put it, "I will kiss your tip!" (The tip of what, we'll leave to your very capable imagination.) '21 Jump Street' opened to $36.3 million.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller on Why They Turned Down ‘Ghostbusters 3′
When it was announced that Ivan Reitman was stepping down as the 'Ghostbusters 3' director, many fans (including us) immediately thought of Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('The LEGO Movie') as the ideal replacements. Sure enough, an offer went out to the directing duo almost immediately, but just as quickly as they were offered, they passed on the project...
J.J. Abrams From the ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Set: “I Wish People Would Stop Leaking Photos”
This week has seen over 50 images leak from the 'Star Wars: Episode 7' set showing off new creatures, the Tatooine set and confirming the existence of the Millennium Falcom. This is all highly unusual for a J.J. Abrams movie, where he likes to keep things as secretive as possible and, today, Abrams responded to the many leaks on Twitter with a note from the set.
‘Ant-Man’ Loses Another Director; What Will Marvel Do Now?
After Edgar Wright left Marvel's 'Ant-Man,' the studio quickly made an offer to Adam McKay ('Anchorman'), hoping the director could help save the project. The two sides entered "advanced negotiations" but shortly thereafter, McKay decided to pass on the film. Marvel was really in a bind at this point, so they reached out to the #2 option on their shortlist, 'We're the Millers' director Rawson Thurber, with an offer. But, late yesterday came word (via The Wrap) that Thurber too has passed on the job.
WTF? Someone Edited All the ‘Star Wars’ Dialogue in Alphabetical Order
During a week when everyone is excited over some fairly benign 'Star Wars: Episode 7' set pics (which you can see here and here!), it shouldn't really surprise us that someone reedited the original 'Star Wars' so all the dialogue is in alphabetical order, yet still...
‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ First Look: It’s the New Millennium Falcon!
We had heard late last year that a full-scale Millennium Falcon was built for 'Star Wars: Episode 7' in London, but it's one thing to hear about a new, full-scale Millennium Falcon and actually see a new, full-scale Millennium Falcon. Well, wait no longer because hot off the heels of yesterday's set photo leak from Tatooine, today we have photos of Millennium Falcon throughout its construction, as
New ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Set Pics: More From Tatooine, Including New Creatures!
The 'Star Wars: Episode 7' set in Abu Dhabi was described as being so far out in the middle of the dessert that it would be near impossible to get paparazzi shots of the top secret set. What they apparently didn't count on was one of the film's extras - soon to be never working in Hollywood again - taking a bunch of photos and selling them to TMZ...
Josh Brolin to Star as Thanos in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and Beyond!
We've speculated for months on who would be playing Thanos, the overarching villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Would it be Vin Diesel? Benicio Del Toro? Kevin Feige said they had the actor cast, but that they weren't ready to reveal who it was just yet. Well, they might not be ready, but that doesn't matter because the word is out.
Is ‘Ant-Man’ in Danger of Missing Its 2015 Release Date?
When it was announced that Edgar Wright was leaving 'Ant-Man,' Marvel said in its statement that the planned July 17, 2015 release date would not be changed. But, as the reality of the situation sets in and Marvel scrambles to find a suitable replacement, it's becoming apparent that, despite their assertions, Marvel is very much in risk of missing their 2015 date.
Quentin Tarantino Wants to Make a 4-Hour ‘Django Unchained’ Miniseries
While we're still not sure what Quentin Tarantino's next film will be, the director was at the Cannes Film Festival and revealed he's looking to revisit one of his previous films. The director told an audience at a press conference celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Cannes premiere of 'Pulp Fiction' that he's got about 90 minutes of unseen footage from 'Django Unchained' that he would like to
‘Batman vs. Superman’ Gets an Official Title: Enter the ‘Dawn of Justice’
For the past year or so, we've been calling 'Batman vs. Superman' 'Batman vs. Superman' only because we didn't have an official title. There were rumors of 'World's Finest' but nothing was ever confirmed as an official title for the film, but 'Batman vs...
The Latest Actor to Join ‘Star Wars: Episode 7′ Could Be…You?!
Do you want to star in 'Star Wars: Episode 7'? No, seriously. Today, J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm announced one of the biggest 'Star Wars' contests ever, with the grand prize including being cast as an original character in 'Star Wars: Episode 7'. So, what do you need to do to win?