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
The Amazing ‘Star Wars’ Concept Art of Designer Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars illustrator and designer Ralph McQuarrie is responsible for some of the most iconic imagery in the pop culture and the history of movies. McQuarrie designed the look of many of the Star Wars characters including Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2 and the Stormtroopers, as well as locations like the Death Star and Tattooine. In fact, it was McQuarrie's artwork that eventually sold 20th Century Fox on the idea of letting George Lucas actually make a Star Wars movie.
‘Mad Max’ Trailer: Everybody’s Gone Out of Their Mind
This new Mad Max: Fury Road trailer comes to us from Japan and is mostly a condensed version of the previous trailer, with a few new scenes added on. No matter. Even at just over one minutes with Japanese subtitles, it's still knocking our socks off.
First Aquaman Photo From ‘Batman vs. Superman’ Officially Revealed!
Batman vs. Superman director Zack Snyder revealed photos of Batman, the Batmobile and Wonder Woman on his Twitter feed, but lately things have been pretty quiet. Many fans were hoping for a first official look at the Batman vs. Superman trailer in theaters with Jupiter Ascending, but that didn't happen. Rumors have it that the trailer itself is ready and just waiting for the right moment to premiere. Could that moment be almost upon us? Snyder returned to Twitter last night, tweeting the first photo of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, along with the new tagline #unitetheseven.
Rumor Buster: Will a New ‘Avengers 2’ Trailer Air With the ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Midseason Premiere?
It's been just over a month since the last Avengers 2 trailer descended upon us like the mighty fist of Hulk and you'd think that would be enough to satisfy superhero movie fans. But, no, we need more! When is the next Avengers 2 trailer coming?? A recent report claimed that the new Avengers 2 trailer would debut following the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. mid-season premiere on March 3, but it's time to take a closer look to see whether that rumor is legit.
How Apple Helped J.J. Abrams Design the New ‘Star Wars’ Lightsaber
The new Star Wars: Episode 7 lightsaber was the most hotly debated topic that came out of the first teaser trailer. What is this thing? Where did it come from? It turns out those answers might come from a very unlikely source: Apple.
‘Straight Outta Compton’ Trailer: You Are Now About to Witness the Strength of Street Knowledge
‘Straight Outta Compton’, the biopic of controversial gangsta rap group N.W.A., hasn't had the easiest road to the big screen. The film has been in development since 2009, with a number of directors set to direct. Finally, Universal Pictures came on board to make the film happen with director F. Gary Gray (who had previously worked with both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre on previous projects), but the big question is, was it worth the wait?
Hugh Jackman Confirms Patrick Stewart’s Involvement in Upcoming ‘Wolverine’ Sequel
Yesterday, Sir Patrick Stewart revealed that he would not, as was widely suspected, be returning for ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. He did, however, tease his involvement in the next ‘Wolverine’ movie saying, “we have been talking about a Wolverine movie, which would team Hugh Jackman and myself together.” He offered no further details, so we took this rumor straight to the man himself, Wolverine, and asked Hugh Jackman for some details.
‘Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ Trailer: A Higher Class of Hero
Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of the popular 1960s NBC spy series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ is very much a throwback to the classic spy movies. Whereas most modern spy movies, like ‘Skyfall’ or the upcoming ‘Kingsman’, do their best to distance themselves from the Roger Moore style, ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ actually embraces it. It’s even set in the 1960s. But, is there an audience for a good, old fashioned spy movie? Watch the new ‘U.N.C.L.E.’ trailer and see for yourself.
‘Spectre’ First Look: Daniel Craig is Back as Bond
‘Spectre’, the upcoming 24th James Bond movie, is currently filming in Austria where it is probably as cold and snowy as wherever you are right now (damn you, Polar Vortex!). The cast and crew took some time out to update 007 fans on the progress of the upcoming film with a video blog on what they're currently shooting, which they promise manages to top even ‘Skyfall’.
‘Hitman: Agent 47’ Trailer: Your Number is Up
In theory, there's nothing wrong with rebooting the ‘Hitman’ franchise (a popular video game series that spawned only one 2007 film). The Timothy Olyphant version was nothing particularly interesting or exciting, so the chance to try again is something that we can't fault Fox for. But, when you reboot a movie and it still looks as stale and by-the-books as the new ‘Hitman: Agent 47’, then what was the point in the first place?
‘Fast and Furious 7’ Trailer: This Time It Ain’t Just About Being Fast
‘Fast and Furious 7’—the next installment in the best film franchise that isn’t Marvel—is coming this spring after some lengthy delays (it was originally scheduled to open last summer), and based on this new trailer, we couldn’t be more excited.
‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ Star Mark Hamill on Fan Anticipation: “Just Relax!”
If you’re one of those people who can’t get enough ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ spoilers, first, might we recommend our weekly Wookieepedia ‘Star Wars’ round up? With that shameless plug out of the way, let us now offer you ‘Star Wars’ spoiler addicts some advice from Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. CHILL OUT.