Samuel L Jackson Page 7

While Robocop was staring over a dystopian land, contemplating whether to fight crime or corruption, or both, Sherman knelt down behind him and Mr. Peabody made the augmented super-enforcer look stupid by pushing him over.

He looks fierce, but it's all talk

That’s what happened. Alright that’s not what happened. But ‘Robocop’ was beaten by ‘Mr Peabody and Sherman’ over in the U.K as both films enjoyed – or endured – their debuts.

Continue reading: 'Mr Peabody' Takes Down 'Robocop', Because Robocop Is Rubbish

Samuel L Jackson is an intimating guy on-screen and this quality doesn't seem to change off camera.

The 65 year-old actor let rip on a reporter who made a mistake in identity and thought he was Lawrence Fishburne.

In a KTLA interview, news anchor Sam Rubin was asking the 'Robocop' actor a series of questions when the blunder occurred.

Continue reading: Samuel L. Jackson Explodes At A Reporter For Confusing Him With Lawrence Fishburne

27 years after RoboCop, despite technological advances, cyborgs are still a way off, so we were just about overdue for a reboot of the original. The brand new RoboCop hits theaters this week, with a slightly updated, but still very recognizable story. Joel Kinnaman (most recently known from AMC’s The Killing) stars as Alex Murphy, a wounded police officer who’s given a prototype robotic body by a cold corporate tycoon (Michael Keaton). Cue crime fighting and identity crisis.

It turns out that Joel Kinnaman may have actually pulled it off.

The story is relatively unchanged, as are a lot of the details in the film. Director Jose Padilha made a point of preserving as much as possible from the classic film, as he tells USA Today. Still, there are a few instantly noticeable changes (beyond the use of CGI) that give the film an updated feel.

Continue reading: The New RoboCop Reboot Is (Not That) Different From The Original

If Quentin Tarantino was angry when his latest movie script, Hateful Eight, was passed around in the film industry of Hollywood, you can bet he's totally furious now that website Gawker has leaked the whole thing to anyone online.

Quentin Tarantinno Is Taking Legal Action After Gawker Leaked His Full Script.

Describing the site's move as "predatory journalism," the director is suing Gawker Media after it made a download link to the 146 page script publically available in an article entitled "Here Is the Leaked Quentin Tarantino Hateful Eight Script."

Continue reading: Quentin Tarantino Suing Gawker Over Shelved 'Hateful Eight' Script Leak

Margot Robbie's stock continues to rise higher and higher and as she looks set to become the latest in-demand Hollywood leading lady, her next big role has all but been confirmed. According to The Warp, the Wolf of Wall Street star is in the final stage of negotiations to star in David Yates' big screen version of Tarzan.

Robbie definately has the looks to be a leading lady

With filming set to begin this summer, Robbie looks set to join a cast that already includes Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard as the loincloth-wearing tree swinger. The big-budget Warner Brothers production has been in the works for some time now, with Robbie's impending appointment to the film hopefully being the final piece of the puzzle needed to get filming of the latest take on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel series underway.

Continue reading: Margot Robbie In Final Talks To Star In 'Tarzan'

Still undecided as to which movie you want to see this Thanksgiving weekend? Well worry not because we've put together a list of five of the top movies released this weekend for all ages and tastes.

FROZEN

'Frozen' Is An Enchanting Tale About A Kingdom In Permanent Winter.

Continue reading: Heading To The Movies This Thanksgiving? 'Frozen' And 'The Hunger Games 2' Leading The Way In Our List Of 5 Must-See Films

The 1987 sci-fi adventure Robocop is being remade for a new generation, with a new movie due out next year. Director José Padilha has managed to assemble a stellar cast of actors, including Samuel L. Johnson, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Joel Kinnaman, in a movie that looks dazzlingly high-impact.

Joel Kinnaman Takes To The Suit As The Legendary Robocop.

Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a Detroit police officer living a relatively peaceful life with his wife Clara (Abbie Cornish) and his young son David in 2028. Alex's life is turned upside down when a bomb goes off in his car and he is left with 80% burns on his body. Alex's chance of returning to his ordinary life or even surviving are looking slim until robot tech developers OmniCorp spot an opportunity to create a new robotic, crime-fighting soldier using Alex's body and keen mind for the law.

Continue reading: Robocop Is Coming In 2014 For Legendary Crime-Fighting Cyborg Remake [Trailer + Pictures]

This week saw Marvel up the ante by releasing a new trailer for Captain America: Winter Solder. And it’s no accident that USA Today should - a few days later -reveal a new story for the superhero.

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America

Released in a comic book format, the new five-issue, Marvel miniseries adventure will be written by trusted steed, Rick Remender. It will be illustrated by Punisher: In The Blood collaborator Roland Boschi.

Continue reading: Can't Wait For 'Winter Soldier'? Get Some Captain America Action With 'The Bitter March'

Captain America: The Winter Soldier had its first official trailer go viral this week (24 Oct.) and whilst it gives us a reasonable look at what we can expect from the the return of Chris Evans as the first Avenger, there may have been certain elements that you could have missed in the action-packed preview.

The Winter Soldier trailer leaves plenty of questions

We get to see plenty of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Samuel L Jackson returning as Nick Fury. In all it looks as though the film has a strong S.H.I.E.L.D. presence, but this doesn't give us a great indication of what the film might offer. As for the potential bad guys, it looks as though Robert Redford might have a few sinister ideas up his sleeve and the masked badass we see here and there might be his accomplice, but what does it all mean?

Continue reading: What You Might Have Missed In The 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' Trailer [Trailer]

Big Game might just be one of the more original action films to emerge in recent years, when the President of the United States of America (Samuel L. Jackson) teams up with a young Oskari (Onni Tommila) to take on the challenges of manhood and a terrorist threat all in 24 hours. We got our first look at the film this week, which wraps up after an eight week filming schedule in the Bavarian woods (and movie studios).

Jackson and Tommila attempt to find safety

Jalmari Helander's next feature length offering sees the young Oskari, alone in the woods on a traditional hunting mission meant to prove his maturity to his elders. Whilst tracking down deer, he inexplicably comes into contact with the most powerful man on Earth, concealed in his escape pod after an attack on Air Force One has brought it down into the wilderness. Stranded there, only the shy, thirteen-year-old can help the President back to civilisation, but the route back to safety isn't going to be an easy journey.

Continue reading: First Look At Samuel L. Jackson & Onni Tommila In Adventure 'Big Game' [Picture]

As we approach winter, Oscars season is in full swing, with convincing predictions and hypothesis available for each and every film, actor and director in contention for any category you can think of. The frontrunners for those coveted golden statuettes include Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor, George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep.

Tom Hanks is Captain Phillips

It’s a fine list of names, for sure. And it’s basically a given that most people would love to swap shoes with any of the aforementioned actors who we consider to be in line for at least nominations - if not a few trips to the stage - when the Oscars are handed out in March 2014.

Continue reading: Forget The Oscars, Which Actor Has The Biggest Overall Box Office Gross?

Well, it’s basically confirmed, because Samuel L. Jackson said it, and he’s Samuel L. Jackson. Elizabeth Olsen will be making her super hero movie bow with Avengers: Age Of Ultron when it comes out in 2015. She’ll be playing the Scarlet Witch.

L. Jackson confirmed the news while talking about his cameo in a recent episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Marvel’s TV version of the comic book franchise, which airs on ABC. During the interview, an ever-candid Samuel divulged some previously unconfirmed casting news.

Continue reading: Confirmed - Elizabeth Olsen On Board For 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron'

Joel Kinnaman will star as Alex Murphy/RoboCop in the upcoming reboot of cult 80's action movie RoboCop. This, like sop many other recent reboots, was a film that few people wanted or expected to be any good, however if the first official trailer for the film is anything to go by, then the naysayers may be proved wrong after all because from the look of the 2 and a half minute clip, the film doesn't look half bad.

Joel Kinnaman stars as Alex Murphy/RoboCop

With established stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman featuring in the film, there is a presence of experience that is comforting to see for fans of the original film, and the action sequences that are teased look pretty decent too. On top of this, the glimpses of the storyline make it look as though the writers have given their own take on the original source material, rather than just rip off the 1987 classic.

Continue reading: The First Trailer For The 'RoboCop' Reboot Doesn't Look As Bad As You Might Expect [Trailer]

Actress Sophie Cookson has landed the female lead role in Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic series The Secret Service where she will join Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Tamara Egerton and Michael Caine, reports Variety.

Cookson In TV Series, Moonfleet.

Cookson, a relative newcomer to acting, is best known for Sky's adventure TV miniseries Moonfleet alongside Ray Winstone. Kick-Ass director Vaughn decided that he wanted to cast a fresh face who he feel really fit the part, over better known names such as Emma Watson and Bella Heathcote. Whilst potentially risky, this was a choice he opted for in Kick-Ass with Chloe Moretz and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and in Layer Cake with Daniel Craig.

Continue reading: Sophie Cookson Recruited Into Matthew Vaughn's 'Secret Service' Movie

The Robocop reboot trailer has just hit the web and the revised, futuristic action film has already indicated differences from the original 1987 film. Joel Kinnaman stars as police officer Alex James Murphy, who eventually becomes 'Robocop'. 

Joel Kinnaman stars as the new 'Robocop'

The year is in the not too distant future, 2028, and the USA have decided to 'upgrade' their justice system with a crime fighting cyborg, half human/half robot. The law abiding citizens of Detroit will see a new addition to the police force as 'Robocop' pursues justice for the crime ridden city.

Continue reading: 'Robocop' Reboot Trailer Introduces New Justice System

Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster? Chances are, you haven't heard of it. As the Academy were preparing to decorate Ben Affleck and his Argo team in January, the acclaimed Chinese filmmaker was about to kick off the Berlin Film Festival with his latest martial arts movie.

Set in China at the time of the Japanese invasion in 1930s, The Grandmaster stars Wai's regular muse Tony Leung Chiu Wai as the kung-fu master and Zhang Ziyi as his rival. The highly stylized and visually spectacular picture is a story of "honor, principle, betrayal and forbidden love."

It spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China's last dynasty - a complex period of time rich for filmmakers to tap into. Wai filmed on location, and the snow-swept landscapes of Northeast China, juxtaposed with the subtropical south makes one of the most stunning films of the year.

Continue reading: Why Wong Kar Wai's 'The Grandmaster' Could Storm The Oscars [Trailer]

Adele is apparently set to be the next singer to make the inevitable move in front for the cameras after reportedly being cast in the upcoming action film The Secret Service. The singer has reportedly joined a cast that already includes Samuel L Jackson and Colin Firth and will be flexing her acting chops in a villainous role in the new film.

Does Adele have a few more Oscars coming her way?

The 'Skyfall' singer will reportedly be playing the role of one of the villains in The Secret Service, which is being adapted for the screen from Mark Millar's original manuscript by Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, X Men: First Class). Her participation in the film hasn't been confirmed just yet, so it is still unknown what role she will be playing, however some reports state that she will only be taking on a cameo role. If so, then this will be much like her last on-screen appearance - on the hit show Ugly Betty - where she also played a cameo role.

Continue reading: Adele Planning Her Move Into Acting: Singer Signs Up For Villainous Role In New Spy Film

Adele couldn’t have chosen a much better way to kick off her acting career – the soulful singer will star in a movie, directed by X-Men: First Class and Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn. Not only that, but the crooner is about to act opposite heavyweights Colin Firth and Samuel L Jackson, Entertainmentwise reports.

This Oscar winner is just starting out her film career.

To be fair, Adele isn’t entirely new to the world of acting. In 2009, the Grammy winner made a cameo on the show Ugly Betty. And of course, she is going into it with one Oscar under her belt, which she won earlier this year for the Skyfall theme. Adele returns to the world of secret agents with Secret Service – a British spy flick, not related to 007. Go figure. Oh, and it’s probably worth mentioning that the film in question is based on a graphic novel by Mark Millar, aka the man behind the Kick-Ass comics.

Continue reading: 'Secret Service' To Serve As Adele's Acting Debut

Adele has already proved to everyone she can sing; millions of records sold sorts that one out. But now, having provided the sountrack for the world’s most successful spy movie – Skyfall – Adele is set to play the bad guy in Secret Service.

Adele as a waxwork at Madame Tussauds London

Matthew Vaughn’s The Secret Service, an adaptation of the Mark Millar-Dave Gibbons spy thriller, stars Colin Firth and Sir Michael Caine as super agents fighting a team of villains headed by Samuel L. Jackson.

Continue reading: Adele To Take Up Acting? Singer Rumoured For 'Secret Service' Role

In the superhero show where none of the main characters have superpowers of their own, the upcoming Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. already looks like it has executive producer Joss Whedon's distinctive fingerprint all over it. The filmmaker discussed his upcoming project with fellow executive producer Jeffrey Bell and co-star Clark Gregg, who plays the back-from-the-dead agent Phil Coulson in the show and in the Marvel movies, and during this talk Whedon promised that he will remained as involved in the project as much as he can, hopefully ensuring that the series will be well worth a watch.

Whedon wants the series to appeal to those who haven't seen the Avengers movie too

Whedon, who directed and co-wrote the pilot for the series, said at ABC’s S.H.I.E.L.D. panel in Beverly Hills on Sunday (4 August) that the show will look to focus on those ignored in the major movie epics, such as The Avengers, as it will concentrate on the fictional government agency S.H.I.E.L.D. - which stands for Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate - and the agents it has working the field alongside their super-powered allies. And despite his involvement in the follow-up to the massive success that was 2012's The Avengers, which is titled The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Whedon claimed that he will try and have maximum impact and involvement on the show.

Continue reading: Joss Whedon Says He Will Film 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.' His Way

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of the many geek franchises to enjoy Comic-Con this weekend. The film’s stars, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson were happy to talk about the film, although Jackson was more interested in chatting Comic-Con than anything else.

Check out Samuel L. Jackson on Comic Con - he loves it:

Continue reading: Captain America Stars Talk Comic-Con At Comic-Con

Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake is finally gathering the momentum it deserves with a brand new trailer following the harrowing poster we were treated to not so long ago. Following what felt like years of stuttering, possible Will Smith and Steven Spielberg partnerships and even the dreaded kibosh, the American reboot of this Korean cult classic has a trailer.

Joe Doucett (Brolin) after years of solitary confinement

For those who haven’t seen Park Chan-wook’s original revenge film, the story follows Oh Dae-Su – a man kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, who finds that his release plunges him further into the sick and twisted plan of his nemesis.

Continue reading: 'Oldboy' Remake: Everything You Need To Know [Trailer + Pictures]

The first red-band trailer for Spike Lee's remake of Park Chan-wook's classic and disturbing movie Oldboy has rolled out online, featuring all the hammer-centric bloody revenge of the original. Josh Brolin plays a man abducted and held in captivity for 20 years before being mysteriously set free by his captor.

The Poster for the American remake of Oldboy, starring Josh Brolin

Though many fans of the original remain wary of Lee's remake, the movie - written by I Am Legend scribe Mark Protosevich - is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Park's cult film - which makes up part of the director's Vengeance Trilogy - features one particularly unsettling scene, though it's unclear whether Spike Lee has retained it. Bloggers who saw an early screening in April said the remake maintains the shocking key plot twist, according to The Guardian.

Continue reading: Hammer-Wielding Josh Brolin Wants Revenge In Spike Lee's 'Oldboy' [Trailer]

The Bet Awards were held on Sunday (30th June 2013) at the Nokia Theater in L.A. This year, artists who achieved awards included Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Miguel, Drake and Charlie Wilson. 

Charlie Wilson, pictured at the BET Awards Press Conference, won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Awards were first held in 2001 with the intention of celebrating minorities in the Arts. The Awards this year were hosted by comedian Chris Tucker. Will Smith, Samuel L.Jackson, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx have all hosted the Award ceremony in the past. 

Continue reading: BET Awards 2013: Who Were The Winners?

Star Wars creator George Lucas and businesswoman Mellody Hobson tied the knot in a Californian ceremony last weekend that was described as "beautiful" by celeb guests including Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Howard. Hobson did look stunning in a Peter Soronen gown but if you haven't heard of her before, she's more successful businesswoman than arm-candy for 69 year-old Lucas.

The pair met at a business conference in 2006 and dated for seven years until their engagement in January 2013. However, it's a wonder Hobson, 44, managed to fit a wedding into her busy schedule: she's president of Ariel Investments - an investment management firm - whilst she also chairs the board at Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., and a holds directing positions at Groupon, Inc., Starbucks Corporation and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. She also has a heart of gold, becoming involved with community outreach projects such as Chicago's 'After School Matters' (a charity that provides constructive after school activities for teenagers) whilst also sitting on the board for The Chicago Public Education Fund.

Despite Hobson's busy schedule, Lucas will have plenty of free time after selling his production company LucasFilm to Disney in October 2012 for a reported $4.05 billion, donating most of this sum to educational philanthropy - a cause that is clearly important to Hobson, the youngest of six children.

Continue reading: George Lucas' New Wife Mellody Hobson Is A Success In Her Own Right

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones tied the knot with his girlfriend of seven years, Mellody Hobson. According to sources speaking with People magazine, the wedding took place on Saturday (22nd June) in California's Marin County at Lucas' 4,700 acre Skywalker Ranch. Amongst other guests, the wedding was attended by fellow director Ron Howard and actor Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Jedi Mace Windu in Lucas' Star Wars franchise.

Both guests publically displayed their excitement for Lucas' wedding, with Howard tweeting "George Lucas Melody Hobson wedding was joy to behold Bill Moyers service was beautiful, nothing short of profound. Congrats Mr&Mrs Lucas" and Jackson similarly enthusing: "Let's give a Galactic shout out to Master George Lucas & his Bride Melodie on This their WEDDING DAY!!"

Engaged since January 2013, Hobson, 44, met Lucas, 69, at a business conference in 2006 and have been dating ever since. She heads Ariel Investments - an investment management firm - whilst also chairing the board at Dreamworks Animation SKG Inc., and a director of Groupon, Inc., Starbucks Corporation and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Continue reading: George Lucas Weds Long-Time Sweetheart

Early plot details for Marvel studios Captain America sequel 'The Winter Soldier' have emerged. Co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo recently began principal photography on the movie, with Chris Evans back as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and Scarlett Johansson slipping back into her Black Widow cat-suit. The good guys at Marvel also revealed a brief plot synopsis, as well as the first promotional image - check it out below.

Chris Evans As Captain America In 'The Winter Soldier'

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier will pick-up where Marvel's The Avengers left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and teams up with Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, to battle a powerful yet shadowy enemy in present-day Washington, D.C," read a statement. Meanwhile, we know that Samuel L Jackson is retuning as Nick Fury and Hollywood veteran Robert Redford has signed on to play a senior SHEILD leader. It's shaping up to be a pretty strong cast, with Emily VanCamo, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie bolstering the supporting end of things. A tentative release date of April 2, 2014 has been pencilled in, though there's every chance Mravel and the Russo's will make the deadline. 

Continue reading: Marvel Reveal 'Captain America 2' Plot And First Photo

Daniel Day-Lewis was sounded out to play lead character Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's classic 1994 crime-thriller Pulp Fiction, though Michael Madsen was eventually favored, who himself had to give way for John Travolta due to scheduling conflicts. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Tarantino revealed producer Harvey Weinstein had the opportunity to land Oscar winner Day-Lewis for the role, though Quentin was adamant Vega should be played by his Reservoir Dogs pal Madsen.

Daniel Day-Lewis [L] Was Originally Sounded Out For The Role Of Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, Of Course Played By John Travolta [R]

Continue reading: The Pulp Fiction Cast That Never Was: Daniel Day-Lewis, Matt Dillon, Meg Ryan!

We've all had that moment; looking at photos of our favourite celebs and then jumping out of our seats screaming, 'He's HOW old?!' Well, we've been doing a lot of that here at ContactMusic. Some stars seem to have crept up the age ladder pretty sneakily, the odd wrinkle and grey hair barely registering on our radar, while others don't seem to have aged at all! English football player David Beckham was in his twenties when he rose to global popularity and, looking at his recent H&M underwear advert, it seems that his iconic hairstyles and tattoos are our only way of working out the old from the newer pictures of him. However, he is only 37 and has plenty of time to catch up yet. It's the over-50s that have really had our mouths agape in recent times as we've been scouring the net for the most youthful looking middle to old aged stars. 

(Anthony Kiedis, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey)

Continue reading: Good Genes Or Good Ops: Which Male Celebrities Don't Show Their Age?

With the controversy surrounding Django Unchained Stateside, Samuel L Jackson has been in no mood to let the heated debated surrounding director Quentin Tarantino’s handling of slavery issues and racist language cross over to the UK ahead of its release there.

Tarantino’s film is up for Best Picture at the Oscars next month, but it’s also come under fire for its portrayal of – among other things – slavery in the 1800s and its liberal usage of the ‘N- word’. Jackon’s already had plenty to say on that and, talking to The Independent, he moved quickly to shut down any talk of slavery too. "The movie is not about slavery," said the actor bluntly. "Slavery just happens to be a backdrop. Even Django is not trying to end slavery. He's just trying to get his girl back."

Returning to the use of the ‘N- word’ Jackson was again in typically forthright form. "Did they have another name to call the [black] people they were talking about at the time?" he shot at his reporter. "If you're going to deal with the language of the time, you deal with the language of the time. And that was the language of the time. I grew up in the South. I heard 'n*gger' all my life. I'm not disturbed by it." The debate over the script has clearly got to the stars involved with the film; just last week Quentin Tarantino had a meltdown on Channel 4 when questioned about those same issues, whilst at the Golden Globes he shocked the media by using the ‘N- word’ in a press conference. Given that the film itself is fiery enough, it says much that the build-up to it has arguably manage to supersede it.

Continue reading: 'What Else Did They Call Black People Back Then?' Samuel L Jackson Defends Django Unchained's Use Of The 'N- Word'

Academy Snub For Bigelow, Django Scores Five Oscar And 5 Bafta Nominations And Robot & Frank Trailer Delights

The big movie news this week, of course, was the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations, to which people reacted with the usual levels of surprise and anger. The biggest snub seems to be for previous winner Kathryn Bigelow, who was overlooked for a directing nomination even though her film Zero Dark Thirty earned five other nods, including Best Picture. 

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Feat: Academy Snub For Bigelow, Django Scores Five Oscar And 5 Bafta Nominations And Robot & Frank Trailer Delights

Quentin Tarantino can’t seem to fend off the controversy being aimed at him and his new film Django Unchained. The warped western, which deal with issues of racism and slavery, has come under fire from Spike Lee and other sections of the black community in America over its treatment of the subject, and now a line of Django Unchained merchandise figures have come under fire for making a ‘mockery of slavery’.

Those are the words of Rev KW Tulloss, who told the New York Daily News "Selling this doll is highly offensive to our ancestors and the African-American community. The movie is for adults, but these are action figures that appeal to children. We don't want other individuals to utilise them for their entertainment, to make a mockery of slavery."

The figurines were produced by the National Entertainment Collectibles Association and feature Samuel L Jackson’s ‘house slave’ Stephen and Jamie Foxx’s leading character Django, according to The Guardian. Najee Ali, director of the Los Angeles civil rights organisation Project Islamic Hope, was another who was against the models, and called for them to be taken off sale. "We were outraged. We feel it trivializes the horrors of slavery and what African Americans experienced." Despite the controversy surrounding it, there is a fair bit of expectation that Django Unchained will be featured when the Oscar nominations are revealed tomorrow (January 10, 2013).

Continue reading: Slavery Controversy Continues For Django Unchained As Figurines Criticized

David R Ellis, the director of Snakes on a Plane, has died unexpectedly at the age of 60.

Ellis, who started his career in movies as an actor stuntman and later found fame when he directed the 2006 movie Snakes on a Plane. Ellis passed away in a hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa, though the cause of his death has not yet been released.

The former actor and stuntman was working on a new album entitled Kite. Samuel L Jackson was due to star in the movie and has expressed his sadness at the director’s passing, via his Twitter feed. “So sad to hear of David R Ellis passing! So talented, so kind, such a Good Friend. He'll be missed. Gone too soon!” came the message from the Pulp Fiction star, who worked with Ellis on Snakes on a Plane. The 2006 movie was an action thriller set on an airborne plane which, despite its tenuous premise, became something of a cult hit. Ellis has also worked on movies such as Final Destination 2 and Shark Night 3D.

Continue reading: Snakes On A Plane Director David R Ellis Dies Whilst Working On New Movie

Well, the answer is yes and no, really. Django Unchained star Samuel L Jackson appeared on the comedy show this past weekend to promote Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, but things nearly went oh so wrong.

Pretending to be annoyed at being interrupted during the mock talk show 'What's Up With That?', Jackson half uttered an F-bomb, before stopping himself. Playing the host of the game, comedian Kenan Thompson looked startled, cracked a smile and said, "C'mon, Sam. That costs money!" to the delight of the live studio audience. Moments after the show had aired, Jackson attempted to explain himself on Twitter "I only said FUH," he insisted, before tweeting a photograph of himself looking mortified. Cursing on the comedy show is a rarity, with Jenny Slate being the last cast member to swear nearly four years ago. On that occasion she accidentally said f*cking instead of freaking. Hopefully Sam won't be repeating the stunt when he appears on the Today Show on Monday (December 17, 2012). Now that would be embarrassing. 

His new movie Django Unchained hits theaters in the U.S. this weekend, and still boasts a perfect 100% score on review aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes. 

Continue reading: Did Samuel L Jackson Drop F-Bomb On Saturday Night Live? (Video)

In New York, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson and a bald-shaven Christoph Waltz attended the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, joking with the photographers as they posed for them. And Tarantino even turned up with his Kill Bill star Uma Thurman on his arm.

Meanwhile in London, the first part in Peter Jackson's new trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, had its royal film performance this week with much of the cast in attendance, including Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen, who watched the film alongside Prince William. The film is in cinemas now, with the following chapters scheduled for next Christmas and the summer of 2014.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Feat: Tarantino's Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey And Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher All Premier

Samuel L. Jackson offered a pithy yet powerful surmise of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilms, saying that George Lucas got "cheated" to TMZ.

The TMZ reporter pounced on Samuel as he was leaving a store, wearing a big purple hooded sweatshirt. The man behind the camera asked him what he thought of George Lucas getting $4b for "Lucas film", to which he replied, "He got cheated". The reporter, obviously taken aback by his response, asked him what he'd do with the money, to which Jackson said he didn't know, but that he'd "think of something". There was something about Samuel L's tone that suggested he was being somewhat tongue in cheek about the line of questioning, but then again, the reporter played along in what was a short interchange. Jackson did say, however, that $4b wasn't a lot of money "to some people", which implied that maybe he thought Lucasarts was worth a tad more. $4.05b is a lot of money. 

Disney's latest purchase has been met with a mixed reaction. Most hardcore fans lament the decision, having been through enough with the last three films, and disenfranchised with The Clone Wars series. But industry folks seem naivly confident that Episode 7 will manage to recapture the magic of the original films, made all the way back in the 70's and 80's. Now that the decision is made, all we can do is hope. 

Continue reading: Samuel L. Jackson On Disney's Star Wars Deal: "He Got Cheated"

Movies can affect different people in different ways. Sometimes, even established and respected filmmakers have to appreciate the marvel of particular films. Two-time Academy Award-wining director  wept at a premiere of his collaborator George Lucas' sixth and final 'Star Wars' movie 'Revenge Of The Sith'; the third part of the prequel trilogy which began in 1999 with 'The Phantom Menace'. 

Steven Spielberg cried at the end of 'Revenge of the Sith'

The film stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, and long-time 'Star Wars' actor Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. The 'Jurassic Park', 'Jaws' and 'Schindler's List' film-maker, Spielberg was so moved by the eagerly-awaited conclusion of the sci-fi saga, he burst into tears at its screening in April 2005. 

Continue reading: Steven Spielberg Wept At 'Revenge Of The Sith' Ending