Gene Hackman

Nearly 30 years after we were first introduced to Iceman and Maverick, it seems a sequel to Top Gun could finally be on its way, according to star Val Kilmer. In a Facebook status shared late on Monday night, the actor seemed to confirm not only his involvement in the sequel, but also that of Tom Cruise and director Francis Ford Coppola.

Val Kilmer seems to be onboard for Top Gun 2.

“I just got offered Top Gun 2 - not often you get to say "yes" without reading the script... "It's starring Gene Hackman…" "Yes" "The director is Francis Coppola..." “Yes!”,” the actor wrote.

Continue reading: Has Val Kilmer Just Confirmed That 'Top Gun 2' Is Happening And Tom Cruise Is On Board?

Having first installed himself within American culture with his recurring role as Rowdy Yates in the cowboy seriesRawhide, San Francisco native Clint Eastwood would become renowned across the world for his roles in a succession of violent and iconic Westerns. The ‘Man With No Name’ character, first seen in the hallowed ‘Spaghetti Western’ trilogy, saw Eastwood become internationally known as a steely actor who went down a storm with domestic and global audiences. 

Clint Eastwood on the set of 'Changeling'

More: Eastwood Made Jersey Boys Actors Sing Live On Set

Continue reading: The Top 10 Movies Directed By Clint Eastwood

Elmore Leonard, the crime novelist, died yesterday morning (20th August) of complications following a stroke. Leonard wrote such stories as Get Shorty and 3:10 to Yuma.

Elmore Leonard with his award at the 72nd Peabody Award ceremony, held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

In a statement released by Michael Morrison, the president and publisher of HarperCollins, Leonard died "surrounded by his loving family." He was at his home in Bloomfield Village, in Michigan when he passed away. Morrison described the late author as "a true legend - unpretentious, unbelievably talented and the coolest dude in the room."

Continue reading: Elmore Leonard Dies Aged 87 - 'Justified' Cast Pay Tribute

Bette Midler is Sue Mengers. In I’ll Eat You Last, the funny, outspoken actress plays the infamous 70s talent agent with such clarity and wit, that you can’t help but believe her throughout. Midler is the sole performer in the production and, while the set is visually interesting, she herself hardly moves from the couch for the duration of the play. But if you think this would make for a boring or static production, you clearly haven’t seen Midler act to her fullest, which is exactly what she is doing in the John Logan play, which opened last night (Wednesday, April 24) at Broadway’s Booth theatre.

The setup is simple – the play is set in 1981, when Mengers, who represented stars of Barbra Streisand, Faye Dunaway, Michael Caine and Gene Hackman is already losing relevance. But she isn’t one to moan about it – not on the surface at least. Middler is the perfect actress to bring the quippy, somewhat cynical, occasionally foul-mouthed Mengers back to life. She is an actress experienced enough to not only fill up the stage, but to also possess enough knowledge of the harsh world of Tinseltown, giving her character some essential depth. I’ll Eat You Last captures the essence of a woman who has experienced Hollywood to its fullest and lived to tell the tale.

Midler has been collecting praise from fans and critics for her spot on performance.

Continue reading: 'I'll Eat You Last' Sees Beth Midler At Her Very Best As The Witty And Cynical Sue Mengers

William Friedkin’s career rose to pretty heady heights in the 1970s, with the highly revered French Connection, followed by The Exorcist – one of the most successful horror movies of the era (though Friedkin himself refuses to classify the movie as ‘horror’). However, his career plummeted quite dramatically, with the critical and financial failure of 1977’s ‘Sorcerer,’ which only recouped around half of its then-staggering $22 million production budget. In a new book from the director, he reveals in brutally honest account of his own successes and failures.

In the book, Friedkin also describes the struggles that he had with some of the best known actors with whom he worked throughout his career. Having clashed with the star of his controversial movie, Cruising – Al Pacino – he tells The Wrap that he never really got a chance to make amends with the actor. “I have not seen him a lot. We never moved in the same circles. I wanted Richard Gere for the role. Having seen the film at special screenings, I've come to realize he is still pretty damn effective in it, but he gave me a rough time for reasons other than the normal actor-director relationship. He wasn't on time and often didn't know what we were doing on a particular day.”

And it wasn’t just Pacino that gets a pasting from Friedkin. There’s not much love lost between him and Gene Hackman either: “I had a strained relationship with Gene. The important thing is he gave a damn good performance even though we had a rocky time of it.” Friedman also revealed in the interview that a new BluRay version of The Exorcist will be released this year, with an hour and a half of new extras. 

Continue reading: William Friedkin Book Reveals Struggles With Al Pacino, Gene Hackman

Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman has admitted to “slapping” a homeless man after the vagrant became hostile towards him and his wife.

TMZ.com reported that the screen icon, whose filmography includes The French Connection, Superman and Unforgiven, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, became embroiled in the scuffle whilst walking through Santa Fe yesterday (Oct 30) afternoon. Hackman, 82, and his wife both share a home in the city.

The incident is said to have occurred as Hackman was defending his wife’s honour following the homeless person’s hostility towards the couple. The leading man acted in self-defence against the aggressor, who has not been identified by police, after reportedly calling Mrs Hackman a rude name. The vagabond then went to local police to report the incident, although no charges against either him or Hackman have been pressed.

Continue reading: Gene Hackman Admits Slapping A Homeless Person