Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg has only gotten busier in recent years; the prolific director has been adding a fair amount of projects to his growing to-do list, including Indiana Jones 5, set to hit theaters in 2019. Harrison Ford will return to reprise his iconic role as the archaeological adventurer despite repeatedly denied rumors that Disney is looking to pass the torch to a new star. If you had any remaining doubts, Spielberg himself assures fans that Ford isn’t going anywhere — at least not in his Indy universe.

Not that Lucasfilm would get anyone else to score new Star Wars and Indiana Jones sequels as long as John Williams is still around, but just in case there was any doubt, Steven Spielberg has officially confirmed the legendary composer’s return for both franchises. The director’s announcement appropriately took place during last night’s AFI tribute to Williams, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to cinema.

T.J. Miller has such an incredible natural comedic gift that his mere presence alone almost guarantees that you’re going to laugh in less than 10 seconds. And now he’s bringing that talent to Ready Player One, the upcoming adaptation of Ernest Cline’s nostalgia-heavy sci-fi novel. But don’t think Miller’s going all serious on us now that he’s starring in a Steven Spielberg movie.

Just last week a fun little rumor popped up suggesting that indie director and animator Emily Carmichael had met with Marvel about their Captain Marvel solo film. While we wait to see if there’s any truth to that rumor, Carmichael has lined up another major studio project, teaming with Steven Spielberg and Amblin for Powerhouse, a new action flick based on a story by Colin Trevorrow.

Following its premiere at Cannes (where reactions were decidedly…mixed), Disney has unveiled a new trailer for The BFG, Steven Spielberg’s fantastical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book. Starring Spielberg’s new BFF Mark Rylance in the titular role, The BFG takes us to an enchanting but dangerous world filled with bone-crunching, gizzard-gulping giants. But don’t worry, the BFG of The BFG is a nice giant. Promise!

The ‘BFG’ in The BFG stands for “big f---ing giant,” right?

Last week, we took note of a new business venture called Screening Room spearheaded by Napster founder Sean Parker. The proposed service would digitally stream the latest major-studio theatrical releases into the confines of private American homes for a hefty estimated fee of $50 on the same day as in-theater premieres, rendering a trip to the local cineplex less necessary than ever. Naturally, this radical new strategy would change the entire face of the industry, and has accordingly raised hackles on the production, distribution, and exhibition sides of Hollywood. As movie theaters struggle to stay relevant and profitable, Parker’s every press conference sounds like a death knell. And this weekend, both sides of this instantly contentious debate dug in their heels on their positions.

After three years, here’s Steven Spielberg’s follow-up to Lincoln: Another historical drama about freedom and law and essential American values.

Take this with a grain of salt, or for this matter, a splash of Splenda.... Reports are coming in from the local Facebook network that legendary director Steven Spielberg is visiting Libby, Montana this afternoon.

When all you care about is money, bad things happen. That’s the message of Jurassic World, where greedy theme-park executives hoping to spike attendance engineer the “Indominus Rex,” a genetically-modified dinosaur that immediately turns on its creators and runs amok. Designed as a cautionary tale about the dangers of building a meaner, badder monster purely for the sake of profits, Jurassic World works equally well as a cautionary tale about doing the same thing in movies. All of the rationalizations provided by Jurassic World’s employees — “Consumers want them bigger, louder, more teeth.” “Somebody’s gotta make sure this company has a future!” — could have been taken directly out of the mouths of the studio executives who approved this gene splice of a reboot and a sequel. Their creation — the Indominus or the movie, there’s basically no difference — is as advertised; huge, mean, and visually striking. But this experiment is not without consequences.

When Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg last made a war film, they produced Saving Private Ryan, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, and features what’s widely considered one of the greatest battle scenes ever captured on film. They’ve worked together since, including on Catch Me If You Can, one of the best movies of either man’s career, but Bridge of Spies might be considered a kind of spiritual sequel to Ryan. That was Hanks and Spielberg’s World War II picture. This is their Cold War one.

There’s a running joke in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that Indy took his nickname from the family dog. That joke has some truth to it though because as George Lucas was developing Raiders of the Lost Ark, he actually named the character after his dog, Jones (the “Indiana” was a riff on Steve McQueen character Nevada Smith). Coincidentally, the same dog was the inspiration for Chewbacca in Star Wars. Need more Raiders of the Lost Ark facts? Throw us the idol and we’ll throw you the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!