'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Crew on Harrison Ford’s Return As Han Solo

Harrison Ford has been known through the years to have a different view towards his role as the iconic Han Solo. He once called the character “dumb as a stump” in a 2008 interview. Even before the first trilogy's ending, it was thought that he didn't want to return for another sequel. But now things seem to have turned around, as Harrison Ford is finally set to reprise his role as the fan-favorite smuggler for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And based from the reaction of the fans for the trailer, his appearance will be a moment that everyone will never forget.

                Entertainment Weekly spoke with The Force Awakens crew members about Ford's return to Pinewood studios, the filming location of the first trilogy, and talked about what finally convinced the actor to sign on for the project:

“I think what really got him excited was when he read the first draft, and he saw where we were going and what we were doing. He was immediately on board, and then he sat down and had a great conversation with J.J. and went through, in detail, what we were thinking about doing. And then, you know, Harrison — and I’ve always found this over the years with the Indiana Jones films we’ve all done together — he’s incredibly collaborative when it comes to story and developing his character, and really engaged in the process. And he was every bit that on this film.”

                This should be exciting news to fans, knowing that their beloved Star Wars franchise is in good hands. J.J. Abrams has shown even way before he was on Star Trek that he is a big fan of the Star Wars franchise so it's not a surprise that he would want to handle it with as much care as possible. Having convinced Harrison Ford to return is a good sign that Abrams is deeply involved in the project and is willing to do the movie justice.

                 Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy also told EW about Ford's first day on the set, stating that it was a special moment for everyone in the crew that day:

“The minute Harrison and Chewie walked on board the Millennium Falcon — that was incredible. Every single person on the set was stunned. I remember turning around, and there must have been 200 people gathered behind me — completely quiet. I didn’t even know they were there. The whole crew had stopped working, staring at the monitor, because it was so iconic.”

                For a while, Harrison Ford had to take a break due to an accident on the filming location that left Ford with a broken leg. Even so, this didn't stop him from giving it his all. Abrams and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan initially thought that they had to rewrite some of Ford's scenes, but soon realized that it wouldn't be necessary.

“It wasn’t something that we knew for a little while. When it became clear that he was going to be just fine, we realized we didn’t need to change [the script] at all. In fact, there are some places where he’s more active than he was prior to the accident. As you’ll see in the movie, he is running and doing more physical activity in this movie than I think anyone who knows he was injured would expect. Nothing was adjusted or lessened because of that accident. Even for Harrison, who is famously resilient and strong, he blew everyone’s minds.”

                From what we've heard with the crew, it looks like the man who was cynical about being in Star Wars is now dedicated to give the audiences a great film and an exciting new trilogy to look forward to. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a few more months before the first film premieres.

                Star Wars: The Force Awakens includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, AnthonyDaniels, Peter Mayhew and more. The movie is set to debut in theaters on December 18th 2015.

Zach Galifianakis Will Voice The Joker In 'Lego Batman'

After the success of last year's The Lego movie (earning $468 million worldwide), of course Warner Bros. would want to develop a sequel as soon as possible. But before The Lego Movie 2 comes out to theaters in 2018, the studio is planning to expand their own cinematic universe involving the Lego characters seen in the film. While we wait for the sequel and the Lego Ninjago set for a 2017 release, audiences will be introduced with the first Lego spinoff, 'Lego Batman'. And what's a Batman movie without his archenemy - the Joker?

                The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Zach Galifianakis is in final negotiations to voice the Joker in Lego Batman, written by author-screenwriter SethGrahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and directed by Chris McKay. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of The Lego Movie, will be producing the spinoff while they continue work on the sequel.

                Galifianakis just came from the filming location of Fox's comedy movie 'Keeping Up With The Joneses' starring Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot. He is also set to appear next year in FX's TV show 'Baskets'. The actor also starred in Relativity's ensemble comedy 'Masterminds' that was supposed to be released this fall, but it was recently postponed after the production company filed for bankruptcy. Despite starring in live-action films, the actor is no stranger to animation voice work, having voiced characters in DreamWorks Animation's 'Puss in Boots', 'The Simpsons', and 'Bob's Burgers'. Galifianakis also appeared in a supporting role in the Oscar-winning film, 'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'.

                He will be joined by comedian WIll Arnett for the Lego Movie spinoff, who is reprising his role as Batman. Michael Cera is also joining the cast to voice Batman's sidekick, Robin. Although the Joker seems to be the main villain of the film, Warner Bros. is expected to reveal the rest of the cast and villains of the movie the closer we get to its release date.

                The Lego Batman video games has had different voice actors to play the Joker, with each giving their own portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime. It's interesting to see what Galifianakis will bring to the table, and considering its a comedy, expect to see a more comedic take on the Joker compared to the ones we see in the live-action films.

                Speaking of live-action, another Joker is set to appear in the big-screen. Jared Leto is taking on the role of Joker in David Ayer's Suicide Squad, which we will see before Lego Batman opens to theaters. Production for the film continues in the Toronto filming location.

                Lego Batman debuts to theaters on February 10th, 2017, followed by Lego Ninjago in September 22nd and The Lego Movie 2 on May 18th, 2017.

Captain America: Civil War' Set Photos Reveal Black Panther's Costume

                The Phase 3 of Marvel's Cinematic Universe is set to start next year, and leading the next phase is Anthony and Joe Russo's follow up to the Captain America: Winter Soldier storyline. Their upcoming film Captain America: Civil War will put Steven Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) on the opposite sides of the law. But despite the much awaited face-off between the two heroes, fans are also eager to see the introduction of Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther in the MCU.

                While on the Berlin, Germanyfilming location, we finally get to see Black Panther in action wearing his own costume. Chadwick Boseman was previously seen on set, but these photos by Comic Book Movie (link to marks the first appearance of the Black Panther costume. In the photos posted, we see Black Panther in the filming location (played by a stunt double) together with a stunt double for the Winter Soldier.

                The photos themselves don't provide more info about that particular scene. We don't know yet if they are fighting or chasing each other at this moment. However, we have heard from Kevin Feige that T’Challa will not be a part of the Civil War, but instead going after Bucky for some reason. This might be the reason why we see Black Panther and Winter Soldier together in this scene. In the images, it's also revealed that Captain America is on their tail, with a stunt double racing along a ledge of a building.

                Some fans might find the suit a little unappealing for now, but it should be noted that this is just a photo from the set and it will look far better during post-production. And from the looks of it, the suit does fare quite a resemblance with the concept art previously released by Marvel which was well received by a lot of fans.

Black Panther is the king of the fictional country of Wakanda, which was recently mentioned in Avengers: Age of Ultron as the home of vibranium. That metal was featured heavily when Ultron used it to form the Vision's body. Knowing that Black Panther comes from Wakanda, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that vibranium will be a part of his suit. Whether it's a vibranium armor to protect him from bullets or vibranium claws that can cut through anything, the highly valuable metal is sure to play a role in the film.

                With all this characters in play during the film, some are wondering how the Russo brothers will handle the load. But knowing their track record with superhero films, expect this one to be full of action and thrilling one-on-one combat. The only thing to wonder about right now is the story and how all these characters will come together. We'll just have to wait and see next year when Captain America: Civil War opens to theaters on May 6th, 2016.

5 Short Films By Famous Directors That Will Inspire You To Make Your Own

It's often hard to get started in filmmaking when there's plenty of short films found in the internet right now, especially since the dawn of video streaming sites. How can someone get noticed when there are thousands of short films online? This reasoning leads some to give up on their dream of being a filmmaker and decide to pursue other work.

Although it truly is hard to get into the spotlight, you should never stop making short films for yourself and your friends. Making films as short as 3 minutes might seem like a small task, but this gives you more practice and experience in filmmaking rather than just sitting in your butt watching films. Well known filmmakers didn't just start making full length feature films immediately and got famous. They started with short films that might be considered bad by some, but sometimes these works get noticed by the right people and it kick-starts their career. Here are some of the short films by famous directors that might inspire you to make your own.

Neill Blomkamp, 'Alive in Joburg' (2004) 

Blomkamp started out as a visual effects artist in South Africa with a history in TV advertisements and music videos. In 2005, he made a short named Alive in Joburg. Peter Jackson came upon his work and decided to bring him to work for the visual effects company that Jackson runs in New Zealand. And when Blomkamp's work on the Halo film version fell through, Jackson suggested that Blomkamp develop his short into a feature film. The film's title was changed to District 9 and used the same filming location as the short film. It went on to gross more than $200 million while also earning four Academy Award nominations.

John Lasseter, 'Luxo Jr.' (1986) 

Back in 1986, Steve Jobs bought Lucasfilm Computer Graphic Group from George Lucas and renamed the company Pixar. After the purchase, he set one of his animator, John Lasseter, to work on an animated short film to showcase their company's talents. Luxo Jr., a playful little lamp, was the product of their work. The short became the first 3D film to benominated for an Oscar, and made the lamp Pixar's corporate 'mascot'. Lasseter later went on to direct animated films such as Toy Story, A Bug' Life, and Cars among others, eventually rising to the top as Pixar's chief creative officer.

Tim Burton, 'Frankenweenie' (1984) 

Before the animated film Frankenweenie came out to theaters in 2012, it was originally a short film by director Tim Burton created in 1984. The short film was supposed to precede the premiere of the 1984 Pinocchio in theaters, but Disney thought it had a dark tone that wasn't fit for a family friendly film so the studio fired him. As luck would have it, Stephen King had seen Burton's short and recommended him to Paul Reubens, who was at that time searching for a director for his film idea. Reubens and Burton met shortly after and offered him his first debut as the director of 'Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'.

George Lucas, 'Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB' (1967) 

This short was made by George Lucas back when he was a film student at the University of Southern California in 1967. It tells a story of a group of people living in a dystopic world underground. The film won first prize in the dramatic films category at the 3rd National Student Film Festival. Because of the praise that the short received, Lucas' friend and classmate Francis Ford Coppola decided to fund the feature film version when he founded his production company American Zoetrope in 1971. The feature version unfortunately bombed at the box office, but it was well received by the critics that Lucas was set to direct his next films titled 'American Graffiti' and 'Star Wars'.

Wes Anderson, 'Bottle Rocket' (1994) 

Bottle Rocket is one of the short films that showcased Wes Anderson's skill as a director. In 1992, Anderson met Owen Wilson in a playwriting class. The two wrote a script together, turned it to a film starring Wilson as one of the would-be criminals and shot it in a local filming location. It didn't fare well in the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, but Bottle Rocket gained the attention of producer James Brooks, who funded the duo's feature film debut based on the short. The film quickly gained cult status among critics and movie-goers, with Martin Scorsese naming the film one of his 10 favorite movies of the decade.