Game of Thrones triumphs in Emmy win

In a year of change for the Emmys, Breaking Bad is out of competition while Modern Family has lost its Comedy Series crown. There’s been a long overdue win for Mad Men’s Jon Hamm but the clear winners are fantasy epic Game of Thrones and political comedy Veep.

Drama

Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Mad Men
Orange is the New Black

Actor in a Drama

Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul
Kyle Chandler – Bloodline
Kevin Spacey – House of Cards
Jon Hamm – Mad Men
Jeff Daniels – The Newsroom
Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan

Supporting Actor in a Drama

Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn – Bloodline
Jim Carter – Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly – House of Cards
Alan Cumming – The Good Wife

Lead Actress in a Drama

Taraji P Henson – Empire
Claire Danes – Homeland
Robin Wright – House of Cards
Viola Davis – How to Get Away With Murder
Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men
Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Joanna Froggatt – Downton Abbey
Lena Headey – Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones
Christine Baranski – The Good Wife
Christina Hendricks – Mad Men
Uzo Aduba – Orange is the New Black

Writing For a Drama Series

The Americans – Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep – Joshua Brand
Better Call Saul – Five-O – Gordon Smith
Game of Thrones – Mother’s Mercy – David Bennioff, DB Weiss
Mad Men – Lost Horizon – Sam Chellas, Matthew Weiner
Mad Men – Person to Person – Matthew Weiner

Directing For a Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire – Eldorado – Tim Van Patten
Game of Thrones – Mother’s Mercy – David Nutter
Game of Thrones – Unbowed, Unbroken, Unbent – Jeremy Podeswa
Homeland – From A to B and Back Again – Lesli Linka Glatter
The Knick – Method and Madness – Steven Soderbergh

Comedy Series

Louie
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Matt LeBlanc – Episodes
Don Cheadle – House of Lies
Will Forte – The Last Man on Earth
Louis CK – Louie
William H Macy – Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Lisa Kudrow – The Comeback
Lily Tomlin – Grace and Frankie
Amy Schumer – Inside Amy Schumer
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation
Julia Louis Dreyfus – Veep

Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Driver – Girls
Keegan Michael Key – Key & Peele
Ty Burrell – Modern Family
Titus Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tony Hale – Veep

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory
Niecy Nash – Getting On
Julie Bowen – Modern Family
Allison Janney – Mom
Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live
Gaby Hoffman – Transparent
Anna Chlumsky – Veep

Writing For a Comedy Series

Episodes – Episode 409 – David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik
The Last Man on Earth – Alice in Tuscon – Will Forte
Louie – Bobby’s House – Louis CK
Silicon Valley – Two Days of the Condor – Alec Berg
Transparent – Pilot – Jill Soloway
Veep – Election Night – Armando Ianucci, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche

Directing For a Comedy Series

The Last Man on Earth – Pilot – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Louie – Sleepover – Louis CK
Silicon Valley – Sand Hill Shuffle – Mike Judge
Transparent – Best New Girl – Jill Soloway
Veep – Testimony – Armando Ianucci

TV Movie

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Poirot’s Last Case
Bessie
Grace of Monaco
Hello Ladies: The Movie
Killing Jesus
Nightingale

Miniseries

American Crime
American Horror Story: Freak Show
The Honourable Woman
Olive Kitteridge
Wolf Hall

Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Timothy Hutton – American Crime
Ricky Gervais – Derek
Adrien Brody – Houdini
David Oyelowo – Nightingale
Richard Jenkins – Olive Kitteridge
Mark Rylance – Wolf Hall

Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Felicity Huffman – American Crime
Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Queen Latifah – Bessie
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Honourable Woman
Frances McDormand – Olive Kitteridge
Emma Thompson – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Richard Cabral – American Crime
Denis O’Hare – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Finn Wittrock – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Michael Kenneth Williams – Bessie
Bill Murray – Olive Kitteridge
Damian Lewis – Wolf Hall

Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Regina King – American Crime
Kathy Bates – American Horror Story: Coven
Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Sarah Paulson – American Horror Story: Freak Show
Mo’Nique – Bessie
Zoe Kazan – Olive Kitteridge

Writing for a Miniseries or Movie

American Crime – Episode One – John Ridley
Bessie – Bessie – Horton Foote, Dee Rees, Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois
Hello Ladies – Stephen Merchant, Gene Stupmitsky, Lee Eisenberg
The Honourable Woman – Hugo Blick
Oliver Kitteridge – Jane Anderson
Wolf Hall – Peter Straughan

Directing for a Miniseries or Movie

American Horror Story: Freak Show – Ryan Murphy
Bessie – Dee Rees
The Honourable Woman – Hugo Blick
Houdini – Uli Edel
The Missing – Tom Shankland
Oliver Kitteridge – Lisa Cholodenko
Wolf Hall – Peter Kosminsky

Disney’s D23 announcements – The Force Awakens, Toy Story 4, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory and more!

If you felt that Comic-Con didn’t lift the lid on Disney’s upcoming works enough than D23 is for you. The expo of all things Disney enlightened us on all of their properties from Star Wars to Pixar to Marvel and all of the studio’s very own animated and live action features. Sadly there’s been no word on the likes of in the works projects such as Wreck-It Ralph 2, Frozen 2 or proposed remakes of Dumbo and Pinocchio. Firstly…

Pixar!

After critical and commercial triumph of Inside Out, the studio is rolling out its slate of six upcoming movies. The Good Dinosaur will tell the story of an alternate reality where humans are the Earth’s secondary species and dinosaurs still rule. It comes from director Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) and stars Anna Paquin (X-Men), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club) and Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading). November 25th 2015

Thirteen years after Finding Nemo, Finding Dory will pick up with the characters of the previous instalment when Dory finds herself in a marine study institute. Newly announced cast members include Hayden Rolence (Whom I Fear), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) and Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Angus MacLane (Toy Story of Terror) direct the cast of Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen), Albert Brooks (Drive), Diane Keaton (The Godfather), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Dominic West (The Wire), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). June 17th 2016

Toy Story 4 is also on the way and a teaser poster graced and it was revealed that it will focus on a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. John Lasseter (Toy Story 1-2) and Josh Cooley (George and AJ) direct while we expect Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Joan Cusack (Say Anything) and Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest) to star. June 16th 2017

Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) has long been developing a film centred on the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead. It has finally been given a release date and a title, Coco. No casting announcements have yet been made. November 22nd 2017

Another sequel on the way is Cars 3. No plot details were offered but we do know that John Lasseter (Cars 1-2) will write and we’d expect Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) and Larry the Cable Guy (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector) to reprise their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater respectively. June 15th 2018

The sequel Pixar fans have actually asking for will finally come out, 15 years after they asked for it. Assuming that the studio don’t want two sequels in the same year, The Incredibles 2 will head for a 2019 release. Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) will direct while we’d expect Craig T Nelson (Poltergeist), Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Samuel L Jackson (Avengers Assemble) to star.

Next up…

Disney Animation!

Disney’s latest animation Zootopia will portray a metropolis populated by mammals. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) were already set to star but the latest addition is pop star/actress Shakira. The directors are Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Jared Bush (behind the creative team of Big Hero 6). March 4th 2016

Next, the team behind Aladdin, Hercules and The Princess and the Frog arrived to unveil more from their latest work, Moana. Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) will star in the story of a plucky young woman who is assisted by a demi-god to reach a fabled island. November 23rd 2016

The newest announcement was Gigantic. Tangled‘s Nathan Greno will collaborate with Frozen’s songwriters, Robert and Kristen Lopez to bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to Spain in the age of exploration. March 9th 2018

Following that was…

Disney live action (aka Worlds, Galaxies and Universes)

True life disaster thriller The Finest Hours will depict the struggle for survival of a group of sailors in 1952. Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) directs with a cast including Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Holliday Grainger (Cinderella) and Eric Bana (Munich). January 29th 2016

The latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was promoted by director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as well as Oscar winning stars Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and newcomer Neel Sethi. The classic story of an orphan raised by the animals of the jungle also stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects) and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter). April 15th 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass will build upon the established world built in the Lewis Carroll books and the Tim Burton’s 2010 billion dollar hit. James Bobin (The Muppets) directs a cast featuring Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Alan Rickman (Die Hard), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Andrew Scott (Pride), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill), Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Lindsay Duncan (About Time), Stephen Fry (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner). May 27th 2016

Next up was the family fantasy adventure Pete’s Dragon, about a young boy who seeks refuge from his family with a dragon. David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) directs while the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Wes Bentley (Interstellar), Karl Urban (Dredd) and Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). August 12th 2016

Two films delivered no material as such but were teased or mentioned. Firstly, Queen of Katwe – a drama about a girl from Uganda who trains to become a world chess champion. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and David Oyelowo (Selma) will star with director Mira Nair (The Namesake). 2016

Also, Disney’s new iteration of Beauty and the Beast was present. The reboot (telling the story of a relationship between a monstrous prince and a young woman) is directed by Bill Condon (Mr Holmes) and stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Josh Gad (Frozen), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wonda), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings). March 17th 2017

Finally, there was news from the fifth instalment of a legendary franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This one will see Captain Jack in search of the trident of Poseidon. Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) was announced to be returning as Will Turner for the first time since 2007. The duo of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) direct an ensemble including Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Brendon Thwaites (Maleficent), David Wenham (300), Stephen Graham (This is England) and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men). July 17th 2017

Marvel

We won’t include Marvel’s full extensive line up but two of their instalments next year. Because of the studio’s infamous secrecy, none of the material shown has made it to the public. Captain America: Civil War showed off its trailer to the D23 audience. Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) direct with a cast including Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Sebastian Stan (Black Swan), Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Tom Holland (The Impossible), William Hurt (Artificial Intelligence) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit). April 29th 2016

Doctor Strange is another of Marvel’s latest. Scott Derickson (Sinister) directs the supernatural thriller of which the recent concept art many likened to Inception. Marvel head Kevin Feige (Iron Man trilogy) could neither confirm or deny the rumours of Rachel McAdams joining the film but we do know that Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). November 4th 2016

Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was heralded by this stunning poster from Drew Struzan – the legendary poster designer who craft iconic works for Back to the Future and Blade Runner. JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) directs a cast including Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Frances Ha) and Max Von Sydow (Shutter Island). December 18th 2015

The first spin-off has had a full title announcement, cast reveals and first still. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has added to its ranks Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Wen Jiang (Devils on the Doorstep) and Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale). Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) will direct with the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), Diego Luna (Elysium), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). December 16th 2017

There wasn’t any news on Star Wars: Episode VIII – directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson and coming out May 26th 2017 – or the Han Solo spin off – directed by 21 Jump Street’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller and coming out May 25th 2018.

It was revealed that the third and final instalment of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars: Episode IX) will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) but the returning cast members are yet to be announced!

Ian McKellen joins Beauty and the Beast and Eddie Redmayne favourite for Fantastic Beasts

Following the financial successes Alice in Wonderland ($1 billion), Snow White and the Huntsman ($395 million), Maleficent ($760 million), Cinderella ($405 million+), Oz the Great and Powerful ($495 million) and Into the Woods ($205 million) there’s now talks of Pinocchio and Dumbo entering the production mill. In the more immediate future, a live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is on the way and has just cast Ian McKellen (X-Men, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) as the living clock Cogsworth.

This is his third collaboration with Oscar winning writer/director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey, Dreamgirls, Mr Holmes) who directs the cast of Emma Watson (Harry Potter, Noah), Dan Stevens (The Guest, Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Fast & Furious 6), Josh Gad (Frozen, The Wedding Ringer), Audra McDonald (Private Practice), Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, Cry Freedom) and Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks, Love Actually, The Remains of the Day).

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a spin off of the incredibly successful Harry Potter films, has been in development for ages but is only now at the casting stage. Eddie Redmayne, the recently Oscar winning star of The Theory of Everything, is the current favourite for the role of Newt Scamander, a wizard who travels the world in search of its most fearsome creatures. Matt Smith (Doctor Who, Terminator: Genisys) and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Warm Bodies) previously mentioned in connection with the film but it’d appear that Redmayne is the closest to taking the role for director David Yates (The Girl in the Cafe, Harry Potter).

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – November 18th 2016

Beauty and the Beast – 2017

Martin Scorsese to direct Foxx’s Mike Tyson biopic and Josh Gad joins the cast of Beauty and the Beast

Disney’s live action reboot of Beauty and the Beast is assembling a very promising cast list ahead of its upcoming production. Emma Watson (Harry Potter) and Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) have been signed on for a long time but there’s been a recent surge in casting with Dan Stevens (The Guest), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner) all joining. Josh Gad is now the newest addition as Le Fou. Gad was the star of the comedies The Internship and The Wedding Ringer but is still best known for his voice work as Olaf in Frozen. Bill Condon (Kinsey, Mr Holmes) directs.

Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained, Collateral, Ray, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Law Abiding Citizen) is now at the level success that he can will together his own projects with the biggest names of Hollywood obliged to sign on. He’s revealed that his director for his new biopic of boxing legend Mike Tyson is Martin Scorsese. The Oscar winner is the legend behind The Departed, Hugo, The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street, Hugo, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Casino and Goodfellas.

Beauty and the Beast – 2016

Mike Tyson – 2017?

Dan Stevens and Luke Evans join Beauty and the Beast and major change for Academy Awards

The Academy Awards results have ranged from the inspired choices likes of The Departed, Return of the King and Gladiator to the overrated King’s Speech, No Country for Old Men and this year’s Birdman. From 1944 till 2008 only five films competed in Best Picture but 2009 saw the upgrade to ten, an experiment that hasn’t paid off. It’s highly speculated that due to the decreasing amount of nominations the Academy are easing the way back to five candidates. We’ve actually enjoyed the ten nominees as it allows unexpected mentions for indie films (Philomena, Nebraska, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amour) as well as the mainstream (Avatar, District 9, Up, Toy Story 3, Inception).

Disney are in the cycle of producing live action remakes of their classic animations. While Snow White and the Huntsman had a mediocre financial performance, Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent were smash hits and Cinderella is poised to become a massive success but next year Beauty and the Beast is getting a new treatment. Emma Watson (Harry Potter, Noah) and Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Saving Mr Banks) were already set leads but there’s now been a set of new castings. Dan Stevens (The Guest, Downton Abbey) will play the Beast and Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Fast and Furious 6) is the new Gaston. Meanwhile Timothy Spall (Mr Turner, Secrets and Lies) is rumoured to be in contention for a role. Bill Condon (Kinsey) directs.

Beauty and the Beast – 2016

Awards special – Boyhood leads in LA and Boston while Pride scores at British Independant, new directors shortlist for Ready Player One

Films such as Gone Girl, Birdman, Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel have received great acclaim but Boyhood is evidently the Oscar frontrunner. It had beaten off competition at the New York Critics’ Circle but its real test for gaining awards season traction will be at the upcoming accolade distributors. The results are in from both the LA and Boston Critics Awards and Boyhood has triumphed. Here’s the winners in full. Firstly, Los Angeles:

Best Picture:

Boyhood

Best Director:

Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actor:

Tom Hardy – Locke

Best Actress:

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Best Supporting Actor:

JK Simmons – Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress:

Agata Kulesza – Ida

Best Screenplay:

Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Foreign Language Film:

Ida

Best Documentary:

Citizenfour

Best Cinematography:

Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman

Best Animation:

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Editing:

Sandra Adair – Boyhood

Best New Filmmaker:

Ava DuVernay – Selma

And in Boston:

Best Picture:

Boyhood

Best Director:

Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actor:

Michael Keaton – Birdman

Best Actress:

Marion Cotillard – Two Days One Night

Best Supporting Actor:

JK Simmons – Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress:

Emma Stone – Birdman

Best Ensemble Cast:

Boyhood

Best Screenplay (tie):

Birdman/Boyhood

Best Documentary:

Citizenfour

Best Animation:

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Foreign Language Film:

Two Days One Night

Best Editing:

Sandra Adair – Boyhood

Best Cinematography:

Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman

Best New Filmmaker:

Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

If the snubbing of British acts here frustrates you then you might prefer these victors at the British Independent Film Awards. The pack was lead by mining/gay rights drama Pride, followed quickly by army thriller ’71 and Nick Cave’s semi-biopic 20,000 Days on Earth.

Best British Independent Film:

Pride

Best Director:

Yann Demange – ’71

Best Actress:

Gugu Mbatha Raw – Belle

Best Actor:

Brendan Gleeson – Calvary

Best Supporting Actress:

Imelda Staunton – Pride

Best Supporting Actor:

Andrew Scott – Pride

Best Screenplay:

Jon Ronson, Peter Straughan – Frank

The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director):

Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard – 20,000 Days on Earth

Best Documentary:

Next Goal Wins

Best International Independent Film:

Boyhood

The Raindance Award:

Luna

The Richard Harris Award:

Emma Thompson

The Variety Award:

Benedict Cumberbatch

Warner Bros set their hopes high when they revealed that Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento, The Prestige, Inception, Interstellar) was in consideration for the sci-fi project Ready Player One. Their vision seems no less ambitious when the rest of their directing shortlist. Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, Heavenly Creatures), Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Shaun of the Dead), Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Layer Cake, Stardust) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Contact, Cast Away, Back to the Future). Jackson, Nolan and Wright are more innovative filmmakers and would rather advance their own projects but the material seems appropriate for either Vaughn or Zemeckis.

Ready Player One – 2017?

Robert Downey Jr weighs in on Black Widow and LFF line up announced

In just six years, Marvel have introduced and greatly developed seven central characters – Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Nick Fury – three of whom now have their own mulit-billion franchises. There’s now a great demand for Black Widow, played by Lost in Translation’s Scarlett Johansson, to at last get her own standalone film; she’s so far only had supporting roles in Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers. X-Men and Watchmen’s writer David Hayter and Game of Thrones’ Neil Marshall have both expressed interest in directing the project while Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) has criticised Marvel for not yet confirming the film.

Robert Downey Jr is now weighing in on the discussion. “It just seems like whatever Scarlett does people want to go see it,” the star of Zodiac, Chaplin, Tropic Thunder and Sherlock Holmes explained. “The funny thing is honestly at this point everyone deserves a franchise,” Downey continued. “I think Jeremy Renner is — when folks see the Avengers: Age of Ultron –  he’s just a rockstar. And Ruffalo is pumped. He does great work. I’d like to hear them talk even more seriously about a Hulk franchise, because that’s been one of the toughest ones to get right. But I’m sure that my parent company is feeling expansive and bold after the summer they’ve had.”

The British Film Industry’s London Film Festival (BFI LFF) is back this autumn and at last the full line up has been announced. The festival opens with wartime drama The Imitation Game. Headhunters’ Morten Tyldum directs the biopic of codebreaker Alan Turing. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness), Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Never Let Me Go), Mark Strong (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Kick-Ass), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, Gosford Park), Matthew Goode (Watchmen, Stoker) and Rory Kinnear (Skyfall, Southcliffe).

Also featuring in the festival are the following: Sporting drama Foxcatcher, although it is far from its wide release, is already an Oscar favourite after causing a great stir at Cannes. Bennett Miller (Capote, Moneyball) directs the cast of Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller and Mark Ruffalo. Ansel Elgort, Adam Sandler, Judy Greer, JK Simmons, Jennifer Garner and Emma Thompson star in Jason Reitman’s (Juno) comedy Men Women & Children. Timothy Spall is the title character of multi-award winning Mr Turner, from Mike Leigh (Topsy Turvy, Another Year).

Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Mud) may be on her way to a second Oscar with Wild, the new directorial effort from Jean Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club, The Young Victoria). A slightly more mainstream event arrives in the form of epic sequel Monsters: Dark Continent, from first time director Tom Green. The festival’s conclusion will be marked by a screening of WW2 thriller Fury. David Ayer (End of Watch) directs the cast of Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena and Jason Isaacs.

London Film Festival – October 8th-19th

Black Widow – 2017?

The Empire Awards 2014 – 12 Years! Hobbit! Gravity! Alan Partridge! World’s End! Filth! Hunger Games and more!

The fantastic Empire unload their biggest awards yet with their 25th anniversary special. They, like us, let the worthy blockbusters to go head to head with the awards bait. It’s not as prestigious as the Oscars but does show us for of the fans’ view. So in that respect, this really is quite major.

Best Male Newcomer:

Aidan Turner – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

George MacKay – Sunshine on Leith

Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis

Tye Sheridan – Mud

Will Poulter – We’re the Millers

Best Female Newcomer:

Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street

Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue is the Warmest Colour

Antonia Thomas – Sunshine On Leith

Elizabeth Debecki – The Great Gatsby

Freya Mavor – Sunshine on Leith

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Best Horror:

The Conjuring

A Field in England

Evil Dead

World War Z

You’re Next

Best Comedy:

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

This is 40

This is the End

The World’s End

Best Thriller:

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Captain Phillips

Now You See Me

Prisoners

Trance

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Gravity

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Supporting Actor:

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Daniel Bruhl – Rush

Sam Clafin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Richard Armitage – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hiddleston – Thor: The Dark World

Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Mia Wasikowska – Stoker

Jameson Best Leading Actor:

James McAvoy – Filth

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Leonardo Di Caprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

Best Leading Actress:

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr Banks

Amy Adams – American Hustle

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

Edgar Wright – The World’s End

Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips

Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Empire Icon:

Hugh Jackman

Empire Hero:

Simon Pegg

Empire Inspiration:

Paul Greengrass

25 Years Award – The Action Hero of Our Lifetime:

Arnold Schwarzenegger

25 Years Award – The Legend of Our Lifetime:

Tom Cruise

Best British Film:

The World’s End

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Filth

Rush

Sunshine on Leith

Best Film:

Gravity

12 Years a Slave

Captain Phillips

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Seth Rogen enrols for Console Wars, Marvel unveils Doctor Strange directing shortlist and find the Empire Award nominees

The award ceremony season is in full swing with last week’s BAFTAs, this weekend’s Oscars and last night’s homegrown Tuorhoth Awards. Another alternate look on the last year’s films can be found with the Empire Awards for which the nominations have just been announced. The winners will be announced on March 30th but you can vote for your favourites here.

Best Film:

12 Years a Slave

Captain Phillips

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Best Director:

Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

Edgar Wright – The World’s End

Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips

Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

Best Leading Actor:

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

James McAvoy – Filth

Leonardo Di Caprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

Best Leading Actress:

Amy Adams – American Hustle

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr Banks

Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Best British Film:

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Filth

Rush

Sunshine on Leith

The World’s End

Best Supporting Actress:

Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Mia Wasikowska – Stoker

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Best Supporting Actor:

Daniel Bruhl – Rush

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Sam Clafin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Richard Armitage – The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug

Tom Hiddleston – Thor: The Dark World

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy:

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Thriller:

Captain Phillips

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Now You See Me

Prisoners

Trance

Best Comedy:

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

This is 40

This is the End

The World’s End

Best Horror:

A Field in England

The Conjuring

Evil Dead

World War Z

You’re Next

Best Female Newcomer:

Adele Exarchopoulous – Blue is the Warmest Colour

Antonia Thomas – Sunshine on Leith

Elizabeth Debecki – The Great Gatsby

Freya Mavor – Sunshine on Leith

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Male Newcomer:

Aidan Turner – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

George McKay – Sunshine on Leith

Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis

Tye Sheridan – Mud

Will Poulter – We’re the Millers

Picking up a Best Comedy nomination at the Empires was This is the End and the writing/directing duo behind it are lining up a new project. Evan Goldberg (writer of Goon, Pineapple Express and Superbad) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, 50/50, Paul) have been hired by Sony for Console Wars. This is a comedy detailing the vicious rivalry between Sega and Nintendo in the ’90s which lead to the multi-billion industry we know today. The pair will write and direct, as they did in This is the End, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rogen went on to star in the film yet nothing’s been confirmed about that just yet.

Finally, we can announce the directing shortlist for Marvel’s upcoming fantasy project Doctor Stranger. The film was greenlighted by producer Kevin Feige in October and since there’s been huge speculation as to both who would call the shots on the superhero adventure as well as who would portray the titular hero. The potential directors are Mark Andrews, Nicolaj Arcel, Dean Israelite and Jonathan Levine. We’ll give you a quick brief for these four candidates.

Oscar winning director Mark Andrews directed Pixar’s feature length Brave and short animation One Man Band as well as writing Pixar’s short Jack-Jack Attack and John Carter. Israelite, cousin of Jonathan Liebesman is the director of successful short films The Department of Nothing and Magician. The most famous of the quartet is probably Jonathan Levine (50/50, Warm Bodies, The Wackness) but the most promising is Danish born Nikolaj Arcel, director of King’s Game and the brilliant period drama A Royal Affair.

The film will likely be the second in Marvel’s third phase but, if you can’t wait till 2016, there’s plenty of superhero action to keep you company. Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes this March, Guardians of the Galaxy launches in August, The Avengers: Age of Ultron battles in May 2015 followed by Ant-Man in July of that year. After that, there could be Captain America 3, Thor 3, Guardians 2 or Black Panther before Avengers 3.

Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation – 2016

Doctor Strange – 2016

2014 Empire Awards – March 30th

Snyder’s Batman vs Superman delayed to 2016, American Hustle wins big at SAGA plus news for Marvel, Star Wars and Bond

We know we’ve done a lot of award season coverage of late and that continues today with the Screen Actors Guild Awards but we’ll try and fit in some other stuff too.

Best Ensemble Performance:

American Hustle

12 Years a Slave

August: Osage County

Dallas Buyers Club

The Butler

Best Leading Actor:

Matthew MacConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Bruce Dern – Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips

Forest Whitaker – The Butler

Best Leading Actress:

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Judi Dench – Philomena

Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr Banks

Best Supporting Actor:

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips

Daniel Bruhl – Rush

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

James Gandolfini – Enough Said

Best Supporting Actress

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County

June Squibb – Nebraska

Oprah Winfrey – The Butler

In TV, Breaking Bad won both Best Ensemble and Best Actor (Bryan Cranston) in a drama series. Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey) won Best Actress in drama but Julia Louis Dreyfus (Veep) picked up the corresponding award for comedy and Helen Mirren (Phil Spector) for mini-series/TV movie. Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra) and Ty Burrell (Modern Family, which also won Best Comedy Ensemble) respectively won Best Actor in a mini-series/TV movie and comedy series.

We move onto the surprising news that one of 2015’s major releases will follow in the footsteps of Pirates 6, Star Trek 3, Warcraft and Finding Dory to escape from the avalanche of film releases that 2015 brings, such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Cinderella, The Good Dinosaur, Fast and Furious 7, Fifty Shades of Grey, Star Wars: Episode VII, Terminator: Genesis, Jurassic World, Assassin’s Creed, Seventh Son, The Fantastic Four, Pitch Perfect 2, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Bond 24, Mission: Impossible 5, Inside Out, Tomorrowland, The Minions, Frankenstein, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ted 2, Crimson Peak, Silence, Insurgent, Point Break, San Andreas, Poltergeist, In the Heart of the Sea, The Gambler, Queen of the Desert, Insidious 3, Chappie, Cyber, The Penguins of Madagascar, The Bourne Betrayal, The Secret Service, The Wedding Ringer and Killer Crow.

It’s Batman vs Superman which has pulled out into 2016. You’d think that this’d be one of the highest grossing films of the year so it’s backed out not because of competition but because of development difficulties. Fox cites that writer/director Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel, Watchmen) and co need “time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story.” Pan, a prequel to Disney classic Peter Pan, is the Fox release that’ll replace it in 2015. That’ll be directed by Joe Wright (Hanna, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice, The Soloist) and may star Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Real Steel, Australia, Les Miserables, The Prestige) The Man of Steel sequel will star Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishbourne and Gal Gadot and is rumoured to star Joaquin Phoenix and Jason Momoa.

There’s a few other quick snippets of news. Agents of SHIELD, which returns to Channel 4 in late February, recently confirmed that Bill Paxton will join the team. The show must be trying to up the anti by adding another major star. Asgardian warrior Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), who featured in both Thor and Thor: The Dark World, will be the focus of an upcoming episode. Initial ratings for the series have been lower than expected but ABC boss Paul Lee is confident a second series will be on the way.

While we’re on Marvel’s Disney side of things, we’d like to share with you the first promotional art of James Gunn’s (Slither, Super) stellar new comic-book adaptation which stars Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Glenn Close and John C Reilly: Guardians of the Galaxy.

We swiftly move onto the James Bond franchise which we reference earlier. The yet untitled Bond 24 will be directed by Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road, Road to Perdition, American Beauty, Away We Go, Jarhead) will return to the franchise after the huge success he had with Skyfall, which grossed over a billion dollars, nearly over double what any previous instalment had gained. Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw are all set to revive their roles and John Logan is confirmed to be writing the script. As well as Skyfall, he penned Hugo, Rango, Coriolanus, The Aviator, The Last Samurai and Gladiator to much critical success so he should be able to astound us again with Bond 24.

“My goal is to write a great movie that’s appropriate, to build on what we did on Skyfall, but make it its own unique animal,” Logan said. “The themes, ideas and the characters from Skyfall can obviously continue on, because it is a franchise, and it is an ongoing story. So I think there’s resonance from Skyfall in the new movie.”

The fourth and final quick snippet of news is staying in the realm of scriptwriting. While Logan is starting his work on a new production, JJ Abrams has confirmed that the screenplay for his epic reboot Star Wars: Episode VII is finished. The Star Trek Into Darkness and Super 8 director/Felicity, Lost and Alias creator and his colleague Lawrence Kasdan (scribe of the original Star Wars’ The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark) have finished their work writing. Also, producer Kathleen Kennedy told the ToysrEvil blog this about the franchise’s future as a whole.

“The canon that he created was the Star Wars saga. Right now, Episode VII falls within that canon. The spin-off movies, or we may come up with some other way to call those films, they exist within that vast universe that he created. There is no attempt being made to carry characters from the standalone films in and out of the saga episodes. Consequently, from the creative standpoint, it’s a roadmap that George made pretty clear.”

Batman vs. Superman – May 6th 2016

Pan – July 17th 2015

Bond 24 – November 6th 2015

Agents of SHIELD – Channel 4 in late February

Guardians of the Galaxy – August 1st

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015