Guardians 2 title revealed and Comic Con lineup announced

Marvel’s third phase has titled its new properties fairly simply – Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Inhumans – while their sequels have received subtitles – Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok and The Avengers: Infinity War. The new Spider-Man’s title is yet to have been revealed but the latest news from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn is that the sequel has been titled: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

Gunn directs the cast of Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Star Lord, Bradley Cooper (Limitless) as Rocket, Zoe Saldana (Avatar) as Gamora, Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) as Groot, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Thanos, Karen Gillan (Oculus) as Nebula, Dave Bautista (Riddick) as Drax, Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Howard the Duck and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector

The schedule for the famed San Diego Comic Con 2015 has been revealed.

Thursday:

• Lionsgate: ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2′: 12:00 PM-1:15 PM, Hall H
  Lionsgate presents an exclusive first look at one of the studio’s highly anticipated films coming to theaters this fall. Get a sneak peek into the powerful final chapter of the epic The Hunger Games film franchise. Attendees will be shown exclusive, never-before-seen footage from Mockingjay: Part 2 and treated to a cast and filmmaker Q&A session revealing details on the big-screen finale. Featuring stars Jennifer Lawrence and Julianne Moore and director Francis Lawrence.
• CBS TV Studios Comic-Con Lineup: 12:00 PM-3:30 PM, Ballroom 20
  Exclusive Sneak Previews and Panels for the CBS series ‘Extant’, ‘Zoo’, ‘Under the Dome’, ‘Limitless’, and ‘Scorpion’.
• ‘Doctor Who’: BBC America’s Official Panel: 2:15 PM-3:15PM, Hall H
  Following his record-breaking first season as the Doctor, Peter Capaldi will make his first ever appearance at Comic-Con with stars Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) and Michelle Gomez (Missy), and lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the Doctor, the time traveler who will continue to journey through all of space and time in epic adventures in the new season premiering this fall. Capaldi’s first season delivered BBC America its highest rated season ever and is available now on all digital platforms.
• ‘Sherlock’: 3:45 PM-5:15PM, Ballroom 20
  Steven Moffat (co-creator, executive producer, and writer), Sue Vertue (executive producer) and Rupert Graves (actor, DI Greg Lestrade) discuss the latest adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his long-suffering faithful friend, Dr. John Watson. Sherlock will return to BBC in a forthcoming special.
• MTV’s ‘Teen Wolf’: 5:00 PM-6:00PM, Ballroom 20
  Teen Wolf cast members and executive producer are taking Comic-Con by storm for the sixth consecutive year. The pack of MTV’s hit series Teen Wolf will dish secrets, share a sneak peek of the upcoming season, and answer fan questions.
• ‘Damien’: 6:45 PM-7:45 PM, Room 6A
  From executive producer Glen Mazaara (The Walking Dead, The Shield), Damien follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny: that he is the Antichrist. Starring Bradley James (Merlin), Barbara Hershey, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi. Get an exclusive first look at the show followed by a Q&A with cast and producers, plus a special guest appearance.

Friday:

• ‘Lucifer’ Pilot Screening and Q&A: 11:30 AM-12:30PM, Room 6BCF
  Lucifer is the story of the original fallen angel. Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar has resigned his throne and retired to the City of Angels, where he owns an upscale piano bar called Lux. When a beautiful pop star is murdered, for the first time in roughly 10 billion years, he feels something awaken deep within him. Is he actually capable of feelings for a human being? The very thought disturbs him. The murder attracts the attention of LAPD homicide detective Chloe Dancer, who finds herself both repulsed and fascinated by Lucifer. At the same time, God’s emissary, the angel Amenadiel, has been sent to Los Angeles to convince Lucifer to return to Hell. But with the City of Angels at his feet and a newfound purpose, Lucifer’s having too much fun to go back now. Sexy, dark and irreverent, Lucifer makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Aggressive Mediocrity in association with Warner Bros. Television, and based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, Lucifer premieres Midseason on FOX.
• AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’: 12:00 PM-2:00 PM, Hall H
  Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Chandler Riggs, Sonequa Martin-Green, Michael Cudlitz and Lennie Jamesjoin executive producer and showrunner Scott M. Gimple, executive producer Robert Kirkman, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, executive producer Dave Alpert, and special effects makeup supervisor and executive producer Greg Nicotero in a panel moderated by Chris Hardwick (The Nerdist, Talking Dead). The panelists will discuss the shocking finale of Season 5 and what to look forward to in Season 6, debuting this fall on AMC. Join the panelists for a Q&A session and an official sneak preview of Season 6.
• ‘Minority Report’: 1:45 PM-2:45 PM, Ballroom 20
  Be one of the first to take a look at FOX’s new fall sci-fi action thriller. Based on the hit futuristic Steven Spielberg feature, Minority Report follows the unlikely partnership between a man haunted by the future and a cop haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes of the year 2065 before they happen. Join Stark Sands (Inside Llewyn Davis), Meagan Good (Think Like a Man franchise, Californication) along with other cast and producers for a special screening followed by a Q&A.
• ‘Game of Thrones’ Panel and Q&A: 2:30PM-3:30PM, Hall H
  Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, HBO’s Game of Thrones concluded its 10-episode fifth season in June and will begin filming its sixth season this summer. The series, executive produced and written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, is an epic story of treachery and nobility, set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years. Panelists include (in alphabetical order) Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy/Reek, John Bradley as Samwell Tarly, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Conleth Hill as Varys, David Nutter (director), Hannah Murray as Gilly, Carolyn Strauss (executive producer), Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, and Maisie Williams as Arya Stark.
• Marvel Television Presents: 3:00 PM-4:15 PM, Ballroom 20
  Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s head of television) brings you exclusive news and surprises about your favorite action-packed Marvel series on ABC. Join Jeph, showrunners, and the casts of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter for this can’t-miss panel that’ll have everyone talking! Featuring Clark Gregg and Hayley Atwell.
• ‘iZombie’ Special Video Presentation and Q&A: 5:45 PM-6:45PM, Ballroom 20
  After the shocking events in the season finale of brainy hit iZombie, be among the first to get the scoop on what’s in store for Season 2. Now that Liv (Rose McIver) gave the cure for zombie-ism to Blaine and Major (one that she desperately wanted to take herself!) will Ravi find a way to develop another cure? Will Clive remain in the dark about the existence of zombies? A special video presentation will be followed by a Q&A with series stars as well as executive producers Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars). From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television and based on characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, published by DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, iZombie returns this fall with all-new episodes on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW. iZombie: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 29.
• Lucasfilm: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’: 5:30 PM-6:30 PM, Hall H
  Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy, director J.J. Abrams, writer Lawrence Kasdan, and special guests provide a special look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Featuring Harrison Ford, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o and Andy Serkis.
• ‘Orphan Black’: BBC America Official Panel: 5:45 PM-6:45 PM, Room 6BCF
  Stars Tatiana Maslany (Sarah and the Leda clones), Jordan Gavaris (Felix), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Mrs. S), Dylan Bruce (Paul), Kristian Bruun (Donnie), and Ari Millen (Mark and the Castor clones) and co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson look back at last season before filming begins on Season 4. Orphan Black Season 3 is currently on VOD. For those new to the Clone Club, you can also start watching the BBC America series by streaming the first two seasons on Amazon Prime or download the entire series from any of the major digital platforms.
• Star: ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’: 6:00 PM-7:00PM, Room 6A
  Original filmmakers Sam Raimi (executive producer, director, writer), Rob Tapert (executive producer), Bruce Campbell (executive producer and star of the series, Ash), Ivan Raimi (co-exeuctive producer), and Craig DiGregorio (executive producer), along with Lucy Lawless (Ruby), discuss the highly anticipated new series and what fans can expect in the premiere season.
• ‘Yoga Hosers’: 7:15 PM-9:00 PM, Hall H
  An evening with Kevin Smith. After all the interesting and exciting movie panels are over, Hall H belongs to a middle-aged loser who dresses like a 12-year-old! Ask Kev questions about AMC’s Comic Book Men and his forthcoming Mallrats sequel Mallbrats, and see the world premiere of the trailer to his new movie, Yoga Hosers. Wrap up a busy Friday with the Clown Prince of Comic-Con! With special guests from the Yoga Hosers cast. Featuring Johnny Depp and Haley Joel Osment.

Saturday:

• Warner Bros.: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM, Hall H
  A “sneak peek” at a few upcoming releases from Warner Bros. Likely including The Man From UNCLE (Armie Hammer, Guy Ritchie), Pan (Hugh Jackman, Joe Wright), In the Heart of the Sea (Chris Hemsworth, Ron Howard), Point Break (Edgar Ramirez), Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ben Affleck, Zack Snyder), Central Intelligence (Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart), Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie), Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur (Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law), Suicide Squad (Jared Leto, David Ayer) and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Eddie Redmayne, David Yates).
• The Weinstein Company: ‘The Hateful Eight’: 1:30 PM-2:15 PM, Hall H
  Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino brings fans an exclusive look at his highly anticipated 8th film, The Hateful Eight. Followed by a Q&A session with the cast: Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bruce Dern.
• Legendary Pictures: 2:30 PM-3:30 PM, Hall H
  Filmmakers and talent from Legendary’s upcoming Warcraft (Duncan Jones, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell) and Crimson Peak (Guillermo Del Toro, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain), distributed by Universal Pictures, will discuss the innovative slate and present never-before-seen material. Chris Hardwick (AMC’s Talking Dead) hosts the panel that will also include surprises from highly anticipated legendary movies, including Great Wall, Krampus, and more.
• 20th Century Fox: 5:45 PM-7:30 PM, Hall H
  20th Century Fox Presentation including Fantastic Four (Miles Teller), Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (Dylan O’Brien), The Martian (Matt Damon), Bridge of Spies (Tom Hanks), Kung Fu Panda 3 (Jack Black), Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), X-Men: Apocalypse (Jennifer Lawrence), Independence Day: Resurgence (Jeff Goldblum), Gambit (Channing Tatum), and Assassin’s Creed (Michael Fassbender).
• Warner Bros. Television and DC Entertainment Screening Block: 8:00 PM-11:00 PM, Hall H
  Includes Supergirl season 1 (Melissa Benoist), Gotham season 2 (Ben McKenzie), Arrow season 4 (Steven Amell), The Flash season 2 (Grant Gustin) and Legends of Tomorrow season 1 (Brandon Routh).

Sunday:

• TV premieres including Heroes Reborn, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries.

Mission: Impossible 5 posters, James Gunn teases Guardians 2 title and Star Wars director rumours

The new Disney-owned Star Wars franchise has assembled a brilliant set of filmmakers including writers Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past), producer Kathleen Kennedy (Lincoln) and directors JJ Abrams (Super 8), Rian Johnson (Looper) and Gareth Edwards (Godzilla). When Josh Trank (Chronicle) departed the second spin off film he left a vacancy that’s looking to be filled. The latest rumour indicates that the two directors in contention for the job are Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Zathura, Elf, Chef). Thematically, Favreau is more in tune with the Star Wars spirit but Vaughn’s consistency gives him the edge. The current rumours on this spin off are that it’ll focus on an adventure involving Han Solo and Boba Fett.

Marvel’s entries tend to vary between having a subtitle or not. In one camp there’s the Iron Man trilogy, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Avengers Assemble and the upcoming Ant-Man and on the other there’s Captain America: The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier and Civil War, Thor: The Dark World and Ragnarok and the recent Avengers: Age of Ultron. We’d assumed that the follow up to last year’s smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy would simply be titled Guardians of the Galaxy 2 but in a recent tweet director James Gunn (Slither, Super), who has just finished the script, suggested that there’d be a new title:“No spoilers – not even the title.” We’d suspect that the title will give away a key villain or location in the film.

We’re expecting the cast to include Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Quill, Zoe Saldana (Avatar) as Gamora, Vin Diesel (Pitch Black) as Groot, Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as Rocket, Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as Thanos, Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) as The Collector, Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax, Karen Gillan (Oculus) as Nebula, Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) as Yondu, John C Reilly (Chicago) as Denarian Dey, Glenn Close (Dangerous Liaisons) and Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Howard the Duck.

Finally, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation has begun the obligatory character poster campaign. In the spy sequel, Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) directs the cast of Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Avengers Assemble), Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen, Hercules), Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Stark Trek), Sean Harris (Prometheus, ’71), Simon McBurney (Rev, The Theory of Everything) and Alec Baldwin (Still Alice, 30 Rock).

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – July 30th

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – April 28th 2017

Untitled Star Wars Anthology – May 2018

Andy Serkis’ Star Wars character revealed and Gunn drops GoTG2 villain hints

“There has been an awakening in the Force. Have you felt it?”

This opening line from the now iconic Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer belonged to the disembodied voice of Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, King Kong) but we had no idea who the character was. It’s now revealed that the master of mo-cap is playing Supreme Leader Snoke, who we’re now presuming is evil.

As well as returning favourites Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and ost of the new roles have been revealed: Oscar Isaac (A Most Violent Year) plays pilot Poe Dameron, Adam Driver (Girls) plays First Order enforcer Kylo Ren, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) plays villainous commander Captain Phasma, John Boyega (Attack the Block) is ex-Stormtrooper Finn, Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) plays pirate Max Kanata and newcomer Daisy Ridley is scavenger Rey. However, Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina) and Max Von Sydow’s (Minority Report) roles haven’t been revealed.

While Marvel’s sci-fi smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy was undeniably brilliant it could have done with a more iconic villain than Ronin (Lee Pace) and let Thanos (Josh Brolin), Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). After a recent suggestion that the sequel’s villain be Kang the Conqueror or the Shi’ar Empire but director James Gunn (Slither, Super) shot the rumours down. “Shi’ar and Kang are both owned by Fox. All decisions about who is in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 were made a long time ago.” This isn’t entirely promising for the film but it does mean that maybe Fantastic Four are facing Kang in a future instalment. Or the X-Men might use him to set up the Apocalypse Twins storyline to lead on from next years X-Men: Apocalypse.

GotG2 will likely star Chris Pratt (Jurassic World, The Lego Movie) as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Stark Trek) as Gamora, Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper) as Rocket, Vin Diesel (Fast Five, Pitch Black) as Groot, Karen Gillan (Oculus, Doctor Who) as Nebula, Dave Bautista (Riddick, Spectre) as Drax, John C Reilly (Chicago, Wreck-It Ralph) as Denarian Dey, Glenn Close (Fatal Attractions, Dangerous Liaisons) as Nova Prime, Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Sicario) as The Collector and Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, American Gangster) as Thanos.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – April 28th 2017

Fault in Our Stars wins at MTVs, Rebecca Hall joins BFG and Stallone in first still from Creed

BIrdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Birdman, Guardians of the Galaxy and Boyhood were among the most celebrated films of the previous awards season but the MTV Awards have a history of selecting mainstream flicks. Previous films to have been crowned include Terminator 2, A Few Good Men, Scream, There’s Something About Mary, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Napoleon Dynamite, Wedding Crashers, Transformers, Twilight, The Avengers and The Hunger Games: Caching Fire. Last night’s results are in on the 2015 awards (novelty awards included).

Best Movie:

The Fault in Our Stars
American Sniper
Boyhood
Gone Girl
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Selma
Whiplash

Best Male Performance:

Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy
Channing Tatum – Foxcatcher
Miles Teller – Whiplash

Best Female Performance:

Shailene Woodley – The Fault in Our Stars
Scarlett Johansson – Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Emma Stone – Birdman
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Dylan O’Brien – The Maze Runner
Ellar Coltrane – Boyhood
Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars
David Oyelowo – Selma
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl

Best Scared Performance:

Jennifer Lopez – The Boy Next Door
Zack Gildford – The Purge: Anarchy
Dylan O’Brien – The Maze Runner
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Annabelle Wallis – Annabelle

Best On Screen Duo:

Zac Efron & Dave Franco – Bad Neighbours
Bradley Cooper & Vin Diesel – Guardians of the Galaxy
James Franco & Seth Rogen – The Interview
Channing Tatum & Jonah Hill – 22 Jump Street
Shailene Woodley & Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars

Best Shirtless Performance:

Zac Efron – Bad Neighbours
Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy
Channing Tatum – Foxcatcher
Kate Upton – The Other Woman

Best Fight:

Dylan O’Brien vs Will Poulter – The Maze Runner
Chris Evans vs Sebastian Stan – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Jonah Hill vs Jillian Bell – 22 Jump Street
Edward Norton vs Michael Keaton – Birdman
Seth Rogen vs Zac Efron – Bad Neighbours

Best Kiss:

Ansel Elgort & Shailene Woodley – The Fault in Our Stars
Rose Byrne & Halston Sage – Bad Neighbours
James Franco & Seth Rogen – The Interview
Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone – The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Scarlett Johansson & Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Best WTF Moment:

Seth Rogen & Rose Byrne – Bad Neighbours
Rosario Dawson & Anders Holm – Top Five
Jonah Hill – 22 Jump Street
Jason Sudeikis & Charlie Day – Horrible Bosses 2
Miles Teller – Whpilash

Best Villain:

Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Jillian Bell – 22 Jump Street
Peter Dinklage – X-Men: Days of Future Past
(Spoilers) – Gone Girl
JK Simmons – Whiplash

Best Musical Moment:

Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig – The Skeleton Twins
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy
Seth Rogen & Zac Efron – Bad Neighbours
Miles Teller – Whiplash

Best Comedic Performance:

Channing Tatum – 22 Jump Street
Rose Byrne – Bad Neighbours
Kevin Hart – The Wedding Ringer
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris Rock – Top Five

Best On Screen Transformation:

Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Steve Carell – Foxcacher
Ellar Coltrane – Boyhood
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Hero:

Dylan O’Brien – The Maze Runner
Shailene Woodley – Insurgent
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy

Trailblazer Award:

Shailene Woodley (The Descendants, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, The Spectacular Now)

Comedic Genius Award:

Kevin Hart (Get Hard, Ride Along, Think Like a Man, The Wedding Ringer)

Generation Award:

Robert Downey Jr (The Avengers, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Sherlock Holmes, Zodiac)

Here’s the winners’ leaderboard:

Bad Neighbours, The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner – 3
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – 2
22 Jump Street, American Sniper, The Boy Next Door, Into the Woods – 1

With various big names already attached to his fantasy adventure The BFG, famed director Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, Lincoln) has enlisted even more cast members for the project. Rebecca Hall, the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominated star of Iron Man 3, The Town, The Prestige and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, was the first major addition in an announcement that included Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows, Flight at the Conchords) and Penelope Wilton (Shaun of the Dead, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). The cast already includes Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall, Bridge of Spies), Bill Hader (Superbad, The Skeleton Twins) and Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock, The Hobbit trilogy).

It’s so far unclear if the new film Creed will be an Oscar favourite or a limp reboot of the lagging Rocky franchise (one that began with a Best Picture win in 1976 steadily declined through four sequels in the 1980s and returned with the minor hit of 2006’s Rocky Balboa). The new addition of the franchise has Michael B Jordan (Chronicle, The Fantastic Four) reteaming with his Fruitvale Station (an acclaimed urban drama) director Ryan Coogler to play Creed’s grandson who recruits Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone – First Blood) as his new mentor to become a new boxing legend. The film’s first still has been revealed. Graham McTavish (The Hobbit, Outlander) and Tessa Thompson (Selma, Dear White People).

Creed – November 25th

The BFG – July 22nd 2016

James Gunn gives an update on Guardians 2 and Tom Hardy may be back for more Mad Max

The British actor Tom Hardy has had brilliant performances in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Warrior, Locke and Inception before stunning us as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises but he may be making his most iconic role yet in Mad Max: Fury Road. Now he’s hinted that the remake of the Mel Gibson trilogy is spawning its own franchise. Plans for a trilogy make sense but it’ll depend on decent box-office success this May.

“Everything’s based on figures and how things are perceived,” Hardy explained, “Inevitably it’s a business.” Fury Road is directed by the original’s George Miller and stars Charlize Theron (Monster, Young Adult, Prometheus), Zoe Kravitz (Divergent, X-Men: First Class), Riley Keough (The Runaways) and Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, X-Men: Days of Future Past).

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy shocked us all by becoming one of 2014’s biggest critcial and commercial hits and so the sequel was inevitable. Director James Gunn (Slither) just gave an update on where the follow up is in its development and his script has been submitted. “I turned in my treatment. I’m going in to meet about it Friday and we will start working on the screenplay next week.”

The cast will include Chris Pratt (Jurassic World, The Lego Movie) as Star Lord, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora, Bradley Cooper (American Sniper, Limitless) as Rocket, Karen Gillan (Oculus, Doctor Who) as Nebula, Dave Bautista (Spectre, Riddick) as Drax, Michael Rooker (Jumper, Super) as Yondu and Vin Diesel (Fast and Furious, Saving Private Ryan) as Groot. We might also expect cameos by Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Inherent Vice), Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, True Grit) and Seth Green (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Mad Max: Fury Road – May 14th

Mad Max 2 – 2017?

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – Apirl 28th 2017

Adam McKay is on board for another Marvel film

Edgar Wright’s shock departure from Marvel’s sci-fi adventure Ant-Man led to the studio appointing director Peyton Reed in his place. They also sought out Anchorman’s Adam McKay as a writer but his work with Kevin Feige and co may not be ending there. A new report suggests that McKay is in line to helm an upcoming superhero project. Guys like Joss Whedon (Serenity), Anthony and Joe Russo (Welcome to Collinwood), James Gunn (Slither), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and Scott Derickson (Sinister) have already been appointed on Age of Ultron, Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange but there are several films currently without a director – Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther and Captain Marvel remain unassigned.

We’d propose that McKay will be bringing us the ensemble spectacular Inhumans, which depicts an isolated community of alien superheroes descended from the Kree. The cast is so far unrevealed but we will have our suspicions. The line up may include Vin Diesel (Riddick and the voice of Groot) as Black Bolt, Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass, Anna Karenina) as Quicksilver and Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla, Martha Marcy May Marlene) as Scarlet Witch and the Agents of SHIELD stars Chloe Bennett (Nashville) as Daisy Johnson/Quake, Ruth Negga (World War Z) as Raina, Luke Mitchell (7 Minutes) as Lincoln and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) as Calvin Zabo.

Inhumans – July 12th 2019

Avengers 2 poster, Blomkamp directing new Alien and Boyhood, Kingsman, Interstellar and Imitation Game rule Empire Awards

Neill Blomkamp has been busy giving sci-fi and the South African film industry a good name with the Best Picture nominated District 9, the Matt Damon-starring Elysium and his new thriller Chappie but he was secretly developing ideas for a new Alien film. When the bold concept art was released it showcased a brilliant insight of the project he’d envisioned and the acclaim it received has sparked some level of interest. The Johannesburg-born filmmaker’s Alien instalment has been officially commissioned in addition to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus sequel. Details such as a release date or cast are yet to be confirmed but we might see appearance from Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley (Maleficent, Powers) or a return for Sigourney Weaver (Avatar, The Cabin in the Woods) AKA Ripley.

Birdman, Boyhood, Still Alice and Whiplash took centre stage at the Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globes in the past few months but the Empire Awards are set to amalgamate the mainstream and the arthouse in their public-voted awards. Previous winners include The Bourne Ultimatum, Men in Black Seven, Skyfall, Inception and Gravity. Click here for the voting while you can admire all of the nominees below.

Best Film:

The Imitation Game
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Boyhood

Best Director:

Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Matt Reeves – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Christopher Nolan – Interstellar
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

Best Actress:

Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow
Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina

Jameson Best Actor:

Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Richard Armitage – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Best British Film:

The Imitation Game
Paddington
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Under the Skin
The Theory of Everything

Best Thriller:

The Imitation Game
Gone Girl
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Locke

Best Comedy:

The Inbetweeners 2
Paddington
The Lego Movie
22 Jump Street
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Horror:

The Guest
Oculus
The Babadook
Annabelle
Under the Skin

Best Sci-fi/Fantasy:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Interstellar

Best Female Newcomer:

Carrie Coon (Gone Girl)
Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Essie Davis (The Babadook)
Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service)
Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle, Beyond the Lights, Jupiter Ascending)

Best Male Newcomer:

Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, ’71, Starred Up)
Dan Stevens (The Guest, A Walk Among the Tombstones)
Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Testament of Youth)
Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood)
Daniel Huttlestone (Into the Woods)

Here’s the leaderboard:

The Imitation Game – 6
Dawn of the Planet if the Apes, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Kingsman: The Secret Service – 4
Boyhood, Gone Girl, Interstellar, The Theory of Everything – 3
The Babadook, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Guest, Oculus, Paddington, Under the Skin, X-Men: Days of Future Past – 2

Finally today, we have the first major poster of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, tipped to be the biggest blockbuster of 2015. Joss Whedon (Serenity, Toy Story, The Cabin in the Woods) directs the cast of Robert Downey Jr (The Judge), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), Chris Hemsworth (Rush), Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Jeremy Renner (American Hustle), Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), Don Cheadle (Crash), James Spader (The Blacklist), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick-Ass), Thomas Kretschmann (The Pianist), Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting), Andy Serkis (The Hobbit) and Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind).

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – April 23rd

Alien 5 – 2017?

87th Academy Awards results – Birdman soars! Also wins for Whiplash, Boyhood, Interstellar and Grand Budapest

We, like so many, predicted that Richard Linklater’s loving endeavour of a film would snatch top prize last night but the Broadway-set black comedy depicting a disgraced actors attempted resurgence has caused an unexpected upset. Birdman is this year’s victor, succeeding the recent likes of 12 Years a Slave, Argo, The Artist and The King’s Speech. It received four awards, including Best Picture, Director and Cinematography. Here’s the full winners list.

Best Picture:

Birdman
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best Director:

Alejandro Gonazlez Inarritu – Birdman
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

Best Actor:

Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman

Best Actress:

Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Supporting Actor:

JK Simmons – Whiplash
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher

Best Supporting Actress:

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

Best Original Screenplay:

Birdman – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher – E Max Frye, Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Imitation Game – Graham Moore
American Sniper – Jason Dean Hall
Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle

Best Animated Feature Film:

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Foreign Language Film:

Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales

Best Documentary – Feature:

Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Best Documentary – Short:

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Cruise
The Reaper
White Earth

Best Live Action Short Film:

The Phone Call
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh

Best Animated Short Film:

Feast
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Best Original Score:

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Alexandre Desplat
The Imitation Game – Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar – Hans Zimmer
Mr Turner – Gary Yershon
The Theory of Everything – Johann Johannsson

Best Original Song:

“Glory” – John Legend, Common – Selma
“Everything is Awesome” – The Lonely Island, Tegan and Sara – The Lego Movie
“Grateful” – Dianne Warren – Beyond the Lights
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell, Julian Raymond – Glen Campbell: I’ll be Me
“Lost Stars” – Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois – Begin Again

Best Sound Editing:

American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Best Sound Mixing:

Whiplash
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken

Best Production Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr Turner

Best Cinematography:

Birdman (Emmanuel Lubezki)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Robert Yeoman)
Ida (Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski)
Mr Turner (Dick Pope)
Unbroken (Roger Deakins)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Costume Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr Turner

Best Film Editing:

Whiplash
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game

Best Visual Effects:

Interstellar
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Tonight will be considered a triumph for Birdman, Whiplash and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The team of Boyhood, besides the winning Arquette, may be disappointed with the lack of payoff for their monumental effort. Considering their high amount of nominations, The Imitation Game, Mr Turner, Unbroken and Foxcatcher have suffered a let down. Here’s the winner’s leaderboard:

Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel – 4
Whiplash – 3
American Sniper, Big Hero 6, Boyhood, Citizenfour, Ida, The Imitation Game, Interstellar, Selma, Still Alice, The Theory of Everything – 1

Making predictions for next year, perhaps Spielberg’s thriller St James Place or the Coen Brothers’ Hail Caesar could feature. Inarritu may be at it again with his release The Revenant or Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight may emerge. Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs? David O Russell’s Joy? Bryan Cranston’s Trumbo? Del Toro’s Crimson Peak. We may even give Star Wars: The Force Awakens a shot. We’ll see you next year.

The 2015 Tuorhoth Awards

The BAFTAs and Golden Globes all favoured Boyhood while other awards have crowned the likes of Birdman, The Imitation Game or The Grand Budapest Hotel. Far more prestigious than any of those however is our own ceremony. Succeeding Hugo, Les Miserables and Captain Phillips is our new winner: Guardians of the Galaxy, a space adventure that took both Marvel and the audience into the reach universe of outer space. Get the full list of winners below.

Best Film:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
The Lego Movie
Locke
Mr Turner
The Theory of Everything

Best British Film:

Paddington
The Imitation Game
Locke
Mr Turner
The Theory of Everything

Best Director:

Christopher Nolan – Interstellar
Bryan Singer – X-Men: Days of Future Past
Mike Leigh – Mr Turner
Peter Jackson – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Best Actor:

Andy Serkis – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Martin Freeman – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Matthew MacConaughey – Interstellar
Timothy Spall – Mr Turner
Tom Hardy – Locke

Best Actress:

Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow
Anne Hathaway – Interstellar
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Supporting Actor:

Bradley Cooper – Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris O’Dowd – Calvary
Richard Armitage – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Toby Kebbell – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Tyler Perry – Gone Girl

Best Supporting Actress:

Jessica Chastain – Interstellar
Elizabeth Olsen – Godzilla
Emma Stone – Birdman
Kim Dickens – Gone Girl
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

Best Original Screenplay:

Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness – The Grand Budapest Hotel
John Michael McDonagh – Calvary
Christopher and Jonathan Nolan – Interstellar
Phil Lord, Chris Miller – The Lego Movie
Steven Knight – Locke

Best Adapted Screenplay:

James Gunn, Nicole Perlman – Guardians of the Galaxy
Christopher McQuarrie, Jez and John Henry Butterworth – Edge of Tomorrow
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Mike Leigh – Mr Turner
Paul King, Hamish McColl – Paddington

Best Sci-Fi:

Guardians of the Galaxy
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Fantasy:

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Boxtrolls
Godzilla
Into the Woods
Noah

Best Comedy:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie
Paddington

Best Drama:

The Theory of Everything
Birdman
The Imitation Game
Locke
Mr Turner

Best Thriller:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Before I Go to Sleep
Fury
Gone Girl
The Two Faces of January

Best Animated Film:

The Lego Movie
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2

Best Newcomer:

Dave Bautista
David Gyasi
Tony Revolori

Best Original Score:

Howard Shore – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Henry Jackman – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Alexandre Desplat – Godzilla
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

Best Original Song:

Tegan & Sara, The Lonely Island – “Everything is AWESOME!!!” – The Lego Movie
Alicia Keys – “It’s on Again” – The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Billy Boyd – “The Last Goodbye” – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Best Cinematography:

Interstellar
Edge of Tomorrow
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
Mr Turner

Best Special Effects:

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Paddington

Here’s the winner’s leaderboard.

Guardians of the Galaxy – 5

Interstellar – 3

The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lego Movie, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – 2

Paddington, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Edge of Tomorrow, The Theory of Everything – 1

2015 Academy Awards Nominations! – Birdman leads

We favoured Interstellar, Godzilla, The Lego Movie, The Imitation Game and Guardians of the Galaxy as our best picks of 2014 (Birdman, Selma, American Sniper and The Theory of Everything counting as 2015) but the Oscars are assumed as the definitive representation of the finest films. The esteemed guests of actor Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness), director/writer JJ Abrams (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) and last year’s Best Director winner Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Children of Men) were the ones to reveal the following announcements.

Best Picture:

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Best Director:

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Bennett Miller – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum – The Imitation Game

Best Actor:

Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Best Actress:

Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Supporting Actress:

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Laura Dern – Wild
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods

Best Supporting Actor:

Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
JK Simmons – Whiplash

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Jason Hall – American Sniper
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Paul Thomas Anderson – Inherent Vice
Anthony McCarten – The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

Best Original Screenplay:

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
E Max Frye, Dan Futterman – Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Best Animated Feature Film:

Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Best Cinematography:

Emmanuel Lubezki – Birdman
Robert Yeoman – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski – Ida
Dick Pope – Mr Turner
Roger Deakins – Unbroken

Best Editing:

American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

Best Costume Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr Turner

Best Foreign Language Film:

Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales

Best Makeup and Hair:

Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy

Best Production Design:

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr Turner

Best Sound Editing:

American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Best Sound Mixing:

American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

Best Visual Effects:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Music – Original Score:

Alexandre Desplat – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar
Gary Yershon – Mr Turner
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything

Best Music – Original Song:

Everything is Awesome – Shawn Patterson – The Lego Movie
Glory – John Stephens, Lonnie Lynn – Selma
Grateful – Diane Warren – Beyond the Lights
I’m Not Going to Miss You – Glen Campbell, Julian Raymond – Glen Campbell…I’ll be Me
Lost Stars – Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois – Begin Again

Best Documentary Feature:

CitizenFour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga

Best Documentary Short:

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth

Best Short – Live Action:

Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

Best Short – Animation:

The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Overall, this wasn’t entirely different to any of the major awards dispensers to go before but there’s still the odd surprise in store. Bradley Cooper, Laura Dern, Marion Cotillard and Robert Duvall’s acting nods weren’t expected. The strange number of eight Best PIcture nominees left out other favourites such as Foxcatcher, Unbroken, Interstellar, Into the Woods and Nightcrawler. Big Eyes, Cake and A Most Violent Year are mentionless.

The Lego Movie got a disappointing turnout but Selma, while it picked up a Best Picture nomination, got snubbed in Best Director (Ava DuVernay) and Best Actor (David Oyelowo). David Fincher/Ben Affleck’s Gone Girl too will be sourly disappointed, only receiving Leading Actress  Shamefully, every acting competitor is white and there are no female entries in Directing or Writing, proving the bias of the predominantly white male academy.

The award of Best Editing tends to be a powerful prompter for the Best Picture frontrunners so I’d say American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Whiplash and Birdman will be the closest contenders to the main winner Boyhood. The Grand Budapest Hotel may suffer the American Hustle problem of a great amount of nominations but none to few wins. Here’s the current leaderboard.

Birdman – 9
The Grand Budapest Hotel – 9
The Imitation Game – 8
Boyhood – 6
American Sniper – 6
Interstellar – 5
Foxcatcher – 5
Whiplash – 5
The Theory of Everything – 4
Mr Turner – 4
Into the Woods – 3
Unbroken – 3
Ida – 2
Wild – 2
Selma – 2
Guardians of the Galaxy – 2
Inherent Vice – 2

Richard Linklater, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette seem set to win and here’s my own top ten most likely predictions for Best Picture.

1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. American Sniper
4. Whiplash
5. The Theory of Everything
6. The Imitation Game
7. Selma
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel

Gone Girl and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris will host the Academy Awards on February 22nd.