Ang Lee Rejects 3D Now Because It’s ‘So Bad’ and the Whole Film Industry Is ‘Not Made’ for It: ‘The Filmmakers Are Bad. The Theaters Are Bad’

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Mad Max” fans know that topping “Fury Road” is most likely an impossible task, but it sounds like the upcoming prequel “Furiosa” has a few action-packed tricks up its sleeve to deliver the goods. Speaking to Total Film magazine, director George Miller’s longtime producing partner Doug Mitchell let it slip that “Furiosa” contains “one 15-minute sequence which took us 78 days to shoot” and required 200 stunt people on set daily.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The Sopranos” fans got thrown a curveball in 2021 when Edie Falco revealed for the first time on an Atlantic podcast that she once reunited with James Gandolfini to reprise Tony and Carmela Soprano for a bizarre clip set two years after the events of the series finale, which infamously ended with a cut-to-black that left Tony’s fate in the balance. The purpose of the clip was to help the New York Knicks basketball organization lure LeBron James to the team. Gandolfini and Falco shot the “Sopranos” reunion in 2010 as James was becoming a free agent after his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Micheal Douglas went viral last year when he told THR on the “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” red carpet that he would only be interested in returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hank Pym in a fourth “Ant-Man” movie “as long as I can die.” It turns out that was actually Douglas’ wish for “Quantumania.” Appearing on “The View” (via Entertainment Weekly) to promote his new Apple TV+ historical drama series “Franklin,” Douglas revealed that he actually wanted to be killed off from the MCU in the third “Ant-Man” movie. He even asked for a huge special effects bonanza to help send Hank Pym into the great beyond.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Megan Fox finally weighed in on the “Love Is Blind” controversy that erupted earlier this year when Season 6 cast member Chelsea Blackwell told her eventual fiancé Jimmy Presnell that Fox was her celebrity doppelgänger. Presnell ended up telling Blackwell that wasn’t true, while “Love Is Blind” viewers bombarded social media platforms to roast and mock Blackwell for a comparison many thought wasn’t accurate. “I’ve never had more people text me about something,” Fox told E! News’ “The Rundown.” “I don’t really watch TV very much.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Zendaya was already a big star when she was cast as MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” By that point in her career she had already amassed a huge following as the star of two Disney Channel hits, “Shake It Up” and “K.C. Undercover,” plus popped up in Beyonce’s “Lemonade” film and was a runner-up on “Dancing With the Stars.” None of that apparently registered for “Spider-Man” producer Amy Pascal. “To be honest with you, neither [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige nor I knew who she was,” Pascal admitted in Vogue magazine as part of its Zendaya cover story.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Steve Burns, who became an icon of children’s television as the host of Nickelodeon‘s “Blue’s Clues” from 1996 to 2002, recently spoke to “Today” and said he watched the viral documentary series “Quiet on Set” in “horror and heartbreak.” The ID Discovery series explores the alleged harassment and abuse that took place at Nickelodeon before and after the turn of the century, which is the same time Burns was the face of “Blue’s Clues.” “I don’t have any particular insight into any of that,” Burns said about the allegations made in the documentary series. “I’m coming to it much the same as anyone else, with horror and heartbreak. It’s just terrible to watch it unfold.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Robert Downey Jr. is not closing the door on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which he kicked off in 2008 with “Iron Man” and headlined for 11 years through 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Iron Man met his demise in that tentpole, but that has never stopped rumors from circulating that Marvel is trying to bring Downey back into the fold, especially now that the MCU has hit a box office rough patch with 2023 flops such as “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels.” Certainly, Downey’s return as Iron Man could restore Marvel to its blockbuster glory days. Speaking to Esquire magazine after his Oscar win for “Oppenheimer” last month, Downey was asked if he would ever return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that he is officially an Academy Award winner.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Carla Gugino recently told BuzzFeed that her beloved role in Robert Rodriguez’s 2001 family action film “Spy Kids” was “physically totally impossible.” The actor was 27 years old when she filmed the movie and played Ingrid Cortes, the mother of two spies. By Gugino’s math, the character didn’t add up. “It is so funny because I was 27,” Gugino recounted.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Danny McBride has a bone to pick with movie theaters. With the popularization of theaters that now serve dinner and drinks in the middle of a movie (see Alama Drafthouse locations, for example), the “Eastbound & Down” and “Pineapple Express” comedian recently told GQ magazine that he is staunchly against the trend. “I hate it, I can’t stand it,” McBride said while addressing the theaters-that-serves-dinner trend.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jon Bernthal is back playing Frank Castle (aka Punisher) on the set of “Daredevil: Born Again,” new set photos from which have the character paired up with Charlie Cox’s eponymous hero and soaked in blood. The Disney+ series is now filming in New York City. Bernthal debuted as Frank Castle in Netflix’s “The Punisher” series, which aired for two seasons and 26 episodes between 2017 and 2019.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Andy Cohen kicked off the April 1 episode of his SiriusXM radio show by sharing regret over fueling conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton‘s public absence (via Vanity Fair). It was Cohen’s first show back on the air since Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis. “I just want to say, I am heartbroken by the news about Princess Kate, and I think someone on Sky News called me a numpty during that whole conversation and they were right,” Cohen said, later adding: “And of course, I wish I had kept my mouth shut and we are all praying for Princess Kate and King Charles.

More than just a dramatist and storyteller, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”) is an innovator in the vein of James Cameron and has always been quick to test new filmmaking technologies. Lee has been eager to experiment with early motion capture technologies, as he did the mo-cap himself for his movie “The Hulk” and the exceptional 3D and CGI used in his acclaimed “Life of Pi.” More recently, the filmmaker embraced things like 3D and high frame rates in his films “Gemini Man” and “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.” However, in a recent interview with IndieWire, the director said he’s soured on the technologies and won’t return to them anytime soon, specifically 3D.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Steve-O said on a recent episode of his “Wild Ride!” podcast that he had to turn down a request to appear on Bill Maher‘s podcast because Maher allegedly refused not to smoke pot during the interview. “Jackass” alum Steve-O is 16 years sober. Maher is often seen smoking marijuana during his “Club Random” podcast interviews.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jon Stewart made headlines in February when he appeared on “CBS Mornings” ahead of his return to hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and said that Apple canceled his previous talk show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” because “they didn’t want me to say things that might get me in trouble.” On the April 1 episode of “The Daily Show,” Stewart went into greater detail about Apple’s concerns over the direction of his now-axed talk show and corresponding podcast. Stewart was interviewing Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan on “The Daily Show” and told her that he once pitched to have her as a guest on “The Problem” podcast.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter is not involved in the upcoming reboot, which is being shepherded by “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler. In a new interview with Inverse, Carter said he has no reservations about letting someone else put their stamp on his beloved franchise. “It’s interesting, people say, ‘Aren’t you possessive of it?’ And I say, ‘No, I’m looking forward to seeing what somebody else does with it,’” Carter said, adding that he had a “really nice conversation” with Coogler when the latter first pitched his idea for an “X-Files” reboot to Fox.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Shakira graces the cover of Allure magazine and holds nothing back when asked about her thoughts on “Barbie,” the Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster that topped the 2023 box office with $1.4 billion worldwide and earned eight Oscar nominations, including best picture. The music icon said she somewhat agreed with her two sons who strongly disliked “Barbie,” suggesting that it was a piece of pop culture that robbed “men of their possibility to be men.” “My sons absolutely hated it,” Shakira said. “They felt that it was emasculating.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor On one hand, Ang Lee can’t believe it’s been 40 years since he graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. “Don’t remind me!” he responds with a laugh when this milestone is brought up. But at the same time, Lee says, little has changed since he received his MFA in film production.

Director Ang Lee is finally pointing the finger.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Florence Pugh is back in Marvel movie mode and shared to Instagram a first look set video from the Atlanta studio where “Thunderbolts” is now in production. The tentpole will mark Pugh’s latest appearance as the assassin Yelena Belova, a role she debuted as in “Black Widow” and reprised on the Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” The set video includes a first look at one of Yelena’s combat-ready suits in the film. Pugh is also sporting some blue eyeliner.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Pirates of the Caribbean” producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in a recent interview with ComicBook.com that the current plan is to “reboot” the beloved Disney adventure franchise, which has grossed $4.5 billion across five movies. Bruckheimer was fielding a question about the future of his hit franchises, which also includes the Tom Cruise-starring “Top Gun” series. “It’s hard to tell,” Bruckheimer said.