You know what happens when your second feature film goes on to score over $216 million worldwide and snag three Academy Award nominations and a win?  You get a lot of scripts coming to your door.  However, the funny thing is, Tate Taylor didn’t get his follow-up to The Help by accepting an offer, but rather by going after a project himself.

On Friday, August 1st, Get On Up is coming out and we got the chance to sit down with Taylor to talk about making the move from The Help to a James Brown biopic, shooting an ambitious film on a tight schedule, his interest in doing a big budget sci-fi film, what happened to his Joyland adaptation and much more. Hit the jump to check it all out.

The titular family in The Originals is always caught between having each other’s back and going for each other’s throat, so it’s no easy trick to be the girl stuck in a love triangle with two Original brothers.  Yet somehow Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin), the lady in question, managed to make it through the first season – kind of.  Before taking the stage for a Comic-Con panel I sat down with Tonkin for a roundtable interview.  She talked about Hayley’s mental state at the start of season two, how she’s dealing with the loss of Hope, her relationships with Elijah (Danielle Gilles) and Klaus (Joseph Morgan), her experience filming the emotional season one finale, and more.  Hit the jump to see what she had to say about The Originals season 2, and please be aware there are major season one spoilers.

After the epic Marvel panel this past Saturday at the San Diego Comic-Con, Steve was able to speak with several cast members of the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron.  Chris Hemsworth is one of the more integral performers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, anchoring the Thor franchise and playing a key role in the Avengers, so naturally he was on the list.

After the footage from Avengers: Age of Ultron brought the house down (by all accounts) in Hall H, Steve caught up with Hemsworth to talk about the film’s balance of action with writer/director Joss Whedon’s patented banter.  He also addresses Ultron’s impact on the story, what it’s like having Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in the fold and when he’s shooting Thor 3.  Hit the jump for our Comic-Con interview with Chris Hemsworth.

Could a Dragonriders of Pern movie be coming soon to a theater near you?  While Warner Bros. has worked hard to find some suitable franchise replacement for Harry Potter since the highest grossing film franchise of all time came to a close three years ago, it has thus far come up empty.  The studio bought some time when Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit adaptation expanded to three films, but that’s coming to an end this December with the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.  And so WB continues to search hard for another franchise that might spark as big as Harry Potter (I’m not sure there’ll be anything like Harry Potter again for a long, long time—if ever), and their latest play is author Anne McCaffrey’s long-running Dragonriders of Pern book series.  More after the jump.

Today’s Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day is quite a catch for creature fans.  The collector’s edition of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, which includes the film on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, and UltraViolet as well as a collector’s edition Gipsy Danger figure, is currently only $28.99 at a discount of 55% off.  Additionally, the Predator Blu-ray bundle, which includes Predator, Predator 2, Predators, Alien vs. Predator, and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, is only $19.99 at a solid 50% off.  That’s a small price to pay for five Blu-rays and a prep course for Shane Black’s upcoming sequel.  Click the links below to buy:

• Pacific Rim Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD +UltraViolet Combo Pack) – $28.99 (55% off)
  
• Predator Bundle [Blu-ray] – $19.99 (50% off)
  

With Crimson Peak, in theaters October 2015, Guillermo del Toro is making his highly anticipated return to the ghost story (his last being the absolutely excellent and freaky-as-hell The Devil’s Backbone in 2001).  As one of the most creative, knowledgeable and passionate filmmakers in the genre, and backed with an insanely talented cast,  del Toro is poised to deliver a first-rate creepfest bolstered by his trademark emotional heft and visual panache.  Crimson Peak stars Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Jim Beaver, Doug Jones, and Javier Botet.

Following his Hall H Panel on Saturday (read Adam’s full recap right here) I had an opportunity to sit down for an interview with del Toro.  He talked about whether or not we can hope to see his Hall H footage online any time soon, blending the Gothic romance and the ghost story, how horror is borne out of love, creating a film that looks like a painting, inventing multiple kinds of ghosts unlike any you’ve ever seen, and more.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Fresh off confirmation straight from the horse’s mouth that The Hateful Eight will be Quentin Tarantino’s next film, we have the very first, official The Hateful Eight poster.  Not only is this an excellent piece of artwork that teases the bloody story of the Western, but the poster also confirms a planned 2015 release (likely in December) as well as the fact that Tarantino will shoot the pic in “Super CinemaScope”.  We previously heard that Tarantino was aiming to film The Hateful Eight in 70mm, and this poster indeed confirms that we’re in for one epic-looking Western.  The story follows a group of passengers on a stagecoach that get caught and trapped in a blizzard, where they’re forced to confront the ratcheting tension that develops.

Hit the jump to check out the Hateful Eight poster in full and for more on the film.

The very first Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb trailer is here.  After saving the day (or night) at the Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is off to the British Museum in London where he hopes to uncover more secrets about the mysterious tablet that brings the museum figures to life.  I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the previous two films so I can’t speak to how this trailer stacks up to the rest of the franchise, but there are some genuinely funny bits throughout.  Rebel Wilson looks to be a scene stealer as a British security guard, and there’s an amusing running joke involving a caveman that looks exactly like Stiller.  The British setting is also a smart move, as it should provide plenty of fresh opportunities for the series as a whole.  The Museum franchise has always skewed younger, though, and I imagine kids will find Secret of the Tomb to be a swell new adventure.

Hit the jump to catch the trailer for the third and final installment of the Night at the Museum series.  The film also stars Robin Williams, Dan Stevens, Ben Kingsley, Ricky Gervais, Rami Malek, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson, Patrick Gallagher, Mizuo Peck, Bill Cobbs, Dick Van Dyke, and Mickey Rooney, and is due in theaters on December 19th.

The sign of a good religious picture is the controversy surrounding it.  Whenever a movie asks you to seriously grapple with theological issues, it’s bound to rile those who like their religion safe and comforting.  Noah certainly prompted its share of screeching op-ed pieces, along with the smug indifference of the secular crowd.  In truth, director Darren Aronofsky has punk’d them all: creating a serious, thoughtful and unbearably intense study of our relationship to God in the context of a giant Hollywood blockbuster.  Hit the jump for my full Noah Blu-ray review.

With Horns, arriving in theaters October 31st, we get to see a softer side of Alexandre Aja.  Horns stars Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish, a grieving man widely believed to have raped and murdered his beloved girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple).  When Ig wakes up with a set of horns and a newfound ability to make people do and say the most devious of their desires, he sees it as an opportunity to seek revenge on the real killer.  As a director and producer known for intense horror films (The Hills Have Eyes, High Tension) it’s fun to watch Aja stretch his range and deliver some genuinely sweet romance and touching dramatic moments.  However, fans don’t need to fear he’s lost his horror touch – Horns also delivers on genre elements, including some beautifully bloody practical effects.

Before his Comic-Con panel on Friday, I sat down for a one-on-one interview with Aja.  He talked about navigating through so many genres in a single film, why he loves Joe Hill‘s novel, whether or not adapting a novel is different from remaking a film, casting Daniel Radcliffe, and More.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

In the Syfy original movie Sharknado 2: The Second One, directed by Anthony C. Ferrante from a screenplay by Thunder Levin, a freak weather system turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a Sharknado on the population and its most cherished iconic sites, and leaving Fin (Ian Ziering) and April (Tara Reid) to save the Big Apple.  The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Mark McGrath, Kari Wuhrer, Judah Friedlander, Judd Hirsch, Kelly Osbourne, Andy Dick and Perez Hilton.

During this exclusive interview with Collider, Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath talked about how he got involved with Sharknado 2, being a fan of the first film, adjusting his big performing style to the subtleties of acting, why he enjoys getting lost in a character, that they had to do a lot of script changes on the fly, how great it was to get to shoot in New York City, and the social media phenomenon of Sharknado.  He also talked about why he still loves touring with Sugar Ray, and why it might be the right time to finally release a solo album.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Wow, how long has it been since we’ve heard from Wild Salomé? Almost three years, that’s how long.  But now it appears as though Al Pacino’s examination of how Oscar Wilde’s play impacted his mind is finally being primed for release (despite playing at the Venice Film Festival in 2011).  And now it’s going to be packaged as a double bill with Salomé, what is apparently Pacino’s actual adaptation of the play.  Bonus? They both star Jessica Chastain.

Right now it seems as though this double bill will only be screening in the U.K. (Stephen Fry is hosting a screening on Sunday, September 21st) but we’ll let you know if that changes.  Hit the jump for the Salomé and Wild Salomé trailer!

Director Peyton Reed, known for his fantastic work in Bring it On and Down With Love, was most certainly facing an uphill battle this past weekend at the San Diego Comic-Con. After all, he’s not just the new director on Ant-Man, he’s replacing geek-beloved auteur Edgar Wright on the project.  It takes a confident hand to introduce yourself as the guy who replaced Wright at this kind of convention, but I’m confident Reed will turn in a good movie (however different it may be than Wright’s take).

But life moves on and Ant-Man is marching forward (as ants do) with cast members Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, and Evangeline Lilly still in place.  Steve caught up with Reed at SDCC right after the film’s panel and was able to spend a few minutes with him getting a status report on the project.  Topics include the state of the script, how it fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film’s villains and more.  Hit the jump to watch.  Ant-Man opens July 17th, 2015.

Opening this weekend is director James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.  As most of you know, the story follows five intergalactic misfits—Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper)—as they set out to protect a powerful and mysterious orb from the villainous Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace).  Loaded with great performances, an extremely funny script, and some fantastic action sequences, Guardians of the Galaxy should be a big hit with moviegoers and it helps to explain why Marvel was so quick to announce that a sequel is coming July 28, 2017.

At the recent Los Angeles press day, I landed an exclusive video interview with Benicio del Toro, who plays The Collector.   He talked about how he got involved in the Marvel universe, his contract with the studio, how the look of the Collector came together, upcoming films Inherent Vice and Paradise Lost, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

20th Century Fox has released nine new posters for The Maze Runner (this is in addition to the surprisingly good trailer that hit earlier today), director Wes Ball’s adaptation of the James Dashner novel.  The story revolves around a teenager who wakes up in the middle of a maze with no memory of who he is, surrounded by other teenage boys who also don’t know who they are, where they are, or what the maze is either.  As stakes continue to mount, though, they realize they must find a way out before it’s too late.

The character posters fall a little flat to me, but the conceptual ones out of this batch are really worth a look.  The film stars Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, and Patricia Clarkson. Hit the jump to check out the The Maze Runner posters.  The film opens in theaters on September 19th.