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.

Shortly after the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast left Hall H at Comic-Con Saturday night, I got to conduct video interviews with most of them in the press room.  While the interviews had to be conducted in groups due to how many reporters were in attendance, we still managed to get a lot of great information from the cast.  You can watch my Paul Rudd and Mark Ruffalo interviews by clicking the links.

During the interview with Chris Evans, he talked about the process of making Avengers: Age of Ultron, the great Joss Whedon dialogue, if they’re going to address where the other Avengers were during their stand-alone movies, if he had one Avenger to help him out in Snowpiercer who would he pick, and more.  Hit the jump to watch what Chris Evans had to say at Comic-Con.

Over the past few months, Marvel’s production of Ant-Man has been in the news constantly, and not in a good way.  Fans were over the moon Edgar Wright was going to helm a Marvel movie that he co-wrote with Joe Cornish.  When Wright left the project over “creative differences,” most fans were angry with Marvel, and it’s the first time the company had to publicly deal with serious venom from the online community.  While Marvel has done their best by hiring Peyton Reed (a fellow geek who is dealing with the situation the best he can) and bringing in Adam McKay to help tweak the script, even if the movie is a home-run, fans are always going to wonder what might have been.

However, while I’ll always be upset we won’t see a Wright-helmed Ant-Man, I’m definitely curious what McKay is bringing to the script.  While many wondered if he just did a soft pass and tweaked some dialogue, Paul Rudd told me during a group interview at Comic-Con that he’s been working with McKay on the script “every day for six weeks and we’ve spent a lot of time on it.”  He went on to say “I love where we’re at.  It’s still the story that Edgar and Joe wrote and created and while we’re still polishing some things, I feel really good and excited about where we’re at.”  Hit the jump to watch the video interview with Rudd where he also talked about Michael Douglas, how they will shoot the Ant-Man sequences, what fans can expect with the dialogue, and more.

Shortly after Mark Ruffalo and his Avengers: Age of Ultron co-stars left Hall H at Comic-Con (read our recap of the panel here), they participated in video interviews on a very crowded press line.   When Ruffalo finally got to the group I was paired with, he talked about what impressed him about Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron script,  the ambition of the sequel, meeting the expectations, his thoughts on a Planet Hulk movie, and the status of Columbo.  If you’re not familiar with the online campaign to have Ruffalo play Columbo, read about it here before watching the interview.

Hit the jump for what Ruffalo had to say and look for a lot more video interviews with the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast soon.

Opening in limited release this weekend is Woody Allen’s new film Magic in the Moonlight.  The romantic comedy is set in the south of France in the 1920s and stars Colin Firth as an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle, as a young woman (Emma Stone) claims to be able to communicate with spirits.  As he spends more time with the girl, however, he starts to wonder if she may not be a fraud after all.  The film also stars Eileen Atkins, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Simon McBurney, and Jacki Weaver.  For more on the film watch the trailer.

A few days ago I landed an exclusive video interview with  Colin Firth.  He talked about making Magic in the Moonlight, working with Woody Allen, filming in France, shooting at the magic hour, working with Matthew Vaughn on Kingsman: The Secret Service and one of the very cool action sequences in the film,  doing his own stunts, Comic-Con, director Michael Grandage’s Genius with Jude Law, and so much more.  It’s a great interview so hit the jump to watch.

In the July 25th release, And So It Goes, Michael Douglas leads as Oren Little.  He lives in one unit of a waterfront fourplex he owns and he can’t stand a single tenant in any of the others.  He’s got zero compassion, no patience and doesn’t care about anyone, but himself.  Trouble is, when Oren’s got no choice but to be his granddaughter’s temporary guardian, he can’t do it alone.  He needs help and lucky for him, Leah’s (Diane Keaton) willing to look past his bad attitude and do what she can to help Sarah (Sterling Jerins).

Admittedly, my favorite part of this roundtable interview was telling director Rob Reiner my dog is named after Goride in Stand By Me and getting to hear about how he developed that character, but there’s also loads of interesting details on And So It Goes, too.  Hit the jump to catch Reiner talking about working with Keaton and Douglas, deciding to act in the film as well, his top priority while making his movies and much more.  And if you missed it, click here for Reiner’s thoughts on making a Princess Bride musical.

What happens if you round up the nation’s most brilliant scientific minds, seclude them in a makeshift city in the middle of the desert, and drown their lives in secrecy?  These are the questions addressed in Manhattan, the new historical drama from creator Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex) and director Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing).  Manhattan offers a semi-fictionalized version of the infamous Manhattan Project – the clandestine research and development project that resulted in the creation of the atomic bomb.  While the events of the show are based on history, Manhattan largely steers clear of iconic figures like J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie Groves, and focuses instead on the interpersonal drama between fictitious characters as they contend with the costs of secrecy and isolation.  Manhattan stars John Benjamin Hickey, Olivia Williams, Daniel Stern, Rachel Brosnahan, Ashley Zuckerman, Harry Lloyd, Michael Chernus, Christopher Denham, Katja Herbers, Alexia Fast, and Eddie Shin.

I recently visited the set in Santa Fe, New Mexico where the labs, homes, and offices of Los Alamos have been recreated from the ground up.  While I was there I had the chance to sit down with actors Daniel Stern and Christopher Denham for an exclusive video interview.  They talked about Sam Shaw’s exceptional script, their research process, the moral ramifications of their characters’ actions, working with the immersive sets and costumes, and how the show’s themes reflect on contemporary issues.  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Now playing in theaters is The Purge: Anarchy, James DeMonaco’s ambitious follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge. For the sequel DeMonaco takes to the streets with more action, a bigger cast of characters, and a deeper exploration of the world established in the first film. As “Sergeant”, the taciturn anti-hero, Frank Grillo is an old-school “man’s man”. A good guy with big guns, a cool car, and a bad agenda. See, while our other protagonists are stuck outside fighting for their lives, he’s there on purpose. He’s there to purge, to exact vengeance. But “Sergeant” is thrust into the role of reluctant hero when he stumbles across a group of innocent survivors and realizes that he can’t just stand by and let bad things happen to good people. The Purge: Anarchy also stars Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoe Soul and Michael K. Williams.

I recently sat down with Grillo for an exclusive video interview. We talked about how the film harkens back to the action thrillers of the 1970′s, creating a character in that tradition, his love for making action films, and more. He also talked about the upcoming remake of The Raid and why he won’t make it if it’s not up to par. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

While not every project in Hollywood actually comes to fruition, despite the years of development put into it, there are a few projects that Vin Diesel has been attached to for some time that he remains focused on getting made.  It may have taken nine years, but the Chronicles of Riddick follow-up Riddick finally came to pass last year, and now Diesel says he’s tackling two long-talked-about projects in the near future.  Steve recently spoke with Diesel in anticipation of the release of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, in which he voices Groot, and the actor revealed his next three projects.  After the fantasy-actioner The Last Witch Hunter, which Diesel is making next, the actor says he will move on to Kojak, followed by xXx 3.

Hit the jump for more, including news on the addition of Michael Caine to The Last Witch Hunter and a status update on the long-developing Hannibal.

Opening this weekend is the comedy Sex Tape.  Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel play a married couple who film a sex tape to spice up their love life.  Their video is accidentally uploaded to “the cloud,” which sends the couple through a series of hijinks to prevent everyone they know from seeing the video.  Ellie Kemper, Rob Corddry, and Rob Loweco-star in director Jake Kasdan‘s follow-up to Bad Teacher.  For more on the film, watch the regular or red-band trailer.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I landed an exclusive video interview with Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper.  We talked about Dunkin Donuts finally coming to L.A., what they’re willing to do for a laugh, what it was like working with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, how Hot Tub Time Machine 2 won’t win any Academy Awards, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Opening this weekend is the comedy Sex Tape.  Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel play a married couple who film a sex tape to spice up their love life.  Their video is accidentally uploaded to “the cloud,” which sends the couple through a series of hijinks to prevent everyone they know from seeing the video.  Ellie Kemper, Rob Corddry, and Rob Lowe co-star in director Jake Kasdan‘s follow-up to Bad Teacher.  For more on the film, watch the regular or red-band trailer.

At the recent Los Angeles press day I landed an exclusive video interview with Jake Kasdan.  After spending some time talking about Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, we talked about making Sex Tape, working with Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz, the evolution of the story from script to screen, his first cut, the relatively new pattern in Hollywood of showing cooperative couples rather than combative or contradictory ones, his upcoming TV pilots, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Arriving in theaters this weekend is The Purge: Anarchy, James DeMonaco‘s ambitious follow up to last summer’s surprise hit The Purge. For the sequel DeMonaco takes to the streets with more action, a bigger cast of characters, and a deeper exploration of the world established in the first film. In the film Zach Gilford stars as Shane, a middle class everyman stranded outside on Purge night with his wife (played by Gildford’s real-life bride Kiele Sanchez). Their odds of surviving until morning look pretty grim until the couple joins forces with a mysterious, well-armed man (Frank Grillo) and a mother/daughter pair intent on survival (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul). Together, the team struggles to evade the deadly forces all around them and find a place of sanctuary.

I recently sat down for an exclusive video interview with Gilford. He talked about what attracted him to the world of The Purge, why he thinks the idea resonates with audiences, the joy of working on a film with his wife, how they ended up in the film together by pure luck, and more. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Opening this weekend is the comedy Sex Tape.  Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel play a married couple who film a sex tape to spice up their love life.  Their video is accidentally uploaded to “the cloud,” which sends the couple through a series of hijinks to prevent everyone they know from seeing the video.  Ellie Kemper, Rob Corddry, and Rob Lowe co-star in director Jake Kasdan‘s follow-up to Bad Teacher.  For more on the film, watch the regular or red-band trailer.

A few days ago I landed an exclusive video interview with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel.  They talked about being asked a lot of inappropriate questions while promoting this movie, how they’re both fearless when it comes to comedy, why Segel won’t do “mean jokes,” playing  a happy couple in the film, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Let me be very clear: Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best films of the year and a huge step forward for what can be accomplished with motion capture technology, as Andy Serkis has again delivered one of the year’s best performances.  Loaded with incredible performances all around and a great script, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the rare commercial movie that’s also deep and thoughtful.  Dawn is also atypical in that tells a complete story, but also opens the door for another sequel.  Reeves has hit a massive home-run with this film, and I truly hope audiences and critics embrace this special movie.  For more on the film, read Matt’s review.

At the San Francisco press day I landed a video interview with Gary Oldman, Keri Russell and Jason Clarke.  They talked about their reaction to the finished film, advances in motion capture and what it was like working with the new technology, how much changed for their characters and the film during production, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

In The Purge: Anarchy, Frank Grillo plays Leo, a guy who deliberately heads out after The Purge siren blares seeking vengeance.  However, instead of hunting down his own target, he winds up trying to rescue other helpless Purge victims.  You know who I’d want to help me survive the night if The Purge became a real thing?  Grillo himself.  Not only does the guy absolutely kill it in combat heavy films like The Grey and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but he also trains extensively in real life, too.  Perhaps his aversion to guns wouldn’t serve him well in The Purge, but if life imitates art, hand-to-hand combat certainly wouldn’t be an issue.

While attending The Purge: Breakout at the tour’s Coney Island stop, we got the chance to talk to Grillo about the intensity of his performance in the sequel, his one big fear in life and his hope to finally make something a little more family friendly that his kids can watch.  Catch all of that in our video interview after the jump and, in case you missed it, click here to hear about all of Grillo’s upcoming projects including The Raid 2, bringing back Brock Rumlow and more.