“Gladiator II” Cinematographer John Mathieson on Capturing Robotic Rhinos & Colossal Carnage

If you’re in the mood for a visually stunning film with gladiators battling to the death in a flooded Colosseum and a very ripped Paul Mescal going head-to-head with a rhinoceros and a baboon, Ridley Scott’s pulse-pounding period actioner is the movie you’ve been waiting for. Twenty-three years after his first Oscar nomination for the original Gladiator, British cinematographer John Mathieson (Logan, Mary Queen of Scots) is back with the long-anticipated sequel,

Production Designer Nathan Crowley: The Visionary Behind “Wicked’s” Stunning Sets

Before Wicked, British production designer Nathan Crowley worked on eight Christopher Nolan movies, earning six Oscar nominations along the way. Now he’s made the unlikely pivot from dark Gotham City to effervescent Emerald City as world builder-in-chief for Universal Pictures’ Wizard of Oz prequel. Based on the Broadway musical, Wicked topped the box office this past weekend with $114 million, making it Hollywood’s most popular movie musical to date.

“Gladiator II” Production Designer Arthur Max on Rebuilding a Decadent, Debased Ancient Rome

In the first installment of our conversation with Gladiator II production designer Arthur Max, he talked about making Ridley Scott’s sequel on an even bigger scale than the original film and staging a naval battle sequence in the desert of Morocco for the opening sequence. Now, let’s find out what it took to flood the Colosseum to recreate the mock naval battle in the third act.

Did you use mostly local crew on the sequel?

Maximus Effort: “Gladiator II” Production Designer Arthur Max on Creating Colossal Constructions

Oscar-nominated production designer Arthur Max has worked on 16 of Ridley Scott’s films. These include some of American cinema’s most indelible cinematic spectacles, such as the original Gladiator (for which Max scored his first Oscar nod), Black Hawk Down, and The Martian. Despite the impressive body of work between them, Max thinks that the Roman epic actioner, Gladiator II, is their most ambitious yet.

“Wicked” Cinematographer Alice Brooks on Casting a Magical Light Over This Dazzling Adaptation

Embracing Old Hollywood and a plethora of source material, cinematographer Alice Brooks knew her Wicked vision for Oz would be rich and luxurious.

Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, inspired by the long-running stage show based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel. It stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a misunderstood green-skinned woman. She finds an unusual kinship with Ariana Grande’s popular girl, Glinda. When their paths lead them to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz,

“Gladiator II” Screenwriter David Scarpa on the Herculean Task of Writing a Worthy Sequel

It’s been a long time coming, but the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 epic, which won the Oscar for Best Picture, opens in theaters nationwide on November 22. Starring Oscar nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun), Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), the iconic Denzel Washington, and original cast member Connie Nielsen, Gladiator II finally came to fruition thanks to the script from David Scarpa, who’d previously penned Scott movies All the Money in the World and Napoleon.

Mushroom Couture: “Wicked” Costume Designer Paul Tazewell on Drawing Inspiration From the Natural World

Few films this year showcase intricate detail and epic scale like director Jon M. Chu’s Wicked does. The breathtaking costuming created by acclaimed costume designer Paul Tazewell is a vital element of the filmmaker’s captivating vision.

Wicked, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, is inspired by the long-running stage show based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 titular novel. Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba,

“Wicked” Review Round-Up: Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande Dazzle in Mesmerizing Musical

The reviews for director Jon M. Chu’s Wicked have finally arrived, confirming what was first reported around Halloween—the first big-screen adaptation of the Broadway phenomenon is a dazzling smash. In case you’ve been kept in a chamber deep within the bowels of Emerald City, we’ll lay out the broad strokes—Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the future Glinda the Good,

Crime, Crazy Rich Rom-Coms, and More: Producer Janice Chua on Bringing Asian Stories to the World

Raised in a working-class Chinese family in Singapore, Janice Chua says, “Like every Asian person, I grew up with Hong Kong martial arts movies that inspired so much of my imagination. There was a sense of excitement and pride in those action-heavy films with crazy sound effects.”

But her world changed when she encountered Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which “just came across as very poetic…and the way women were portrayed was very different.

Prepare to Defy Gravity: “Wicked” Will Have Sing-Along Screenings This Christmas

Talk about a Christmas miracle.

Universal will offer roughly 1,000 chances for Wicked fans to sing along during the film in special interactive screenings across North America on December 25, Variety reports. This gives all those with the pipes to sing—and the rest of us who are just excited to see the film and could use the catharsis of a public sing-along—a month to train our vocal cords as director Jon M.

“Yellowstone” Costume Designer Johnetta Boone on Beth Dutton, Dueling Sons, and the End of an Era

Yellowstone rides again, six years after creator Taylor Sheridan defied Hollywood expectations by creating the country’s most-watched cable series. The show’s fifth season, part two, streaming weekly through December 15 on the Paramount Network, continues to follow the dysfunctional family of Montana ranchers formerly ruled by Kevin Costner’s grumpy patriarch, John Dutton. Now he’s gone, but his fierce daughter Beth (British actress Kelly Reilly), rivalrous sons Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Kayce (Luke Grimes),

“Gladiator II” Enters International Arena With a Powerful Opening Weekend

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II burst into the international arena this past weekend with a very strong start. Scott’s sequel to his 2000 Best Picture Winner opened across 63 markets, earning a massive thumbs up from audiences and boasting an $87 million dollar start.  This makes Gladiator II Scott’s overseas debut in his long, illustrious career.

Gladiator II also conquered $7 million on IMAX across 453 screens, another formidable opening salvo.

“The Day of the Jackal” Cinematographer Christopher Ross Lenses Fatal Game of Spy vs Assassin

Eddie Redmayne stars as an unrivaled, anonymous assassin in The Day of the Jackal, a new Peacock series inspired by Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel. Reimagined in a contemporary setting, the Jackal is an English hitman pursued across Europe by Bianca (Lashana Lynch), a British intelligence officer determined to apprehend her target before he gets to his next hit.

Written by Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett and lensed for the first three of ten episodes by cinematographer Christopher Ross,

“The Penguin” Hair Department Head Brian Badie on Styling Gotham’s Gruesome Twosome

Spoiler warning…

The Penguin capped its remarkable eight-part run this past Sunday night and accomplished a rare feat—it’s a series set in a comic book world, boasting characters well known to the genre’s most read-in fans, that delivered a profoundly satisfying drama for a person unfamiliar with DC Comics or unenthused by Gotham’s most iconic resident, Bruce Wayne. The Penguin doesn’t even whisper Batman’s name nor allude to his presence until the very last shot in the series (a bat-signal,

Cameron Diaz is “Back in Action” Alongside Jamie Foxx in the Trailer for Her First Film in 11 Years

Cameron Diaz is literally Back in Action for the first time after an 11-year hiatus from acting and makes a quick case for how much a weary nation needs her comedic chops. Netflix has dropped the first trailer for the spy action comedy starring Diaz and Jamie Foxx as two of the most surprising parents of all time—they used to be spies for the CIA, and their kids are really confused at how this could be possible considering they’re not cool enough.

“The Last of Us” Season Two’s Premiere Date Coming Soon-Ish

With HBO’s fantastic eight-part miniseries The Penguin drawing to a close this past Sunday, we got a fresh update on when one of HBO’s other fantastic series returns, the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led The Last of Us. We’ve known for a while HBO’s first big swing out of the gate in 2025 is the expansion of the world of Dune, recently reinvigorated by Denis Villeneuve’s two films in the upcoming series Dune: Prophecy,

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Sound Designers on the Splatter-and-Slash Acoustics of a Honda Odyssey Brawl

In our last conversation about Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine, sound designers Craig Henighan and Ryan Cole discussed the hilarious opening sequence where Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool uses Wolverine’s adamantium claws and bones to take down some Time Variance Authority goons, all set to NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” and some sound tricks to make the adamantium hits stand out. Today, they break down the savage Honda Odyssey brawl and the stunning cameo extravaganza.

Lupita Nyong’o to Star in Christopher Nolan’s Top-Secret Next Film

Lupita Nyong’o is the newest star to join Christopher Nolan’s mysterious new film for Universal Pictures.

The Hollywood Reporter scoops that Nyong’o is the latest big name to board Nolan’s next film, joining Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, and Zendaya. Of course, Nolan will direct his own script, and Universal has slated the film for a July 17, 2026, release.

Speculating what Nolan’s new film will be is part of the fun every time the writer/director starts populating his new project.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” Sound Designers on Turning Frozen Tea Towels Into Broken Bones

Three months after debuting in theaters this summer, Deadpool & Wolverine’s winning streak still wasn’t over. It eventually surpassed Barbie’s domestic gross in its 13th weekend, with director Shawn Levy’s R-rated box office juggernaut ranking as the 12th highest-grossing movie of all time, with a domestic haul of over $636M.

It has been a hectic year for Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning sound designer Craig Henighan, who not only worked on 2024’s second biggest film but also delivered Apple TV+’s two-hander dark comedy, 

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” Trailer Finds Tom Cruise on Last Epic Mission

Now we know the title of the 8th Mission: Impossible movie, which carries the weight of the franchise’s history and the possible final mission for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning’s first trailer is an action epic through and through. The film’s logline reads, “Every choice has led to this.”

The trailer has many hallmarks of a classic Mission: Impossible movie: Cruise’s Hunt sprinting on foot always toward danger or the hope of saving somebody (or everybody).