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a day ago
- Entertainment
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James Gunn Reveals The 1 Superman Scene He Nearly Cut After Audience Feedback
Never mind the casting of a brand new Superman, the decision to put him back in pants or tiresome complaints of the movie being 'woke', it's a scene within the film itself that appears to have sparked the most contention since its release. The new superhero blockbuster starring David Corenswet arrived earlier this month and marks the launch of a brand new era in the DC cinematic universe (DCU) from former Marvel director James Gunn. After a strong opening weekend (though some less favourable critics' reviews), the hype for the fresh instalment in the iconic superhero franchise is still going strong. But there was one important moment in the film that nearly didn't make the final cut, despite pretty much everyone's insistence that it should go. Speaking in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Guardians Of The Galaxy director revealed that the scene in which the Man Of Steel pauses to save a squirrel from a destructive monster proved to be one of the most divisive details in the whole movie. 'It was probably the second- or third-most hotly debated moment in the movie,' he explained, adding that they received strong test audience feedback from viewers who 'did not like the squirrel'. 'They're like, 'Why the fuck is he saving a squirrel? Why is he taking time out, saving a squirrel?' There was a cut where I cut it out and I'm like, 'I really miss the squirrel. He's gotta save the squirrel',' he added. The director added that there were some 'geographical' problems regarding where Superman ended up if he didn't fly over the squirrel. 'So I put the squirrel back in despite the protestations of some of my people on my crew,' he added. Of course, it's not just a silly throwaway moment – it shows Superman's empathy and kindness to another living creature. In a separate interview with The New York Times, James explained how he believed the debate came down to 'do you like squirrels or not?'. Meanwhile, another key detail caused huge debate even earlier in the filming process, as the filmmaker agonised over whether to have Superman in his iconic red pants again. According to an interview with Gizmodo last year, the Slither director said he 'screened tested with trunks and no trunks', before they ultimately decided on bringing Superman back to his retro look. Related... What's Next In The New Superman Franchise And DC Cinematic Universe? Loved The New Superman? Watch These 9 James Gunn Movies Next James Gunn Reveals The 1 'Most Challenging' Detail Of Filming Superman – And It Might Surprise You
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5 days ago
- Entertainment
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Mikaela Hoover Talks ‘Superman,' Cat Grant's Clark Kent Crush and 17 Years of James Gunn Team-Ups
The James Gunn that Mikaela Hoover met 17 years ago is still the same James Gunn she knows today. In 2008, long before he became the writer-director of Superman and co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn first auditioned Hoover for his web short Humanzee!. He was quickly won over by her performance, but her insistence on outdoing herself ingratiated herself to the filmmaker even more. Months later, he created another web short specifically for Hoover called Sparky & Mikaela, which chronicled the crime-fighting exploits of her low-rent superhero character and raccoon sidekick. (If the Guardians of the Galaxy roots weren't already evident, Guardians actors Sean Gunn and Gregg Henry also show up.) More from The Hollywood Reporter James Gunn Says Casting for New Wonder Woman Hasn't Started Yet But Film Is a "Priority" When Did Superman Become So Controversial? DC's Comic-Con Booth Unveiled as Publisher Hits the Road to 100th Anniversary Hoover would go on to appear in Gunn's second feature film, Super (2010), before working on five more Gunn-associated films. Her friendship with Gunn didn't preclude her from auditioning, particularly when she landed an opportunity to read for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on her own. Gunn actually doubted her viability for the tragic part of Floor the Rabbit until she proved the casting department otherwise. Having fulfilled Floor's voice and mocap work, Hoover's turn seemingly opened the door to Netflix's hit manga adaptation, One Piece. In the upcoming second season, she voices and mocaps fan-favorite Tony Tony Chopper. (Hoover has also joined the season two cast of Netflix's Beef.) 'Playing Floor was such a dream, and playing Chopper is the biggest honor,' Hoover tells The Hollywood Reporter. 'I am so excited about season two of One Piece. Fans are going to absolutely love this season.' Hoover's latest collaboration with Gunn on Superman has her in the role of Daily Planet gossip columnist Cat Grant. To unsuspecting eyes, Cat is Lois Lane's closest co-worker friend, but they aren't chummy enough to where Cat can sense that Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) is secretly dating fellow journalist Clark Kent (David Corenswet). According to Hoover, the divorced Cat would not take kindly to such a revelation. 'Cat finds Clark to be the dreamiest man ever. So if Cat thought that [Lois and Clark] had a real-life romance going on, she would not be too happy,' Hoover shares. 'She just adores him.' Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Hoover also discusses various behind-the-scenes details from Superman, as well as the backstory that informed her depiction of Cat. *** James Gunn recently wished you a Happy Birthday on Instagram, and he addressed you as 'Vomita.' Do I dare ask what that means? (Laughs.) Oh my God, I've known James for a very long time. He's been one of my dearest friends for over 15 years, and we have a brother-sister relationship. He loves to tease me, and anytime someone says something to him about my looks, James responds with, 'Ew, vomit!' So he has now nicknamed me Vomita, which just happened a week ago. So it was funny that he decided to put that in the birthday wish. I've been really lucky to have formed this friendship with him and his wife [Jennifer Holland]. We have such incredible times together. You've been a part of James' acting company or troupe for many years now. What's the origin story? I auditioned for James 17 years ago for an internet short called Humanzee!, and after I auditioned, I asked to do it again. And he was like, 'But that was great.' And I said, 'No, I want to do it again.' So I did it again, and then he was like, 'That was amazing.' And I was like, 'No, I want to do it again.' So I kept doing it over and over again and bossing him around. He found it endearing and funny and charming, and he ended up casting me in Humanzee!. A few months after that, he called me and said that he and [producer] Peter [Safran] had created a show for me called Sparky & Mikaela. So they asked if I would be interested in playing [the title character] Mikaela, and I, of course, said, 'Yes, that sounds like so much fun.' It was me, a raccoon [puppet] and Sean Gunn. After that, he cast me in other shorts and projects that he did. Film-wise, you worked on his second feature, . That led to two movies, , and now . How does he typically present an opportunity to you? James has me audition for most of his projects. I got the Guardians 3 audition through my agent, and they don't say what the character is in the breakdown for those kinds of projects. So I texted James, 'Is this correct? You didn't tell me anything about this.' And he said, 'Yes, but I don't think you're going to get the role because they're looking for a more mechanical-type voice. I still think it's really important that casting hears your voice and hears your take on the role.' So I auditioned for Floor [the Rabbit], and lo and behold, I ended up booking it. And you performed Floor's motion capture, something you've also just done for 's Tony Tony Chopper. Did you ever plan on making performance capture a calling card of yours? I didn't. I feel so blessed that my career has taken me onto this path because I have so much fun playing these characters. Playing Floor was such a dream, and playing Chopper is the biggest honor. So I've been really fortunate to be able to voice and live-capture these characters that I really love. James was a Hollywood punk rocker when you first met him. Now, he's a Hollywood power broker. Is his career arc pretty shocking to you given where things started? Not at all! James has such a magnetism and special power to him that I knew there was something different about him when we first met. He commands a room unlike any other person I've ever met. He's so talented and he's so authentically himself. He has always been the James Gunn that I met 17 years ago. He has never changed, which is such a beautiful quality, and I just feel really grateful to have known him for all of these years. With Cat Grant in , you're playing a gossip columnist and Lois' closest friend outside of Clark. She also seems to have an ex that is not honoring his financial obligations. He's toxic! Is Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett) her ex? No, but Steve wishes he was Cat's ex. Cat's ex is from her old days as a reporter in Hollywood. Did James give you any other information about Cat that is valid in the movie's universe? When I booked Cat, I went back and read all of the comics. I read where she originated from and her backstory. So I knew that she had come from Hollywood and was a great reporter there, but she had fallen for a guy that wasn't so great. They also have a child together, and she kind of just got sick of the toxicity in Hollywood. So she moved to Metropolis and got a job at the Daily Planet. So you're going with the comic backstory until James tells you otherwise? I am. Cat asks Lois about the guy she's dating, but does she already have a suspicion that it's Clark? No, because Cat finds Clark to be the dreamiest man ever. So if Cat thought that [Lois and Clark] had a real-life romance going on, she would not be too happy. Clarks wears 'hypno-glasses' so that nobody recognizes him as Superman. Do you know if James ever considered showing what Clarks looks like to Cat and everybody else? Not to my knowledge, but he's tall, dark and handsome in Cat's eyes. He represents goodness, and he's pure. She just adores him. Six characters end up in Mister Terrific's (Edi Gathegi) T-Craft. Were there a lot of high jinks in that confined area for hours upon hours? Well, when we all got inside the T-Craft, we didn't know what it could do. So we were all pretty nervous about what was going to happen, and we weren't really told a lot. We all looked at each other apprehensively, and when James yelled action, we just all held on for dear life. When the gimbal went up and to the side, one of my castmates said, 'I think I'm going to be sick.' So all of those reactions inside the T-Craft were very real. Was there any interesting material that didn't make the cut for whatever reason? I don't know what I'm allowed to say and not say, so I'd just rather not. We touched on it earlier, but you've also got coming up. Does season two look pretty entertaining from what you've seen so far? I am so excited about season two of One Piece. Fans are going to absolutely love this season. Your Netflix good fortune also extends to season two in which you're partnered with William Fichtner. Yes. Of the main couples, can you say whose story you're tied to the most? I'm not allowed to say. I've been sworn to secrecy on Beef, big time. But it was absolutely incredible. The cast and crew are amazing. By the way, I thought you did a nice job as Adrienne Barbeau on . Thank you so much. It's a shame that an entertaining show like that didn't get a longer leash. But Adrienne Barbeau played Alice Cable in Wes Craven's 1982 DC movie, . Have you mentioned this piece of trivia to James yet? I have! The second I booked the role of Adrienne, I researched her like crazy. I listened to her audiobook. I watched all of her movies. I find her so fascinating. She is a powerhouse, and I am so honored I got to play her. And, yeah, James knew that she was in Swamp Thing. She's had a really incredible life. I understand you're a big Wes Craven fan, particularly . With Matthew Lillard returning for , do you hope that Stu remains dead and that his appearance is just a dream or delusion? I am so excited to be completely surprised in that movie theater. I have no expectations when it comes to that franchise. I just go in there and have fun. So I'm not sure what Lillard's storyline is, but I know that all of the people that are involved in that franchise are going to make it iconic, as they always do. I am such a Scream fan and such a scary movie fan that I just can't wait. For years now, I've been asking actors and filmmakers if they would ever want to adopt the meta approach of . Everybody would play a version of their real-life self while dealing with a real-life Ghostface that starts knocking them off. Can you imagine how cool that would be if done right? The problem is Wes Craven is not here anymore. Rest in peace. So I don't know how they would do that justice in the way that it needs to be done, but I'm sure that the right filmmaker could step up to the plate and do something amazing with that. Well, let's close on . Decades from now, when you're reminiscing about the entire experience, what moment from set will you likely recall first? When I walked into the Daily Planet for the first time, it felt absolutely surreal. I had chills all over. I remember telling myself: 'I am so grateful to be here right now and in this film surrounded by these amazing actors and filmmakers.' I'll never forget that moment of gratitude that I felt. I am really grateful that all of the cast was so wonderful and that we all got along so well. It felt like summer camp. I am incredibly grateful for all the memories and friendships that we had on set and continue to have off set. James has a knack for bringing together such amazing human beings, and I'm so grateful. ***Superman is now playing in movie theaters. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
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5 days ago
- Entertainment
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NEWS OF THE WEEK: Katherine Schwarzenegger hired 'stepparenting coach' before marrying Chris Pratt
In an interview for the Parenting & You with Dr. Shefali podcast on Tuesday, the author-entrepreneur opened up about her experience of becoming a stepmother to the Guardians of the Galaxy actor's 12-year-old son Jack, whom he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris. "Number one thing I say is get a stepparenting therapist or stepparenting coach, because I got that right when we got engaged, and it's been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a stepparent,". "Stepparenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles....
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
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Lee Pace: Brother Day disillusioned with the Empire in 'Foundation' S3
NEW YORK, July 18 (UPI) -- The Hobbit and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Lee Pace says Season 3 of Foundation has a different feel than the previous two chapters of the critically acclaimed sci-fi drama. New episodes of the adaptation of Isaac Asimov's book series air Fridays on Apple TV+. The show follows a group of scientists who try to save humanity by rebuilding civilization on a remote planet amid the fall of the Galactic Empire, which is ruled by a genetic dynasty of three clones -- Pace's Brother Day, Terrence Mann's Brother Dusk and Cassian Milton's Brother Dawn. "He doesn't want any relationship with any of them. He's very disillusioned with the entire idea of Empire, that he's an emperor and he wants to get as far away from the jerks in the palace as he possibly can," Pace, 46, told UPI about Brother Day in a recent Zoom interview. "He wants to hang out in the garden and get stoned and eat and just be fat and happy," Pace explained. Answer the call. A new episode of #Foundation is now streaming. Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 18, 2025 "He doesn't want to sit there and play politics on the throne anymore and he hates the people who think that they can. He's not someone who thinks that it's worth trying to control anything. You can't do it. Not even the robot can do it. ... Might as well just relax. If things are going to fall apart, they're going to fall apart. There's no saving them." The Crow alum Laura Birn, 44, plays Demerzel, a humanoid robot and the trio's most trusted adviser. "I'm excited to explore the relationship between Demerzel and Day. I just find it endlessly interesting and surprising and disturbing this year," Birn said. "It's the part that I always wait most for when I get the new scripts, like, 'What's happening between them and this weird little dysfunctional family?'" Pace agreed. "i always find that really interesting and we have a great time working together, too, so it's such a fun dynamic to see: 'Well, what hands do we have this season? How is this game going to play out?'" he said. Season 3 sees the introduction of The Mule (Pilou Asbæk), a villain who uses mind control on his foes, but Pace said Brother Day doesn't even really know he exists. "He's too far away and insignificant," the actor added. "The Mule is the big instigator of the season and a very huge disruptor, but one of the things that's so interesting to me about Foundation is that it's not a story about battles. You might think that's the case from the beginning of this season where you've got a great, big, powerful Foundation and you've got a great, big, powerful Empire. You think they're going to clash in some way." But that's not actually where the story goes, Pace emphasized. "It's about the center falling out and then this crumbling over here and then that group kind of having a different opinion and eating each other," he said. "It's like the disintegration from lots of places. That's what chaos does to order," Pace added. "That's what The Mule is. He is the invention of chaos." Demerzel -- on the other hand -- thrives on mayhem. "The chaos and the destruction that he brings is kind of like another crisis to attack, to solve, but, at the same time, there's this weird possibility of freedom or something new or something unexpected for her," Birn noted. "She doesn't have clear answers," the actress added. "She's insecure of which direction is the right direction. Is her programming sending one direction or could it be this and that? And what happens? Her mind exploding for all these options is part of what The Mule offers for her. It is like the possibility to see things differently, so it definitely changes her course." So, is Foundation a cautionary tale for viewers in 2025? "I wouldn't want to tell anyone how to watch the show," Pace said. "The show is such a feast," he added. "You can pick and choose and think about things that resonate with you." The fact that the brilliant Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) has devised a way to protect and store all human knowledge on a safe planet is a positive message to impart to audiences. "At the center of the show is this idea of hope that Hari Selden proposes that there is a mathematical likelihood that we will survive this," Pace said. "It's not a zero chance that we will," he added. "There's a hope inside the show that I really appreciate. There's a sense of, 'You can bet on humans' ability to continue to travel on.'" Birn said she thinks her character's existence also makes the show relevant to people grappling with real-life issues connected to artificial intelligence. "We've created AI. We've taught AI everything it knows. But not even the ones who are creating it now have an idea where it will evolve and what happens if, suddenly, there's another species that's equal to us or even dominant," she added. "It's more than being afraid of AI, but more being a little bit afraid of how we will treat that other species, if it evolves." The cast also includes Lou Llobell, Cherry Jones, Brandon P. Bell, Synnøve Karlsen, Cody Fern, Tómas Lemarquis, Alexander Siddig and Troy Kotsur.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Gunn Got Bradley Cooper for ‘Superman' Cameo Because He Needed ‘Somebody That Could Walk In the Footsteps of Marlon Brando'
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains minor spoilers for 'Superman,' in theaters now. James Gunn has high praise for Bradley Cooper, which is why he needed him for a very important cameo in 'Superman.' More from Variety James Gunn Says He's 'Incredibly Grateful' For Successful Opening of 'Superman': 'A Hopeful Testament to the Kindness and Quality of Human Beings' David Zaslav Champions New DC Universe and 'Bold 10-Year Plan' After 'Superman' Box Office Victory: 'The Vision Is Clear. The Momentum Is Real' Box Office: 'Superman' Flies to $217 Globally, 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Crosses $500 Million, 'Lilo & Stitch' Hits $994 Million In the opening moments of the DC tentpole, Cooper appears as Jor-El, the father of Superman. The role was first brought to the big screen by legendary actor Marlon Brando in the original 1978 'Superman.' During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gunn said he cast Cooper with Brando's performance in mind, knowing he could keep with the foremost portrayal of Jor-El. 'I needed somebody who could play Jor-El, who had the stature of what we imagine that character to be,' Gunn explained. 'Somebody that could walk in the footsteps of Marlon Brando.' Gunn previously collaborated with Cooper on the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' trilogy, in which the 'Silver Linings Playbook' star played Rocket Raccoon. The director said on an episode of 'Jake's Takes' that the relationship he formed with Cooper during those films made it easy to lock him in for 'Superman.' 'He's a friend,' Gunn said. 'We've stayed in close contact since the 'Guardians' movies, and I admire him greatly as an actor and as a director.' Gunn added that he called Cooper and asked, 'Hey, will you do me a favor? Come down, go to England, we're going to shoot you in a 3D environment, make a hologram of you, and you can play Jor-El.' David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult lead the cast of Gunn's 'Superman' as the titular Man of Steel and the villainous Lex Luthor, respectively. Other cast members include Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Nathan Fillon (Guy Gardner) and Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl). Best of Variety Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
