Andor Showrunner Talks How Writing Bourne Has Influenced the New Star Wars Show
It turns out that Star Wars: Andor and The Bourne Identity have a lot in common. During an interview with Total Film, Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy explained how his work on the Bourne franchise inspired his upcoming Star Wars show.
Discussing his work on the Bourne films (on which he wrote the screenplays for the first four, as well as directed The Bourne Legacy) Gilroy said, “I had been trying to get people to make an acoustic action movie, because action movies had gotten so bombastic in the ’80s, they were just enormous. So, when Bourne came along, we went way down to nothing.”
The Bourne Identity saw Matt Damon step up as Jason Bourne – a highly-trained former assassin whose amnesia hid a clandestine conspiracy within the CIA. It was a huge hit, spawning multiple sequels, and it was all about going back to basics.
"It was about making it real,” said Gilroy. “Keeping someone you really understand and really care about in a place that you understand the geography of, with stakes, is much more involving than a guy on a train with 15 machine guns and a helicopter coming down. That aesthetic, that idea, does carry over to Andor because we are on the ground with these people, so that everything that we do has an intimacy and an acoustic nature to it within the grandeur of Star Wars.”
Gilroy was also scriptwriter for Star Wars: Rogue One, and you can see similar thinking here. The Star Wars spin-off introduced the rebel pilot and intelligence officer, Cassian Andor, and with a rag-tag crew assembled from the far reaches of the galaxy far, far away, there’s no doubt that this was a film about the people on the ground.
Now, it looks as though Andor will take that concept and run with it.
“It’s an adventure story,” he explained. “It’s one man’s odyssey through the center [of the story] and then all these peripheral characters surrounding him and spinning around. I mean, God, it’s looking to be entertaining. It’s heavy material, heavy things are happening, but it’s an adventure story, too.”
Whether or not we’ll see Andor take on a thrilling speeder bike chase or take down a target with nothing but a credit chit remains to be seen. But if it’s anything like the Bourne movies, we’re in for a real treat.
Want to read more about Andor? Find out why the loveable droid K-2SO won’t be in the prequel series, and find out which period of galactic history Andor will cover.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Scream’s Neve Campbell Talks Leaving Franchise Over Pay: ‘I Couldn’t Walk on Set Feeling Undervalued’
Scream star Neve Campbell has shed light on her decision to leave the widely popular slasher franchise, admitting that salary negotiations triggered her departure.
In a new interview with People, Campbell addressed her decision to cut ties with the Scream franchise and not return to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in the upcoming sixth installment. The actress explained that she received an offer that she felt "did not equate to the value" she has brought to the franchise for the past 25 years, so she decided to stand her ground and step back from the next movie.
"As a woman in this business, I think it's really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued," Campbell said, further explaining the reason behind her exit. "I honestly don't believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.
"And in my soul, I just couldn't do that," added Campbell, who currently stars in The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. "I couldn't walk on set feeling that — feeling undervalued and feeling the unfairness, or lack of fairness, around that."
Campbell has starred as Sidney in every installment of the franchise to date, including this year's Scream, which was released in January. She admitted that it was "sad" to walk away but it was the best decision for her, adding: "I love these movies. I love Sidney. I love this franchise; I'm so grateful for it. But at the same time, I really just couldn't bear the idea of walking onto [the sixth film] and feeling undervalued."
The actress revealed in June that she would not be returning for Scream 6 despite reuniting with the cast on the fifth movie. "Sadly I won't be making the next Scream film," she said. "As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.
"It's been a very difficult decision to move on," Campbell added. "To all my Scream fans, I love you. You've always been so incredibly supportive to me. I'm forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years."
While Campbell won't be subjected to Ghostface's next round of terror, Jenna Ortega will be back as Tara Carpenter alongside Courtney Cox who is reprising her role as Gale Weathers, a character that she has played in every iteration of the film series so far. Hayden Panettiere will also be making a return as Kirby Reed, a fan-favorite character from Scream 4, who Ortega says will "redeem herself" in the next movie.
Production on Scream 6 is currently underway, as the film is slated to be released early next year. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are directing the movie from a script written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. Vanderbilt is also serving as a producer alongside Paul Neinstein and William Sherak. Kevin Williamson is executive producing with Gary Barber, Peter Oillataguerre, and Chad Villella.
Campbell, on the other hand, will next appear in Peacock's live-action video game adaptation of Twisted Metal. She has joined the cast alongside Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church, and Will Arnett. There's no word yet on when the series will be released, but reports have suggested that Sony is going to revive the Twisted Metal video game series to further bolster the TV project.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
Elite: Dangerous Director David Braben Steps Down as Frontier CEO After 28 Years
Elite: Dangerous director and founder of Frontier Developments David Braben has stepped down as the company's CEO after holding the role for 28 years.
As reported by GI.biz, Braben will remain as the studio president and founder but will be replaced in the CEO position by chief creative officer Jonny Watts. He will still be a highly influential figure at the developer, however, as Frontier said Braben is still an "executive director" and will "retain his leadership and vision for Frontier's strategic direction".
"Frontier is very important to me and I am delighted to be able to pass on my CEO responsibilities to the exceptionally talented Jonny Watts, who I know will do a terrific job," Braben said.
"He has the perfect combination of creative leadership and gaming vision to build on the excellent momentum in the business. I am looking forward to my new role at Frontier, and this change enables me to focus on our longer-term strategic opportunities."
Watts was credited as a key figure in the company's recent successes including unaudited record revenue of £111 million in FY 2022. He's also been at the company for a significant amount of time, originally starting in 1998 as a software developer before rising through the ranks and eventually becoming CCO in 2012.
"I am excited to step up and lead Frontier into the next chapter of our growth," Watts said. "We have an amazing team and an exceptional culture of high-quality creativity and inclusivity. I’m looking forward to working with David and the wider Board to take us to still greater success."
Braben became a British game developer star back in 1984 when he co-designed the original Elite with Ian Bell. In 1994 he set up Frontier Developments, and the studio's first game was Frontier: First Encounters, a direct sequel to Frontier: Elite 2. Braben would then return to the series in 2014 for the ongoing Elite: Dangerous. But Braben's tenure as CEO at Frontier has produced more than just the Elite series; the studio is also well known for theme park simulation games including RollerCoaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon, Jurassic World Evolution, Planet Coaster, and more.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
The Sandman: Neil Gaiman Teases ‘Rematch To End All Rematches’ for Season 2
Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Sandman Season 1, episode 4.
The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman already has some ideas for Season 2.
During an interview with Total Film, the 61-year-old author revealed what he wants to include in the next story arc of The Sandman (if it gets made, of course).
“Season two would essentially begin with the Lucifer/Morpheus rematch,” he revealed. “The rematch to end all rematches. Lucifer is not going to let things end in the way that Lucifer let things end at the end of episode 4, this is going to go so much darker – but it's also going to go to places that people are not expecting.”
The Sandman debuted on Netflix just a few days ago, seeing Tom Sturridge take the role of Morpheus (aka Dream) – the personification of dreams.
But after he’s released from a 100-year-old spell imprisoning him, Morpheus is forced to traverse the various cosmic worlds to reclaim the tools of his trade… leading him straight to hell when he finds out that his missing helmet has been nabbed by a demon.
That demon, Choronzon, suggests that they fight for it, and nominates Lucifer in his place as champion. What results is a fight between cosmic entities. Not exactly a bare-knuckle brawl, either – instead, they inflict harm upon one another by summoning imaginative entities. A hunter beats a wolf, and so on. But there’s a lot more to Lucifer that Gaiman wants to delve into in season two.
“The Silver City is the place where the angels live,” he explained. “Lucifer is very much a fallen angel and you get that amazing Gwendoline Christie beauty, and presence, and gloriousness. But the idea of actually getting to meet some honest-to-goodness angels from the Silver City? That would definitely be something we would want to have happen.”
Whether or not we’ll get to see that rematch remains to be seen. After all, The Sandman Season 2 is yet to be greenlit. But I get the feeling there’s life in the old cosmic being yet.
Want to read more about The Sandman? Check out our full review of The Sandman Season One and what the season finale really means.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
House of the Dragon: How to watch the Game of Thrones prequel in Australia
House of the Dragon, the highly-anticipated prequel to Game Of Thrones, will soon be upon us. And (unlike the first few seasons of GoT) we wil be able to watch it legally in Australia at the same time as it premieres in the US. No downloading or VPN required!
Stream House of the Dragon in Australia
House of the Dragon will be available to stream in Australia on Binge, and the first episode drops at 11.00am (AEST). New episodes will drop every week, for the 10-episode first season, starting August 22.
Binge subscriptions start at $10/month for SD, and $16/month for HD. There is a 14-day free trial available to new users.
More: Aussie Streaming Guide: The Best TV & Movies for August on Netflix, Disney, Prime and Binge!
Inside the Targaryen family history
House of The Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's spin-off book, Fire & Blood, which tells the story of the Targaryen family in the style of a history book. However, the series will differ from the original book. In an interview with IGN (below) co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik discuss their approach, saying: "The fun of this show is that it plays as a bit of a companion piece to the history book."
The series features a star-studded cast, including Aussies Milly Alcock as young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong.
The bill also includes includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel and Rhys Ifans.
Check out the trailer below.
House of the Dragon: How to watch the Game of Thrones prequel in Australia
House of the Dragon, the highly-anticipated prequel to Game Of Thrones, will soon be upon us. And (unlike the first few seasons of GoT) we wil be able to watch it legally in Australia at the same time as it premieres in the US. No downloading or VPN required!
Stream House of the Dragon in Australia
House of the Dragon will be available to stream in Australia exclusively on Binge, and the first episode drops at 11.00am (AEST). New episodes will drop every week, for the 10-episode first season.
Binge subscriptions start at $10/month for SD, and $16/month for HD. There is a 14-day free trial available to new users.
More: Aussie Streaming Guide: The Best TV & Movies for August on Netflix, Disney, Prime and Binge!
Inside the Targaryen family history
House of The Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin's spin-off book, Fire & Blood, which tells the story of the Targaryen family in the style of a history book. However, the series will differ from the original book. In an interview with IGN (below) co-showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik discuss their approach, saying: "The fun of this show is that it plays as a bit of a companion piece to the history book."
The series features a star-studded cast, including Aussies Milly Alcock as young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong.
The bill also includes includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel and Rhys Ifans.
Check out the trailer below.
George R.R. Martin Was ‘Out of the Loop’ in Later Game of Thrones Seasons
Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin wasn’t so involved in later seasons of the show.
During an interview with the New York Times, the 73-year-old author revealed that he wasn’t kept up to date by the final seasons of the hit HBO fantasy series.
“By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop,” he revealed. Asked why he became estranged from the show, he simply replied: “I don’t know — you have to ask Dan and David.”
This is a remarkable turnaround when compared to the early seasons of the show, on which Martin consulted. He was heavily involved in most aspects of Game of Thrones, from the show’s scripts to its casting. The report says David Benioff and D.B. Weiss declined to comment.
If you ask fans of the novels, they’d likely tell you that Martin's waning involvement could be felt throughout later seasons of the show. But Martin did previously admit that he was involved in at least “conversations” about the show’s ending.
“I don't think Dan and Dave's ending is gonna be that different from my ending because of the conversations we did have,” he said. “But they may be on certain secondary characters, there may be big differences. There's no way to get in all the detail, all the minor characters, all the secondary characters.”
Thankfully, Martin has been a lot more hands-on with the upcoming prequel, House of the Dragon.
“George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource,” said HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys. “He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, its creator, its keeper. And so I can’t imagine doing a show that he didn’t believe in or didn’t endorse.”
Whether or not Martin will remain as involved in House of the Dragon as the show progresses remains to be seen. But for the time being, it looks as though it’s got his approval.
Want to read more about House of the Dragon? Check out how the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel will differ from the books, and check out some of HBO’s unused prequel ideas.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
George R.R. Martin Was ‘Out of the Loop’ in Later Game of Thrones Seasons
Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin wasn’t so involved in later seasons of the show.
During an interview with the New York Times, the 73-year-old author revealed that he wasn’t kept up to date by the final seasons of the hit HBO fantasy series.
“By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop,” he revealed. Asked why he became estranged from the show, he simply replied: “I don’t know — you have to ask Dan and David.”
This is a remarkable turnaround when compared to the early seasons of the show, on which Martin consulted. He was heavily involved in most aspects of Game of Thrones, from the show’s scripts to its casting. The report says David Benioff and D.B. Weiss declined to comment.
If you ask fans of the novels, they’d likely tell you that Martin's waning involvement could be felt throughout later seasons of the show. But Martin did previously admit that he was involved in at least “conversations” about the show’s ending.
“I don't think Dan and Dave's ending is gonna be that different from my ending because of the conversations we did have,” he said. “But they may be on certain secondary characters, there may be big differences. There's no way to get in all the detail, all the minor characters, all the secondary characters.”
Thankfully, Martin has been a lot more hands-on with the upcoming prequel, House of the Dragon.
“George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource,” said HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys. “He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, its creator, its keeper. And so I can’t imagine doing a show that he didn’t believe in or didn’t endorse.”
Whether or not Martin will remain as involved in House of the Dragon as the show progresses remains to be seen. But for the time being, it looks as though it’s got his approval.
Want to read more about House of the Dragon? Check out how the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel will differ from the books, and check out some of HBO’s unused prequel ideas.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
John Wick 4 Will be the Longest in the Series So Far
John Wick will be back… with an even longer runtime.
During an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski revealed that John Wick 4 is the longest film in the whole franchise. “It's longer than the other three, but not that long,” he said.
At the moment, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the longest film in the series at a lengthy 131 minutes… and that means the upcoming fourth installment has to be at least 2 hours 11 minutes long.
John Wick Chapter 2 is the second longest coming in at 122 minutes, while the original John Wick is a measly 101 minutes.
It’s rumored that Stahelski’s cut of the film is pretty substantial and may get shortened during the editing process… but it sounds as though Stahelski is nearly done, leaving not much time for the film to get cut down.
“We're on the final stretch for picture lock, and then we have our VFX music,” said Stahelski. “But this is the furthest along I've ever been, this much in post. We love the music that we've got so far. We still have Tyler Bates doing the composition on some of the bigger sequences.”
In fact, it sounds as though John Wick 4 is incredibly close to being finished.
“VFX are going to be coming in throughout the rest of the year. But we're dangerously close. In our edit, as far as our picture lock goes, we're within a few minutes of locking. Our sequences are done. The movie is essentially done. There's probably another few weeks of tweaking overall, then we lock picture, and we're about music sound and the effects.”
As for how the picture is coming together, it looks as though it’s all a lock… except perhaps the film’s ending.
“There's one [action sequence] for the end of the film that I think we've almost got figured out, so we can be initiating, so I'll have an end of the movie,” he explained.
Whether or not that affects the film’s already hefty runtime remains to be seen. But honestly, more John Wick? Make it as long as you like, Chad. I’ll eagerly watch every last minute of it.
Want to read more about John Wick 4? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
John Wick 4 Will be the Longest in the Series So Far
John Wick will be back… with an even longer runtime.
During an interview with Collider, director Chad Stahelski revealed that John Wick 4 is the longest film in the whole franchise. “It's longer than the other three, but not that long,” he said.
At the moment, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is the longest film in the series at a lengthy 131 minutes… and that means the upcoming fourth installment has to be at least 2 hours 11 minutes long.
John Wick Chapter 2 is the second longest coming in at 122 minutes, while the original John Wick is a measly 101 minutes.
It’s rumored that Stahelski’s cut of the film is pretty substantial and may get shortened during the editing process… but it sounds as though Stahelski is nearly done, leaving not much time for the film to get cut down.
“We're on the final stretch for picture lock, and then we have our VFX music,” said Stahelski. “But this is the furthest along I've ever been, this much in post. We love the music that we've got so far. We still have Tyler Bates doing the composition on some of the bigger sequences.”
In fact, it sounds as though John Wick 4 is incredibly close to being finished.
“VFX are going to be coming in throughout the rest of the year. But we're dangerously close. In our edit, as far as our picture lock goes, we're within a few minutes of locking. Our sequences are done. The movie is essentially done. There's probably another few weeks of tweaking overall, then we lock picture, and we're about music sound and the effects.”
As for how the picture is coming together, it looks as though it’s all a lock… except perhaps the film’s ending.
“There's one [action sequence] for the end of the film that I think we've almost got figured out, so we can be initiating, so I'll have an end of the movie,” he explained.
Whether or not that affects the film’s already hefty runtime remains to be seen. But honestly, more John Wick? Make it as long as you like, Chad. I’ll eagerly watch every last minute of it.
Want to read more about John Wick 4? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
