Yearly Archives: 2020

Harrison Ford Mourns the Passing of Sir Sean Connery

UPDATE: Harrison Ford, who starred opposite Sir Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, has released a statement paying tribute to his late co-star, who died Saturday at the age of 90. "He was my father … not in life … but in Indy 3," Ford said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter. "You don’t know pleasure until someone pays you to take Sean Connery for a ride in the sidecar of a Russian motorcycle bouncing along a bumpy, twisty mountain trail and getting to watch him squirm. God we had fun — if he’s in heaven, I hope they have golf courses. Rest in peace dear friend." Our original report from October 31 follows. [poilib element="accentDivider"] With the news this morning of Oscar-winner Sir Sean Connery's passing, Daniel Craig, whose final James Bond film No Time to Die is now scheduled for an April 2, 2021 release, offered up a few words of condolences. And Craig wasn't the only member of the Bond-verse to mourn Connery, who died overnight in his sleep in the Bahamas at the age of 90. Roger Moore's estate commented as well, along with others who were co-stars and fans of the late, iconic actor. The official James Bond Twitter account released Craig's words, which were "It is with such sadness that I heard of the passing of one of the true greats of cinema." The family of Moore, who was Connery's first long-running successor as Bond, said "How infinitely sad to hear the news Sir Sean Connery has passed away. He and Roger were friends for many decades and Roger always maintained Sean was the best ever James Bond." Former Bond Pierce Brosnan wrote on Instagram "Sir Sean Connery, you were my greatest James Bond as a boy, and as a man who became James Bond himself. You cast a long shadow of cinematic splendor that will live on forever. You led the way for us all who followed in your iconic foot steps." George Lucas, who collaborated with Connery for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, released a statement online as well, stating "Sir Sean Connery, through his talent and drive, left an indelible mark in cinematic history. His audiences spanned generations, each with favorite roles he played. He will always hold a special place in my heart as Indy’s dad. With an air of intelligent authority and sly sense of comedic mischief, only someone like Sean Connery could render Indiana Jones immediately into boyish regret or relief through a stern fatherly chiding or rejoiceful hug. I’m thankful for having had the good fortune to have known and worked with him. My thoughts are with his family." Speaking of filmmakers, Michael Bay, who directed Connery in The Rock, penned a tribute for THR, saying "He was a legend. We all have a few teachers in our careers. The ones that imprint something special on your being. Teachers that you haven’t seen in 20 years, but you still remember their wisdom like yesterday. Sean Connery was one of those for me." In a statement to PEOPLE, Connery's The Rock co-star Nicolas Cage said "I was happiest when I was working with him - his wisdom, humbleness, and extreme honesty has guided me ever since I met him. He was my friend and greatest teacher in cinema. The first movie star to lead the way in combining drama, action adventure and comedy. He did it all effortlessly and with dignity. Maestro, you will be missed." Alec Baldwin, who starred opposite Connery in The Hunt for Red October, took to Instagram for a video where he said "We talk about people in the legend category. Rest in peace, Sean Connery. You made life better. The work you did, the films you made. The experience you gave me, the kindness you showed me. Thanks for that.” Sam Neill, who auditioned for Bond in the '80s and then acted with Connery in The Hunt for Red October, offered this... Hugh Jackman, who famously turned down the opportunity to audition for Bond (as Brosnan's replacement) because of not wanting to be in two huge franchises at once, offered up these kind words... Robert Carlyle may not have acted opposite Connery, but he is wholly familiar with the Bond franchise having played a villain in 1999's The World is Not Enough... Sons of Anarchy's Ron Perlman, who co-starred with Connery in The Name of the Rose, had this to say... Directors Kevin Smith and Edgar Wright, both massive fans of Connery's career, also took to Twitter... And Arnold Schwarzenegger also chimed in, as a fellow screen icon and bodybuilder... Connery's famous films include Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Untouchables, The Hunt for Red October, The Rock, The Man Who Would Be King, his work as James Bond (of course), and more! [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sean-connerys-best-films&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Michael Bay Explains How Sean Connery Stood Up to Disney While Making The Rock

Michael Bay wrote a tribute to Sir Sean Connery shortly after the iconic actor's passing and recounted a moment when Connery helped Bay get more money for their movie, The Rock. In the tribute, published by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Bay recalled a moment when he and Connery were filming a car chase. Connery hit the brakes and caused Bay to hit his head against a window. Connery asked if Bay was okay and Bay said he wasn't, but only because "the Disney folks are here to kick my butt for being two days over schedule." Connery then offered to help. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sean-connerys-best-films&captions=true"] Later, during a break in filming, Bay is eating lunch in an elementary school classroom with Disney representatives when Bay announces that Connery is coming in. "Sean comes in, sits down across from the open-mouthed executives," Bay wrote. "In classic Sean Connery style, he belts out in his Scottish brogue: 'This boy is doing a good job, and you’re living in your Disney F***ing Ivory Tower and we need more f***ing money!!' Without missing a beat, they responded. 'OK. How much?'" Bay went on to further compliment Connery by saying Connery's working style is incomparable to anybody else the blockbuster director has collaborated with. "He did it because he loved movies," Bay wrote. "He loved excellence and doing the best he could. His work ethic was bar none, the best I’ve ever experienced." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/06/18/top-5-michael-bay-movies] The Rock was released in theaters in 1996 and it scored over $300 million at the box office to become the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, according to The Numbers. Bay's next two movies, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, were also both released by Disney. Bay is one of many celebrities that paid tribute to Connery after the actor passed away in his sleep on Saturday at the age of 90. James Bond actors Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan as well as Connery's The Rock co-star Nicolas Cage were some of the actors and filmmakers who eulogized Connery. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who thinks The Rock is a masterpiece.

Michael Bay Explains How Sean Connery Stood Up to Disney While Making The Rock

Michael Bay wrote a tribute to Sir Sean Connery shortly after the iconic actor's passing and recounted a moment when Connery helped Bay get more money for their movie, The Rock. In the tribute, published by The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday, Bay recalled a moment when he and Connery were filming a car chase. Connery hit the brakes and caused Bay to hit his head against a window. Connery asked if Bay was okay and Bay said he wasn't, but only because "the Disney folks are here to kick my butt for being two days over schedule." Connery then offered to help. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sean-connerys-best-films&captions=true"] Later, during a break in filming, Bay is eating lunch in an elementary school classroom with Disney representatives when Bay announces that Connery is coming in. "Sean comes in, sits down across from the open-mouthed executives," Bay wrote. "In classic Sean Connery style, he belts out in his Scottish brogue: 'This boy is doing a good job, and you’re living in your Disney F***ing Ivory Tower and we need more f***ing money!!' Without missing a beat, they responded. 'OK. How much?'" Bay went on to further compliment Connery by saying Connery's working style is incomparable to anybody else the blockbuster director has collaborated with. "He did it because he loved movies," Bay wrote. "He loved excellence and doing the best he could. His work ethic was bar none, the best I’ve ever experienced." [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/06/18/top-5-michael-bay-movies] The Rock was released in theaters in 1996 and it scored over $300 million at the box office to become the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, according to The Numbers. Bay's next two movies, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, were also both released by Disney. Bay is one of many celebrities that paid tribute to Connery after the actor passed away in his sleep on Saturday at the age of 90. James Bond actors Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan as well as Connery's The Rock co-star Nicolas Cage were some of the actors and filmmakers who eulogized Connery. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who thinks The Rock is a masterpiece.

Snipes Denies Claims of Violent Behavior Toward Blade: Trinity Director

Wesley Snipes has strongly denied his Blade: Trinity co-star Patton Oswalt's past allegations that the star was violent toward the director and behaved badly overall while making the 2004 Marvel Comics movie. Snipes deemed Oswalt's allegations to be racially insensitive microaggressions in a new interview with The Guardian. Oswalt made waves back in 2012 when he alleged that Snipes "was just f**king crazy in a hilarious way" while filming Blade: Trinity. Oswalt alleged Snipes "tried to strangle the director, David Goyer." Oswalt also said that the star and director's relationship was so bad that Snipes would only communicate with Goyer via Post-It notes signed "From Blade," stayed in character throughout the shoot, and would only leave his trailer to film his close-ups. As for Oswalt's allegation that he tried to strangle the film's director, Snipes told The Guardian, "Never happened." “Let me tell you one thing. If I had tried to strangle David Goyer, you probably wouldn’t be talking to me now," Snipes said. "A black guy with muscles strangling the director of a movie is going to jail, I guarantee you." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-disappointing-third-movies-in-trilogies&captions=true"] Snipes, who said he can "barely remember" working with Oswalt, said he finds it "fascinating that his statement alone was enough to make people go: ‘Yeah, you know Snipes has got a problem.’” Snipes elaborated on why he believes so many took Oswalt's assertions at face value while he has to defend himself: "This is part of the challenges that we as African Americans face here in America — these microaggressions. The presumption that one white guy can make a statement and that statement stands as true! Why would people believe his version is true? Because they are predisposed to believing the black guy is always the problem." This isn't the first time that Snipes has addressed Oswalt's allegations. Back in 2018, Snipes told Vice that he refuted Oswalt's claim that he stayed in his trailer the whole shoot, but explained that the Post-It note exchanges may have happened due to tech communication challenges on the island where they were filming. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/23/blade-things-you-didnt-know-cinefix]

Snipes Denies Claims of Violent Behavior Toward Blade: Trinity Director

Wesley Snipes has strongly denied his Blade: Trinity co-star Patton Oswalt's past allegations that the star was violent toward the director and behaved badly overall while making the 2004 Marvel Comics movie. Snipes deemed Oswalt's allegations to be racially insensitive microaggressions in a new interview with The Guardian. Oswalt made waves back in 2012 when he alleged that Snipes "was just f**king crazy in a hilarious way" while filming Blade: Trinity. Oswalt alleged Snipes "tried to strangle the director, David Goyer." Oswalt also said that the star and director's relationship was so bad that Snipes would only communicate with Goyer via Post-It notes signed "From Blade," stayed in character throughout the shoot, and would only leave his trailer to film his close-ups. As for Oswalt's allegation that he tried to strangle the film's director, Snipes told The Guardian: “Let me tell you one thing. If I had tried to strangle David Goyer, you probably wouldn’t be talking to me now. A black guy with muscles strangling the director of a movie is going to jail, I guarantee you." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-most-disappointing-third-movies-in-trilogies&captions=true"] Snipes, who said he can "barely remember" working with Oswalt, said he finds it "fascinating that his statement alone was enough to make people go: ‘Yeah, you know Snipes has got a problem.’” Snipes elaborated on why he believes so many took Oswalt's assertions at face value while he has to defend himself: "This is part of the challenges that we as African Americans face here in America — these microaggressions. The presumption that one white guy can make a statement and that statement stands as true! Why would people believe his version is true? Because they are predisposed to believing the black guy is always the problem." This isn't the first time that Snipes has addressed Oswalt's allegations. Back in 2018, Snipes told Vice that he refuted Oswalt's claim that he stayed in his trailer the whole shoot, but explained that the Post-It note exchanges may have happened due to tech communication challenges on the island where they were filming. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/23/blade-things-you-didnt-know-cinefix]

The Batman: New UK Coronavirus Lockdown Won’t Halt Filming

It’s no surprise that The Batman has had a turbulent filming schedule this year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it seems The Bat has evaded the latest lockdown protocol in the UK. As reported by Batman News, the UK will be going on another lockdown from November 5th-December 2nd. These dates may be extended depending on the condition of the country. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-official-trailer-1-stills&captions=true"] One of Parliaments members, Oliver Dowden, further clarified on Twitter what this means for personnel who can’t work from home. In Dowden’s tweet he encouraged everyone to work from home and noted, “where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted - e.g. this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers.” [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage] Since The Batman falls under film production the cast and crew will be able to continue filming, uninterrupted. There have already been multiple delays in filming this year, most recently after actor Robert Pattinson reportedly had to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. The release date for The Batman was recently pushed back to 2022 as the movie industry continues adjusting its schedule. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-breakdown-riddler-penguin-catwoman-and-no-more-lies-explained] For more on The Batman check out everything we know about the upcoming gritty reboot and why The Batman will be darker than any of its predecessors. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

The Batman: New UK Coronavirus Lockdown Won’t Halt Filming

It’s no surprise that The Batman has had a turbulent filming schedule this year due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but it seems The Bat has evaded the latest lockdown protocol in the UK. As reported by Batman News, the UK will be going on another lockdown from November 5th-December 2nd. These dates may be extended depending on the condition of the country. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-batman-official-trailer-1-stills&captions=true"] One of Parliaments members, Oliver Dowden, further clarified on Twitter what this means for personnel who can’t work from home. In Dowden’s tweet he encouraged everyone to work from home and noted, “where this is not possible, travel to a place of work will be permitted - e.g. this includes (but not exhaustive) elite sport played behind closed doors, film & tv production, telecoms workers.” [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-dc-fandome-official-footage] Since The Batman falls under film production the cast and crew will be able to continue filming, uninterrupted. There have already been multiple delays in filming this year, most recently after actor Robert Pattinson reportedly had to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. The release date for The Batman was recently pushed back to 2022 as the movie industry continues adjusting its schedule. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/23/the-batman-trailer-breakdown-riddler-penguin-catwoman-and-no-more-lies-explained] For more on The Batman check out everything we know about the upcoming gritty reboot and why The Batman will be darker than any of its predecessors. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Marvel’s Avengers Permanently Cuts Some Cosmetic Prices

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have permanently reduced the price of some cosmetic items in Marvel's Avengers. Recently, an in-game event in Marvel's Avengers temporarily reduced the price of multiple microtransactions, including Epic Takedowns, Legendary Emotes, Epic Emotes, and Rare Emotes. After confirmation earlier this week on Twitter, the reduced prices are now permanent, even after the sale event ended. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-avengers-screenshots&captions=true"] "Based on your feedback, we are keeping the 50% discounts on Takedowns and Emotes from last week's sale and making them the new regular price of these items," reads a new announcement upon booting up the game. The prices are now set at 50% of their original cost. Epic Takedowns are now 600 credits instead of 1200, Legendary Emotes are 500 credits, and Epic Emotes and Rare Emotes come in at 250 credits and 125 credits, respectively. Credits in Marvel's Avengers run at roughly $1 per 100 credits, meaning at 1200 credits, one Epic Takedown previously cost around $12. The permanent price reduction brings the price for each Epic Takedown to around $6. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/10/marvels-avengers-review"] Marvel's Avengers has seen multiple updates since its September launch. A few weeks after release, Crystal Dynamics released a patch designed to fix over 1,000 player-reported issues. While the current-gen versions are seeing support, the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions have been delayed into next year, along with the game's first DLC character. For more, you can check out our Marvel's Avengers review, or read about how Marvel's Avengers was the best-selling game of September. Story originally reported by Comic Book. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Marvel’s Avengers Permanently Cuts Some Cosmetic Prices

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have permanently reduced the price of some cosmetic items in Marvel's Avengers. Recently, an in-game event in Marvel's Avengers temporarily reduced the price of multiple microtransactions, including Epic Takedowns, Legendary Emotes, Epic Emotes, and Rare Emotes. After confirmation earlier this week on Twitter, the reduced prices are now permanent, even after the sale event ended. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvels-avengers-screenshots&captions=true"] "Based on your feedback, we are keeping the 50% discounts on Takedowns and Emotes from last week's sale and making them the new regular price of these items," reads a new announcement upon booting up the game. The prices are now set at 50% of their original cost. Epic Takedowns are now 600 credits instead of 1200, Legendary Emotes are 500 credits, and Epic Emotes and Rare Emotes come in at 250 credits and 125 credits, respectively. Credits in Marvel's Avengers run at roughly $1 per 100 credits, meaning at 1200 credits, one Epic Takedown previously cost around $12. The permanent price reduction brings the price for each Epic Takedown to around $6. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/10/marvels-avengers-review"] Marvel's Avengers has seen multiple updates since its September launch. A few weeks after release, Crystal Dynamics released a patch designed to fix over 1,000 player-reported issues. While the current-gen versions are seeing support, the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions have been delayed into next year, along with the game's first DLC character. For more, you can check out our Marvel's Avengers review, or read about how Marvel's Avengers was the best-selling game of September. Story originally reported by Comic Book. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.

Apple Announces ‘One More Thing’ Event

Apple has announced a "One More Thing" event set to take place on Tuesday, November 10. Speculation has it that this is when Apple will unveil its first Arm-based Macs running on Apple Silicon Chips. A departure from the Intel processors the company previously favored. An invitation sent out to customers announced the special event will take place at 10 am PT/1 pm ET from Apple Park. The name comes from the phrase which Apple CEOs use at the end of keynotes for some sort of surprise announcement. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=best-smartphones&captions=true"] Apple rumors previously pegged the Apple Silicon Chip powered Macs to start arriving at the end of the year. Apple has promised the new chips will deliver a new level of performance at lower power consumption. Prototypes for the new macs were shown running hefty apps like Final Cut Pro, and the new GPUs in the chips were shown running games like Tomb Raider. Tune in to IGN on November 10 for a full rundown of Apple's surprise announcement. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.