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Best Football Movies To Watch On Super Bowl Sunday

Best Football Movies of All Time.

“Are you ready for some Football?”

Super Bowl LX is scheduled for Sunday, February 8th and it promises to be an unforgettable game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
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However, if you still need your football fix, Moviefone has compiled a list of 30 of the best football movies of all time for you to watch after the game.

These football movies cover what happens both on and off the field, and best of all, every movie here is streaming right now, so you can get started watching any of them immediately.

Let’s begin!

Related Article: Tyriq Withers Talks ‘HIM’ Digital Release and Working with Marlon Wayans

30. ‘The Blind Side‘ (2009)

(L to R) Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock in ‘The Blind Side.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

The story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman (Sandra Bullock) and her family
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29. ‘American Underdog‘ (2021)

American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is.
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28. ‘Radio‘ (2003)

High school football coach Harold Jones (Ed Harris) befriends Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a mentally-challenged man who becomes a student at TL Hanna High School in Anderson South Carolina. Their friendship extends over several decades where Radio transforms from a shy tormented man into an inspiration to his community.
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27. ‘Gridiron Gang‘ (2006)

Under the leadership of their counselor (Dwayne Johnson), teenagers at a juvenile detention center gain selfesteem by playing football together.
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26. ‘All the Right Moves‘ (1983)

Sensitive study of a headstrong high school football star (Tom Cruise) who dreams of getting out of his small Western Pennsylvania steel town with a football scholarship. His equally ambitious coach (Craig T. Nelson) aims at a college position resulting in a clash which could crush the players dreams.
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25. ‘The Underdoggs‘ (2024)

(L to R) Snoop Dogg as Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings and Mike Epps as Kareem in director Charles Stone III’s ‘The Underdoggs,’ an Amazon MGM Studios film. Photo credit: Jacob Kemp. © 2024 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jaycen ‘Two Js’ Jennings (Snoop Dogg) is a washed-up former pro football star who has hit rock bottom. When he is sentenced to do community service coaching the Underdoggs, an unruly pee-wee football team in his hometown, he sees it mostly as an opportunity to rebuild his public image. But in the process, he may just turn his life around and rediscover his love of the game.
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24. ‘The Longest Yard‘ (2005)

Pro quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) and former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro (Burt Reynolds) are doing time in the same prison and are asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards. Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game fixed to turn out quite another way.
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23. ‘The Program‘ (1993)

Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently some turn to drinking others to drugs and some to studying.
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22. ‘The Best of Times‘ (1986)

A smalltown loser (Robin Williams) determines to have one more shot at the big time by winning a football game.
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21. ‘Varsity Blues‘ (1999)

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion, 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the gridiron every Friday night. When star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) suffers an injury, the Coyotes are forced to regroup under the questionable leadership of John Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a second-string quarterback with a slightly irreverent approach to the game.
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20. ‘The Longest Yard‘ (1974)

Burt Reynolds in 1974’s ‘The Longest Yard.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

A football player-turned-convict (Burt Reynolds) organizes a team of inmates to play against a team of prison guards. His dilemma is that the warden (Eddie Albert) asks him to throw the game in return for an early release but he is also concerned about the inmates lack of self-esteem.

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19. ‘The Waterboy‘ (1998)

Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler) is a water boy for a struggling college football team. The coach (Henry Winkler) discovers Boucher’s hidden rage makes him a tackling machine whose bone-crushing power might vault his team into the playoffs.
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18. ‘Jerry Maguire‘ (1996)

Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) used to be a typical sports agent willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients plus a nice commission for himself. Then one day he suddenly has second thoughts about what he’s really doing. When he voices these doubts he ends up losing his job and all of his clients save Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) an egomaniacal football player.
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17. ‘Invincible‘ (2006)

Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale’s beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.
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16. ‘Leatherheads‘ (2008)

A light hearted comedy about the beginnings of Professional American Football. When a decorated war hero (George Clooney) and college all star (John Krasinski) is tempted into playing professional football. Everyone see the chance to make some big money, but when a reporter digs up some dirt on the war hero… everyone could lose out.
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15. ‘HIM‘ (2025)

Marlon Wayans is Isaiah (back, pointing) and Tyriq Withers is Cam (foreground) in ‘HIM’, directed by Justin Tipping. Photo: Universal Pictures.

After suffering a potentially career-ending brain trauma, Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) receives a lifeline when his hero, legendary eight-time Championship quarterback and cultural megastar Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), offers to train Cam at Isaiah’s isolated compound that he shares with his celebrity influencer wife. But as Cam’s training accelerates, Isaiah’s charisma begins to curdle into something darker.
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14. ‘Necessary Roughness‘ (1991)

When the Texas Southern Armadillos football team is disqualified for cheating and poor grades, the University is forced to pick from a team that actually goes to school. Will they even win a single game?
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13. ‘North Dallas Forty‘ (1979)

A semi-fictional account of life as a professional football player. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys team of the early 1970s.
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12. ‘80 for Brady‘ (2023)

Inspired by the true story of four best friends (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field) living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their hero Tom Brady play.
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11. ‘Draft Day‘ (2014)

At the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) has the opportunity to rebuild his team when he trades for the number one pick. He must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with NFL dreams.
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10. ‘The Replacements‘ (2000)

Keanu Reeves in ‘The Replacements’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Maverick old-guard coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) is hired in the wake of a players’ strike to help the Washington Sentinels advance to the playoffs. But that impossible dream hinges on whether his replacements can hunker down and do the job, including washed up Quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves). So, McGinty dusts off his secret dossier of ex-players who never got a chance (or screwed up the one they were given) and knits together a bad-dream team of guys who just may give the Sentinels their title shot.
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9. ‘Brian’s Song‘ (1971)

Based on the real-life relationship between teammates Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and the bond established when Piccolo discovers that he is dying.
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8. ‘Heaven Can Wait‘ (1978)

Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty) is a quarterback preparing to lead his team to the Super Bowl when he is almost killed in an accident. An overanxious angel plucks him to heaven only to discover that he wasn’t ready to die, and that his body has been cremated. A new body must be found, and that of a recently-murdered millionaire is chosen. His wife and accountant—the murderers—are confused by this development, as he buys the L.A. Rams in order to once again quarterback them into the Super Bowl.
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7. ‘Wildcats‘ (1986)

Molly (Goldie Hawn) is a high school track coach who knows just as much about football as anyone else on the planet. When a football coach’s position becomes vacant, she applies for the job, despite snickers from fellow staff members and her former husband.
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6. ‘We Are Marshall‘ (2006)

When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team’s new coach (Matthew McConaughey) and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
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5. ‘The Last Boy Scout‘ (1991)

(L to R) Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans in ‘The Last Boy Scout’. Photo: Warner Bros.

When the girl (Halle Berry) that detective Joe Hallenback (Bruce Willis) is protecting gets murdered, the boyfriend (Damon Wayans) of the murdered girl attempts to investigate and solve the case. What they discover is that there is deep seated corruption going on between a crooked politician and the owner of a pro football team.
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4. ‘Rudy‘ (1993)

Rudy (Sean Austin) grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of five people and has set his sights upon joining the team.
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3. ‘Friday Night Lights‘ (2004)

A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke), is seriously injured during the first game of the season, all hope is lost, and the town’s dormant social problems begin to flare up. It is left to the inspiring abilities of new coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) to instill in the other team members — and, by proxy, the town itself — a sense of self-respect and honor.
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2. ‘Remember the Titans‘ (2000)

After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
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1. ‘Any Given Sunday‘ (1999)

(L to R) Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino and Denis Quaid in ‘Any Given Sunday’. Photo: Warner Bros.

A star quarterback (Dennis Quaid) gets knocked out of the game and an unknown third stringer (Jamie Foxx) is called in to replace him. The unknown gives a stunning performance and forces the ageing coach (Al Pacino) to reevaluate his game plans and life. A new co-owner/president (Cameron Diaz) adds to the pressure of winning. The new owner must prove herself in a male dominated world.
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February 8, 2026
Every Jack Ryan Movie, Ranked

John Krasinski as Jack Ryan in Prime Video’s ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’ Season 4. Credit: Attila Szvacsek/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.

Tom Clancy’s literary character Jack Ryan has appeared in several film and television projects over the years and has been played by such actors as Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, Chris Pine, and John Krasinski.

The fourth and final season of the popular Prime Video series ‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,’ starring Krasinski, is set to premiere on June 30th.

In honor of the final season of the series, which introduces Michael Peña as Domingo “Ding” Chavez, who could receive a spin-off of his own in the future, Moviefone is counting down the best Jack Ryan movies of all time.

For this list, we are only focusing on the movies, not the TV series, but we are including ‘Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse,’ which doesn’t feature Ryan, but does star Michael B. Jordan as John Clark/John Kelly, a character first played by Willem Dafoe in ‘Clear and Present Danger,’ and later by Liev Schreiber in ‘The Sum of All Fears.’

Let’s begin!

6. ‘The Sum of All Fears‘ (2002)

When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot (Morgan Freeman) recruits a young analyst (Ben Affleck) to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.
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5. ‘Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse‘ (2021)

When a squad of Russian soldiers kills his family in retaliation for his role in a top-secret op, Sr. Chief John Kelly (Michael B. Jordan) pursues the assassins at all costs. Joining forces with a fellow SEAL (Jodie Turner-Smith) and a shadowy CIA agent (Jamie Bell), Kelly’s mission unwittingly exposes a covert plot that threatens to engulf the U.S. and Russia in an all-out war. Torn between personal honor and loyalty to his country, Kelly must fight his enemies without remorse if he hopes to avert disaster and reveal the powerful figures behind the conspiracy.
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4. ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit‘ (2014)

Jack Ryan (Chris Pine), as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.
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3. ‘Patriot Games‘ (1992)

When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.
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2. ‘Clear and Present Danger‘ (1994)

CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.
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1. ‘The Hunt for Red October‘ (1990)

A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Sean Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Alec Baldwin) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it – because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him, too. The hunt is on!
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June 28, 2023
Alec Baldwin Returning to Acting With ‘Kid Santa’

Alec Baldwin at the Golden Globes ceremony.

Though he has yet to come back to work on American movies following the tragedy on the set of indie pic ‘Rust’ it appears that Alec Baldwin isn’t quitting acting altogether.

He and his brother William are, according to an Italian news organization, flying to Italy to shoot ‘Kid Santa’ and ‘Billie’s Magic World’, two live-action and animation-hybrid family comedies. The Baldwins will be appearing in the live-action segments of the movies.

The cameras are already rolling on the two movies, which have not revealed plot details. But you’ve got to figure that something with the title ‘Kid Santa’ might just revolve around a kid becoming Santa.

This marks Baldwin’s reunion with director Francesco Cinquemani following the 2015 sci-fi ‘Andron’. There’s no word yet on whether either movie will see a release in the States, but that could be problematic following the incident last year.
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Production on Western movie ‘Rust’ was halted after a tragic accident that saw Ukrainian American Director of Photography Halyna Hutchins shot and killed by a live bullet in a prop gun that was discharged by Baldwin.

Since the accident, claims and counterclaims have flown about who was responsible for putting the live round in the gun and keeping the set itself safe. Hutchins’ family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit and Baldwin has sought to have his name cleared of any wrongdoing.

The movie, which also had Travis Fimmel, Jensen Ackles and Frances Fisher among its cast, had writer/director Joel Souza in charge, and he was wounded in the incident.

Still, even with the ongoing situation, there remain two other Baldwin movies awaiting release: storm-chasing adventure drama ‘Supercell’ and hijacked plane thriller ’97 Minutes’, both of which are seemingly in limbo for now.

In related news, the fallout of the ‘Rust’ incident continues to be felt, even for movies that are only tangentially connected.

The Directors Guild of America has ordered its members to stop any work on low-budget indie genre movie ‘Oak’, citing safety worries. Part of the problem was a disagreement on who would act as safety consultant on the film.

“Representatives of the DGA informed the producers of specific safety requirements that needed to be satisfied for the film to be covered under a DGA agreement,” a DGA spokesperson said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “The producers failed to meet those conditions.”

Shane Drake, who had been making his directorial debut with the movie, chose to leave. “I was faced with a decision whether to stay on or remain a part of my union and I chose the latter,” Drake tells the Reporter. He’d been looking to finally make the jump to directing for 15 years and is understandably disappointed: “It was a movie that I felt strongly about, and I had spent six months working on it. I was devastated,” he adds.

Whether or not Baldwin eventually returns to American movies, the ramifications from ‘Rust’ will continue for quite some time – and hopefully will result in real change for safety on sets.

Alec Baldwin in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout.’
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March 25, 2022
‘Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin’ Brings in Robert De Niro, Caitlyn Jenner

Comedy Central/YouTube

A star-studded lineup will be on hand to roast Alec Baldwin.

“The Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin” revealed the celebrities who will sit on the dais to take (friendly) shots at the “30 Rock” alum.

Robert De Niro, Blake Griffin, Caitlyn Jenner, Joel McHale, Debra Messing, Chris Redd and Jeff Ross will join roastmaster Sean Hayes to poke fun at the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor. More roasters will be announced at a later date.

The event will tape at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles on September 7 and will premiere on September 15 on Comedy Central.

In a promo for the roast, Baldwin expresses his “generic reactions” to the roasters — a bit he taped before learning their identities.

August 12, 2019
Jamie Dornan, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater to Star in ‘Dr. Death’ Limited Series

Universal/NBC/USA

Jamie Dornan, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater are set to star in “Dr. Death,” a limited drama series based on the Wondery podcast about a real-life doctor from hell.

“Dr. Death” tells the disturbing true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Dornan), who was a charismatic rising star in the Dallas medical community. He was building a flourishing neurosurgery practice when patients started ending up maimed or dead.

It’s a medical murder mystery as two fellow surgeons set out to stop him.

Baldwin plays Robert Henderson, a methodical neurosurgeon who believes in the system. Slater is vascular surgeon Randall Kirby, who, is brash, impulsive and willing to burn the system to the ground in the name of justice.

Hernan Lopez and Marshall Lewy’s Dr. Death podcast has been heard by more than 50 million people. They will serve as executive producers along with “Happy!” producer Patrick Macmanus.

UCP, who brought us the Emmy-nominated true medical horror story “The Act,” is shopping the project to networks and streaming platforms.

They previously handled two other series based on podcasts, Amazon’s “Homecoming,” and “Dirty John,” which landed at Bravo.

[Via Deadline]

August 9, 2019
Alec Baldwin Passed on a ’30 Rock’ Spinoff: Report

NBC

The adventures of Jack Donaghy almost continued, but it will be another man’s story instead.

“30 Rock” creator Tina Fey and her co-executive producer Robert Carlock were ready to make a “30 Rock” spinoff with Alec Baldwin back as Jack, but according to a new THR report, they had to change their plans. The publication’s sources say that Baldwin was in talks for a spinoff, but ended up deciding against it almost a year after negotiations began. Left without a leading man, Fey and Carlock found a new one in Ted Danson and reworked the script for him. (NBC and Universal Television opted not to comment, per THR.)

The original idea was reportedly to follow Jack as he took over as mayor of New York. The new version, however, is set in Los Angeles, as was previously revealed when NBC announced the upcoming comedy series in July. There will no longer be any ties to “30 Rock”; instead, we’ll see Danson adjust to his new office after having run for “all the wrong reasons.” He’ll also work on his relationships with his staff and his teenage daughter.

Danson currently stars in “The Good Place,” which is going into its final season. So far, neither the title nor the premiere date of his new NBC comedy has been announced. Meanwhile, Baldwin has multiple films on the way, including “Before You Know It” and “Motherless Brooklyn.”

[via: THR]

August 8, 2019
9 Things You Never Knew About ‘The Shadow’ on its 25th Anniversary

Universal Pictures

25 years ago, iconic pulp hero The Shadow made the leap to the big screen. The result wasn’t the smash success fans and studios execs were hoping for, but the movie is still an important reminder that Batman wasn’t the first vigilante detective on the block. Celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary by learning more about the making of the odd and deeply underrated “The Shadow.”

1. Like 1989’s “Batman,” “The Shadow” went through a prolonged period of development before finally seeing the light of day. Producer Martin Bregman originally bought the film rights in 1982.

2. Sam Raimi lobbied to direct the adaptation but was rejected. Raimi instead went on to create the Shadow-inspired “Darkman” instead.

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3. The version of the Shadow featured in the movie is intended to be an amalgamation of the classic radio and pulp magazine incarnations, drawing plot elements, lines of dialogue and powers from both.

4. Author James Luceno’s novelization delves even deeper into classic “The Shadow” mythology, including alluding to the fact that the hero’s true identity is Kent Allard, not Lamont Cranston.

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5. Production on “The Shadow” was set back after an earthquake destroyed the Hall of Mirrors set, forcing director Russell Mulcahy to shoot an abridged version of the climactic sequence.

6. Co-stars Tim Curry and Ian McKellen had worked together before, starring in the stage version of “Amadeus.”

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7. Chow Yun-fat was considered for the role of Shiwan Khan.

8. “The Shadow” was originally intended to serve as the start of a longer franchise and a major merchandising push. Those plans were abandoned due to its poor box office performance.

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9. Among the various tie-in products canceled was a “The Shadow” video game for the Super Nintendo console. The game was actually completed before its last-minute cancellation, and playable ROM files have been circulating the Internet for years.

July 1, 2019
‘Roast of Alec Baldwin’ Headed to Comedy Central This Summer

Comedy Central/YouTube

For all that Alec Baldwin is known to get laughs at other people’s expense — namely, the president of the United States — he’s also willing to put himself in the hot seat.

Comedy Central has announced that it will debut “The Roast of Alec Baldwin” this summer. The upcoming special is the latest in the “Comedy Central Roast” series, and this time, Baldwin has been offered up as tribute. The network has been holding roasts since the early 2000s with past roastees such as Bruce Willis, Roseanne Barr, and Bob Saget.

As this year’s target, Baldwin will have to prepare himself for some serious burns. He’ll be roasted in front of an audience by a group of comedians. The taping will take place in New York, but the date has not been announced yet. In the meantime, Baldwin seems to be gamely looking forward to it.

“Getting roasted will be the greatest honor of my lifetime besides being a father, a husband, hosting SNL seventeen times, receiving Golden Globes, Emmys, and working with Martin Scorsese,” he quipped in a statement.

Here’s the promo for the roast:

“The Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin” is set to debut this summer.

June 5, 2019
Alec Baldwin on Fulfilling His Dream of Working with Emilio Estevez in ‘The Public’

Universal

Alec Baldwin is one of those actors so legendary and iconic, everything he does seems like an event, even if it’s a small character drama like “The Public.” Written, directed and produced by Emilio Estevez, it’s the kind of movie they don’t seem to make anymore, full of wonderful, graceful character beats and genuine surprises, telling the story of a group of homeless people who decide to “occupy” a public library. (The cast also includes Taylor Schilling, Michael K. Williams, Christian Slater and Jena Malone.) In other words, it’s worth seeking out, even if you have to look extra hard for it.

So you can imagine how thrilled we were to chat with Baldwin, about how he became involved in the project, how he goes about choosing his roles, and whether or not he misses the allure of big budget franchise filmmaking. He was wonderful, open and honest, just like “The Public” itself.

Moviefone: How did you initially become involved with this project?

Alec Baldwin: I think there’s a part of me that I’ve always been keen on the idea of working with Emilio. He’s on that short list of people who are making films that are smart and have strong subject matter and so forth. A lot of the people who were there today, the cast, are people who are making a living of it, doing jobs that are entertainment and they might have a lot of smart content. But at the same time they don’t necessarily get to make a movie like this. When someone like Emilio calls you, if you feel that you can bring something to the role and you’re available, in all likelihood you go. It’s not about getting paid. It’s not about money, maybe it’s about schedule. But I’ve always been very keen on the idea of working with Emilio.

You’ve worked with several directors who are also actors and is that appealing to you as an actor?

I think that actors historically have made very, very good directors. Whether it’s Warren Beatty or Redford or Clint Eastwood of people like that from a previous generation. And I think that actors often make excellent directors. But it doesn’t really matter. Woody Allen as a good example because it doesn’t really matter how good a director they are with actors if the script isn’t good. Some of those people have either written or have supervised some wonderful material. With Emilio, that’s key, the writing is key. He’s such a great writer. He’s a, very good director, he’s a wonderful actor. But what he really is, is a great writer. To balance this story and make it funny when you need to be funny and they can visually arresting. He knows pop things visually. And then to balance the supporting roles, to take these roles and make them interesting enough to attract a cast like this I think is a really great ability that he has.

Universal

This story has a social dimension to it, in terms of its themes and subject matter. Um, is that something that you are looking for when choosing projects?

If it works as well as this does and it involve the people like this, then yes. I mean, I have people come to me periodically to either appear in a film or TV project or to produce documentary programming where it’s very straightforward and very earnest. One of the most complicated things in this business is to deal with people who are very, very passionate about their project. And you understand that passion. You say to yourself, I know what that’s like. I know this guy sitting there saying, ‘I think we need to have a new generation of dog collars.’ And they come to you with some out of left field idea that they’re burning about. You sit there and go, “Well I don’t know how much I can really help you with your documentary about dog collars, but I support you nonetheless.”

You’ve seen that people come to you with great ideas and completely nutty ideas and yet they are passionate about that idea. And I, I always say, “God, I hope you get to make your film. I’ll be getting made an inch. I don’t know if I can help you.” The difficult thing is what Emilio pulled off because the final straw is a producer. He’s a writer, he’s a director, he’s an actor, he’s a producer that raise the money that got this made, that made deals and enticed people to come and shoot this film and got this will be sold and is getting it distributed. That’s such a Herculean task in the modern world with so much product out there, there’s so many people competing for the public’s attention.

And I want to do movies I think work and if, if they’re supposed to be funny, I want them to be funny and if they’re supposed to be dramatic and weird and interesting than I want that to be taken care of. And if I want to do something that’s really a social drama, I think you couldn’t possibly do it with somebody better than Emilio.

Well I was going to ask, you know, you said that you know that entertainment is obviously very important, but how important is it to you to keep doing movies of this scale?

Well, I think that the movies that I do now really it’s all about schedule because I have so many little children. I got remarried and my wife and I have four kids, five and under, you know. And even when I say that out loud, I gasp myself, that we have so many kids. But they are really what calls the tune. So the things I’ve done like this Delorean project I have coming out that’s going to be a Tribeca I did Ed Norton‘s movie. I worked with Edward on “Motherless Brooklyn.” He had got to adapt this book that everybody was a wild about. Whenever I get a chance to work with the best people, that’s when you get excited. You know, you’ll say, “Well, who’s in the movie?” And they’ll say, “DeNiro!” And you go, “Oh my God,” and they’re going, “No, it’s Larry DeNiro.” But when you get to work with the best people, that’s when you really, you sense you have an opportunity to, you know, you really might be onto something.

Paramount

Well, I’m, I’m curious to see your relationship with these kinds of franchise movies. Earlier in your career you were a Jack Ryan, which I’m assuming you thought were going to do sort of more of those. And now you’re in “Mission: Impossible.”

But I’m dead!

There are reports you could come back!

[laughs] That’s funny. Again, I’ve made movies where the budget of the film was $1 million. And then you make a movie like “Mission: Impossible,” where $1 million is the budget for Diet Coke alone. And I mean, it’s like you make movies, it’s just so insane the amount of money, but that amount of money is required because filmmaking can be as much as you plan, because things can happen that are unexpected. And that goes beyond Cruise breaking his leg in the middle of the shooting schedule. They test things and they test things and they do things in terms of its cinematic effect and not everything works. These highly complicated films like “Mission,” they just have so many people on the set and when you’re there shooting. It’s Hollywood big budget studio film making like pretty much no one’s doing anymore unless it’s these franchises that have these huge audiences in this huge reach.

I love doing films like that. I love Chris. I love Tom. There’s no one else I’d rather shoot with regardless of the content. They’re really great people to work for. The sad thing for me is there’s people I’ve wanted to work with that I might not get to work with. There might not be enough time in my life to work with. And a lot of the people I want to work with again. I see people all the time. I was talking to Michael K. Williams here and I was saying how much I loved ”The Night Of.” And I mean, I’m the first person when I see a show like that I like, I’m like, “You call them the phone. You tell them if they’re going to do ‘Night Of’ part 2, please call me, I’ll play a cop. Man, I don’t care.” You know?

Are there any of these characters that you would want to revisit? At one point Jack Ryan was president.

That is highly unlikely. Everything happens for a reason. I sometimes think of my career had gone in a direction where I had this bulletproof career where you literally live in the penthouse, like Hanks and Cruise and all these people who have these golden opportunities in their careers and they make wonderful films. I often think to myself, if I had that kind of career, what would my life be like? And I did not have that kind of career. I had a window where things were pretty good. And then like everybody else, you fall from the movie tree and they make you into the apple sauce of the TV business. You know what I mean? But I wound up doing “30 Rock,” which was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. These people taught me what’s funny was. I never thought of myself as being that funny. I learned from Tina and Robert and on and on, even into my personal life and if I, if I hadn’t met my wife and had my kids, who cares how rich and famous you are if you’re miserable. And my life is exactly … I wouldn’t change a thing. I really wouldn’t change a thing because I’m happier now than I’ve ever been in my life.

“The Public” opens in theaters tomorrow!

April 4, 2019
Brett Cullen Joins ‘Joker,’ Replaces Alec Baldwin as Thomas Wayne

Warner Bros.

Veteran character actor Brett Cullen is the latest star to join the upcoming “Joker” standalone flick, taking over the part originally — and very, very briefly — assigned to Alec Baldwin.

ComicBook.com reports that Warner Bros. has confirmed Cullen’s casting, replacing Baldwin as Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. the future Batman). Baldwin was only attached to the part for a few days late last month before he exited the flick, thanks to a scheduling conflict.

Maybe, though, Baldwin simply wanted to take a break from playing the current president, since rumored character descriptions for this version of Thomas Wayne have pegged him as a “cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.” It didn’t take WB and DC long to find their man in Cullen, who’s no stranger to comic book fare, having appeared in “Ghost Rider” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Though Cullen — who’s also had roles on TV series including “Lost” and “Person of Interest” — isn’t exactly a household name, the rest of the cast is certainly pretty starry. “Joker” features big names including Joaquin Phoenix (playing the titular role), Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, and Zazie Beetz.

“Joker” currently has a release date in the cards for October 4, 2019.

[via: ComicBook.com]

September 17, 2018