Moviefone Editorial

Tag: ed-harris

  • ‘Top Gun 2’ Adds Jon Hamm and Ed Harris, But Loses One Star

    ‘Top Gun 2’ Adds Jon Hamm and Ed Harris, But Loses One Star

    Top Gun: Maverick
    Tom Cruise on Twitter

    “Top Gun: Maverick” just added three more stars — in addition to the huge group just announced yesterday — but also lost one newbie.

    The biggest gets are Ed Harris and Jon Hamm joining the ensemble. Deadline also revealed that Lewis Pullman is joining the cast. He’s the son of actor Bill Pullman, and has his own credits from “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” “Bad Times at the El Royale,” and Hulu’s “Catch-22.”

    No specifics were shared on the new three new characters.

    They join an A-list cast led by “Top Gun” returnees Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, along with newcomers Miles Teller (as the late Goose’s son), Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, and the many new names added yesterday.

    According to Deadline, one name in that new group — Thomasin McKenzie — had to bow out owing to scheduling.

    Joseph Kosinski is directing “Top Gun: Maverick,” which has a release date of July 12, 2019.

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  • 11 Things You Never Knew About Jim Carrey’s ‘The Truman Show’

    It seems strange to think that “The Truman Show” is now 20 years old, especially given how prophetic the movie ended up being about the rise of reality TV.

    20 years later, as of this week, it’s still fondly remembered as one of the best films in Jim Carrey‘s career. Here some interesting facts you might not know about this unusual sci-fi drama.
    1. The film began life as a one-page story treatment in 1991. At that point, it was called “The Malcolm Show” and was set inside an elaborate recreation of New York City.

    2. Director Peter Weir said that the film was partly inspired by the life of Michael Jackson, who — like Truman — dealt with a lifetime of media attention.
    3. Originally, Truman was intended to be a younger character who recently graduated high school. But when Carrey was cast, the script was rewritten to make Truman a 30-year-old man.

    4. Earlier screenplay drafts contained many darker moments cut from the final version. Among these are scenes where Truman fails to stop staged criminal acts and a violent confrontation between Truman and Christof at the end of the film.5. The film provides an early clue that Truman’s entire town is located inside a massive studio building thanks to a shot of a Vitamin D supplement bottle, which would be necessary for someone who’s never actually been exposed to the sun.

    6. The film contains numerous subtle references to Psalm 139 in the Bible, including the numbers “139” on the sail of Truman’s boat.
    7. Weir wrote an elaborate, 10-page back-story for Truman’s reality series, which revealed that the series has won numerous Emmy awards and that Christof directed an award-winning documentary about the homeless.

    8. The film was originally scheduled for release in November 1997, but was pushed back to Summer 1998 to prevent it from being overshadowed by “Titanic.”
    9. Weir filmed “The Truman Show” in an unusual 1.66:1 aspect ratio in order to make it feel more like a TV show. However, both the theatrical and Blu-ray releases were cropped, and only the DVD version features the correct aspect ratio.

    10. Critics Siskel & Ebert” for insinuating that Carrey would never have a career after “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”
    11. Psychiatrist Joel Gold has noted a phenomenon called “The Truman Show delusion,” where schizophrenic patients believe they too are trapped in an elaborate reality TV show and having every moment of their lives viewed by an audience.

  • Ed Harris Didn’t Really Get the ‘Westworld’ Maze Reveal Either

    “Westworld” Season 1 just ended, and it sounds like Ed Harris feels the same way we do. It was amazing … but we still have a million questions. If only Arnold had created mazes for the humans who watch this show, guiding our conscious minds to enlightenment. ‘Cause right now, our motor functions are stuck in this loop:Harris, who plays the Man in Black — also confirmed in last night’s finale as the older/contemporary version of William — talked to Entertainment Weekly after Season 1, Episode 10, “The Bicameral Mind.”

    His character was obsessed with finding the maze, although he was warned that the maze “isn’t meant for you.” That just made it sound all the more tantalizing, but also all the more disappointing when the maze turned out to be a test by Arnold to help hosts like Dolores reach consciousness — leading her on a winding path inward until she found her own voice in her head as a final step of self-awareness.

    The maze really wasn’t for humans. It was also, on a more literal level, just a toy. Here’s Harris’s reaction to the maze:

    EW: What was your reaction to the maze being revealed to be a toy? I suspect it was not that much different than your character’s reaction.

    Ed Harris: Yeah. Basically: “What is this sh–? What is going on here?” Yeah. I gotta tell you, I’m still not quite clear on what the maze was supposed to have represented. But the fact that it didn’t really mean anything, or didn’t exist … I haven’t penetrated that. But I haven’t seen the finale yet.

    At least he’s honest.

    In terms of what’s next, Harris said the showrunners told him they’re doing 10 episodes again in Season 2, but they “[p]robably won’t start shooting until June or July. They sound pretty excited about what it’s about. But I have no idea what it will encompass.” Asked to speculate on what will happen, now that the hosts’s revolution has begun, Harris said, “I don’t know, but it sure seems like there’s going to be an awful lot of violence. I think all hell’s going to break loose. I don’t know if I join forces with the hosts, or what. But I’m happy for [showrunners] Jonah [Nolan] and Lisa [Joy]. This has been something they’ve been working on for a long time. They have very specific plans for Season 2. I think they’re gonna spend more time in Utah next season — they were there for two weeks last season, next season will be a month. They’ve done a great job. And it’s nice to be in a hit.”

    Before the Season 1 finale aired, Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores) teased the show’s return in a talk with IndieWire:

    “No one’s more excited than me to come back — I guarantee it! That’s the only clue I’m going to give you.” Actually, she did add, “I know a little about what’s coming in Season 2. I know how our ending for Season 1 will segue into Season 2 and… wow. [laughs] That’s all I can say. I think it was always that Season 1 was going to be this backstory and set up — getting to know the park and characters. I think Season 2 is really going to be warp speed. The show might really start in Season 2.”

    We can’t wait! But HBO seriously needs to carve out at least a half an hour after each episode of “Westworld” Season 2 to explain things to the class. If AMC can give fans “Talking Dead,” HBO can do it for the one show on TV that really needs it the most.

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  • ‘Westworld’ Star Is ‘Just Flattered’ by Man in Black Theory

    Jimmi Simpson can neither confirm nor deny the popular “Westworld” theory out there about the Man in Black. You’ve probably heard the theory — that Simpson’s character, William, is a younger version of Ed Harris‘s Man in Black, and their scenes are from different timelines.

    Simpson talked to The Hollywood Reporter after Episode 4, and they openly asked him about the theory. Here’s part of their great Q&A:

    THR: By now, you must have heard about the theories that William is a younger version of the Man in Black.

    Jimmi Simpson: Oh, yeah.

    THR: What’s your take on the theory?

    Simpson: First of all, I’m just flattered, because that man is so badass. (Laughs.) Second of all, I can’t comment on anything. I wish I could say how wrong or right you are, but you guys have to wait just like we did.

    THR: You wouldn’t want to shut down the theorizing, anyway.

    Simpson: Exactly. Bring it on, because we literally all did this every time we got a script: “Oh my god! This is happening! She’s this, and she’s not this!” Then we were generally wrong, but sometimes, we were a shade right, and you would feel like a genius for somehow figuring out Jonah and Lisa’s brilliant puzzle.

    Jonah and Lisa are showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. They, too, addressed fan theories and different timelines in a post-episode Q&A with Entertainment Weekly.

    EW: Should we not assume that everything seeing is taking place at the same time…?

    Jonathan Nolan: I think you want to assume as little as possible when watching this show. […] Part of the fun is people speculating about what they’re are seeing. There’s some amazing speculation out there. There are some theories that are so elaborate and beautiful that you wish you thought of them yourself. I think we want to burden the audience as little as possible with expectations of what we think the show is. I’m a big believer in this ever since we went to the Venice Film Festival with ‘Memento.’ My brother [director Christopher Nolan] gave an interview about what he thought the film meant but stressed it was ambiguous. And afterward we talked about it and I felt from then on that the best thing to do is get out of the way of the audience and let them play with it. And there are some things in ‘Westworld’ that are intentionally ambiguous.

    OK. Well. Then. As members of the audience, we have decided there are multiple timelines and William is indeed the young Man in Black. So far, it fits well enough. Maybe it won’t fit next week, but that’s another issue. Speaking of next week, Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores) and Ben Barnes (Logan) teased something noteworthy ahead in Episode 5.

    Here’s the Episode 5 promo:Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

  • 6 Questions From the ‘Westworld’ Premiere We Need Answered Immediately

    The debut of HBO’s “Westworld” left audiences spinning. Here are six burning questions we have following the show’s premiere.

  • Box Office: Does ‘Run All Night’ Mark the End of Liam Neeson’s Run of Action Hits?

    liam neeson in run all nightIt’s no surprise that “Cinderella” beat “Run All Night” among newcomers this weekend. The Disney live-action fairy tale was widely expected to suck all the oxygen out of the box office, and its estimated $70.1 million debut is in line with predictions.

    Still, “Run All Night” seemed like it would be smart counter-programming, drawing older men who wouldn’t be interested in a movie made for young girls. Yet “Run All Night” underperformed even its modest predictions (in the $14 million range), opening instead at just an estimated $11.0 million.

    For the third week in a row, then, Hollywood experts will be tearing their hair out, wondering if a formerly sure-fire leading man (Will Smith two weeks ago, Vince Vaughn last week, and now Liam Neeson) has permanently lost his mojo. In each case, despite a recent downward trend, the funeral arrangements seem premature. True, it’s not hard to see why Neeson’s career appears to be in trouble. Nonetheless, “Run All Night” had a particular set of problems that can account for its failure, meaning it’s too soon to write Neeson off just yet.

    Here’s what went wrong with “Run All Night.”

    The Premise: A world-weary Neeson is forced to pull out his guns to protect his adult child from abductors and killers. Sounds like the “Taken” movies, the most recent of which was in theaters just two months ago. Plus, “Run” was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Neeson’s thrillers “Unknown” and “Non-Stop.” So if the action beats seemed familiar, maybe there was a reason.

    The Marketing: “Run” is supposed to be a gritty, nocturnal New York City thriller. So why does the trailer show Neeson, in apparent daylight, shooting a rifle in the forest? Is he going after antagonist Ed Harris or hunting Bambi?

    The Timing: Speaking of baffling marketing decisions, why was the film’s release date moved from April to March? In April, it would have faced off against the admittedly formidable “Fast & Furious” franchise (“Furious 7” opens April 3), but not much else. Besides, those movies skew younger than Neeson’s do. In March, however, he’s facing off against a saturated market for movies aimed at older guys, from Will Smith’s caper “Focus” to VInce Vaughn’s old-dog-new-tricks comedy “Unfinished Business” to Sean Penn’s similar thriller “The Gunman” (opening next weekend). Not to mention competing against himself; couldn’t the studio have put another month of breathing room between “Taken 3” and “Run”? Hey, maybe these older leading men aren’t having slumps; maybe they’re just having trouble competing against each other (or themselves) for the same audience.

    The Reviews: “Run” earned very good word-of-mouth (as indicated by its A- grade at CinemaScore), so those fans who saw it liked it. But critics weren’t as fond; it got a 59 out of 100 score at both Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately for the film, its target demographic — people old enough to be fans of both Liam Neeson and Ed Harris — still cares what critics say, even more than recommendations from friends.

    The ‘Cinderella’ Factor: There was no way the Disney fairy tale wasn’t going to steal the box office thunder of every other movie this weekend. First off, ever since “Alice in Wonderland” five years ago, Disney has perfected a template for releasing lavish live-action fairy tale adaptations in the spring. Second, the title has more built-in familiarity than last year’s “Maleficent,” “Oz the Great and Powerful,” or even “Alice.” Third, the reviews were strong, as was the word-of-mouth (measured by an A grade at CinemaScore). And fourth, the movie had the eagerly anticipated short “Frozen Fever” tacked on, just in case the feature wasn’t a big enough draw for princess-loving little girls and tweens. The movie couldn’t miss, and it didn’t. Even without the benefit of 3D surcharges, it still opened bigger than “Maleficent,” which did have 3D and a better release date (in May) but still came in just a hair behind “Cinderella” with $69.4 million.

    Bad Luck: A year ago, Neeson had a sizable hit with “Non-Stop,” which opened at $28.9 million on its way to a $92.2 million domestic gross. Since then, however, he’s had three disappointments in a row: September’s “A Walk Among the Tombstones” (which still opened higher than “Run,” with $12.8 million, though it finished with just $26.3 million), “Taken 3” (which had the misfortune of competing against “American Sniper,” a bigger smash than anyone had anticipated, and which finished with the lowest take of any of the “Taken” movies, and yet which still earned a solid $88.4 million), and now “Run.”

    Still, this slump looks worse than it is. “Tombstones” earned another $26.8 million abroad, for a global total of $53.2 million; not bad for an arty thriller that cost a reported $28 million to make. “Taken 3” still earned another $201.1 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $289.5 million. Lots of stars would kill for that kind of disappointment.

    Overseas figures aren’t in yet for “Run,” but there’s no reason to assume, if Neeson’s pattern holds true, that the film won’t make at least half its money abroad. Like many leading men, Neeson has a big enough following in the rest of the world to keep the 62-year-old star cracking skulls as long as he wants.%Slideshow-181631%

  • Watch: New Trailer Shows That Liam Neeson Will ‘Run All Night’ (VIDEO)


    This weekend, moviegoers around the country will undoubtedly line up for Liam Neeson in the third (and supposedly final) “Taken” film – and while those moviegoers wait for “Taken 3” will be given an extra jolt of Neeson-related ass-kickery in the form of the new trailer for “Run All Night.” And it’s really, really cool.

    In “Run All Night,” Neeson plays a former hit man (his nickname was “The Gravedigger,” so you know he was good) who intervenes when a killer is sent to murder his son (Joel Kinnaman from the “Robocop” reboot). That puts him in the crosshairs not only of his gangland former employer (Ed Harris), as well as a squadron of crooked cops (led by Vincent D’Onofrio). So that’s the incredibly catchy synopsis: one night, Neeson and his estranged son against killers, thugs, and crooked cops. It’s going to be awesome.

    “Run All Night” marks the third collaboration between Neeson and his “Unknown” and “Non-Stop” director Jaume Collet-Serra. Their collaborations have always been top-tier entertainment and “Run All Night,” with its delicious premise and hard R-rating, looks like it could be their finest hour yet. Watch the trailer and tell us if you’re ready to “Run All Night.”

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