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Ben Affleck’s Last 5 Films At The Worldwide Box Office (Photo Credit – Netflix)

Ben Affleck has been coming up in the news for the past few months for several reasons, including his divorce from Jennifer Lopez and his recent closeness to his wife, Jennifer Garner. He is also in the news for his upcoming movie, The Accountant 2. His personal life’s drama does not dull the fact that he is a talented and multi-faceted personality in Hollywood. The actor has performed various roles in his career, and we’ll briefly analyze the last five films of Affleck at the box office worldwide. Keep scrolling for more.

Affleck is an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter known for his work in Hollywood since the 1990s. He has won multiple awards, including two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. He began his career as a child, starring in the series The Voyage of the Mini.

Apple TV+ has ordered a new drama series, and you won't believe who is set to star in it. It's titled The Dealer, and we shared everything there is to know about this upcoming show right below.

Let's be honest. Apple TV+ has some pretty solid shows, but the streaming service does a bad job at promoting its content. However, we've seen some shows like Ted Lasso and Severance break through the clutter and capture widespread attention. We're hoping this new Apple TV+ series gets the same kind of buzz. With two well-known, award-winning actors leading the show, it has all the potential to draw in a wide audience and become the next breakout hit.

Media Res is the production company behind The Dealer. This company is also behind other Apple TV+ series like The Morning Show, Pachinko and Extrapolations. Lucas Hnath is signed on to write the scripts for...

Jessica Chastain and Adam Driver are set to star in the drama series “The Dealer” at Apple TV+, Variety has confirmed.

The project has been given a straight-to-series order in a competitive situation. It is described as “a biting exploration of power, class, seduction and culture set inside the glittering world of the high-end art market, told through the eyes of an aspiring super gallerist, played by Chastain, and the tangled relationship with her most gifted and unnerving artist, played by Driver.”

Lucas Hnath is the writer behind the series and serves as executive producer. Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer will executive produce for Media Res, while Chastain and Kelly Carmichael will executive produce for Freckle Films. Driver and Alan Poul also executive produce along with Sam Gold and Sarah Lunnie. Arianna Anderson will serve as co-executive producer. Gold is also directing.

The series is produced by Media Res, which...

Ben Affleck’s gripping crime thriller The Town is heading to streaming, giving audiences a chance to revisit one of the best gangster films of the 2000s.

Starting April 1, 2025, Tubi subscribers can watch The Town, a tense and action-packed heist film that cemented Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's Affleck as both a skilled director and leading man. The story follows Doug MacRay (Affleck), a career criminal and mastermind behind a notorious gang of bank robbers in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood. When Doug falls for Claire (Rebecca Hall), a bank manager who was taken hostage during one of their heists, he begins to question his way of life. Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm) closes in, determined to bring down the gang. The film features an intense performance from Jeremy Renner as Doug’s unpredictable and violent best friend, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination.

An acclaimed Ridley Scott-helmed historical drama featuring one of the most star-studded casts in film history is set to premiere on a new streaming service. The 2021 historical drama. The Last Duel debuts on Prime Video in just a few weeks.

Prime Video recently confirmed that The Last Duel is set to premiere on the platform on March 21. This is the latest platform that the historical epic will feature on, having been available to Disney+ and Hulu subscribers for a long time. Co-written by long-time creative partners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, The Last Duel is an adaptation of Eric Jager's 2004 book, The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal and Trial by Combat in Medieval France.

Related3 Years Later, This Historical Drama Remains 1 of Ridley Scott's Best Films (With the Best Writing)

Ridley Scott's most effective work of the last 20 years is arguably The Last Duel, a...

Quick LinksThe Return Focuses On Odysseus' Homecoming ChallengeThe Odyssey May Only Focus On The VoyageThis Return Builds On The Nuances Of Its Themes

Greek myths and legends have dazzled audiences on the big and small screen for generations. Retellings of Jason and the Argonauts and The Clash of the Titans have splashed across screens with groundbreaking special effects as skeletons swashbuckling heroes and the Pegasus flew across the Greek Islands. Many of these classics are often told with the Hollywood color, pageantry, and verve generations of audiences are used to, which is why the retelling of two of Greek mythology's greatest works, The Iliad and The Odyssey, are so rarely tackled on film. Both works were written by Homer and impressively survived the centuries. The Iliad's long recounting of the siege of Troy is full of heroes, villains, anti-heroes, and the interference of the Gods. The early 00s TV film...

It’s rare for a movie like “The Substance” to break into the Oscars race. Written and directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, the film is an intense, satirical and violent body horror thriller about insecurity and the pressures of the unrealistic beauty standards that society forces onto women both when they are young and when they are older. It is the kind of bizarre, wholly original piece of genre entertainment that you don’t often see competing for Best Picture.

But such is the power of “The Substance.” Once you see it, you understand immediately why it is being treated by many like one of the best films of 2024. Here’s how and where you can watch it right now.

Is “The Substance” streaming or in theaters?

“The Substance” is available to stream now. It is streaming for free on Mubi for all of the platform’s active subscribers.

Stars: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Derek Jacobi, Fred Hechinger, Rory McCann, Matt Lucas | Written by David Scarpa | Directed by Ridley Scott

24 years later and the sequel, which has been re-written, reworked, and felt like it would never come, has finally hit our screens. Soon after the release of the best picture-winning original, Nick Cave was tasked with writing the sequel. His vision saw the return of Maximus (Russel Crowe) and his descent into the afterlife. The original script is available to read online and involves ancient Roman Gods and a montage of wars including the Crusades, World War II, and the Vietnam War. In another universe somewhere, that’s the film we would have all flocked to see, and good or bad, it would have certainly been a bold and unique take. The direction the sequel has finally taken is far more simple than the Nick Cave script,...

Ridley Scott’s 2005 medieval drama Kingdom Of Heaven is a somewhat overlooked entry in his back catalog, losing out perhaps due to the company it keeps: the Oscar-winning director’s oeuvre is chock-full of rattlingly good historical epics, including The Last Duel, Napoleon, and, of course, Gladiator and its smash-hit sequel. But though Scott’s trademark lavish directorial style is as usual on display, so too is a raft of great performances. Orlando Bloom does unshowy work as Balian, the village blacksmith who finds himself leading the defence of Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, whileEva Green channels Connie Nielsen’s subtle performance in Gladiator as Sibylla.

Apple TV+ is gearing up for the release of Dope Thief, a crime series based on Dennis Tafoya’s novel, which promises to be a tense, high-stakes thrill ride. The series stars Brian Tyree Henry, best known for his work in Atlanta, as a career criminal who assumes the identity of a DEA agent in a daring plot to rob a drug den. Dope Thief is set to premiere on March 14, with the first two episodes available on the streaming platform, followed by weekly releases through April 25.

The series, created and executive produced by Peter Craig, best known for his work on The Town, The Batman, and Top Gun: Maverick, also features an ensemble cast that includes Wagner Moura (Narcos), Marin Ireland (The Mist), Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is the New Black), Nesta Cooper (Travelers), Amir Arison (The Blacklist), and Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction). Ridley Scott, Academy Award-nominated director of Gladiator and The Martian,...

Not many collaborations ignite as much buzz as the one between director Christopher Nolan and actor Matt Damon. Their previous projects have impressed audiences and their latest film together, i.e. The Odyssey could possibly do the same.

Matt Damon as Gardner in Suburbicon | Paramount Pictures, and Black Bear Pictures

The movie draws inspiration from one of literature’s most inspiring and enduring epics, promising to draw the viewers into a world of mythology and adventure. However, the decision to cast Damon in the lead is a bit skeptical, and here’s why!

Is Matt Damon the right choice to play the lead in The Odyssey? Matt Damon in The Wall | Universal Pictures

In December 2024, it was announced that Christopher Nolan’s next directorial would be an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, and Matt Damon would play the titular Greek hero, Odysseus. But the actor’s previous performances in...

John Wick: Chapter 4 star Scott Adkins and Gladiator actor Djimon Hounsou join forces for a new action thriller from the director of Undisputed II: Last Man Standing.

Per Variety, Adkins and Hounsou are set to star in the action thriller, One Last Fight, from director Isaac Florentine. The new action film reunites Adkins and Florentine, who had worked together previously on both Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Undisputed III: Redemption. The two most recently collaborated on another action film, Seized, back in 2020. Adkins recently starred in The Killer's Game with Dave Bautista and had a show-stealing appearance as the mob boss "Killa" in John Wick: Chapter 4. His One Last Fight co-star, Hounsou, is best known for his roles in Gladiator and Guardians of the Galaxy. Hounsou was recently seen in the horror prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, which saw him reprise his role as Henri from A Quiet Place: Part II.

The Fast and Furious franchise has seen the most bizarre inclusions in its ensemble cast. What began as an illegal street racing-based action flick has blown up into an international spy adventure that has even gone to space, and those are still not its most bizarre parts. Stars like Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, and Kurt Russell have regular roles in the films.

A still from Fast X | Credits: Universal Pictures

However, with the final installment in the works, the franchise is due for a new villain and the stars of the films already seem to have a pick. Michelle Rodriguez, who played Letty in the franchise, picked Matt Damon to play the big bad in the finale. When asked about the reason, she referred to his role in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Michelle Rodriguez chose Matt Damon as the Fast and Furious’ antagonist

The Fast and Furious franchise has boasted of several prominent villains.

Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce have officially joined the cast of The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s next film for 20th Century Studios. They will star alongside Jacob Elordi, who was cast earlier this year after Paul Mescal stepped away due to scheduling conflicts. Filming is set to begin in Italy at the end of April.

Based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, the movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after a deadly flu virus wipes out most of humanity. Elordi plays Hig, a pilot struggling to survive in this harsh new reality. He teams up with a hardened gunman, played by Brolin, as they navigate threats from roving scavengers. Along the way, Hig encounters Cima, a young doctor portrayed by Qualley, and her protective father, played by Pearce. The script was adapted by Mark L. Smith, known for The Revenant and the upcoming Twisters.

Scott, known for Gladiator,...

Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce are three actors who've had a pretty damn solid last twelve months. As stars of The Substance, Dune: Part Two, and The Brutalist respectively, the trio have each seen their movies land with fans and critics alike, leading to their presence being keenly felt during this year's awards run-in. And now, according to Deadline's reporting, the three are in final talks to join forces and feature alongside Jacob Elordi in Sir Ridley Scott's upcoming apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars.

Back in November we first shared word that Scott was eyeing an adaptation of Peter Heller's bestseller, with The Revenant scribe Mark L. Smith and Ali's Christopher Wilkinson tackling the script and the filmmaker's _Gladiator II_muse Paul Mescal set to lead the project. Then, when Mescal dropped out in early January to go play Paul McCartney in Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics,...

Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce have joined the cast of Ridley Scott’s next film, “The Dog Stars.”

They’ll star alongside Jacob Elordi, who was hired in January after Paul Mescal exited the 20th Century film due to scheduling issues. Production is expected to commence in Italy at the end of April.

Based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, “The Dog Stars” was adapted for the screen by Mark L. Smith (“Twisters”). Set in a post-apocalyptic society after a catastrophic flu virus wipes out nearly all of humanity, the story follows a pilot named Hig (Elordi) who befriends a cranky gunman (Brolin) as they try to outlast a roaming band of scavengers. Qualley is playing a character named Cima, a young doctor and the daughter of a jaded rancher (Pearce), whom Hig meets on the journey.

Scott, prolific as ever at age 87, is the Oscar-nominated director of “Gladiator,...

Gladiator II featured some action sequences director Ridley Scott wanted to film for the original movie. While he may have had new digital tools to use in the sequel, he still favored practical sets and effects.

Joseph Quinn was floored by the scale of Gladiator II's outdoor sets. Speaking to Cbr, he said it was a privilege to share Scott's vision for the film, which was shot in Malta, Morocco, and other locations using practical sets. "Working with Ridley was incredible. He was a very visual director," he asserted. "It felt like old Hollywood. All the sets were built there.I made sure to get my family out there to witness it." Quinn played one of the film's twin emperors, who enjoyed the best seats at the gladiatorial events.

Related'Raises the Game': Christopher Nolan Names His Favorite Film of 2024

It's been a year filled with cinematic treasures and Christopher Nolan picked his favorite.

It’s been great to see Ben Affleck and Matt Damon joining forces on screen more often, and their latest collaboration will debut on Netflix this fall. Rip, a crime thriller written and directed by Joe Carnahan, follows a “team of Miami cops whose trust begins to fray when they discover millions in cash in a derelict stash house. As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything for the team is called into question — including who they can rely on.” Netflix has dropped a first-look image at Rip, featuring Affleck and Damon showing off their chair-sitting skills, and you can check that out below.

Affleck spoke onstage at the Next on Netflix Special Presentation (via People), teasing that the movie “takes a look at the things people will do for money” and that it’s something of a cross between Heat, Narc, and Training Day. Sounds good to me.

It’s been a couple of years since Oscar-winners Ben Affleck and Matt Damon shared the screen together in 2023's Air, but all that is about to change this year when the duo reunite once more for the Netflix thriller Rip, which is helmed by director Joe Carnahan. Based on actual events, the true-crime flick promises to be an action-packed affair that "takes a look at the things people will do for money."

Affleck was on hand today at the 2025 Next on Netflix Special Presentation held in Los Angeles (via People) to give viewers a sneak peek at Rip, which also stars Teyana Taylor (Coming 2 America) and Sasha Calle (The Flash). "It's the seventh movie that Matt Damon and my company, Artists Equity, has made, and it really is in a lot of ways the most important for us," he told a crowd of onlookers, adding:

We've found some...

I know it's hard to believe, but the final week of January promises more than frigid temps. Netflix gives you nine more reasons to stay inside this week - as if you needed an excuse.

Thrillseekers, we've got you. The second seasons of a pair of intense thrillers premiere this week - get those binging goggles ready! A critically acclaimed comedy series returns, as does a solid anime series. Craving more sports? The second season of a critically acclaimed sports series arrives this week, too. Oh, and a much-loved children's show debuts on the "tu dum" streamer, too.

But wait, there's more! I'm not sure if writing that made me happy or like I lost a bit of my soul. Anyway, for those who want their entertainment in one convenient package, there's a family drama from Spain,

a rom-com with actual depth, and a debut standup special coming to a...

Period dramas have always been immersive ways to experience history, and they’re more popular than ever. It’s easy to find something for every period in human history — from Ancient Rome to the Industrial Revolution. Audiences can enjoy the high-class thrills of the post-Edwardian elite in Downton Abbey or dig into Japan’s feudal wars with Shogun. However, there are still some historical gaps in modern cinema.

Modern pop culture — particularly in Western regions — often overlooks Chinese history. This cinematic blind spot may be born from a lack of interest, or it may be the unfortunate side effect of various political factors. Either way, Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern is a rare exception to this unspoken rule.

Unfortunately, like many Chinese films, Raise the Red Lantern isn’t available on any Western streaming platforms. Consider checking local libraries for copies of the film. Alternatively, both DVD and...

A medieval Ridley Scott movie fails to impress a historian with its depiction of a battle. The director has built a reputation for creating epic, visually striking films, often set against vast historical backdrops. Scott and his movies have tackled various historical eras, from ancient times to the 1980s and 1990s. From Gladiator to House of Gucci and Gladiator II, his films often explore themes of power, duty, and moral conflict, set within tumultuous periods of history.

As Scott’s filmmaking journey progressed, his interest in depicting large-scale military conflicts and action scenes intensified. For example, 2021's The Last Duel covered certain pivotal moments within medieval France, while the long-awaited sequel Gladiator II furthered his exploration of ancient Rome. The latter film was just released in November 2024 after a great deal of anticipation, and though it was met with somewhat mixed reviews, several heralded it as a demonstration of Scott's talent with historical epics.

While it’s not much of a stretch to see how Mel Gibson might appreciate the work of Ridley Scott — both are fans of massive battle scenes after all, having directed films like “Braveheart” and “The Last Duel” — Gibson recently spoke in an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” about how Scott’s imagery has kept him striving to go further as a filmmaker.

“I’m pretty average at most things, but I’m good at a couple of things. I know how to tell a story on film, I know how to do that,” said Gibson. “That’s a weird place to be, but I think a lot can be achieved by art and image and you can convey a lot without actually having to say it. You can do things to affect people emotionally or spiritually even without being overt.”

One image that continues to speak to Gibson...

Ridley Scott explains during a recent directors' roundtable why it's better to start a project with a script that isn't quite perfect. Now 87 years old, Scott is one of the most prolific and respected filmmakers in Hollywood, rising to fame with movies like Alien (1978) and Blade Runner (1980). In the years since, Scott has directed a number of notable titles, including Thelma & Louis (1991), Gladiator (2000), and Black Hawk Down (2001).

The more recent decades of Scott's career have been filled with ups and downs, and quite a lot that lives in the middle. In the mid-2000s, Scott released movies like Kingdom of Heaven (2005), American Gangster (2007), Body of Lies (2008), and Robin Hood (2010), none of which now stand among his best. Though movies like Prometheus (2012) and The Martian (2015) were successful, Alien: Covenant (2017) was widely perceived as a let-down, and this was followed by The Last Duel (2021) and House of Gucci (2021), and Napoleon (2023), all of which had mixed receptions.

Ridley Scott claims that his debut 1977 movie would have won one of the biggest film prizes had it not been for $50K bribery. The English director is perhaps best known for his iconic sci-fi films, Alien and Blade Runner, which were only the second and third films of his career. A few years earlier, he made his feature directorial debut in 1977 with a lesser-known historical drama, his first in the genre before directing many more in Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, and Napoleon.

Scott's later historical epic Gladiator did win arguably the biggest prize in film, the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 2001, while his 2016 sci-fi film The Martian was also nominated for the honor. Additionally, Scott has received an Oscar nomination for Best Director three times for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. The director has also competed for another one of the biggest prizes in film several times,...

At 87 years old, Ridley Scott hasn't lost an ounce of relevancy in movie culture. His movies, including Gladiator II, the recent sequel to his 2000 Best Picture winner, still feel grand and important. Scott is the ideal kind of filmmaker, one who is a commercially-minded entertainer with a sophisticated touch. Despite his immense popularity, time after time, we overlook Scott's films upon release. Within no time, movies like Blade Runner and Kingdom of Heaven, thanks to a game-changing director's cut, became reclaimed as misunderstood gems. No recent film of his is more due for a mass reclamation than The Last Duel, Scott's classical medieval epic with contemporary social commentary that bombed upon release in 2021. However, years from now, people will deeply regret skipping out on one of Scott's best directorial efforts in theaters.

2024 was a year filled with plenty of great box office successes, ranging from the biggest animated film of all time in Inside Out 2 to the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation ever, but one success that may have gone slightly under the radar was the historical epic sequel, Gladiator II. The legacy sequel was directed by Ridley Scott, one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, and its monetary success has earned him a very significant box office status that only a few other directors have managed.

While Gladiator II's reviews were tamer when compared to some of the bigger successes of the year, and fell short of the other half of the "Glicked" phenomenon, the film was an absolute hit, grossing over $430 million during its theatrical run. The film was a boon for many of Gladiator II's cast, bringing their box office scores up quite significantly. However, the addition to...

This weekend, Apple TV+ is free.

It’s a brilliant marketing move and reminds us of the time when, back when Disney Channel was a premium cable channel, they would do special free weekends, complete with cutaways to a fake call center to see people signing up in real time.

And while there might not be hosted segments previewing the channel’s upcoming programs, you have free reign over all of Apple TV+ – including their original film library.

To that end, we chose nine movies that you should definitely check out during the free preview weekend, everything from documentaries about the Beastie Boys to new classics from Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott to a movie about the formation of “Tetris” (yes really).

Apple “Beastie Boys Story”

Apple TV+ has a robust lineup of music documentaries, with Todd Haynes’ “The Velvet Underground,” plus docs dedicated to Billie Eilish, Bruce Springsteen, Louis Armstrong and Selena Gomez.

Two of Ben Affleck's best movies of the 2010s have landed on a major streaming chart. Ben Affleck is a major movie star whose works have cumulatively grossed more than $6 billion worldwide. Although he began his career as a child actor and starred in well-known early 1990s projects including Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused, his breakout role came when he and Matt Damon co-wrote and co-starred in the 1997 Gus Van Sant movie Good Will Hunting, which earned them a joint Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Other Ben Affleck and Matt Damon collaborations have hit screens since their original success, including The Last Duel, Dogma, and Air. However, Affleck has also become well-known outside of that partnership, both as an actor and director. One of his most prominent onscreen roles has been playing Batman in DC Extended Universe movies including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.

A Ridley Scott military action movie receives a high accuracy score from a weapons expert. Alien was his breakout hit and is often considered to be one of Ridley Scott's best movies. He followed up Alien with Blade Runner, another movie that would become a science-fiction classic. Scott made his mark on other genres in the ensuing years with a variety of hits, including the crime drama Thelma & Louise and the historical epic Gladiator.

In 2012, he directed his first Alien movie since the original with the divisive prequel Prometheus, along with directing its 2017 sequel Alien: Covenant. His 2015 movie The Martian was well-received and offered a more hopeful story within the science-fiction genre. Scott's enthusiasm for historical movies remained as strong as his enthusiasm for science-fiction with his direction of The Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel, Napoleon, and Gladiator II.

Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down Is Assessed For Accuracy...

Some of the best films of the last few years have been adaptations of books, novels and non-fiction works, and they take a certain degree of artistic liberty with the source material in order to tell a more captivating story that fits the big screen. Movies like the Dune films, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Last Duel reinterpret the original text in order to make something excellent and unique.

The Wachowski Sisters, two of the most underrated and overhated directors in decades, have been known to bend previous source material in interesting ways, as they did with the screenplay for V for Vendetta or with the live-action adaptation of Speed Racer. But their greatest piece of adaptation came when they teamed up with German filmmaker Tom Tykwer to adapt David Mitchell's award-winning novel Cloud Atlas. The three of them, who wrote and directed the movie together,...

Film director Christopher Nolan surprised the world with the news that he would direct an adaptation of Homer's epic Greek poem, The Odyssey, for his next project with Universal Studios. Like the last Christopher Nolan movie, Oppenheimer, The Odyssey is gearing up to be another epic and star-studded Hollywood blockbuster. The story follows the warrior king Odysseus as he travels home after the Trojan War, facing several dangerous and mystical obstacles along the way.

At this point, it is unknown exactly how Nolan will adapt The Odyssey for theaters, meaning it is unclear exactly how many of the source material's characters will appear in the film. Though a handful of A-list stars have already been cast in the film, their roles in the film haven't been revealed. However, given the actors' age and prior acting experience, it is easy to predict which character each confirmed cast member will portray in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey,...

In 2000, Ridley Scott made Gladiator, a film that, with its release at the turn of the century, felt like an expansion on the sword-and-sandals films like Spartacus and Ben-Hur of the past, done with a flair and grandiosity that could only be made in the present. The film was one of the highest-grossing films of Scott’s career, earned 12 Oscar nominations, and won five, including one for its star Russell Crowe, and became Scott's only film to win Best Picture. For the last decade, Scott has mostly been digging into the past for his grand epics, be it with the greatly underrated The Last Duel, the misstep of Exodus: Gods and Kings, or last year’s Napoleon, which reunited the director with Gladiator’s Joaquin Phoenix.

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal reveals that camera operators would dress up as Roman soldiers due to Ridley Scott's filming strategy. Coming 24 years after the beloved original Gladiator, Scott's sequel follows Mescal's Lucius as he becomes a hero of the Colosseum. Gladiator 2 reviews were generally positive from critics, with praise aimed at the movie's action sequences and epic scope, and it's now been revealed that Scott used an abundance of cameras to capture it all.

During THR's Actor Roundtable, Mescal speaks about Scott's filming strategy on Gladiator 2, recalling just how many cameras the director used for different scenes. Though a more intimate scene may use five or six, the Lucius actor reveals that Scott would have a dozen cameras going for more involved fight sequences. Getting this many cameras into a shot required some cleverness, and Mescal recalls camera operators wearing Roman soldier gear to blend in.

The Society of Composers & Lyricists has charted the nominees for its 2025 Scl Awards, which celebrate excellence and innovation in music for visual media. Emilia Pérez composers Clément Ducol and Camille and Challengers and Shōgun composer Atticus Ross lead the field with three noms each. See the full list below.

The hardware will be handed out during the sixth annual Scl Awards on February 12 in Los Angeles. Men at Work’s Colin Hay will host the ceremony.

The group also said today that Gladiator II composer Harry Gregson-Williams and filmmaker Ridley Scott will receive its 2025 Spirit of Collaboration Award, which recognizes a composer-director relationship that has created a prodigious body of work. Gregson-Williams also has penned the original scores for Scott’s The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Duel and House of Gucci and themes for Prometheus and Exodus: Gods and Kings.

“Ridley is an open book when it comes to music,...

From a Bee Gees biopic to a new Alien movie to a potential Gladiator III, Ridley Scott has a handful of exciting upcoming movie projects in the works. Scott is known as one of the hardest-working filmmakers in Hollywood. He hardly ever stops to take a break; by the time he finishes one project, the next one is underway. His latest movie, Gladiator II, is a mega-budget historical epic with impressive blockbuster scale. Last year, he released a different mega-budget historical epic, Napoleon. In 2021, he released The Last Duel and House of Gucci within six weeks of each other.

A lot of directors work one project at a time — they focus all their attention on one movie and don’t even start thinking of ideas for another one until it’s in the can — but Scott doesn’t work that way. Scott’s best movies were all produced in quick succession.

The first trailer for 28 Years Later has been released. The long-awaited upcoming horror sequel reunites original 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle with screenwriter Alex Garland, in addition to bringing back Cillian Murphy who will reprise his role as Jim from the breakout 2002 film. The Oscar winner is also executive producing 28 Years Later, joined in the cast by Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding. It is slated to be the first of a new trilogy, with the next installment directed by Nia DaCosta.

Ahead of the film's release in theaters on June 20, 2025, Sony Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for 28 Years Later. The trailer clocks in at roughly two minutes, starting off with a group of children watching television. But it's not long before terror sets in, with the film's first extended preview offering glimpses of Johnson, Fiennes, and what...

This article discusses sexual assault.

Ridley Scott is one of the most important directors of the 20th Century, helming dozens of films that range in genre and span the last fifty years. From science fiction classics like Alien, Blade Runner and The Martian to historical epics like Gladiator and Napoleon to dramas like Thelma & Louise and Black Hawk Down, Scott's filmography runs the gamut of film genres and features something that could appeal to every film fan.

In the most recent, and likely final, stage of Ridley Scott's career, he has continued to produce entertaining and thoughtful films, but by far his most effective work of the last 20 years is The Last Duel, a fantastic historical epic that was overlooked during its quiet release on HBO Max at the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. But film fans should not pass the movie by, as it is a...

Quick Links Gladiator II Got Audiences Thinking About The Roman Empire, Again Recent Sword And Sandal Media Have Tried To Revive The Genre Focusing On Gladiatrices Could Be The Genre's Fresh Focal Point

Ridley Scott's Gladiator was a turning point for the sword-and-sandal genre, which had been suffering since the mid-sixties. Pumping in modern effects to bring a magnificent scale and realism, mixed with his penchant for three-dimensional practical sets built a livable, breathable world for actors and audiences to feel and experience. Following this, the epic genre experienced a short boost in the early 00s with hits like Troy, The Last Samurai, and 300 keeping audiences excited about swordplay and epic speeches.

Gladiator II hit theatres in the US just last month, and with the epic director Ridley Scott leading the charge once again for the genre, the question of the film's ability to lead the charge for...

The Fall Of The Roman Empire Comparison (Photo Credit – Facebook)

With Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II continuing to draw big numbers at the box office, conversations about the potential for a third installment are taking off, with the prolific filmmaker already calling in its favor. The sequel to the Academy Award-winning Gladiator saw Scott return to the helm, continuing a story loosely inspired by historical events. Adding Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Denzel Washington to the beloved franchise, the big-budget tentpole’s ability to blend melodrama with history has been a significant draw for audiences worldwide.

While Gladiator features characters based on historical Roman citizens like Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus and Connie Nielsen’s Lucilla, the story nevertheless took creative liberties, notably with Russell Crowe’s Maximus. This character replaced Narcissus, a real-life wrestler who assassinated Emperor Commodus. Despite these alterations, the film’s narrative entertained audiences’ imaginations with...

Ridley Scott's bombastic "Gladiator II" has been slicing its way through the box office thank to its incredible cast and people's love for the original film, although critics have been slightly less enamored with the sequel. Our own "Gladiator II" review praised Denzel Washington's performance as gladiator promoter Macrinus in particular and noted that there are a number of impressive action scenes, but also several parts that fall flat. No amount of pure spectacle can make up for a good story or thoughtful filmmaking, and unfortunately, it sounds like Scott might have had the wrong priorities during production.

In a podcast interview with "DocFix" (via WorldofReel), "Gladiator II" cinematographer John Mathieson called Scott's approach to the film "lazy," adding that he had changed over the years that they had worked together. Mathieson has collaborated with Scott on six of the director's films so far, including the original "Gladiator...

While not a lot is known about Christopher Nolan’s next movie, its cast is already stacked with A-list talent. Christopher Nolan is no stranger to starry lineups. His most recent movie, 2023’s biopic Oppenheimer, included a historically impressive cast list dotted with Oscar winners, blockbuster stars, and acclaimed character actors alike. Oppenheimer’s cast of characters would be tough for any director to outdo but, never one to shy away from a challenge, Nolan has evidently taken it upon himself to offer viewers an even starrier affair next time. His 2026 mystery movie’s cast is shaping up to be a doozy.

Related Oppenheimer's Ending Explained - Can We Forgive J. Robert Oppenheimer?

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer follows its titular subject — before & after he created the atomic bomb. We break down the biopic's ending in detail.

Oppenheimer’s lineup included Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Casey Affleck,...

Gladiator was always going to be a hard act to follow; after all, it won multiple Oscars shortly after being released in 2000 and has become widely regarded as a true classic among film lovers.

Filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott returned to helm Gladiator II and reviews have been positive; the sequel probably won't be an awards contender but it is a fan-pleasing action flick. However, cinematographer John Mathieson doesn't have anything good to say about his reunion with Scott.

They worked together on Gladiator, along with several of Scott's other movies, including Hannibal, Matchstick Men, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood.

However, talking on The DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast (via ActioNewz.com), Mathieson shared his disappointment with what he saw from Scott during their Gladiator II collaboration.

Explaining that Scott now shoots scenes with multiple cameras, he called the filmmaker's process "really lazy," adding, "It’s the CG [computer graphic] elements now of tidying-up,...

In a new podcast interview with DocFix, John Mathieson, the cinematographer for ‘Gladiator 2,’ expressed strong reservations about Ridley Scott’s recent approach to filmmaking.

Mathieson, who has previously worked with Scott on multiple projects including ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ shared that Scott’s method has significantly shifted, impacting the quality of his films.

According to Mathieson, Scott, at 87, has adopted a more hurried style, frequently using multiple cameras on set which, in his view, compromises the cinematic quality.

He described this technique as detrimental to meticulous cinematography since it restricts lighting options and reduces attention to detail.

Mathieson lamented the loss of depth in scenes, a quality he feels was a hallmark of Scott’s earlier works.

"It's a bit rush rush rush … that's changed in him … I don't like [that style]. I don't think many people do. But people love his films, and he's Ridley Scott … he can do...

As soon as he was hired to write the score for Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” Harry Gregson-Williams knew that he’d need to come to terms with the music Hans Zimmer had written for the original “Gladiator” in 2000. “I’ve done sequels before, but this was perhaps a bit more complex emotionally since I’m buddies with Hans, and his score for the original is so loved, quite rightly,” he said. But just as Scott used a couple of flashbacks to Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus, but spent most of his time on Paul Mescal, who plays Crowe’s son, Lucius, Gregson-Williams wanted to be sparing with the quotes from Zimmer’s themes.

“There’s 100 minutes of score in this movie, and probably five or six minutes that contain Hans’ themes,” he said. “At the end of the film, I wanted to just slip into Hans’ theme as if it evolved there naturally.

Happy Thanksgiving from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Today, for our 150th (!) episode, we are thankful for Ridley Scott! As Gladiator II reigns supreme at the box office, our B-Sides today include Legend, Matchstick Men, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Last Duel. Our esteemed guest Maria Lewis––“best-selling author, screenwriter, film curator and pop culture etymologist currently based in Australia––is back!

Much is discussed over two-and-a-half glorious hours. Ridler’s pioneering Apple Ad; his recent breakneck pace as filmmaker; his movies being on Australian television constantly; and his production empire. Maria laments her experience watching Legend for the first time while Dan and Conor celebrate the film’s importance in their childhood. Ridley’s fascination with death comes up, as do the competing Christopher Columbus film...

This article contains Major Spoilers for Gladiator II.

Gladiator II releases with the promise of a budding franchise, setting up the premise for a third installment. Director Ridley Scott didn't hesitate when asked if Gladiator 3 is already in the works.

Director Ridley Scott breathed new life into the swords-and-sandals genre with an exhilarating Gladiator sequel. Gladiator II picks up on the events of the first movie and ends with a hint of a third installment. He told Entertainment Weekly that Gladiator 3 is inevitable, but added that he's yet to dive deep into development. "People say, 'Have you got [a third film]?' And I say, 'Of course,'" he asserted. "That's the knee-jerk answer. Have we got it yet? Not really. I mean, of course, I was thinking about it even when I was doing Gladiator II on the basis of who will survive. It is better if there's a survivor."

Related 10 Things...

"Gladiator II" isn't just a legacy sequel to Ridley Scott's 2000 historical megahit "Gladiator" -- it's also, as far as a lot of historians are concerned, the latest chapter in Scott's ruthless war on history itself. Academics barely had time to catch their breath from pointing out the historical inaccuracies in "Napoleon" before Scott hit them with a scene where Denzel Washington's scheming Roman businessman Macrinus sips coffee and reads a newspaper. These are impressive feats, considering the printing press wouldn't be invented for another 1200 years, and there's no evidence that Romans drank coffee.

Scott has been unapologetic about his casual regard for historical accuracy, responding to critics with scornful retorts like "get a life" and, "Were you there? Oh you weren't there. Then how do you know?" This rejection of doctrine was at the heart of Scott's 2021 historical drama "The Last Duel," which told the same story from...

Ridley Scott has been a consistent fixture in the movie industry since 1977, with several classic movies in his legendary filmography. Starting as a commercial director, Scott launched into Hollywood with some incredible early movies and quickly cemented himself as a stylistic auteur. From taut historical dramas such as The Last Duel to a new Alien franchise entry to his return to the world of Gladiator, Scott's recent movies show that he is still one of the best directors around and that he clearly has no plans of slowing down any time soon.

At the age of 86, there are few directors working as hard and as frequently as Ridley Scott, making four movies in the last five years. With 29 feature-length movies to his name so far, Scott has delivered movies that are regarded as some of the best of all time and helped launch popular franchises. Of course, there are also...

Hollywood hopes we’re on the eve of another Barbenheimer, with all eyes on the weekend box office to see if Glicked becomes a thing. Glicked, of course, refers to Gladiator II and Wicked, with the hope being that a movie mad public will make a double bill of these movies go viral. I’m not so sure, with both movies being over 2.5 hours long and a pretty full meal as far as films go. The charm of Barbenheimer was that both movies were so different, with Barbie light and airy compared to Oppenheimer’s massive scale. Both Wicked and Gladiator are epics. They also haven’t been receiving the kinds of raves Barbie and Oppenheimer did, with Gladiator II’s Rotten Tomatoes score a fair 73%. By comparison, Wicked has it beat with a strong 91%.

For me, this weekend’s box office winner is a no-brainer, with Wicked bound to open to at least $100 million.