The daily gossip: November 5, 2019
Martin Scorsese clarifies his anti-Marvel stance, Mark Hamill mocks his original Star Wars audition, and more
1. Martin Scorsese clarifies his anti-Marvel stance in a New York Times op-ed
Another major development in the most heated and pressing debate of the modern era, as director Martin Scorsese took to the pages of The New York Times to expand on his assertion that Marvel superhero movies are "not cinema," which sparked a fierce backlash from Marvel fans last month. In the lengthy essay, Scorsese clarifies that he… still doesn't think Marvel movies are cinema. Faced with this grim judgment from one of Hollywood's living legends, Marvel Studios executives will just have to console themselves with the billions and billions of dollars they've got sitting in their coffers.
2. Mark Hamill revisits (and mocks) his own original Star Wars audition
Luke Skywalker may be one of Hollywood's most iconic heroes, but when revisiting his own videotaped audition for the original Star Wars, actor Mark Hamill doesn't necessarily think the Force was with him. In a new video gently mocking his own work from 40 years ago (which, nevertheless, landed him the lead role in Star Wars) Hamill makes fun of his shaggy haircut, says he originally thought it was a kind of Flash Gordon parody, and wonders why he called Han Solo "Hans" — perhaps the boundaries of "a galaxy far, far away" originally included Germany.
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3. Get ready for a third Fantastic Beasts movie
Where can you find Fantastic Beasts? In a couple of years, in movie theaters around the world, playing to an audience of Harry Potter fans who are loyal enough to sit through as many half-baked spinoffs as it takes to get one of these movies right. The third Fantastic Beasts movie is officially on its way, and the story will take star Eddie Redmayne (and all those other characters you definitely remember and love) to the Brazilian equivalent of Hogwarts. The sequel, which will also see the return of Johnny Depp as the villainous Grindelwald, won't hit theaters until 2021, which should give Depp plenty of time to decide which wacky hat he's going to wear this time.
4. Roland Emmerich admits he shouldn't have made an Independence Day sequel
1996's Independence Day was the biggest hit of its era, smashing box-office records, busting blocks, and attracting audiences all around the world. The long-delayed sequel, 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence, did… well, none of those things. And if audiences were bummed by the belated sequel, so was director Roland Emmerich, who recently admitted he shouldn't have made the sequel at all after Will Smith dropped out. "I should have stopped making the movie because we had a much better script, then I had to really fast, cobble another script together," he said. If it's any consolation, most people have probably forgotten that an Independence Day sequel even happened.
5. Ellen DeGeneres says Dr. Seuss was 'the first rapper'
Move over, Dre and Jay: Per noted expert Ellen DeGeneres, children's author Dr. Seuss deserves his own spot in the hip-hop hall of fame. At the premiere of the new Netflix series based on Seuss' Green Eggs & Ham, producer Ellen boldly claimed that Seuss was "the first rapper," which will come as a surprise to Coke La Rock. Ellen's claim might be a slight mischaracterization of Seuss's life and career, but we have to admit: "I do not like them, Sam-I-Am" could be a pretty devastating line in a rap battle.
