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What Castle in the Sky is based on, in Miyazaki's own account of the film's origins
Studio Ghibli's first release began with a comic Hayao Miyazaki read as a schoolboy, a satirical novel from 1726, and a research trip to South Wales. Where each piece of Castle in the Sky came from, in the director's own account — plus the four titles it nearly had.
September 20, 2026 5:03 pm
Is Forgotten Island based on the Philippines? What DreamWorks took from real Filipino folklore — and from the directors' own families
DreamWorks' 50th feature drops two best friends through a portal into an island stocked with Philippine mythology. Here is how much of it comes from genuine folklore, which regional traditions the creatures are pulled from, and what the two directors lifted from their own families.
September 19, 2026 5:42 pm
V for Vendetta returns to cinemas for its 20th anniversary on 1 and 5 November — Bonfire Night included
Fathom and Warner Bros. are bringing the Wachowski-produced dystopia back for two days with a new trailer and a documentary by James McTeigue.
September 19, 2026 3:19 pm
Zack Snyder has sold his Fountainhead series twice — both buyers backed out within a week
Zack Snyder has written 10 of the 12 episodes of his Ayn Rand adaptation and told Happy Sad Confused why studios keep getting cold feet.
September 19, 2026 12:47 pm
The Virgin Suicides true story: Jeffrey Eugenides has traced the whole novel to a single conversation
Readers have hunted for the real Lisbon sisters since 1993. Jeffrey Eugenides has said the whole novel grew from one exchange he had while waiting for dinner at his brother's house — and from a five-word answer he never got past.
September 18, 2026 6:57 pm
Sam Raimi makes movie from horror survival video game, yep, with Toy Story 4 director
Sam Raimi is plotting a big-screen take on a smash horror survival game, with the Toy Story 4 director aboard, as 20th Century Studios snaps up the rights.
September 18, 2026 4:37 pm
Barbie 2 gets a big nudge after a major Warner Bros. business move
Warner Bros. pulled a canny bit of business that makes Barbie 2 all but nailed on — involving a big-name filmmaker ditching Netflix for a first-look deal.
September 18, 2026 3:12 pm
John Leguizamo goes bad for Miami Vice ’85 — Joseph Kosinski’s big-screen take
Heads up: Joseph Kosinski’s big-screen Miami Vice ’85 has lined up a new cast member — and they’re heading for a villain role.
September 18, 2026 11:41 am
Zack Snyder told Variety he wants to make the Rick and Morty movie — Warner Bros. has already given it to Jacob Hair
Zack Snyder hasn’t given up on making a Rick and Morty film — never mind that another take is already quietly bubbling away elsewhere.
September 18, 2026 2:14 am
Gregg Araki began shooting The Decline of F*cking Western Civilization on 16 September with Ashton Kutcher and Alison Brie — the plot is still under wraps
Gregg Araki has lined up Ashton Kutcher, Alison Brie and another star for his next wild comedy after I Want Your Sex — and the title’s a corker.
September 18, 2026 1:50 am
The Odyssey Oscar predictions: category by category, for the best-reviewed film of Nolan's career
The Odyssey is the best-reviewed and highest-grossing film of Christopher Nolan's career. Here's how that converts into an Oscar campaign — the categories it can't lose, the ones Universal has a genuine strategy problem in, and the record it's chasing.
September 17, 2026 8:16 pm
Tarantino dropped Cliff Booth as his tenth film and handed it to Fincher - his novel lands on 8 December, between the IMAX run and Netflix
Quentin Tarantino is beating David Fincher to it — with a novel.
September 17, 2026 9:18 am
Lance Armstrong has sold his life rights for the first time - Edward Berger and Austin Butler start shooting the biopic in January 2027
Austin Butler’s Lance Armstrong sports biopic has kicked up a gear, as Oscar-winning director Edward Berger pushes production toward a target start date.
September 17, 2026 7:42 am
Asked whether MobLand could go on without Tom Hardy after the reports of tension on set, Helen Mirren refused to contemplate it
Two of MobLand’s biggest names have weighed in on the Tom Hardy misconduct allegations — and they’re firmly in his corner.
September 16, 2026 11:24 pm
Zack Snyder called Gunn's Superman 'amazing'. He still hasn't seen it
Zack Snyder may have called 'Superman' amazing, but his latest admission about James Gunn’s DCU film is the real eyebrow-raiser.
September 16, 2026 10:26 pm
Angelina Jolie is producing Arena, Salma Hayek's first film as a director — a year after directing Hayek herself
Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie are reuniting for an ambitious independent film — and the title may raise an eyebrow.
September 16, 2026 4:11 am
Justin Baldoni has a film again after the Blake Lively settlement, and it is Gina Rodriguez's directing debut
Justin Baldoni’s lined up his next film after It Ends With Us — with Gina Rodriguez leading, and not just in front of the camera.
September 15, 2026 12:55 am
Ridley Scott produced a crime show that did Sherlock's mind palace and Mindhunter's method years before either
Think maths and crime don’t mix? 'Numb3rs' adds them together and somehow makes it sing.
September 15, 2026 12:25 am
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