Movies

Sean Connery and Michael Caine’s 1975 classic The Man Who Would Be King has many shocking stories from behind the scenes.Based on the Rudyard Kipling classic, the film saw the two stars play rogue ex-soldiers in the British Army during the late 19th century when one is mistaken for a god and made king.Director John Huston had attempted to make the movie in the 1950s, hoping to cast Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart as the leads, but the latter died before it could be made.The filmmaker also considered the likes of Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.When Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s names were suggested, they recommended Connery and Caine.The pair soon signed on, although the James Bond star threatened to abandon the film when the producers almost dismissed ...

Groundhog Day is a comedy classic and a fan theory about Bill Murray’s comedy classic has proven to be very popular on Reddit. The movie never explained why Phil Connors was trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over. But what if it was the ever-annoying Ned Ryerson who cursed him, because he was the devil?Reddit user SuperConductiveRabbi writes: “When Phil first encounters Ned he insults him. Immediately after the insult Phil steps into a puddle, and Ned remarks, ‘Well-ha-ha! Watch out for that first step, it's a doozy!’ The ‘first step’ Ned refers to [is] literally the first step Phil takes after being placed into the time loop, and Ned is laughing at the irony that Phil's first step was so unpleasant. It's a cruel irony that only Ned is able to enjoy.”The theorist cont...

John Wayne and John Ford collaborated on some of the Hollywood Golden Age’s best-loved Westerns, from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.Perhaps their most famous was 1956’s The Searchers, which saw Duke play a Civil War veteran spending years searching for his abducted niece, played by Natalie Wood.Still a student in high school at the time, Wayne and co-star Jeffrey Hunter had to pick her up and take her to set on several occasions.The Searchers was shot in Ford’s favoured Monument Valley, part of the Navajo territory on the Arizona/Utah state line, temperatures during filming could reach heights of 49°C (120°F).The director was brilliant and eccentric, chewing through the corners of a dozen handkerchiefs while smoking a pipe each day. He also discouraged cha...

Peter O’Toole very nearly didn’t play Lawrence of Arabia. Originally, Marlon Brando was wanted by director Sir David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel, with the latter having won Oscars alongside the star for 1954’s On the Waterfront. However, the Hollywood legend turned it down for the shooting in Tahiti with better pay on Mutiny on the Bounty, saying: "I'll be damned if I'll spend two years of my life on some f***ing camel!"The second choice for TE Lawrence, the World War 1 hero renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, was the virtually unknown Albert Finney. Despite extensive screen tests, he refused to sign up for a seven-year contract, so they went for his drama school classmate O’Toole instead – even though he was considerably taller than the historical fig...

The new year will bring brand new releases to theatres worldwide and there are plenty of movies to choose from in 2025.Express Online have collated a round up of the biggest film releases set to take audiences by storm and certainly keep you entertained.Whether you're looking for musicals, to superheroes, or animation we have got you covered with the must sees of the year.While by no means exhaustive, here is a collection of some of the biggest movies to look out for in 2025.Michael The Michael Jackson biopic will hit theatres in the new year, with the King of Pop’s nephew Jaafar Jackson portraying the late superstar. The 26 year old, son of Jermaine Jackson, said on Twitter that he was “humbled and honored” to bring his uncle’s story to life.The movie, titled “Michael,” is being made w...

Back in the 1970s, Steven Spielberg told George Lucas that he wanted to make a James Bond movie. Instead, the two teamed up with their own action hero in Indiana Jones.But when it came to casting the father of Harrison Ford’s lead in the third movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the director managed to convince the original 007, Sean Connery, to take the part.But did you know Connery, who died in 2020, was also pursued to return as Henry Jones Sr. in 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?By this stage, the former Bond star had pretty much retired from acting after a bad experience on 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Although he did a couple of voice acting roles in the 2005 From Russia with Love video game and 2012 Scottish CGI film Sir Billi.Acco...

Rumours have been circulating for months now that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is set to be cast as the next James Bond.However, the Kraven the Hunter star has some tough competition, as in the last 24 hours, odds at Coral have been slashed on another rising star.The actor in question is Dua Lipa’s alleged fiancé, Callum Turner and his chances of winning the Licence to Kill have halved from 4-1 to 2-1.The 34-year-old English actor best known for the Fantastic Beasts films and Masters of the Air is now just behind bookies’ frontrunner Taylor-Johnson, who leads the pack on 4-5.Like the latter, Turner is certainly the right age and nationality to be considered in the secret 007 auditions should he get the nudge from Barbara Broccoli.Also in the running for the bookies’ race are the following: Jame...

It's Christmas Day, so when is there a more perfect time after that big festive lunch to put your feet up and whack on a classic World War 2 film?Two underrated ones are on ITV4 this afternoon, starting with The Sea Wolves at 4pm.Released in 1980, the movie stars Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven in the true story of Operation Creek.The covert mission saw the British Indian Army’s Calcutta Light Horse (part of the Cavalry Reserve) sink a German merchant ship in neutral Portugal’s Goa territory back in 1943.This vessel controlled a secret radio which was transmitting crucial information on Allied shipping to Nazi U-boats in the Indian Ocean.Additionally, at 6:30pm today, there’s 1969’s Battle of Britain on afterwards, which saw Sean Connery’s Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton and ...

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 1992 trailerThe festive season always offers a treasure trove of Christmas classics to watch all over again but it can be difficult to spot the best ones through TV guides and subscription platforms.Thankfully, there is still a healthy collection all ready to stream at no extra cost.Navigating through online libraries can be a daunting task, and the vast array of streaming services only adds to the confusion.However, this year, several timeless films are available for free streaming at your leisure via BBC iPlayer, ITVX or Channel 4.Here's a small selection of top picks that won't cost you a penny. From family favourites to 'iconic' sequels and classic comedies, there's something to match every mood.Scrooged is a modern take on A Christmas Carol and can be...

The Lion King 2019 may have ruled the box office with a gigantic $1.6 billion worldwide gross, but it was largely considered a fruitless exercise in giving a masterpiece of animation a coat of Uncanny Valley paint while extending the narrative with needless drama and a mediocre new ballad and calling it a day.Unfortunately, the frankly offensive eyesore was a massive hit, so here we are with the latest of Disney’s inevitable sequels and spin-offs to their egregious run of live-action remakes, despite the likelihood that almost no-one has sat through the “original” again since hate-watching the 2019 revamp in the cinema.Beginning a short while after the death of Scar (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), there’s peace in the Pride Lands once more and Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowl...