This week in news: Ghostbusters shows its hand (and it’s clutching a proton pack), Independence Day: Resurgence gets a trailer and Star Trek Beyond lands on an unknown planet
Postin’ makes us feel good
Paul Feig's Ghostbusters could be the spectral reboot we’ve all been waiting for. Funny cast, funny director, Chris Hemsworth as a secretary – what’s not to like? Like Vigo the Carpathian reanimated from a portrait, the movie has started to reveal itself with a first image of the ‘Busters together and a series of terrific new posters to share this week. Who you gonna call? Everyone!
Today is our Independence Day! Again!
It’s been 20 years since Independence Day's aliens turned up and started vaporising our major landmarks with their glitzy lasers. That’s just long enough to have rebuilt them in time for them to be zapped again when the next lot show up. This looks like what Roland Emmerich has in store for us, judging by the first Independence Day: Resurgence trailer this week. It had all the ID4 staples: massive spacecraft, Jeff Goldblum looking worried and Judd Hirsch on a boat. Wait, that's a new one.
Pod Show
Peep Show, Channel 4’s longest-running sitcom, has come to an end in a blaze of deeply awkward glory. Its creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong came in to the Empire Podcast to talk about 12 years of Mark and Jeremy-ing their way into our hearts. They talked about their writing process, Super Hans and reaching the end of the road. There were tears, laughter and several cups of tea.
Sabotage! The first trailer for Star Trek Beyond warps in
Beastie Boys fans and Trekkers united as one to revel in a new Sabotage-soundtracked trailer for part three of the rebooted Star Trek franchise. Shutting the crew of the Enterprise down with the push of a button (or equivalent alien weaponry) was Idris Elba’s Green Goblin-looking villain. There was action galore, as you’d expect with Fast & Furious man Justin Lin behind the camera, and nice character beats, especially for Bones. We’re quietly hopeful.
The Hateful Eight gets a magical three
Best buds Quentin Tarantino and Ennio Morricone popped down to Abbey Road Studios – presumably doing at least one Beatles-style zebra crossing along the way – and did a live recording of The Hateful Eight’s score. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra was in attendance and so was Walton Goggins. Released this week were photos of the old-school recording session and a sampler of three of its tracks. We have them, exclusively, right here.
Hey, hey, Bouvier!
Natalie Portman is Jackie Kennedy in Jackie, an imagining of the four days following her husband’s assassination in 1963, and a first look at her character showed her in the White House looking suitably First Ladylike. This one was originally earmarked for Rachel Weisz but Portman stepped in three years ago. Pablo Larraín, director of the Oscar-nominated No, is tackling this emotional subject. Our verdict here? Yes-ish.