Before CGI, Photoshop, or other image-altering programs, Hollywood had to rely on good, old fashioned talent to make movies.

In the 1940s and 50s, that meant movie musicals starring professional dancers, acrobats, and contortionists — who could also act.

For stars like Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Cyd Charisse, it was a good time to be an actor-singer-dancer triple threat.

Story by Aly Weisman and editing by Andrew Fowler

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SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence turned Hollywood upside down in 2015

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As “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” continues to dominate the box office, with a $1.7 billion worldwide gross at the moment, the excitement for what will go down in the next chapter, “Episode VIII,” is building. But meanwhile, the sequel doesn’t open until 2017.

The plot and even a title are still locked away at Disney, but one of the film's stars has read the script and has a few thoughts.

John Boyega, who plays Finn in the franchise, told British Vogue that “Episode VIII” is “much darker” and that Finn will be more physically active.

“My part in the next film will be much more physical so I might be in the gym a bit more,” Boyega said.

If you follow Boyega on Instagram, you may notice he’s already kicking up his workouts a notch:

In fact, since filming on “Force Awakens” wrapped, Boyega has been working with the same trainer who got Michael B. Jordan ripped for “Creed,” Corey Calliet. 

So expect the franchise getting darker and Boyega looking more buff in “Episode VIII.”

SEE ALSO: 8 important scenes from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that didn't make it into the movie

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NOW WATCH: This amazing new plane is like a yacht in the sky

While "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" covers a lot of ground, not everything could be entirely fleshed out in the movie. 

Director J.J. Abrams recently revealed that between 10-20 minutes of scenes were cut from the film's final edit. The official novelization, written by Alan Dean Foster, includes some bonus scenes, and it adds more layers to what we saw in theaters.

That valuable background includes an explanation for why R2-D2 wakes up at the end, as well as a brief history of the galactic government now in place 30 years after "Return of the Jedi" and the Resistance's relationship to political powers.  

The novel also dives into the complexity of Kylo Ren's character. His uncertainty over killing his father is made clear, and it's also revealed that both Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke know how Darth Vader died.   

Here are eight scenes from the novel that didn't appear in the movie:

Poe Dameron's escape from Jakku.

Poe's escape from Jakku after crash-landing on the desert planet with Finn is never shown in the movie, but the book offers a partial explanation for how Poe survived the crash and made it back to the Resistance base.

He loses consciousness as the TIE Fighter goes down and wakes up in time to stabilize the spacecraft before hitting the ground. He stumbles from the wreckage with a concussion and begins to wander in search of water and a new ship, continuing the search through the night.

In the morning, a scavenger on a speeder approaches and the two strike up a dialogue about wandering the desert. The scavenger thinks Poe's story about crashing on the planet is a humorous lie and agrees to take Poe to a town with another scavenger who might be able to assist. On their journey, a group of thieves approaches and Poe convinces the scavenger to let him take control of the speeder. With his expert piloting skills, Poe evades the thieves.

But that's as far as Poe's escape goes. How exactly Poe gets off Jakku still remains a mystery. 

Chewbacca rips an arm off of Unkar Plutt at Maz Kanata's castle.

Unkar Plutt is the creature Rey gives junk to in exchange for food rations on Jakku. Played by Simon Pegg, Plutt doesn't appear in the film again after Rey gets off of Jakku. But in the book, Rey has another interaction with Plutt at Maz Kanata's castle. 

After Finn leaves the castle with the crew he's hoping to travel with, Rey hears the familiar voice of Unkar Plutt and he grabs her. Using a homing device in the Millennium Falcon, Plutt was able to track her to the castle. She tries to struggle out of his grasp and manages to hold her blaster to his face, but he grabs it from her hands.  

Chewbacca notices what's happening and comes to Rey's rescue. Plutt isn't threatened by the wounded Wookie at first, but that's his mistake.

"Grabbing the thrusting arm, a roaring Chewbacca twisted and ripped it off at the shoulder, throwing the dismembered limb clear across the room. Looking down at himself, Plutt let out a scream of agony as his underlings hurriedly fell back.

The arm landed on a table where a group of four-armed, long-snouted Culisettos was gambling. With an annoyed huff, one of them picked up the amputated limb and absently tossed it aside, allowing the game to resume."

Leia tells Han Solo that she knew Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order, was after their son from the beginning.

In an exchange between Leia and Han Solo, Leia reveals she had been aware Supreme Leader Snoke was manipulating their son, Ben (now Kylo Ren), but kept it from Solo. 

She explains her "many reasons" for keeping it a secret:

"'I was hoping that I was wrong, that it wasn’t true. I hoped I could sway him, turn him away from the dark side, without having to involve you.' A small smile appeared. 'You had— you have— wonderful qualities, Han, but patience and understanding were never among them. I was afraid that your reactions would only drive him farther to the dark side. I thought I could shield him from Snoke’s influence and you from what was happening.' Her voice dropped. 'It’s clear now that I was wrong. Whether your involvement would have made a difference, we’ll never know.'"

If you live in a house that's featured in a popular movie, you expect people will come by taking pictures, and some may be itching to buy it if it goes on the market.

Who wouldn't be proud to live in the house from "A Christmas Story" or "Home Alone"?

But sometimes it's not a selling point, like when you're living in the house that was serial killer Buffalo Bill's torture compound in "The Silence of the Lambs."

Scott and Barbara Lloyd have lived in the Fayette, Pennsylvania, house since 1976 and allowed the movie to use their property, but the retired couple have decided to sell it and downsize.

The house was the second-most clicked listing on Realtor.com in 2015, but that hasn't led to many offers. That could be because it's the "Buffalo Bill house," Pittsburgh is an hour away, or it's a four-bedroom house with only one bathroom. Whatever the case, the house was originally listed at $300,000 in August, but has been dropped to $249,900.

That could be a steal, depending on your point of view. Let's take a look inside:

SEE ALSO: 23 of the most interesting categories on Netflix and how to find them

The house is a three-story Victorian, and no, it doesn't have a torture pit in the basement. That portion of the movie was shot on a soundstage.

It has a quaint feel to it, ...

... including a nice-size living room ...

The Golden Globes are always a bit unpredictable compared to the Oscars. That was no different on Sunday when “The Revenant” shocked many by taking home the biggest prize, for best dramatic film.

Many awards pundits thought “Spotlight” would walk away with the trophy, but it was a surprising shutout that night. “The Revenant” director Alejandro González Iñárritu also beat out “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy, and the latter film (still a favorite in the Academy Awards) didn't even get a single acting nomination.

Those wins, along with Leonardo DiCaprio's Best Actor Globe, added up to a sweeping victory for the gritty survival movie.

So what does that mean for Oscar night, which is on February 28?

When the Academy nominations are announced Thursday, you can expect both “The Revenant” and “Spotlight” in the Best Picture category, but it sounds like “The Revenant” hasn’t moved any closer to being the odds-on favorite to win the award.

“I don’t think it would be accurate to call ‘The Revenant’ a Best Picture frontrunner, since there’s no overlap between the Globes and Oscar voting bases,” Vanity Fair digital director Michael Hogan said.

The voting bodies of the two groups are vastly different in size. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the Globes, is around 90 members; the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which votes on the Oscars, is around 7,000, and includes actors (the largest contingent) along with many others who work in the industry.

And looking back on Globes history, as Flavorwire did recently, Globes and Oscar Best Picture winners are the same only 50 percent of the time.

“I do think [The Revenant] is in the hunt now,” said Hogan, pointing out that the film's impressive box office last weekend, almost overtaking “The Force Awakens” as the weekend's No. 1, is a push in the right direction. “I think 'Spotlight''s momentum has stalled considerably, but it certainly can’t be counted out.”

A big tell for how the Best Picture category will shake out comes from yet another awards show: the SAGs, or Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The movie that wins the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast has gone on to win Oscar’s Best Picture seven out of the last 10 years. The SAG Awards air on January 30.

This year’s nominees are “Spotlight,” “The Big Short,” “Beasts of No Nation,” “Straight Outta Compton,” and “Trumbo.”

That's right: “The Revenant” isn’t nominated, which only builds the drama.

SEE ALSO: The next "Star Wars" movie will be "much darker" says star John Boyega

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NOW WATCH: A male model has a blunt description of his beauty routine

It takes a lot of work, and a lot of trial and error, to bring an animated world to life.

This is especially true for Pixar, which continues to put out some of the most beloved animated films of all time.

But before they can go from a computer to the big screen, the movies must first be sketched out with pen and paper.

An exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in Manhattan called "Pixar: The Design of Story" shows off some of the most beloved Pixar films and characters in their earliest forms, from Woody in "Toy Story" to Sadness in "Inside Out."

Check out what some classic Pixar characters originally looked like:

SEE ALSO: 8 important scenes from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' that didn't make it into the movie

A number of critics and fans think "Wall-E" is still Pixar's best film.

Wall-E is a very sophisticated robot. Putting him together took a lot of thought and attention to intricate details.

Early sketches focused on how exactly the robot's arms would move.

Before he suited up as a Stormtrooper in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," actor John Boyega flashed his pearly whites as a stock photo model.

A set of Getty stock photos went viral over the weekend after a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln noticed a campus flier that used one of the images featuring Boyega and posted it to Imgur.

The photos, by British photographer Chris Schmidt, show a group of young adults in business-casual dress hanging out on a campus. Here they are in all their glory.

h/t Mashable's Sam Haysom, who discovered the Imgur post that started it all.

This may look like any ordinary crop of University of Nebraska-Lincoln students ...

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But look a little closer and you'll find, it's John Boyega in the center!

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Dressed in slacks and a grey cardigan, he looks ready to take on the First Order — or an internship.

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The Avengers movies have had bigger casts compared to most superhero outings, which makes sense given it’s a whole team of protagonists dealing with a threat. With the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War movies, however, things are being taken to the next level. This is a two-part event deals with an antagonist that’s been biding his time for years, making it Marvel’s biggest undertaking. So when the battle against Thanos finally unfolds in the near future, moviegoers are going to see upwards of 60 players in action.

During a panel at Wizard World New Orleans (via ComicBookMovie), director Anthony Russo mistakenly referred to Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter as "Sharon" (Sharon Carter, as we know, is a separate character played by Emily VanCamp). Defending his brother and partner, Joe Russo explained that it’s hard to keep track of everyone who’s involved with the Avengers: Infinity War movies. He said:

We have so many characters we're dealing with.  We're breaking ground on Avengers: Infinity War. We have a board with 67 characters on it. You have to forgive him.

We’d be foolish to hold the Russos to that exact number, but from what little we know about the Avengers: Infinity War movies, it wouldn’t be surprising if the two movies featured close to that number. In many ways, the two-part adventure is the culmination of everything that’s been established in the MCU since 2008. More importantly, it’s going to take everything the Avengers have to defeat Thanos. The Mad Titan is already powerful on his own (he’s gone head-to-head with Hulk in the comics), but with the six Infinity Stones in his Infinity Gauntlet, he’ll be near-invincible. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will definitely be needing reinforcements.

Aside from Josh Brolin making his first full appearance as Thanos, the Avengers: Infinity War movies are also expected to feature Captain America, Iron Man Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and even Loki. It’s also more likely than not that we’ll see every other Avenger, from Black Widow to Falcon, take part, whether they’re still affiliated with the team or not. Many fans also expect that the Guardians of the Galaxy will appear in at least one of the movies, given their previous experience with Thanos’ goons and the Power Stone. Then, of course, there’s some of the newer heroes who are just getting started in the MCU, like Doctor Strange and Black Panther, along with a few supporting characters from a hero’s solo movie here and there.

As for appearances from characters who appear on the small screen, it was rumored last year that Netflix heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones could be thrown into the mix, but it was later implied that would be difficult to accomplish. Who knows, maybe even some of the folks from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could cameo, since they’ve also had experience dealing with extraterrestrial dangers. After all, it’s about time the founding Avengers learn that Phil Coulson is still alive.

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 hits theaters on May 4, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 will conclude the story on May 3, 2019.

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NOW WATCH: A new Marvel superhero got the job by telling an exec she could beat him up

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

One of the biggest questions "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" left unanswered was the identity of Rey, the new female character at the heart of the movie.

By the end of "The Force Awakens," the young scavenger from Jakku learned she was powerful in the Force, a power wielded by Sith lords and Jedi alike, meaning it's quite likely she's related to someone we're already familiar with in the "Star Wars" universe.

The first two emerging theories were the most obvious conclusions: Rey is probably Luke Skywalker or Leia Organa's daughter.

However, soon after, a third theory emerged about Rey possibly being Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter. Not only was he Anakin Skywalker's Jedi master, but he was also Luke Skywalker's mentor.

If you're not familiar with the theory, people believe Rey is a Kenobi for the following reasons(last warning for spoilers!): 

1. She hears the voices of Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness — two actors who have played Obi-Wan Kenobi in her flashback/flashforward vision in Maz Kanata's castle.
2. J.J. Abrams has suggested Rey's loneliness is a key to her origin. People think that's a reference to Kenobi's time as a hermit between "Star Wars" episodes III and IV.
3. Kenobi had a potential romantic interest in Duchess Satine of Mandalore in Disney's animated series "The Clone Wars."
4. When Rey convinces a Stormtrooper to let her go using the Force, it's reminiscent of how Kenobi uses Jedi mind trick powers in the original trilogy and prequel series. 
5. Rey is a good pilot, like Kenobi.
6. Fans point out that Kylo and Rey's duel at the end of "The Force Awakens" is more dramatic if it's seen as the two channeling a battle that took place between their grandfathers — especially their final battle in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope."
7. At the end of the film, Rey hands over the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker in a way that mirrors how Kenobi handed the same lightsaber to Skywalker in "A New Hope."
8. Her accent sounds like Kenobi's. (Yep, this is an actual reason people are using to back up this claim saying Rey and Obi-Wan are the only two heroes with British accents.)

I'm not buying the Kenobi theory, and neither should you. 

It's easy to dispel a lot of the points above.

1. Rey hears Obi-Wan Kenobi's voice in her vision at Maz Kanata's castle. 

Rey hears A LOT of voices in her vision. "The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams told Entertainment Weekly you can hear Yoda's voice in Rey's vision as well but we don't hear anyone claiming Rey is related to Yoda. One scene which was cut out of Rey's vision was a shot of Vader cutting off Luke's hand in the iconic "Empire Strikes Back" scene. She was supposed to see the Skywalkers. After talking with many people about this flashback scene, I always thought it was normal for Rey to hear the voices of previous Jedis in this scene. I simply comprehended it as the Force ghosts reaching out to her to help guide her on a journey to bring balance to the Force. Obi-Wan was someone who looked out for the Skywalker clan and I thought he was doing the same here.

2. J.J. Abrams has suggested Rey's loneliness is a key to her origin.

Other than a Medium post, I'm not really sure where this supposed quote of Abrams' came from but I don't know why someone wouldn't read into this as Luke either. Luke was left on Tatooine to live with his uncle and aunt. Though he had them, it would be remiss to suggest there wasn't a sense of loneliness in his life. He had no recollection or memories of his mother or father and didn't know much about where he came from. That's a pretty lonely existence. 

3. Kenobi's romantic interest in Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore.

If anything, this is the strongest argument towards Kenobi having any children and grandchildren. Disney's animated series is considered part of canon and Kenobi clearly loved the Duchess. Kenobi says he would have left the Jedi Order to be with her if she asked. There are a few problems here, though. First, it's difficult to imagine Kenobi breaking an oath to the Jedi for a romantic relationship. It's not part of the Jedi code to love and Kenobi always seemed especially steadfast to keeping with the rules. Also, Satine is killed off in "The Clone Wars," which takes place after "Star Wars: Episode II."

4. Rey's Stormtrooper Jedi mindtrick

Sure, Obi-Wan Kenobi was known to use the Jedi mindtrick move, but so did Luke throughout the original trilogy. If we're to believe Rey was at one time training with Luke's group of young and upcoming Jedis, before they were slain by the Knights of Ren, this was probably something Luke was teaching in his lessons. Perhaps it was something Rey was retaining.

5. Rey is a good pilot, like Kenobi.

The pilot argument doesn't stick much either. The fact that Rey is a naturally good pilot seems to fit better with Anakin and Luke Skywalker who over and over again throughout the "Star Wars" saga are referred to as some of the best pilots in the galaxy. Sorry Ben/Obi-Wan, but no one was really ever bragging about your pilot skills. (Though they weren't so shabby either.) It's just known that the Skywalkers are among the best pilots who ever lived, so if "The Force Awakens" is going to introduce another ace pilot, it doesn't make a lot of sense to automatically think she's a Kenobi.

6. It would be cool retrospectively if the grandchildren of Skywalker and Kenobi, Kylo Ren and Rey, were fighting at the end of "The Force Awakens" as a nod to Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Yes, it would be. But this isn't really an argument for why Rey is a Kenobi.

7. Rey handing the lightsaber to Luke mirrors Obi-Wan Kenobi handing the lightsaber to Luke.

Again, this really doesn't prove how Rey could be a Kenobi. If anything, that scene showed how much Luke was struggling with multiple emotions — possibly over Han's death, but also over the reappearance of the lightsaber, and Rey's existence. After the official screenplay was sent out to members of the Writers Guild of America, it was made pretty clear that Luke knows who she is. According to slashfilm, the script says there's a "kindness in his eyes, but there's something tortured, too." It also says Luke doesn't need to ask Rey who she is or why she's there. "His look says it all." 

Luke's final look is described as both amazed and conflicted. 

Also, why would Leia — who has been searching for her brother for some time — just let some girl go off to see Luke without her by her side. Leia probably knows who Rey is, too.  

8. Rey's accent sounds like Kenobi.

I'm going to pretty much dismiss people connecting the accents because, in my opinion, that's a pretty weak argument. 

Face it. Rey is not a Kenobi.

As cool as it would be to imagine Anakin's grandson fighting against Kenobi's granddaughter, much of the evidence provided in "The Force Awakens" leads viewers to believe Rey is a Skywalker, either Luke or Leia's daughter.

Yes, I know a lot of fans are saying "that's TOO easy." But when has "Star Wars" ever tried so hard to give red-herrings to mislead viewers about the identity of characters. 

1. It's Anakin and Luke's Skywalker's lightsaber that calls out to Rey.

The Maz Kanata basement scene aside, why would a Skywalker lightsaber go to a non-Skywalker over Kylo Ren (Anakin's grandson) in the snow battle scene near the end of "The Force Awakens"? It would make perfect sense that the lightsaber would gravitate toward another Skywalker who was purer in the Force. 

2. There's that voice over in the second "The Force Awakens" teaser trailer

Go back and rewatch the second teaser trailer for "The Force Awakens" which came out in April 2015. Mark Hamill's voice as Luke Skywalker can be heard saying, "The Force is strong in my family," Skywalker says, "my father has it, I have it, my sister has it. You have that power, too."

That dialogue wasn't in the movie, because director J.J. Abrams had Hamill himself come in a week before the trailer was released to record dialogue to mix together with some of his old "Star Wars" dialogue.

From what Hamill recorded, it sure sounds like he's talking to a member of his family when he says "you." 

3. Rey was left on a sand planet, similar to Luke. 

The origin stories of the two just seem too similar. Kid left on a barren, desolate planet comes into the possession of a droid with important world-changing information and later gets swept up in an adventure to take down the dark side. I could be describing Luke or Rey there.

Many think Lor San Tekka (the older gentleman who Poe Dameron gets the map from in the beginning of "The Force Awakens") was on Jakku to watch over Rey, just as Obi-Wan Kenobi was on Tatooine secretly watching over Luke.

4. Rey struggles with the dark side just like Luke.

From the official "The Force Awakens" screenplay, we know that in the last battle between her and Kylo Ren that she gets tempted by the dark side of the Force. When Rey strikes Kylo Ren down into the ground the script says "and she could kill him — right now, with ONE VICIOUS STRIKE! But she stops. Realizing she stands on a greater edge than even the cliff — the edge of the dark side." 

It's at that point when the ground splits between the both of them.

Apparently, at that same point, according to slashfilm, Rey hears a voice in her head saying "Kill him."

The Skywalkers have all had this struggle. Anakin had Emperor Palpatine command him to kill before he turned over to the dark side with Count Dooku and Mace Windu. Luke also struggled with this several times in the original trilogy including during his final battle with his father. Palpatine was in Luke's ear nearly the entire time telling him to feed into his anger.

5. "Star Wars" is a Skywalker saga.

The biggest reason I'm not convinced Rey is a Kenobi is because "Star Wars" has always been a Skywalker saga. The entire first six movies were about Anakin Skywalker, a boy who had to live up to the ridiculous pressures of supposedly being "the chosen one," a person who was destined to bring balance to the Force. We watched as he became corrupted by the dark side, conquered the galaxy in the name of the Sith, and then saw him saved by his son at the end of "Return of the Jedi."

We're supposed to believe that after six films that "Star Wars" is just going to stop being about Anakin Skywalker and his family? The new saga will definitely continue to be about the Skywalker family. That's not me saying that. That's straight from Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.

"The Saga films [Episodes VII, VIII, and IX] focus on the Skywalker family saga," Kennedy told Costco in an interview. "The stories follow a linear narrative that connects to the previous six films. 'The Force Awakens' follows 'Return of the Jedi' and continues that generational story." 

So how exactly could Rey be a Skywalker and not even know?

That's the biggest question. She doesn't even seem to have any recollection of Luke at the beginning of the film. 

I've been thinking about this for awhile. My thoughts have slightly evolved since writing an initial post on Rey bring Luke's daughter. These are my thought's on Rey's heritage: Rey, who we now know is 19 thanks to the "Star Wars Visual Dictionary," and about 10 years younger than Kylo Ren, trained with Luke and his upcoming Jedis when she was younger. Then Kylo, a ravenous teen swayed to the dark side, presumably killed all the Jedi with the Knights of Ren (we see this in Rey's vision and it's confirmed in the screenplay that Kylo and the Knights of Ren are surrounding a group of bodies). 

This is the scene I'm talking about:

Rey is with all the Jedis and stumbles upon the Knights of Ren. (In Rey's vision, we see her looking up at them.) Kylo spares her life, but has her hidden away on Jakku where no one will ever find her. I'm thinking Rey either repressed these memories or somehow was made to forget them. (Young kids repress traumatic events so it's not that far-fetched.) I'm thinking that everyone else believes Rey was killed.

The screenplay says in the scene where Luke is seen with R2-D2 that we see a "burning temple at night" in the background. Is that Luke's Jedi training temple set ablaze? And if it was burned down maybe there were no bodies to be found.

Even if Rey wasn't training with Luke's padawans, maybe she stumbled upon Kylo and the Knights of Ren at the wrong time and they decided they needed to do something with her. After all, what could be so bad to drive Luke into hiding and not want to have any contact with his sister or Han? If he were to think his nephew killed his daughter, Luke would have a lot of reason to want to get away so that he didn't go down the path of the dark side to get revenge on Kylo.

That could help explain Luke's mixed reactions to seeing Rey at the end of the film. Of course, that may not be how it plays out, but I would be surprised if Rey isn't a Skywalker at this point.

Go ahead, search your feelings. You know it to be true. 

Rey's most likely a Skywalker.

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NOW WATCH: Daisy Ridley was only in one other film before 'Star Wars' — now she's the star of one of the biggest movies ever

"Ocean's 11" stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts are costarring in the coming financial-news thriller "Money Monster," directed by Jodie Foster.

Clooney plays financial-news personality Lee Gates, the so-called Wizard of Wall Street who hosts the stock-picking TV show "Money Monster." Roberts plays Gates' producer, Patty Fenn.

The show seems very similar to Jim Cramer's "Mad Money."

The plot centers on Gates, his crew, and Fenn being held hostage on live television by an enraged investor who lost money on a tech stock that Gates had pitched as a good investment.

The movie debuts in theaters in May.

Watch the trailer below:

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NOW WATCH: Jim Cramer's inspiring words on how to come back from a beatdown

In Hollywood lore, there are plenty of stories of beloved movies that were so close to not happening at all.

You can add Judd Apatow and Steve Carell's breakout comedy "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" to that list.

While on "Conan" Tuesday night, Carell described the moment that nearly derailed the 2005 film completely. According to the actor, the studio Universal arrived on set with the mission of pulling the plug on the movie.

After just one week of shooting, Judd Apatow told the cast and crew, "Universal wants to talk to us. They're shutting us down," according to Carell.

So Carell and everyone else on set heard what the studio had to say.

"They said, 'We've been watching footage, and you look like a serial killer,'" the actor, most recently in "The Big Short," revealed to laughs. "We hadn't shot any dialogue. It was me riding my bike with a weird helmet, and it was me walking down the street and seeing suggestive posters and going eghh. And just that week compiled, they went, 'No, no, no, this is not a comedy.'

"I was so bummed out," Carell continued. "I thought, that's it. That was the big shot, and it wasn't going to work out. And then thankfully we started up on Monday and finished shooting."

Carell surely isn't the only one thankful for the second chance. Carell went on to a huge career in comedy and now Oscar-nominated work in drama, while Apatow is one of the biggest producers, writers, and directors in Hollywood.

Watch Carell on "Conan" telling the story below:

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NOW WATCH: 3 main theories have emerged for who Rey's parents are in 'Star Wars'

"Star Wars" fans are quick to rally against the prequel trilogy, and Jar Jar Binks often faces the brunt of that ridicule.

But behind the computer-generated character is a man: actor Ahmed Best. And he was living out his "Star Wars" dream until he became, in his words, "the most hated" character in "Star Wars," and then dealt with the "painful" backlash.

In a Skype interview with Jamie Stangroom for his "These Are the Actors You're Looking For" YouTube series, Best said he wouldn't reprise the role, even if he were asked by Disney, which now owns Lucasfilm.

“No, I think I’ve done my damage,” he said. “Yeah. I’m good with where I stand in the 'Star Wars' universe. I don’t need to do that."

He added: "I’m not really interested in coming back. I did what I did, and I thought it was great, I thought it was fun, and now it’s time to move on.”

Best was originally cast to perform only the physical movements of the character, but after auditioning with a "generic little-kid voice," director George Lucas chose him to also voice the character.

He said that one of his motivations for taking the role was the challenge of portraying a computer-generated character at a time when that wasn't common at all.

"There was no Andy Serkis or Gollum; there was no Na'vi from 'Avatar.' There were no Martians from 'John Carter' to kind of be the template for this," he said. "So I was working with George to pioneer this new character form of acting and storytelling. On set, we were all just so focused on the challenge of it and having so much fun that the post-'Star Wars' stuff was kind of a surprise for everyone."

The stars of the prequels, including Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, and Natalie Portman, have defended the character.

McGregor told Entertainment Weekly that criticism "shouldn't fall on Ahmed's shoulders because he did exactly what he was asked to do. He did it very, very well."

Lucas has also been on the defensive and even said that if he could be any "Star Wars" character, he would be, yes, Jar Jar.

Watch the Skype interview below and catch Best reciting Neeson's "Taken" speech as Jar Jar:

SEE ALSO: 8 important scenes from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' that didn't make it into the movie

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NOW WATCH: 3 main theories have emerged for who Rey's parents are in 'Star Wars'

The buildup to the latest Marvel superhero movie, “Deadpool,” is a unique one. It's being marketed as not like any other superhero adaptation we've seen in some time. It's edgy, foul-mouthed, and violent, at least judging from trailers.

Now that’s been confirmed, as the film has received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America for “strong language and violence throughout, sexual content, and graphic nudity.”

20th Century Fox is going a different path than the popular Marvel movies that come out through Disney ("Deadpool" has been in development for over a decade, before Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment). Disney's superhero movies haven't edged past a PG-13 rating in order to increase their box-office potential.

We're going to find out on February 12 whether Fox's gamble that there's a big enough adult audience that wants a more mature superhero pays off.

The success or failure of "Deadpool" could also be important for "Suicide Squad," out in August. Though some believe “Squad” won’t try for an R rating, if “Deadpool” does incredible business, don't be surprised if Warner Bros. feels more comfortable with the DC Comics adaptation having an R.

“Deadpool” stars Ryan Reynolds as a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary who has accelerated healing powers and a lot of sarcasm to go around.

Check out the trailer here, and you can tell this isn’t going to be a Disney Marvel movie:

SEE ALSO: The next "Star Wars" movie will be "much darker" says star John Boyega

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NOW WATCH: Here’s Mark Cuban’s advice for whoever wins the $1.5 billion Powerball

J.J. Abrams knows the answer to the secret of Rey's parentage. 

The "Star Wars" director, appearing at TCA to promote his and Cameron Crowe's TV show "Roadies," talked about the mysterious heroine, saying, "I know quite a bit."

He continued: "Obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian’s story to continue now. The last thing I’m going to do is reveal something that he would be upset about. I want to make sure that Rian gets the courtesy that he showed me."

'Rian' being Rian Johnson, who will direct "Episode VIII," which will pick up where "The Force Awakens" left off.

Played by newcomer Daisy Ridley, Rey emerged from "The Force Awakens" as the main object of fan speculation, due to her inherent mastery of The Force.

Abrams also talked about the relief he feels no longer having the responsibility of keeping the plot of "The Force Awakens" a secret, saying, "I’m just incredibly relieved that the movie is out, that it was well received."

"Star Wars" has grossed $1.75 billion globally, but Abrams says he doesn't care too much about the box office receipts.

"I’m more excited when I hear that people went to go see the movie with their parents, who took them to the original movie when they were kids, or they took their own kids who maybe had never seen a 'Star Wars' movie, who fell in love with Rey or found Finn to be someone that they want to be for Halloween."

SEE ALSO: People are going crazy for this theory about Rey from 'Star Wars' — but I'm not buying it

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NOW WATCH: TONY ROBBINS: How to pull yourself out of a funk

Creators at Pixar apparently like to include subtle tributes to classic films in many of their own beloved animated movies.

Jorge Luengo Ruiz, a 22-year-old filmmaker from Madrid, told BuzzFeed that he noticed a ton of allusions in "Toy Story 3" and was inspired to make a video highlighting the cinematic references in Pixar films. He posted "Pixar's Tribute to Cinema" on his Vimeo page. It has since gotten more than 840,000 views in the five days it's been online.

Some of the references Ruiz included were to films such as the "Star Wars" franchise, "Jurassic Park," and "The Shining."

Check out comparisons he made and watch the entire video below:

SEE ALSO: This is what favorite Pixar characters looked like before they hit the big screen

As major streaming companies including Netflix and Amazon have continued to not disclose data about how many or what types of people watch their content, Hollywood has spent the last few years scrambling to figure it all out on their own.

Traditional television has used ratings since the 1950s to help determine rates for advertising, but because streaming works on a subscription model, services can keep their numbers confidential. That gives them the ultimate bargaining chip when negotiating billion-dollar deals with networks and studios to acquire their content.

"We know less about our viewers than we ever have in my entire career, which is alarming," one veteran studio research analyst told Business Insider.

To help give them a peek behind the wall around Netflix's numbers, analysts for studios and networks have turned to independent third-party market research companies, which generate reports that give them a sense of what audiences are watching. These companies have flourished recently in large part because their technology offers clients more detailed data than anything the streaming providers themselves give out.

In most cases, studios only get monthly reports from the streaming giants breaking down their content's unique initiated streams — basically, the people who hit "play"— but they never find out who makes it to the end or how competitors size up.

How to crack the streaming data

Now companies like LUTH Research in San Diego and Symphony Advanced Media in San Francisco provide exactly the kinds of reports the studios crave, albeit by going through alternative means.

"The market seems to be demanding out-of-the-box, innovative solutions to clearly and professionally track this very complex, changing consumer behavior," SymphonyAM CEO Charles Buchwalter told BI.

SymphonyAM pulls this off by compiling a 15,000-person panel of users who download its technology onto their smartphones and tablets so the company can track their behavior. Each panelist gets paid a monthly fee of $5-$11 (depending on if they also add the technology to their PC). Buchwalter hopes to increase the sample to 25,000 people this year.

"The technology is in the background 24 hours a day, continuously sending real-time data up to our cloud-based platform, which is the way we generate all our reporting," Buchwalter said.

That reporting compiles not only streaming data, but also breaks it down by demographic, and can even provide looks at what users are watching beyond just Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

"We can get a complete media day-in-the-life of all the panelists," he said.

LUTH has a similar technology, though it boasts a 30,000-person panel. One studio analyst BI spoke to is impressed with its Netflix data, which is similar to what they obtain from the streaming providers (but with the added value of seeing how competition is doing).

A subscription to one of these services costs around $10,000-15,000 per month, according to one analyst, a manageable fee when the only other option is show-me-yours-and-I'll-show-you-mine trading of data — which is itself a common occurrence among Hollywood analysts and agents.

And there seems to be no end to piecing the puzzle together in sight.

"No one is ever going to get the total picture," one analyst told BI. "Not until everything becomes transparent, and I don't know if the industry is going to do that."

Nielsen can't catch up

As Hollywood turns to these third parties, some believe that the largest audience measurement service in the industry, Nielsen, isn't adapting with the times.

Born during the radio era and establishing itself in TV, Nielsen has been the gold standard for measuring shows' audiences. But Nielsen has been playing catch-up with streaming, as its technology is still focused on set-top boxes, not mobile devices. And while it now has dedicated ratings for streaming, numerous analysts pointed out to BI that the data that Nielsen provides is limited.

"From a studio perspective, their value is diminishing with each year," said one analyst, who mentioned that a subscription with Nielsen is much more expensive than with a newer third-party research company.

Adding frustration is that, due to complex rights agreements, Nielsen data is proprietary to a single holder. So if a series is streaming while also on the air, its network gets Nielsen's streaming data. But in the off-season — say, if a season that's complete makes its way onto Netflix — Nielsen sends the data to the studio that owns the show, not the network that carries it.

"That's a really important part of what we're dealing with now," Brian Fuhrer, senior vice president of product leadership at Nielsen, told BI. "That's something within the next year we plan to change. The whole ecosystem of studios and networks and syndication is very complex and the easiest way to simplify it is to share across everybody."

But companies like LUTH and SymphonyAM may now be too embedded in the industry to easily fade away, regardless of tweaks to Nielsen or if Netflix or Amazon decide to be more forthcoming about data.

"We feel if they share their data, it still won't be to a point where everyone will have access to all competition," Becky Wu, senior executive vice president of LUTH, said. "There will still be a place for independent measurement companies like us because we are the more objective source."

While Hollywood waits for a more transparent solution to the headache over streaming numbers, Buchwalter at SymphonyAM has an even more ambitious plan in mind. When asked if he'd like to generate streaming data for the public like Nielsen does for TV ratings, he gives an emphatic, "Absolutely!"

"That's the vision down the road," he said. "The market is really yearning for alternatives."

SEE ALSO: The 20 most exciting TV shows of 2016

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NOW WATCH: This gigantic statue of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has suddenly been torn down

We're 11 months from the premiere of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," but that hasn't stopped fans from breathlessly sleuthing for details about the next movie in the franchise.

The title for the first film in the "Star Wars" anthology series was announced in March 2015, along with news that Felicity Jones was the first to be cast and the anticipated release date is December 16, 2016.

Since then, very little information has been released, but we've compiled what we do know for now — and a few popular rumors — to hold us over until the first trailer is finally released.

Here is everything we know so far about "Rogue One":

SEE ALSO: 8 important scenes from 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' that didn't make it into the movie

The film is the first in the "Star Wars Anthology," a series of standalone films, which will include movies dedicated to Han Solo and bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Gareth Edwards, known for the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot, will direct the film.

The script was written by Chris Weitz ("About a Boy"), based on an idea from visual-effects supervisor John Knoll. Gary Whitta ("After Earth") was originally hired to write the screenplay, but left the project after writing the first draft.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The new film "13 Hours" focuses on the ground-level heroics of six Americans who saved lives during the Sep. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. 

But it leaves out most of the political blaming, grandstanding, and investigations in the years since, a choice that makes the politically-charged film just as interesting to watch for liberals as it will be for conservatives.

Much like Director Michael Bay's 2001 film "Pearl Harbor," viewers already know a little bit of what they are getting into. At some point in the film, you know there will be a major attack that tests many of the protagonists, and "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" shows the attack and response in typical Bay fashion, with heavy gunfights and explosions.

"Well, the real event had plenty of explosions. So it's not like he had to come up with any," Mark "Oz" Geist, a former Marine-turned-contractor portrayed in the film, told Rolling Stone.

The film is much more than big booms and no substance. It starts with the introduction of "Jack Silva," a pseudonymous ex-Navy SEAL who arrives in Libya and joins a group of other ex-military types now working as security contractors for the CIA. 

Through Silva (played surprisingly well by John Krasinski), we get the lay of the land. In Benghazi, the State Department has a temporary mission facility built into a lavish mansion. But since it's not a "consulate" or an "embassy," it gets far less security support. Meanwhile, the CIA has a more heavily-guarded annex just a mile away, where operatives gather intelligence and try their best to get surface-to-air missiles taken off the black market.

In the first half of the film, we come to know our main characters: Our six security contractors are the big, strong types with loving families and military backgrounds who have to deal with "Bob," the CIA station chief who is mainly annoyed by them and their perceived "cowboy" world view.

Forget about the boogeyman blamed after the attack, whether it was an anti-Islamic film, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or Al Qaeda. In "13 Hours," the main source of tension comes from Bob, a CIA officer trying to keep a low profile until his upcoming retirement.

The tension is quite apparent minutes after the mission facility is overrun, and the contractors, seeing flames and hearing gunfire, practically beg Bob for permission to drive the mile up the road and save the day. "Stand down!" he tells them.

It's a moment in the film that will further infuriate conservatives, as many believe a "stand down" order was issued to any rescue attempts that night. Liberals will likely view the scene as an order not coming from Hillary Clinton or others in the Obama administration, but from a government bureaucrat trying to play it safe.

(It's worth noting here that a Republican-controlled intelligence panel found there was no "stand down" order given, though the contractors maintain their version of events).

Politics aside, the film is likely to be one of the biggest patriotic blockbusters of the year. Much like "American Sniper," it stays with the operators on the ground, and often leaves out the nuance of bigger picture. "They're not coming" or a variation is said throughout the movie in reference to US military support, represented mostly by nameless generals talking about sending in help during countless meetings.

The film (and book it's based on) goes to great lengths to demonstrate the military should have been there. After a CIA officer asks for F-16s to just fly over and scare away the attackers, the film cuts to jets sitting, unmoved on a dark runway. But the audience will likely not connect Libyans' access to surface-to-air missiles with the danger to such a jet, were it to appear. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates even said he would not approve such a request, given the high threat level.

"That [air support] was available," Kris "Tonto" Paronto, a former Army Ranger and contractor portrayed in the film, told Men's Journal. "I've used it before during other operations. I don't think that they — and I don't know who 'they' are, if it's the State Department, the administration, the Department of Defense, the CIA — at least initially thought that it was going to be as bad as it was."

Perhaps the biggest problems with what happened in Benghazi were in the planning beforehand. No doubt more could have been done to protect Ambassador Chris Stevens at his facility, a compound where he had just two State Department security agents and Libyan nationals guarding the front gate, which they abandon almost immediately after the attack.

Now four years after the attack, who you blame for those shortcomings is likely to cut down partisan lines. But this is not a film set in Washington. It is a film that puts you on the ground in Libya, showing off the incredible heroism from six Americans who fought back against overwhelming odds.

It also serves as a fitting tribute to the sacrifices of two of those men who lost their lives: Glen "Bub" Doherty and Tyone "Rone" Woods, both ex-SEALs killed by a mortar explosion late in the battle. The ambassador, Chris Stevens, and State Department agent Sean Smith, died from smoke inhalation after their facility was set on fire by militants.

"I don't know how you survived out there," a CIA officer tells Jack after the battle. "But I know how we did."

But I think the film, and audience reaction, can be summed up in one quote from the CIA station chief to Jack, as he leaves Benghazi. Before stepping onto a plane headed for home, he turns to Jack and tells him, "I'm proud to know Americans like you."

That's what most people leaving the theater will remember, I think. Their focus will not be on the politics or the controversy afterward. It will be on the American "secret warriors" we don't even know who do extraordinary things.

And they will be proud to know these ones.

The wide release of "13 Hours" is on Friday, Jan. 15.

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NOW WATCH: 3 main theories have emerged for who Rey's parents are in 'Star Wars'

Warning: There are some spoilers ahead for "The Force Awakens."

If you're among the "Star Wars" fans who are having a tough time finding a toy of Rey, the lead female character in the film, you're not alone. Plenty of people have been asking #WheresRey online since the film's December 18 debut.

But don't worry, that's about to change. 

Now that the film has been out for several weeks, Disney is rolling out a bunch of new "The Force Awakens" toys with more action figures of Rey front and center.

Disney announced Tuesday the toys were "kept under wraps to preserve surprises for fans."

The new Rey toys definitely would have been a big spoiler. After seeing the film, we know Rey has Force powers and ends up with a lightsaber. Most of the new Rey toys have her with a lightsaber. 

Hasbro shared all of its Rey action figures and themed toys with Tech Insider.

Take a look at them below.

This is the action figure you've been looking for.

Not only do you get Rey with her lightsaber, but also her staff.

This is a toy which leaked onto some store shelves— and quickly found its way online — in early December. 

The "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" 3.75-inch Rey figurine retails for $8.99.

If you're looking for a bigger Rey doll, there's a 12-inch figure available, too.

 The "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" 12-inch Rey figurine retails for $7.99.

In the miniaturized world of Lego, one set flies above all the others: The Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon, released in 2007.

With a resale price of $3,987.40, it's the most valuable Lego set of all time.

Here's what makes it so special, according to Ed and Jeff Maciorowski, the authors of  "The Ultimate Guide to Collectible LEGO® Sets: Identification and Price Guide."

When released back in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, the Millennium Falcon was the most expensive Lego set ever, retailing for $499.99.

It's appreciated a staggering 600% since then.

It has the second-most pieces of any set (5,192), putting it just behind the Taj Mahal (5,922).