Denham studios, the legendary British film studio where Star Wars and many James Bond film were produced, is being turned into a housing development.

Weston Homes, the developer that has acquired the 80-year-old Buckinghamshire studio, says it plans to transform it into a £120 million ($174 million) "Art Deco and movie inspired residential address."

The new complex will have 224 homes — 154 will be one, two and three bedroom apartments while the other 70 will be four and five bedroom family townhouses. Prices will range up to £1.5 million ($2.2 million).

Denham studios was known for its world famous film laboratory (above), where some of Hollywood's biggest films were reviewed and edited, including "Star Wars", the first two "Alien" films, Stanley Kubrick's last two features and a number of James Bond movies.

Weston Homes is aiming to keep the studio's film heritage alive by creating a mini "Beverley Hills," along with installations depicting movie scenes dotted around the complex. 

One room in the old studio housed all the original film footage and scripts for the James Bond films. "GoldenEye,""Tomorrow Never Dies,""Quantum of Solace" and "Skyfall" were among the many big productions edited in the film lab. 

"Good Morning America" unveiled the first teaser for the live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast," which features Emma Watson as Belle. 

The trailer features an eerie tour of the Beast's beautiful yet decrepit castle as a piano plays the iconic theme of the movie. Through ballrooms and candlelit alcoves, the clip pauses on a picture of a young, handsome boy. Suddenly, a claw rips through the portrait. 

At the arrival of Belle, Lumiere and Cogsworth declare, "Look, a girl! ... What if she is the one?"

To which Watson replies, "Hello?"

The final scene cuts to the famed rose as Watson reaches for it. 

The movie (out March 17, 2017) will also feature Dan Stevens as Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Kevin Kline as Maurice, and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.

The live-action remake of the 1991 classic is directed by Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls,""Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and 2"). 

Watch the full trailer below:

SEE ALSO: Disney announced all its movies coming in the next 4 years — here's what you have to look forward to

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NOW WATCH: Warner Bros. just released the first trailer for its R-rated animated Batman movie

Marvel Studios announced a host of casting news for the upcoming film "Thor: Ragnarok" last week, revealing that Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Karl Urban were joining the film. 

They also confirmed that Tessa Thompson, who starred in "Creed" and "Selma," would be playing the Asgardian heroine Valkyrie.

Her casting adds a welcome bit of much-needed diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but in some ways it only highlights the studio's other problems with whitewashing. 

The heroes from the Thor comics are based on Norse mythology, and in the books almost all of them were originally white. This is partially because comics historically have a problem with diversity, but also because, you know, they're a bunch of Viking gods, so it made a certain amount of sense.

In the movies, however, Idris Elba was cast as the traditionally white Heimdall, and Thompson is now going to play the fair blonde Valkyrie. 

Norse mythology seems like the one area where Marvel could've maybe been given a pass when it comes to diversity, and it's great to see they've instead chosen to cast black actors to play these characters. It also makes it even more mystifying that they're casting white men for characters that should by all rights really be of Asian descent.

The studio raised eyebrows when they cast "Sherlock's" Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, a traditionally white character who is seeped in Asian tradition and mysticism. The comics-accurate casting might've merely be a missed opportunity to not have a white male lead for the 14th movie in a row, but they also cast Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer of Tibetan descent. This blatant whitewashing earned Marvel a well-deserved round of criticism. "Doctor Strange" co-writer C. Robert Cargillblamed political issues with China for the race swap, not that it makes it any better. 

Marvel also botched an opportunity to diversify with their upcoming Netflix series "Iron Fist." The character is white in the comics, but has been criticized for being an outdated "orientalist-white-man-yellow-fever narrative." Instead of updating the character with an Asian actor, they instead cast Finn Jones, best known for playing Ser Loras Tyrell in "Game of Thrones." 

It's somewhat maddening that a cast of characters directly based off of Scandinavian gods is more open to diversity than characters with roots in Asian history and culture. If her past work is anything to go off of, Tessa Thompson is going to be a terrific Valkyrie, and it's nice that Marvel didn't arbitrarily limit themselves to a white actor. Maybe by the time we get to Phase Four that ethos will be true for heroes on Earth and not just Asgard.

SEE ALSO: Chiwetel Ejiofor on Hollywood diversity

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NOW WATCH: Seth Rogen explains why Marvel is great at making sequels

We've jumped into the summer-blockbuster movie season, and that means a whole lot of sequels to be seen.

In an era when it seems that every idea in Hollywood has been made into a franchise or rebooted, several famous titles missed the boat.

In some cases, the filmmaker moved on to other projects — including franchises — while for others rumors of a sequel have been swirling for decades.

Here we rank the 18 movies that we think deserve a sequel:

SEE ALSO: Here are the best-dressed celebrities on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet

18. "Unbreakable" (2000)

Following the huge success of "The Sixth Sense," director M. Night Shyamalan combined comic books with the supernatural with this story in which Bruce Willis plays a man who, after an accident, slowly realizes that he has superhuman powers.

Though the movie had a poor box-office performance, over the years there have been rumors of a sequel, but they seem to be just that. But it would be great to see Samuel L. Jackson's character from the movie, Elijah Price — aka Mr. Glass — fleshed out in a sequel as a villain.

Likelihood of a sequel: Probably not going to happen. Now with the superhero craze, studios are looking for ways to bring existing comic-book characters to the screen, not ones from an underperforming movie.

17. "Good Will Hunting" (1997)

All right, give this one a second to sink in. A sequel to the movie that made Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars — and Oscar winners — could work.

Have Damon's Will Hunting character return to South Boston and be the one who is the mentor of a troubled teen, while reconnecting with his buddy Chuckie (Affleck). Or we can always go with the idea Kevin Smith teased in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."

Likelihood of a sequel: Never. Damon and Affleck are on bigger projects and heading franchises, like Jason Bourne and Batman, to worry about what Will and Chuckie are up to.

16. "True Lies" (1994)

Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a suave secret agent searching for a terrorist while also dealing with the idea that his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) might be cheating on him had all the makings of a franchise.

But as the years went on, director James Cameron found less interest, and then the idea finally deflated after the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Likelihood of a sequel: You can never say never when it comes to Schwarzenegger and Cameron. But with Cameron focused on his "Avatar" franchise, it's unlikely.

There’s another contender for the James Bond crown.

“Quantico” star Priyanka Chopra told Complex that though she gets the “You’d be a great Bond Girl” line all the time, the former Miss World pageant winner has loftier goals.

“F--- that — I wanna be Bond,” she said.

Turns out breaking gender barriers is her thing. She’s currently filming the movie version of “Baywatch,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron, in which she plays the villain. She revealed to Complex that originally the role was supposed to be for a man.

So look out Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba, who have been the names often talked about as potential replacements for current Bond Daniel Craig.

If the rumors are true and Craig isn’t returning for another go-around as 007 (when Business Insider reached out to Sony about this, the studio said it had no comment), expect a whole lot more names to be thrown around.

And Chopra won’t be the only female in the mix.

Fans of "X-Files" and "The Fall" star Gillian Anderson have been banging the drum loudly for her to be the next Bond.

Anderson even tweeted out this fan-made poster.

SEE ALSO: John Oliver argues why we need to fix the process for choosing the presidential nominees

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NOW WATCH: Warner Bros. just released the first trailer for its R-rated animated Batman movie

The Tribeca Film Festival decided not to show the anti-vaccination film "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe" in March of this year, and there was one person who says he did not completely understand that decision: Robert De Niro.

And now, in an interview with Vulture at Cannes, De Niro may have implied that he's working on his own anti-vaccination documentary with none other than Harvey Weinstein.

De Niro was asked for his thoughts about having to pull "Vaxxed" from the Tribeca lineup and he mentioned "Trace Amounts," another anti-vaccination documentary in response. When Vulture asked him if he'd show "Vaxxed" if given another chance, De Niro pivoted and said instead that he was collaborating with producer Harvey Weinstein on their own documentary, likely about vaccinations.

"I don’t what to talk much about it, because when I talk about it, something happens," he told Vulture elusively. "But that’s what we plan to try to do."

Tribeca courted controversy in late March when it first green-lighted the screening of disgraced physician Andrew Wakefield's anti-vaccination documentary, "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe"— a film that claims the CDC is holding back data linking autism and vaccinations. 

The film was pulled at the behest of critics from both the scientific and film communities. While De Niro issued a statement saying that he wanted the film merely as a conversation starter, he has continued to support the film outside Tribeca's stages, even suggesting on the Today show that it was a movie people "should go and see."

De Niro and Weinstein did not respond to Tech Insider's requests for comment. You can read the full Vulture interview here.

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NOW WATCH: Watch Jeff Sachs destroy the anti-vaccine movement in under two minutes

Legendary filmmaker John Carpenter seemed to walk away for good from the movie that made him an icon when he declined to direct “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” in 1998 due to a contract dispute.

But it seems time has healed this particular wound: Carpenter will be an executive producer on a new “Halloween” movie, which will be financed by Miramax and Blumhouse Productions, according to an announcement released on Monday.

This is the first time Carpenter has been directly involved in a “Halloween” movie since 1982’s “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” (for which he was a producer).

“‘Halloween’ needs to return to its traditions,” Carpenter said in a statement. “I feel like the movies have gotten away from that... Michael is not just a human being; he’s a force of nature, like the wind. That’s what makes him so scary.”

This new “Halloween,” which is currently in preproduction, will be the 10th sequel in the classic horror franchise that follows a psychotic masked killer named Michael Myers.

The first “Halloween,” which opened in 1978 and starred a then-unknown Jamie Lee Curtis as the babysitter Myers is stalking and Donald Pleasence as the psychiatrist determined to kill Myers, was an instant hit. The movie was made for just $325,000 and it earned $47 million worldwide.

The scares in the movie were heightened by the film’s memorable score, which Carpenter also created.

The sequels in the decades since have seen hits and misses. But Blumhouse head Jason Blum, who's been behind recent low-budget horror hits like the “Paranormal Activity” and “Insidious” franchises, believes getting Carpenter back into the mix is what the Myers series has been missing.

“‘Halloween’ is one of those milestone films that inspired everyone at our company to get into the world of scary movies,” Blum said in a statement, “and we are so excited that Miramax brought us together. We cannot wait to find and collaborate with the right filmmaker to give 'Halloween' fans the movie they deserve.”

Here's the trailer from the original "Halloween."

SEE ALSO: RANKED: 18 movies that never got a sequel but deserve one

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

As "Captain America: Civil War" continues to be the big winner of the summer movie season, already hitting over $1 billion worldwide, the question is what surprises might knock Marvel's blockbuster off balance.

"Angry Birds" dethroning "Civil War" from the US box office was a shock to some. And with "X-Men: Apocalypse" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" opening this weekend, it will be interesting to see what audiences go after — a thrilling comic-book adaptation or a children's fantasy. 

Here's the latest word on the popular titles of the summer and what looks primed to ascend the box office.

Read all summer movie power rankings.

SEE ALSO: 41 movies you have to see this summer

10. "Angry Birds" (May 20)

Proving that Sony may not be nuts making a movie about emojis, the studio's Angry Birds movie, based on the popular app, hit No. 1 at the box office, dethroning "Captain America: Civil War."

It will be interesting to see if it will hold its own throughout the summer, especially since its win the first weekend was a surprise. At the very least it will leave the summer having some bragging rights.

Last Ranking: New This Week

9. “Ghostbusters” (July 15)

The insults thrown at the all-female "Ghostbusters" continues. Social media exploded recently when a blogger vowed not to review the reboot.

We've now gotten to a point where the movie has so much venom around it that it's tough to see if it can get an honest release, as almost all press will be focused on the pre-release "news."

Hopefully the talents of director Paul Feig and the cast — Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and the rest — can silence all the bad hype when people actually see the movie.

Last Ranking: 7th

8. “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (May 20)

Though the movie was riding on positive reviews and an original that was a huge moneymaker, "Neighbors 2" had a soft opening weekend, making about 50% less in the US than the original.

The title could rebound through the summer, but Universal is not looking at a repeat performance of the original.

Last Ranking: 6th

A new full-length trailer for "Finding Dory"— Disney /Pixar's anticipated "Finding Nemo" sequel — was released Tuesday morning. The two-minute trailer features new characters like Bailey the beluga whale and Idris Elba as a friendly sea lion. 

Exciting encounters with a giant squid and new adventures in an aquarium are just some of the new scenes featured in the trailer. With callbacks to Nemo and Marlin's journey in "Finding Nemo," we're more excited than ever for this sequel to the 2005 original.

"Finding Dory" will be released in theaters on June 17.  Watch the full trailer below:

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Susan Krakower bagged groceries in Queens, New York as a kid before moving to Los Angeles and working in TV trying to learn everything she could possibly know about creating a show.

Those efforts paid off. She created CNBC's first smash hit, 'Mad Money with Jim Cramer' in the 1990s, and then created the 'Fast Money' franchise on CNBC.

And now Julia Roberts has basically played her in a movie.

The movie is called Money Monster. It stars George Clooney as Lee Gates — a fast-talking, Wall Street TV personality who suddenly finds himself in a hostage situation when a viewer who lost his entire savings on one stock enters his TV studio during a live broadcast and holds him at gunpoint.

Roberts plays Gates' producer, Patty Fenn. She steadily guides him from the control room as he wears a explosive vest his attacker had on hand.

"It's crazy to the extent that it infiltrated our culture — a show on a cable network that I created," Krakower said when Business Insider sat down with her earlier this month.

(Note: She had yet to see the movie, and was not consulted on its direction.)

"It's [the hostage situation] not the kind of thing that executives at networks have not thought about ... because it could happen. If your defenses are down for some reason it could happen."

Gates is painted as a charlatan at first (don't worry there's a twist). His captor, Kyle Budwell, invested all of his money in an investment firm called Ibis, in part, because Gates hyped it hard on "Money Monster." Turns out there was shady stuff going on at the company that Gates is forced to uncover under duress, and on live TV.

"It's crazy, but it's a great compliment," Krakower said. "When I got to CNBC... I had come from LA and developing shows, and it was the first time on a network that I was able to create for a news division. And not with an anchor and prompter. I thought: 'Let's create something authentic, with a mission that is to make money.'"

The yelling, the rolled up sleeves, the trader speak, the props, the sounds — everything that is associated with 'Mad Money,' was part of Krakower's vision for a show that made you stop and watch when you were scrolling threw the channels.

"Kudos and thank you always to Jeff Zucker," Krakower told Business Insider. "At the time I created the show there was no leadership at CNBC."

Zucker, at the time, was the head of the whole NBC network. After she pitched the idea he sent her an email Krakower used carry in her wallet. It said:  "Congratulations to you, I believe you found CNBC's first hit."

Of course, the movie is darker than that and touches on the main criticism of financial TV. What is the line between education and entertainment?

On that point Krakower pulls no punches. 

"But those people who lost money also made money when the market recovered," she says, "and the whole thesis of capitalism is to have your money work for you. And my thing is everyone's gotta be working, even your money."

She continued:"There are many shows that get it wrong, and many shows that get it right."

"If you look there are disclaimers on these shows. You have to do what's right for you. Do you have $100,000 to play with or $100 to play with?"

Krakower left CNBC in 2014 and is currently keeping it real as head of the media arm of investment firm SkyBridge Capital.

There she produces Wall Street Week, which airs on Fox Business Network.

"Working side by side with Krakower... for the last six years I would say that Susan would remain as cool and collected as Julia did under stress," said Wall Street Week co-host and former CNBC personality Gary Kaminsky.

"But I also think she might've come out of the control room and knocked out the intruder with a fist too."

Krakower says she wouldn't have been in the control room. She used to stand behind the camera motioning at Cramer with as much animation as he motioned to the audience.

That's more her style.

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NOW WATCH: We tested an economic theory by trying to buy people's lottery tickets for much more than they paid

Marvel fans are taking to Twitter to demand an addition to the next "Captain America" movie — namely a boyfriend for the superhero.

Fans made the simple request using the hashtag #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend. By early Tuesday morning, it was trending worldwide and as of this post, there are over 120,000 tweets with the hashtag.

Some chimed in with who they thought it should be. While many of the requests were to see Captain America paired with Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (aka the Winter Soldier), there were also some suggestions for Tony Stark aka Iron Man in the mix as well.

Many fans added to the discussion to explain why they believed Steven Rogers aka Captain America should have a boyfriend.

With the hashtag came the inevitable backlash from other fans who wanted a more traditional (read: straight) plotline for the superhero. 

Others took a more humorous approach to the controversial topic by either pointing out that Chris Evans already has a "bromantic" relationship with his costar Robert Downey Jr., who plays Iron Man in Marvel's universe, or that they deserved a boyfriend before a fictional superhero got one.

Longtime fans have "shipped" Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes online. All you need to do is look up "Stucky" and you'll find a lot of fan fiction and fan art about the budding bromance between the Winter Soldier and Captain America. 

"Civil War," the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe also fed into the Stucky hype. Many pieces have pointed out the film is "a love story between Steve and Bucky." Even co-director Joe Russo has admitted their arc is a love story to Empire Magazine, just a more fraternal love story between two brothers.

Captain America's sexuality has long been discussed, and fans of the comic books and movies have found themselves butting heads. On Marvel's website, there's some info about the superhero's personal life, including his relationship with his neighbor Bernadette “Bernie” Rosenthal. However, this has never become a part of the movies, and fans who haven't read the comics know a different side of Captain America: A Captain America who isn't and hasn't been in a relationship and shows little interest in women.

This hashtag follows #GiveElsaAGirlfriend, the movement to convince Disney to allow princess Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) from its popular "Frozen" movie to have a relationship with a woman.

Not only was the hashtag trending on Twitter earlier this year, it even got the attention of Menzel who told Entertainment Tonight she supported the idea. 

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NOW WATCH: Even the camera crew had to do insane stunts while shooting 'Captain America: Civil War'

The gangster comedy "Get Shorty" will be the latest movie to get the TV show treatment. 

The adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel that starred John Travolta, Danny DeVito, Gene Hackman, and Rene Russo was a big hit when it came out in 1995. The premise of tough-guy gangsters up against Hollywood wanna-be tough guys had a great mix of comedy, drama, and romance.

Now cable channel Epix thinks it can take those elements to make a great TV series. 

Executive produced by Davey Holmes ("Shameless,""In Treatment"), the show will follow Miles Daly, former muscle for a Nevada crime family, who moves out to Hollywood to become a movie producer. 

A little different spin on Leonard's story, which followed Miami mobster Chili Palmer as he goes to LA to collect a debt and sticks around to sell a movie script.

"Get Shorty" has a lifetime gross of over $115 million and spawned the sequel "Be Cool."

SEE ALSO: 47 new TV shows coming in the next year that just got announced

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NOW WATCH: 4 important things you probably missed on this week's 'Game of Thrones'

Lily-Rose Depp is making a name for herself.

The 16-year-old daughter of Johnny Depp and French singer and model Vanessa Paradis was just named the face of Chanel's newest fragrance.

It's not the first time the teen has modeled for the company, as she was a brand ambassador and the face of their Pearl eyewear campaign in 2015.

In addition to her blossoming fashion career, she's primed to make a splash in the movie industry too, with multiple films in the pipeline.

Get to know the aspiring actress and model below:

Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999.

Her parents are Johnny Depp and French singer Vanessa Paradis, though the two split in 2012.

She looks exactly like her mom.

Just how excited are people to see Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action Disney adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast"? Very.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first teaser for the film released Monday is the most-viewed trailer ever in the first 24 hours since its debut. 

That means it was watched more times than the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" teaser trailer in its first day of release.

The second teaser trailer for "The Force Awakens" received 88 million views in its first 24 hours. "Beauty and the Beast"? 91.8 million. It's not clear whether this number is across just YouTube accounts or combined with Facebook trailer view counts.

But the live-action "BatB" beat out a few other big films, too: "Captain America: Civil War" (61 million views) and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (34 million views) in a 24-hour span. 

What does that mean?

For comparison, here's how those movies ended up performing at the box office:

Not too bad, huh? 

Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" will bring movie star Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as Prince Adam/the Beast. Ewan McGregor and Josh Gad along with Ian McKellen will also star. Alan Menken is returning to compose the film.

This is by far Disney's biggest live-action adaptation to date. "BatB" is arguably much more popular than "Maleficent" (an extension of 1959's "Sleeping Beauty") and "Cinderella." Each of those live-action films performed well at theaters earning $758.5 million and $543.5 million, respectively. 

All things considered, "Beauty and the Beast" could possibly be a $1 billion film. 

The movie will be in theaters March 17, 2017.

Watch the teaser below:

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NOW WATCH: Bill Cosby will stand trial on sexual assault charges

One of the greatest animated movies of all time, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is getting the live-action treatment.

The new version is coming out in 2017, and people are pretty excited about it. 

How excited? A teaser trailer of the movie went online Monday and, as of Wednesday, has over 9 million views.

Along with telling a timeless love story, Disney's original gave audiences unforgettable characters when it opened in 1991.

Here are the new, flesh-and-blood stars who will be playing your favorites from the animated version.

SEE ALSO: RANKED: 18 movies that never got a sequel but deserve one

Emma Watson as Belle.

The star from the "Harry Potter" movies will be playing the lead role of the young girl who falls in love with the Beast.

Dan Stevens as Beast.

Known for his roles in "Downton Abbey" and the horror-thriller hit "The Guest," he will play the prince who is turned into the Beast.

Ewan McGregor as Lumière.

Before we see the star in the sequel to "Trainspotting" and "Fargo" season three, he'll play the Beast's loyal maître d'.

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase

As much as you hate to hear from “the book was way better” guy at the movies, it can be fun to be him.

The next several months offer a myriad of movies that are based on bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Whether you're looking for romance, fantasy, or mystery, there is a book and accompanying film for you.

Here are some of the best books that have movies coming out this summer and fall.

READ MORE: These are the best noise-cancelling headphones

SEE ALSO: 12 things you need before you head to the beach this weekend

DON'T MISS: 21 great coffee table books to pick up for Dad this Father's Day

"Through the Looking Glass"

Arriving in theaters on May 27, this sequel to Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" takes Alice to an even stranger world than Wonderland. Notably, this edition also includes the original illustrations of John Tenniel.

This movie sequel follows the commercial success of "Alice in Wonderland" six years ago.

BUY: "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll, $0.99 for Kindle, $3.15 for Paperback.

"Me Before You"

Coming out on June 3, this romance novel is currently sitting on the New York Times Best Sellers list and has earned rave reviews from critics. Its sequel "After You" hit shelves last September to the delight of JoJo Moyes fans. The film stars Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin.

BUY: "Me Before You" by JoJo Moyes, $9.99 for Kindle, $6.73 for Paperback.

"Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ"

Published in 1880 by Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur has been a bestseller for some time. This historical fiction novel paints a of picture of ancient Judea, tying biblical themes into its adventure. Its original film adaptation in 1959 won 11 Academy Awards. This years remake of Ben-Hur premiers August 12. 

BUY: "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" by Lew Wallace, $0.99 for Kindle, $12.99 for Paperback.

Earlier this year, the Sundance Film Festival invited audiences to an experience unlike any other in its history: a seven-and-a-half-hour documentary on O.J. Simpson made by ESPN’s heralded “30 for 30” documentary arm.

At a festival where the whole point seems to run from screening to screening for bragging rights, here was a movie (or was it?) that would take the entire day to watch. Would anyone show up?

They did. And Sundance’s longtime programmer Trevor Groth reassured the attendees, telling them the movie was "the most memorable screening experience" he's had in 21 years at the fest.

ESPN Films' senior vice president and executive producer Connor Schell was there in the back of the theater, and he realized "O.J.: Made in America" was something special and needed to be treated as such.

ESPN's "30 for 30" documentaries are generally shorts and hour-and-a-half films airing on ESPN and sister network ABC that focus on unique stories in the world of sports. But "Made in America" is a different animal. A five-part docuseries directed by sports doc vet Ezra Edelman, it follows the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson while also delving into the bubbling decades-long issues between African Americans and the Los Angeles Police Department, which flared during Simpson's murder case.

ESPN Films had never put together a project of that size before, but early reviews (here’s ours) made Schell and others at ESPN realize they needed to think big.

So leading up to its premiere on ABC on June 11 (the rest of the series will then air on ESPN), “Made in America” is currently playing at the Cinema Village in New York City and the Laemmle in Santa Monica, California. (Thursday is the last day you can see it in theaters.)

Schell admits the main reason for this is to get the film qualified for an Academy Award nomination (Emmy consideration is also in ESPN's grasp). But he's also learned from festival showings that people love the opportunity to see "Made in America" on the big screen.

"It was solidified at Sundance, as we saw the audience engaged for almost eight hours, how powerful the experience is,“ Schell told Business Insider recently. “It led us to decide we should really show it in theaters.”

The weeklong theatrical run in New York and LA is the first hurdle ESPN has cleared to get the movie recognized by the Oscars. The network also had to make sure that film critics at the New York Times and the LA Times reviewed the movie, which happened. And it had to play four times a day. But since the movie is close to eight hours long, ESPN reached an agreement with the Academy to show it twice a day, with three brief intermissions during each showing, to stay eligible, according to Schell. (ESPN hired a distribution consultant to handle the release of the film. An ESPN spokesperson would not divulge how much the theatrical run cost.)

Schell said he hasn’t thought past the TV airing of the movie, but if “Made in America” were chosen on the shortlist for the best documentary Oscar, ESPN would have to decide if it would commit to another theatrical release for Oscar voters, or just send out screeners to them.

This isn't the first time ESPN Films has tried to give one of its “30 for 30” docs a shot at the Oscars. In 2010, it had an Oscar-qualifying run for “The Two Escobars,” but it didn’t get in the running.

It’s likely things will be different for “Made in America.”

Beyond feeding the hunger of those who were obsessed with the FX series “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (it will actually give that show greater context), it's an incredibly thorough look at a person who had a very different persona once the cameras were off him. Not to mention that it’s one of the greatest examinations of the corruption and bigotry inside the LAPD that has ever been put on-screen.

And if you can't make it for the theatrical run, don't worry. Following the airing of parts one and two of "Made in America" on ESPN on June 14, the entire five parts will be available on the WatchESPN app.

Though some have argued that ESPN, with its Oscar run for "Made in America," is making a statement about the cinematic qualities of long-form nonfiction work (think “The Jinx” and “Making a Murderer”), Schell sees it a little differently. He just wants to showcase what he thinks happens to be a great movie.

“We wanted to look at O.J. and tell the story in a more complete way where we felt like we could provide the context biographically and socially of what he meant and the place and time that he existed in to get you to understand what happened during the trial,” Schell said. “What Ezra did was make this his own and gave it a connection that is beyond something that we could ever have dreamed of.”

SEE ALSO: The director of ESPN's explosive new O.J. Simpson documentary reveals how he got his hands on never-before-seen evidence

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Barack Obama is not only one of our youngest presidents, having been elected at age 47, but also one of our coolest.

He's not just a fixture in politics, but in pop culture as well, and he isn't afraid to respond to mean tweets or parry with Zach Galifianakis between two ferns. He even dissed Kanye.

But knowing your way around pop culture isn't enough — it's also about taste.

Over the years, Obama has talked about the books, movies, and TV shows he likes the most. Taken together, they create a portrait of a man who’s deeply occupied with American stories, the nature of identity, and just getting away from being the leader of the free world for a while.

Let's take a look at Obama's pop culture picks:

Obama’s favorite movies are “The Godfather” and “The Godfather II.”

One of our most important clues about Obama's favorite works of pop culture is a Facebook post promoting the Trans-Pacific Partnership and defending the importance of copyright laws. In it, he said his favorite movies are the first two “Godfather” films. It’s a smart pick — the two movies are classic American stories and widely-regarded masterpieces of cinema.

“There’s this combination of old world gentility and ritual, with this savagery underneath,” Obama told MTV. “It’s all about family. So it’s a great movie.”

He’s also really into classics.

His other favorites include “Casablanca,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “Lawrence of Arabia,” all of which are Oscar winners.

As Obama said, “Who doesn’t like Casablanca?”

Him and Michelle watched “Do the Right Thing” on their first date.

At an event honoring the movie's 25th anniversary, Barack and Michelle Obama recounted the time they first watched the Spike Lee movie: their first date.

"He was trying to show me his sophisticated side by selecting an independent filmmaker," Michelle said. "It ended up being a pretty good movie."

"'Do the Right Thing' still holds up a mirror to our society, and it makes us laugh, and think, and challenges all of us to see ourselves in one another,” Barack Obama said.

Their first date was adapted into a movie itself, called "Southside with You."

Hollywood is expecting some big box office numbers this Memorial Day weekend as "Alice Through the Looking Glass" and "X-Men: Apocalypse" hit theaters.

But with many critics writing off "Alice" as an unworthy sequel to the hit 2010 "Alice In Wonderland," with only a 28% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, let's shift our focus to the new X-Men movie where critics are essentially split down the middle on if it's good or not, with a 49% rating.

Here we break down what the critics like and dislike about the movie, which sees the old guard mutants (Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, and Michael Fassbender") teaming up with the newbies (Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee) to save the world from the first-ever mutant, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac).

SEE ALSO: Here are the stars of the new live-action "Beauty and the Beast"— and who they're playing

Dislike: Same old story

Though plot isn't really a big motivating factor to going to a superhero movie, it's nice to have a good one. Sadly, director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg don't really throw the X-Men into any outside-the-box situations. The villain Apocalypse is basically trying to destroy the world and they need to stop him.

That fact annoyed some critics, like Time Out, which thought the movie was "a seen-it-before world domination plot carried out by a petulant Pharaoh with a head like a chewed pencil, and resisted by a bunch of interchangeable, Lycra-clad goody-goodies whose names and superpowers you’ll quickly stop trying to keep track of." 

Dislike: Oscar Isaac just looks silly

Isaac has had a good run, playing the soon-to-be iconic character Poe in "The Force Awakens," and his countless indie film roles. But it seems he had a misfire taking on Apocalypse.

"Oscar Isaac is completely wasted as Apocalypse," wrote Uproxx. "I wish they had kept Isaac out of the makeup, as well. I get that Apocalypse in the movie resembles his comic book counterpart, but who cares? (He kind of looks silly on screen, to be honest.)" 

Dislike: This is supposed to be 10 years later?

Though "Apocalypse" takes place ten years after the last X-Men movie, "Days of Future Past," it doesn't seem like much makeup was used to age the characters.

"The continuity in 'X-Men: Apocalypse' is even more of a nightmare than the continuity in 'X-Men' comics," points out ScreenCrush. "'Apocalypse' takes place a decade after 'Days of Future Past,' but if not for the outlandish ’80s fashions, you’d swear it was set about six months later. Slacker speedster Quicksilver (Evan Peters) still lives in his mom’s basement playing video games, and none of the other actors look older at all, even though they’ve been fighting one another for two decades."

Bryan Cranston, most famous for his role as a meth dealer on "Breaking Bad," may not seem like a likely Disney star, but the actor played the lead character in a 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM).

He wasn't the first big name to pop up on the channel.

With the premiere of "Under Wraps" in 1997, Disney Channel began its era of original movies. Nearly 20 years later, 99 DCOMs have aired, including "Brink!,""Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century," and "Halloweentown."

In honor of "Adventures in Babysitting," which will be the 100th DCOM when it premieres on June 24, Disney Channel is going to air all of its original movies, starting with a four-day marathon of the 51 most popular ones over Memorial Day weekend.

Disney movies have been the launching block for many A-list celebrities, though not all of them made it big right away. And in some cases, actors already had prolific careers before starring in a DCOM.

Here are 21 celebs (and a bonus one!) that appeared in DCOMs over the years:

Brie Larson

Back in 2003, Brie Larson was living in the fast lane, portraying real-life junior drag racer Courtney Enders in "Right on Track." Earlier this year, she received an Oscar for her portrayal of a young, captive mother in "Room."

Zac Efron

Zac Efron became a teen heartthrob as a singing basketball player in "High School Musical." He reprised the role in two sequels and has since tackled indie dramas, like "The Paperboy," and has established himself as a comedy star.

Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart rocketed to international stardom as Bella Swan in the "Twilight" saga, but her first role was an uncredited part as a girl in a water fountain line in "The Thirteenth Year."