Movies

Mickey Mouse just got the wookie stamp of approval ... 'cause the guy who played Chewbacca in the original trilogy tells TMZ he's totally stoked Disney will continue the "Star Wars" franchise.

We spoke with Peter Mayhew ... who tells us, “I have no doubt Disney will respect and continue the legacy of Lucasfilm. I have worked with Disney for many years during their Star Wars Weekends Celebration and seen how much they love the films and the fans.”

Mayhew -- who currently runs the Peter Mayhew Foundation for special needs and at-risk children -- says he's impressed by the way Disney involved Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee in the "Avengers" movies. "[Disney] has an excellent track record for listening to the creator's voice."

And Chewie ain't the only "Star Wars" character on board ... we also spoke with Ahmed Best -- the voice of Jar Jar Binks -- who tells us, "George has always been a hero and a mentor. I am happy that the saga will continue."

Daniel Logan – who played young Boba Fett in Episode II – adds, "I think Disney acquiring Lucasfilm is a wonderful thing! There are exciting times ahead for Star Wars fans!”

If George Lucas wasn't rich before, he sure as hell is now -- because Disney just bought his movie company Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 BILLION ... and has already announced a NEW STAR WARS MOVIE!!!

Lucas said in a statement, "It's now time for me to pass 'Star Wars' on to a new generation of filmmakers." According to Disney, "Star Wars: Episode 7" is slated for release in 2015.

It's pretty crazy ... considering Lucas said he would never make another "Star Wars" movie -- telling the New York Times, "Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"

Lucas even told us directly back in March ... "Star Wars" was DEAD forever.

Alex Karras was no method actor when it came to farting ... this according to Alex's "Blazing Saddles" director Mel Brooks.

Alex -- who passed away earlier this month -- played Mongo in Mel's 1974 film and was one of the gassy cowboys in the legendary bean-eating scene.

But Mel tells TMZ ... in real life, Alex was the exact opposite of his character ... "very bright, very creative, very fun on the set."

"Such a wonderful, beautiful guy to work with," Mel said ... adding, "He didn't actually do any passing of gas, but he did everything else."

Fun Fact -- the farting scene isn't just hilarious, it's historical ... according to reports, the ass-music scene was the first ever flatulence gag to be featured in a major motion picture.

Lil Wayne will not appear at his trial after suffering several seizure-like episodes, and the only Wayne the jury will see is his video deposition -- a depo which the judge said shows he acted like an irresponsible little child.

As we told you ... Wayne is suing Quincy Jones III over a documentary about the rapper that he calls a "scandalous portrayal."

Wayne was not in court today because of his medical emergency on Thursday on board a private jet. The pilot radioed Wayne had seizures and he was subsequently hospitalized.

Wayne's lawyer told the judge he will play Wayne's deposition tapes for the jury, but there will be NO Wayne in person. But that's a huge problem because the tapes -- which TMZ posted last month -- show Wayne acting like a child, giving glib one liners and refusing to answer questions.

Henry Cavill is confident ... his Britishness WILL NOT get in the way of his portrayal of Superman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" movie.

Of course, Superman is considered the greatest American superhero of all time ... sorry Batman, Iron Man, Spider-Man, etc. ... and Cavill will be the first non-Yank to play the role.

In fact, he even said he would support an American actor playing James Bond ... as long as that person has the chops.

And if you don't care about Superman ... watch the clip anyway, 'cause Henry is really, really good looking.

Lil Wayne's medical emergency Thursday could derail his trial ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected with the case tell us, Wayne was scheduled to testify Friday but just before noon Thursday the judge was informed the rapper had a seizure out of state and was going to the hospital. As a result, court was dark Friday.

Wayne is suing Quincy Jones III over a documentary QIII did on him, claiming it's a "scandalous portrayal." Wayne also alleges producers didn't have the right to use his music in the flick. (You'll recall the hilarious deposition tapes we posted.)

Our sources say they've been told it is "unlikely" Wanye will be able to testify on Monday and there is a "real chance" Wayne will not be witness ready for a significant period of time.

Here's the problem. The case is being heard by a jury, so it's unlikely the judge will grant a continuance because it would unduly disrupt the jurors' lives. There are 2 other options ... declare a mistrial, or force Wayne's side to present its case without him.

We're told lawyers for Wayne will inform the judge Monday morning on Wayne's status.

TMZ broke the story ... Wayne suffered what we're told were 2 seizures on a private plane Thursday and was hospitalized until Friday afternoon. Although a woman claiming to be Wayne's rep says it was just a combo of dehydration and a migraine, people repping Wayne in an official capacity tell us they were told he suffered 2 seizures, which is consistent with what the pilot radioed to ground control.

Emma Roberts donned her aunt Julia's iconic "Pretty Woman" hooker outfit and hit up a Halloween party in Beverly Hills last night.

Ben Affleck did something that shocked us -- even more than "Gigli" -- but, more importantly, he opened the door for everyone in the TMZ newsroom to get some sweet revenge ... on Harv!

Lindsay Lohan screwed up again ... no-showing at an important voice-over session for her upcoming movie ... and now the screenwriter is BLASTING her for being a flake.

Bret Easton Ellis -- who wrote Lindsay's new flick "The Canyons" -- claims Lohan missed her Automatic Dialog Replacement session on Wednesday ... and posted a tweet, saying he sent his bloodthirsty character from his 1991 book "American Psycho" over to find her ass.

Here's the tweet -- "Patrick Bateman has just headed over to Lindsay Lohan's hotel to confront her as to why she missed her f**king ADR on 'The Canyons' today..."

Of course, punctuality hasn't always been Lindsay's strong suit ... she has a history of running late to things like movie sets, made-for-TV-movie sets, "Glee," court dates, community service, airports, alcohol education classes, birthday parties ... and lunch.

Actor Mike Epps personally reached out to Richard Pryor's widow before agreeing to play the comic legend in a new movie, TMZ has learned -- and it might've been the smartest thing he's ever done.

Jennifer Pryor tells TMZ, she was touched by the gesture -- saying, "That was very sweet and respectful that he called me first. I am happy that they picked him. He is a real good guy."

FYI -- Epps is slated to appear as Pryor in the new film about jazz legend Nina Simone.

But Mike Epps wasn't just being polite, he also made a real smart move ... because Jennifer tells us, thanks to Epps' courtesy call, she's now considering the comedian to play Pryor in an upcoming Richard Pryor biopic.

The Pryor movie is still in development, but Jennifer -- who's acting as a producer on the film -- says she believes Epps is one of the few actors capable of an "authentic portrayal" of Pryor.

As for the one person she does NOT want to play Pryor ... his name rhymes with Schmeddy Burphy.

Jennifer tells us, "Having Eddie Murphy play Richard Pryor would be like having Al Jolson play Malcolm X." (Jolson is an early 20th century white actor known for his blackface performances.)

It's widely regarded as the WORST MOVIE OF ALL TIME -- and even Lea Thompson, star of the 1986 catastrophe, agrees ... "Howard the Duck" was a steaming pile of animatronic crap.

The 51-year-old actress was out in NYC yesterday when we asked about the cult classic -- and she bit her tongue, telling TMZ, "I'm happy that people like it, but I don't think it was a great movie."

No kidding, it won the 1987 Razzie Award for Worst Picture ... and critics PANNED the George Lucas-produced movie for years thereafter.

Then again, Lea did that incredible underwear scene...

The new woman in Mel's life is Ashley Cusato ... an actress and stuntwoman who's actually been featured as a stunt double for big stars like Emily Deschanel and Denise Richards.

Sources close to the actor tell us ... the two have been dating for about a month -- and things are going so well, Mel has already introduced her to several members of his family.

In fact, sources close to la familia Gibson tell us ... they LOVE her and are convinced she's gonna be around for a long, long time.

One of the guys who played a key role in "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" and "The Avengers" has made a shocking confession ... HE'S NEVER ACTUALLY WATCHED ANY OF THE MOVIES!

Paul Bettany -- who got paid TONS of cash to provide the voice for Tony Stark's computer J.A.R.V.I.S. -- dropped the bombshell to Digital Spy ... admitting he has absolutely no interest in the story and has never even read the full script for any of the 3 movies.

Bettany even joked that he feels like he's ripping off the movie studio -- "I walk in, I say some lines on a piece of paper for two hours, and then they give me a bag of money and I leave and I go about my day."

Not only that, he says it makes fan encounters a bit awkward, adding "I'm plagued by fanboys who love J.A.R.V.I.S. ... They come up and I've got no idea what they're talking about."

So check out the clip (below) and see Bettany's hard work pay off ...

Rob and Kristen were spotted leaving a restaurant with a group of friends Monday afternoon -- never holding hands ... but standing mere feet from each other.

This was the 2nd time in 24 hours they were seen together around L.A. ... just 3 months after Kristen admitted cheating with director Rupert Sanders -- but, even more telling, exactly one month before the release of the last "Twilight" movie. Hmm ...

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were at an L.A. restaurant last night, exactly 1 month to the day before "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" premieres ... and it's feeling like a total set-up.

The two had drinks at Ye Rustic Inn in a hipster area of Los Feliz. There was enough of a crowd to ensure someone was going to notice.

So here's the question. Did they honestly repair their relationship and the timing is purely coincidental? Are they really NOT together but doing it for the movie? Or were they always together and the "split" was all PR BS?

So we gotta ask ...