Sean Astin Talks The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson & More

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Samwise himself, Sean Astin, joins ReelBlend this week for a wonderful interview all about The Lord Of The Rings. It's rare that you get to interview a cast member of a beloved franchise, and even more rare to get to interview about said franchise. We had a blast chatting with Astin about his last scene on set, gallivanting about New Zealand with a cool guy like Ian McKellen, the time Peter Jackson crushed him with a single note, and so much more. It really turned out to be a highlight reel of awesome Lord Of The Rings stories.

In the bulk of the show, we discuss Wonder Woman 1984's move to HBO Max. (Note: this was recorded before the bombshell news of Warner Bros. 2021 slate. More on that next week.) Sean and Jake were able to interview George Clooney recently, and so they gush about the process and his unbelievable levels of charm before getting into the movies dropping this week.

Finally, we celebrate Angela Bassett's staggering talent and career with our BlendGame. Next week, we're looking at our favorite directors who started as actors, be sure to play along with "#ActorTurnedDirectorBlend" on Twitter.

This Week In Movies

  • The Prom (Netflix)
  • Mank (Netflix)
  • Sound of Metal (Amazon Prime Video)
  • Nomadland (limited)
  • Half Brothers
  • All My Life

Timestamps (approx. only)

  • 5:30 - Weekly Poll: Which December release are you most excited for?
  • 12:35 - Sean Astin Interview
  • 39:35 - Wonder Woman 1984 to HBO Max
  • 47:06 - David Prowse (Darth Vader) Passing
  • 54:23 - Interviewing George Clooney
  • 1:04:28 - This Week In Movies
  • 1:21:04 - BlendGame
  • 1:36:30 - Listener Review/Outro

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Gabriel Kovacs
Video Producer & Podcast Lead

Gabe studied Film & Photography at Webster University. He currently spends his free time looking like a fool trying to play Ice Hockey (a recently acquired hobby), playing video games, and watching every movie starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Dwayne, if you're reading this...he sends his love.