Sean O'Connell
The Background: Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. He joined the staff as a freelancer in 2011, and gradually climbed the ranks as he helped the site grow in stature. Currently, he manages the site’s junket and interview opportunities. He also co-hosts CinemaBlend’s official podcast, ReelBlend, with fellow Critics Choice Association members Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. Sean has had his byline published in various respected publications including USA Today, The Washington Post, and Fandango. He’s also the author of three nonfiction books: Release the Snyder Cut, detailing the controversial saga of Zack Snyder’s Justice League; With Great Power, an in-depth retelling of Spider-Man’s history in Hollywood, and; Bruce Willis: Celebrating The Cinematic Legacy Of An Unbreakable Hollywood Icon.
What He’s Into: Sean is a basketball fanatic, and divides his love evenly between the NBA (the Charlotte Hornets are his team) and college basketball (where he drives the bandwagon for the Kentucky Wildcats). He spends most weekends watching his two sons play basketball, and still can't believe they've outgrown him. Sean also loves cooking, and thinks there’s no better feeling than preparing a meal for someone and watching them enjoy it. If Sean didn’t write about movies, he’d probably be involved full-time in the music scene somehow. He grew up playing guitar, switched to drums, and now plays bass for a power-punk garage band called Confetti Cannon. His all-time favorite TV show is Breaking Bad. His all-time favorite movie is Spider-Man: No Way Home. His all-time favorite book is Stephen King’s IT, and his all-time favorite snack is fudge-covered Oreos that he keeps in the freezer.
What He’s Excited About Right Now: The building blocks of James Gunn's DC Cinematic Do-Over, and the overwhelming stack of other people's books he's about to dive into. now that he finished work on his own Bruce Willis book.
Latest articles by Sean O'Connell
'Rebel Moon' Video Review: Get Ready For More Snyder Cut Controversy
By Katie Hughes, Sean O'Connell published
What the first part of Netflix's "Rebel Moon" got right, and everything it got wrong.
Zack Snyder Calls His Rebel Moon Director’s Cut ‘A Different Movie’ Then The One That’s Going To Netflix, And Now I Have Major Questions
By Sean O'Connell published
There's a director's cut of Rebel Moon that Zack Snyder will release... later. This just raises a ton of new questions for me.
James Mangold Compares Logan’s Ending To Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, And Tells Us The ‘Most Important Thing’ He Could Say About Indy
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives James Mangold got the chance to direct two final installments in the sagas of classic characters, but talks about how they compare.
The 25 Best Sports Movies
By Sean O'Connell, Mack Rawden, Philip Sledge, Nick Venable, Dirk Libbey, Jason Wiese, Mike Reyes, Kelly West published
Hollywood loves telling sports stories. These are the 25 best movies set in the wide world of sports.
Alan Ritchson Gives Us A Very Blunt Reason Why Reacher Season 2 Moved The Book's Setting From Las Vegas To Atlantic City
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives If you read Lee Child's Bad Luck and Trouble, you may realize Reacher Season 2 changed the story's location. Here's why.
How An iPhone Helped Oppenheimer’s Costume Designer Make Pivotal Decisions On Christopher Nolan’s Period Film
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer straddled the line between decades, creating a visual obstacle for his costume designer.
Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Trailer Explodes With Action, And Actually Gives Me Hope
By Sean O'Connell published
Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley for a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie, and the trailer is giving me hope.
Reacher's Alan Ritchson Promises The Season 3 Book Will 'Make People Very Happy,' But Adds A Caveat That Has Me Concerned
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives We know that Alan Ritchson is doing Reacher Season 3. Here's what he tells me about the book... and the location.
The Classic Christmas Movie That Inspired Jeff Kinney's Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Series
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Jeff Kinney recently told us the Christmas classic that inspired his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and I can totally see that.
I Asked James Wan How He Felt About Jason Momoa Sharing Video Of Ben Affleck On The Aquaman 2 Set, And His Answer Is Hilarious
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Leaks on comic book movie sets like Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are rampant. And sometimes, the culprit is the star of the movie.
Poor Things: Emma Stone And Yorgos Lanthimos Dig Into Intimate Sex Scenes, First-Day Fears, And Why Preparation Isn't Always Helpful
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos joined our ReelBlend podcast to dissect their partnership, and their latest creation, Poor Things.
I Wish Indiana Jones Got To Stay In Ancient Italy, But Dial Of Destiny's Director Tells Me Why They Decided Against It
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Now that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is on Disney+, 4K, and Blu-ray, I had to ask James Mangold about his ending.
A Fun Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Theory Just Got Shot Down By Phil Lord And Chris Miller: ‘That One Is A Happy Accident’
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives There was a fun Miles Morales theory connecting Spider-Man to Into the Spider-Verse. But Lord and Miller told us exactly what's up.
The Prey Director Saw Those Hilarious Ryan Reynolds Deadpool 3 'Leaked' Photos, And He Had An A+ Response
By Sean O'Connell published
How many characters will be in Deadpool 3? All of the characters? Even the Predator?
WandaVision Was Inspired By Bewitched, But It Turns Out The Marvel Series Also Used Something Very Important From The Classic TV Program
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives I love this story about WandaVision using something very specific to Bewitched, which now no longer exists.
Baz Luhrmann Elaborates On Plans To ‘Radically’ Revisit Elvis Story In A Different Format
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Following Faraway Downs, Baz Luhrmann exclusively reveals his plans to rework Elvis, with Austin Butler.
Surprise, Reacher’s Already On Set For Season 3 After Shock Renewal News And Alan Ritchson Is Having The Best Time
By Sean O'Connell published
We don't even have Reacher Season 2 yet (soon!!), but Alan Ritchson already is sharing fun photos from the set of Season 3.
Why Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Deserves A Best Picture Nomination
By Sean O'Connell published
It goes without saying that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the year's best films. Will the Academy recognize that, properly?
'May December' Video Interviews With Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore And More
By Jeff McCobb, Sean O'Connell published
Watch the cast of "May December" answer our pressing questions about the Netflix release including AI in the film industry, character research, and more.
Natalie Portman Shares The Funny Story Behind Norah’s Ark, Her Fictional TV Drama From May December
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives In May December, Natalie Portman plays an actor researching a role. Her character came from a successful TV show, and here's what we learned about it.
Annette Bening's Nyad Director Told Us Why The Actress Refused To Use Stunt Swimmers, And Her Reasoning Makes Me Appreciate The Film Even More
By Sean O'Connell published
Exclusives Annette Bening went to incredible lengths for Nyad, but this detail makes me that much more impressed.
32 Detective TV Shows You May Have Forgotten About
By Sean O'Connell published
There are so many beloved detective TV shows. But here are ones you might have forgotten, or just never got to.
I Asked Priscilla Star Cailee Spaeny About Filming Her Devastating Finale Scene, And She Told Us How Dolly Parton Helped
By Sean O'Connell published
Sofia Coppola's Priscilla tackles the Elvis myth from the perspective of his wife, and Dolly Parton indirectly helped the movie's conclusion.