Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are splashing out over $50 million on a 10-bedroom estate. The couple - who rekindled their romance last year - have reportedly agreed a deal to purchase a 20,000 sq ft abode in the Bel Air region of Los Angeles and the property has plenty of space for the 49-year-old actor's three children and the 'On the Floor' hitmaker's twins because the couple are keen for them to all stay there together. The property - which was listed for sale by billionaire Todd Lemkin for $65 million - also has 17 bathrooms, multiple kitchens, a theatre, gym, his and hers bath, and a pool, and boasts a stunning city view in a very private location surrounded by trees.
According to TMZ, Ben - who has Violet, 16, Serafina, 13, and Samuel, 10, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner - and Jennifer have agreed a deal in the "mid-$50 million range" but there are still contingencies that must be satisfied before the sale can go through. The news of the new family home comes after it was recently reported the 'Tender Bar' star and his partner - who has 14-year-old Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony - are looking for a London base this summer. A source said: "There is a very trusted team looking for the perfect home for Ben and J-Lo for the summer.
"It will probably be the usual mansion in a leafy area on the outskirts of London. American stars love areas such as Richmond which, as well as being lovely, is close to Heathrow Airport, but also near enough to some of the big studios such as Leavesden and Shepperton." Ben has been tipped to star in the new 'Barbie' movie - which is being shot at Warner Bros' Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire - and that could be one of the motivating factors behind the potential switch.
Meanwhile, Jennifer recently described her romance with Ben as a "happy, healthy relationship" and thinks they are in a better place since they first dated from 2002 to 2004. She said: "We're older now, we're smarter, we have more experience, we're at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. "I think we are strong enough now to know what's real and what's not, whereas when we were younger maybe some of those outside voices were a little bit tougher for us to reconcile and survive."
Samuel L Jackson had to fight for his purple lightsaber in Star Wars
Samuel L Jackson had to fight for his 'Star Wars' character to have a purple lightsaber. The 73-year-old actor, who played Mace Windu in 'Star Wars' Episodes I, II, and III of the blockbuster franchised and explained why he wanted his character to have a purple lightsaber. When asked how the purple lightsaber came about on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, he answered: "Ask George [Lucas]. In Episode II, there's that huge scene in kind of like a war stadium. There's all these Jedi out there. And when I was reading it I was like 'how am I going to find myself in this?' So I thought, 'different coloured lightsaber!' So I said, 'George, can I get a purple coloured lightsaber?' [And he said,] 'they're green, they're blue.' I said, 'what, seriously, that's it?' And that was the end of the conversation."
Though the 'Avengers' star thought he'd lost the fight at this point, he revealed the moment when director George Lucas, 77, told Samuel he'd changed his mind. He explained: "But then we finished shooting reshoots, I had to fly back to London, and he was like 'I want to show you something,' and I was like 'what?' So he shows me a purple lightsaber. But then he says, 'it's already causing a storm online, so I don't know if I'm going to keep it,' and I was like 'really? Come on! And how do people online know anyway?' "But sure enough, when the movie opened, he was like, 'okay. You get to keep the purpe lightsaber.'
Because in episode one, I never even got to pull it." The 'Pulp Fiction' star also confessed that he believes Mace Windu is still alive, and would hinted that he could reprise his role in the 'Star Wars' universe. Samuel revealed: "I think [Mace Windu] is alive somewhere. ... There's a huge history of people with one hand returning in 'Star Wars.' The only person I've ever said that to, about coming back, was Bryce Dallas Howard. I just did a movie with her, and she directs episodes of 'The Mandalorian.' So I was like, 'do you think you might be able to hook a brother up? I mean, you like me, right?' And she's like 'I love you, you're amazing!' So I said 'put me back in it.' I'll learn to use the lightsaber left-handed!"
Miranda 'mind-blown' over the success of Encanto soundtrack
Lin-Manuel Miranda is "mind blown" by the success of the soundtrack to 'Encanto.' The 42-year-old composer - who is known for having created the smash hit Broadway musical 'Hamilton' - composed the Oscar-nominated soundtrack to the 2021 Disney movie and revealed how he fought against those who wanted to cut certain characters. He told Collider: "The fact that every song on the soundtrack is on the charts right now is mind-blowing to me. There were so many times when they were like, 'You're going to have to cut some characters.
That's a lot of characters for a Disney movie.' That happens so much. You cut away anyone who isn't the main character, and their obstacles and their goals. "At the outset, we said, 'We want to tell an intergenerational Latino family story, and as much complexity as we can get into 90 minutes as we can.' And the dynamics are the story. That is what the story is, is them seeing each other more fully. As a result of that, there's so many inroads for folks." The 'tick, tick...BOOM!' director revealed that due to the size of the family in 'Encanto,' he thinks there is definitely potential for further exploration of their stories.
Lin said: "I do think there's an appetite to further explore the Madrigal family, given how many characters there are, and how many gifts there are. And also where we leave the story. Now there is sort of this more fully realized version of themselves. Which way can we go? "I think it's a question of when and not if, and what form that will take. Is that another movie? Is that a series? Is that a stage adaptation where we have a little more time, because stage shows are generally an hour longer than movies? And we haven't had conversations as to what form that will take, but I mean, yeah, I'd be down to continue to explore that."-Bang Showbiz