TMZ.com

Christy Martin's happy Sydney Sweeney's lacing up her boxing gloves ... saying she's thrilled Syd's playing her in a new biopic, and she wants to make sure her ring moves look authentic.

The boxing legend tells TMZ ... she's excited for Syd's performance, especially because she has a background in MMA and combat sports -- and says the actor's performance can prove dynamite comes in small packages!

Martin maintains she had no say in casting, and while she hasn't spoken to Sweeney yet ... she's anxious to let her know how honored she is she's taking the role.

Christy says she'll definitely be involved with Sydney's boxing training, specifically to help the star with her left hook ... giving her championship-level tools for the flick.

Joel McHale says the "Community" movie's probably shooting soon, lifting fans' spirits ... but, he's not sharing the set with Chevy Chase anytime soon.

We caught up with the actor in L.A. Friday ... and, we had to ask him about the flick fans have wanted since the show went off the air back in 2015.

JM says the time's finally come 'cause they're shooting the movie either in the fall or early next year ... though he qualifies that a bit since the movie's been promised a couple times before.

Sydney Sweeney is all set to play a famous female boxer -- something she says she can't wait to morph into ... so, get ready to see her way differently than what you're used to!

The actress has been tapped to play brawler Christy Martin in a new biopic -- and yes, she's gonna have to get in fighting shape for the lead role ... which will likely see her bloodied and bruised, the way CM used to be in her heyday when she would brawl in the ring.

Sydney is ready to take on the challenge, as she shared with Deadline that she's prepared to tap into her sporty roots for the role.

Kristen Stewart says "Barbie" alone can't undo ancient systems of oppression ... arguing Hollywood's allowing only a few female creators to make an impact.

The actor-turned-director appears on the cover of this month's Porter magazine ... and, she came out firing in the cover story -- calling H'Wood phony and blasting the industry for elevating a few female stars in the studio system.

Stewart says there's a process of checking off boxes, as if when studios fulfill a few requirements, the patriarchy will be thoroughly done away with in the industry. Here, KS name-drops Robbie and Maggie Gyllenhaal -- claiming studios like to make one of their films to pat themselves on the back and call it a great day for diversity.

Michael Douglas doesn't get the need for intimacy coordinators ... calling the new production protocol unnecessary for sex scenes, which he used to handle by himself just fine.

The actor made his stance clear in an interview with Radio Times, as reported by The Telegraph ... where he accused Hollywood execs of making a power grab with the implementation of intimacy coordinators, who come on set/tell actors how to fake do it.

He says ... "It feels like executives taking control away from filmmakers -- but there have been some terrible faux pas and harassment."

"Bad Boys: Ride Or Die" isn't the only heat wave Martin Lawrence will be commanding this summer -- TMZ Hip Hop can reveal the comedic legend is returning to his stand-up roots with a huge tour!!!

Martin's "Y'all Know What It Is!" tour will kick off the laughs July 20 with several other heavy-hitters joining him onstage for the 36-city event.

Deon Cole, DC Young Fly, Jess Hilarious, Adele Givens, B. Simone, Chico Bean, Ms. Pat, Rickey Smiley and more will appear throughout various cities during the nationwide tour.

Johnny Depp's new movie has been accused of being a stinker in terms of getting asses in seats -- and some have even claimed it's getting yanked because of that ... but it's BS.

Here's the deal ... there are social media posts floating around that suggest Johnny's film, "Jeanne du Barry," has been getting pulled from theaters here in the States -- particularly, ones in the Los Angeles area -- and the implication is that it's due to low ticket sales.

These tweets that are claiming JD's movie is grossly underperforming are attaching purported screenshots of empty theaters ... with only a seat or two filled for one-off showings last week.

We're finally getting a look at the new Superman -- who was supposed to bring a whole new vibe to the character ... but who's actually coming across very much so like Henry Cavill.

James Gunn unveiled the first set photo of David Corenswet in costume as the revamped Man of Steel for his upcoming 'Superman' film -- which is supposed to mark his first real foray into DC as the head honcho ... and while it's cool to see, it's also drawing flashbacks.

The reason ... Dave and his Supes getup is, well, awfully similar to what Henry used to rock in his movies -- and frankly, David looks a helluva lot like HC in general here. It's kinda eerie.

Ryan Gosling's seemingly never-ending press run for his new action movie apparently didn't sway prospective theater-goers -- 'cause the flick didn't do all that great ... but it ain't over yet.

The actor's latest offering, "The Fall Guy" -- which was getting heavily promoted in recent weeks -- had a disappointing box office opening weekend -- having raked in just $28.5 million domestically ... this after projections had it pegged for between $30 and $40 mil.

Overseas, 'TFG' made an extra $25.4 mil ... bringing its total debut haul to around $65M.

Bernard Hill -- a character actor known for his roles in some of the biggest late-‘90s and early-2000s flicks -- has died ... according to reports.

Multiple outlets are reporting Hill passed away early Sunday morning, saying they the news confirmed with Hill's agent Lou Coulson. Some of Hill's friends and former costars -- like actress Barbara Dickson -- also spread the news on social media.

Hill got his start in the film and TV industry back in the early 1970s via appearances on popular British shows like “Rooms,” “Village Hall,” and “Crown Court.”

The former Kermit the Frog actor says he's not hurt he's excluded from the upcoming Jim Henson documentary ... he's hurt 'cause he thinks Jim's spirit within The Muppets is dying.

Steve Whitmire -- who took up the role in 1990 after Henson's untimely death -- tells TMZ ... producers contacted him about the forthcoming documentary "Jim Henson Idea Man" all about the iconic puppeteer a few years ago for home movies he shot dating back to 1978.

Whitmire says he happily handed over the tapes and expected the team to come back around when they were ready to interview him -- after all, he voiced the franchise's most iconic character from '90 until his firing in 2017 -- but, he says no one followed up.

Edgar Lansbury, a Tony-winning producer and brother of late TV & Film star Angela Lansbury has died ... according to a post from one of his former stars.

Peggy Gordon -- who appeared in the original off-Broadway cast for the show "Godspell" -- shared the news on Facebook earlier this week. She didn't provide a cause of death but said his memorial would take place in the fall.

Edgar, born in London in 1930, first rose to prominence on the Broadway scene in the early 1960s ... when his show "The Subject Was Roses" starring Martin Sheen won him the Tony Award for Best Play.

Pauly Shore's moving full-steam ahead with his Richard Simmons biopic ... reportedly telling an L.A. crowd he's going forward with or without Simmons' blessing.

The actor-comedian hopped onstage for his Netflix Is A Joke show Friday night in Los Angeles when he addressed the controversial film project ... and, it sounds like Pauly's out on potentially getting Richard onboard.

Variety reports Shore said, “I’m also gonna be starring in the Richard Simmons biopic … whether he likes it or not, Richard. Just another f***ing bump in my f***ing road.”

Tom Skerritt has no interest in seeing the latest "Alien" sequel -- instead, he's keeping his streak going of passing on all the movies after the OG, because he says they can't compete.

The actor -- who played Capt. Dallas in the original 1979 sci-fi classic -- talked to TMZ ahead of its 45th anniversary, and says he was well aware while making the Ridley Scott film that it was going to be a classic ... and that's partly why he hasn't seen ANY of the others.

He tells us he also figured the studio -- seeing huge dollar signs -- would order up lots of sequels (8 to be exact) which include crossovers...  and the upcoming "Alien: Romulus."

John Leguizamo might not remember Patrick Swayze fondly all these years later -- but he might be pleased to know the feeling was mutual ... so says PS' brother.

We spoke to the late actor's sibling, Sean, who tells TMZ ... he actually recalls having a conversation with Pat on the heels of them wrapping production for their 1995 film 'To Wong Foo' -- in which Patrick and John both starred as drag queens.

According to Sean ... Patrick relayed to him that he found JL to be a difficult person, that he had an attitude and they butted heads a lot on set ... so that part of John's story's confirmed.

Robin Williams really was the nicest guy in Hollywood ... 'cause one of the child stars from "Mrs. Doubtfire" says he stuck up for her ... this after she got expelled as a teen.

Lisa Jakub -- who played one of Robin's onscreen daughters in the 1993 comedy -- stopped by fellow 'Doubtfire' alum Matthew Lawrence's "Brotherly Love Podcast" this week -- where she shared how she was kicked out of school while filming their flick.

She explained she was attending high school in Canada at the time -- but had to be on set to shoot the movie, which meant she'd be out of school for a good while ... an arrangement she says they were cool with at first, until they weren't ... and told her not to come back.