Sean Astin signs up for Vancouver 10K in homage to Boston

"Lord of the Rings star and avid long distance runner Sean Astin has signed up to run The Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, and will be wearing a Boston jersey in homage to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Goonies actor will arrive in Vancouver Friday for the Fan Expo at the Vancouver Convention Centre on the weekend.

He contacted Sun Run organizers to register when he found out about the race and its plans to commemorate the Boston terror attacks Monday that left three people dead, including an eight-year-old boy, and more than 170 injured."

Read the rest of the story here.

Sean, currently in Salt Lake City filming The Freemason, had a special race shirt made for the event.

Sean Astin interviewed by Ahlan!

From an interview by Ahlan! Magazine during the Middle East Film and Comic Con:

Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin, 42, told Ahlan! it was “bittersweet” not to reprise his role of Samwise in new movie, The Hobbit.  

Sean, who made The Goonies when he was 13, said: “I knew Samwise didn’t exist in the book and it would be pretty hard to shoehorn him into the film. They knew I would do it if they asked me to, even though it would be strange putting on that costume again after 12 years.”

Sean Astin's "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale" now in e-reader formats

Sean Astin's popular autobiography "There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale" is now available in a variety of ebook formats.

iBooks on iTunes Store

Kindle on Amazon

Nook on Barnes and Noble

"When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking?

Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time."

See JW Braun's video book review here and his written review here.

One more MEFCC video!

Another short video interview with Sean Astin in Dubai for the Middle East Film and Comic Con from Yahoo OMG Now. He talks about his role in "Cabin Fever: Patient Zero," filmed last fall.

Sean's schedule for Fan Expo Vancouver

Here is Sean's schedule for the Fan Expo Vancouver, BC, April 20-21. The photo ops are $40 CAD; order here.

 Saturday 11:30am Photo Op, 3pm Q&A Ballroom A

Sunday 2:30pm Photo Op
Most of the rest of the weekend, Sean will be signing autographs at Table H.

The full schedule for the weekend is here.

Another video interview from MEFCC

Sean Astin talks about dipping his head in the Persian Gulf for the first time, the international the power of movies, his role of Twoflower in "The Colour of Magic" and more.

A few more miscellaneous MEFCC photos of Sean Astin

More Day 1 photos:

Sean with a family from Middle Earth! Posted by @Omzasfour.

Sean Astin to star in "The Freemason"

From the press release:

Utah welcomes back actor Sean Astin – Joins cast of the Freemason, Film offering peek into Masonry. 

Astin, who has appeared in over 70 film and TV projects including The Goonies, Memphis Belle, Rudy, and the television series 24, is best known for his iconic role as Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee in the hugely successful Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 

Astin takes on the lead role of detective Leon Weed, who is investigating a ritualistic killing of an elderly Mason. The Freemason marks Astin’s second return to Utah since appearing in the locally-produced film, Forever Strong (2008). 

Executive Producer Joseph James, himself a Master Mason, hopes to satisfy the public’s insatiable appetite for the craft’s esoteric realms by allowing outsiders a glimpse into some of the secret society’s mysterious rituals. James explains that “The Freemason is the first film of its kind to highlight actual initiation practices,” including a ritual experience that will surely thrill both Masons and non-Masons alike! 

In an article for the Examiner, executive producer Joseph James describes the movie as a murder mystery that crosses Sherlock Holmes with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

The Freemason, which is scheduled to begin filming in Salt Lake City, Utah later this month, will be directed by Sohrab Mirmontazeri. Mirmontazeri was named the “Filmmaker to Watch” by Digital Filmmaker Magazine UK after his film “The Beautiful Wind" garnered the prestigious Audience Choice Award at New York’s International Film Festival.

The movie's web site describes the plot: "When Cyrus, a brilliant but eccentric freelance writer, is hired to investigate the mysterious murder of a wealthy banker, he suddenly finds himself thrust into the cryptic world of Freemasonry. Cyrus quickly learns the killer will strike again if not given an object shrouded by hundreds of years of arcane secrecy. He must embrace ideals extending beyond his natural senses or suffer the same grisly fate of the murdered banker."

More information is also available on The Freemason Facebook page and IMDB page.