The Best Movie Twins Ever

It’s often said that twins share a special bond that original recipe siblings don’t have. Famous for finishing each others sandwiches sentences, twins have also been known to inhabit a movie or two – from a crusading galactic duo connected by the Force to super-powered beings created in a lab by Hydra.

Ahead of Twins Days Weekend, we’ve compiled a list of the best and most notable movie twins around. Sometimes these characters are secret twins who don’t even know of each others’ existence while other times the two are inseparable warriors who always have each others’ backs when battling evil. In rare occasions, the twins are mortal enemies, with one determining the other must die.

From Star Wars to Austin Powers to burgeoning Avengers, here are the best movie twins ever…

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Luke and Leia (Star Wars Skywalker Saga)

7181033e-9e2e-49a7-a0c2-cd0937308d4e-luke-leia-star-warsPerhaps the most famous cinematic twins of all time are Luke and Leia (Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher), the children of Anakin and Padme who were spirited away from their home, and each other, to protect them from the sinister clutches of The Galactic Empire. One raised a princess, the other a farmer, these two would be drawn together by fate, and the Force, long before even knowing they were related.

Philippe Bourbon and King Louis XIV (The Man in the Iron Mask)

Man-Iron-Mask-2Leonardo DiCaprio played the identical twin roles of King Louis XIV and his brother, Phillippe, who was purposefully raised separately so he’d know nothing of his royal heritage and therefore never start a war for the throne. Once Phillippe was discovered, the corrupt and cruel Louis imprisoned his brother and kept him inside an iron mask to conceal his identity. It fell to the Four Musketeers to help right this wrong.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

5400d6e969beddd260a12329-2In the comics, Wanda and Pietro — played by Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the MCU — were the mutant children of Magneto (and Pietro/Peter still is in the X-Men movie franchise) but Marvel Studios had no access to mutants so instead these two, who were introduced fully in Avengers: Age of Ultron, were Sokovian protestors who volunteered to to be a part of Wolfgang von Strucker’s Hydra experiments. They were the only two to survive the Scepter/Mind Stone’s meddling, and came out on the other side with incredible abilities.

Hallie Parker and Annie James (The Parent Trap)

243fe9b84cbed3caac7eea3d68a90c67Whether we’re talking about the 1998 Parent Trap starring Lindsay Lohan, or the 1961 original starring Hayley Mills, this story, based on the 1949 German novel Lottie and Lisa, is one of the most famous twin stories ever as two identical young girls, who’ve been raised apart since birth never knowing they had a sister, meet up and cutely conspire to get their divorced parents back together.

Dr. Evil and Austin Powers (Austin Powers Trilogy)

mike-myers-dr-evilIn a groovy homage to Luke and Leia’s plot twist twineage, or even the Vader “I am your father” reveal, the Austin Powers movie franchise eventually revealed that Dr. Evil was Powers’ long-lost twin brother. With both characters played by Mike Myers, of course, this was an example of twins being on opposite sides of the law and/or global conflict and/or laser sharks.

Fred and George Weasley (Harry Potter Franchise)

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Ah, the Weasley Twins. Two identical brothers, played by James and Oliver Phelps in all eight Harry Potter movies. Smart enough to drop out of Hogwarts to pursue their true calling – pranks! Opening the thriving Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke shop, the twins were called back to action and, as part of Dumbledore’s Army, battled Voldemort and his Death Eaters as they assaulted their old school. The war would cost Fred his life.

Charlie and Donald Kaufman (Adaptation)

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If you thought Nicholas Cage would miss out on the whole “acting opposite yourself” phenomenon, you’re sorely mistaken. In Adaptation, Cage played a meta-version of writer/director Charlie Kaufman, as a sad and self-sabotaging artist, as well as his fictional twin brother, the confident and together Donald.

Kit and Jiff Ramsey (Bowfinger)

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Eddie Murphy, who’s no stranger to playing multiple roles in one movie, got to do the twin thing in Bowfinger, where he played a hugely successful, and paranoid, movie star named Kit as well as Kit’s dorky brother Jiff who Steve Martin’s character uses to double for Kit in a film he’s shooting “around” Kit to make it seem like Kit’s starring in his new movie.

Chad and Alex Wagner (Double Impact)

1*NyUFnXVsHUamgpTZYYWCXQBy 1991, Jean-Claude Van Damme had been a kickboxer, an undercover cop, and a cyborg – so why not twin brothers? Separated at birth to protect them from a crime lord, both Chad and Alex grew up to be martial arts experts. Chad as a laid-back instructor in Los Angeles and Alex as a gruff smuggler in Hong Kong.

Connor and Murphy MacManus (The Boondock Saints)

boonAfter killing two Russian mobsters in self-defense, fraternal twins Connor and Murphy (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus) become bullet-blasting vigilantes on a mission to rid Boston of its criminal element. The Boondocks Saints became a sleeper hit and cult favorite, warranting a sequel, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, 10 years later.

Milo and Maggie Dean (The Skeleton Twins)

541c891b76760Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig played suicidal siblings in the 2014 indie dramedy The Skeleton Twins. As Milo and Maggie, Hader and Wiig played a depressed and despondent duo who turn to each other during severely low points in their adult life.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (The Social Network)

7bcf4222db2f88b2a60ec28904219d38Though not the star of The Social Network, Armie Hammer’s dual portrayal of real-life entrepreneurs, the Winklevoss Twins, was a standout element from the Oscar-winning David Fincher film. The gig essentially put Hammer on the map, helping him land lead roles in big genre films like The Lone Ranger and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Elias and Lukas (Goodnight Mommy)

goodnightmommy-xlargeThis psychological horror flick featured two twin boys, Lukas and Elias, played by twins Lukas and Elias Schwarz, who begin to suspect something is strongly and strangely amiss with their mother when she returns home from having cosmetic surgery with a fully wrapped and bandaged head. Filled with twists, turns, and rug-pulls, Goodnight Mommy is a must-watch for fans of the macabre.

Julius and Vincent Benedict (Twins)

R7AM5L6TVKWMZF4N7ZB6DENWG4-2Ivan Reitman’s 1988 box office hit Twins played off the size discrepancy between stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, making their characters twins created by a secret genetics lab experiment. DeVito played the streetwise Vincent while Schwarzenegger took a then-rare shot at comedy by playing the naive and goofy Julius.

Ronnie Kray and Reggie Kray (Legend)

TomHardylegend-xlargeWhile the 1990 film The Krays featured Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp and his brother Martin as British gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, 2015’s Legend, from director Brian Helgeland (A Knight’s Tale, 42), had Tom Hardy playing both identical twin roles.

Beverly and Elliot Mantle (Dead Ringers)

MV5BZmQyYTZhZjItMWVhNi00YWExLWFiYTgtMzdiYjAyZDMxMzI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_Jeremy Irons played twins in David Cronenberg’s demented 1988 classic, Dead Ringers. As gynecologists Elliot and Beverly, Irons navigated a dysfunctional interdependent relationship filled with debauchery and delusion. The role(s) would garner Irons so much acclaim that he was essentially launched him into stardom. Irons would later thank Cronenberg in his speech when he won the Oscar for 1991’s Reversal of Fortune.

Bob and Walt Tenor (Stuck on You)

Matt-Damon-Greg-Kinnear-Stuck-You-2Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear portrayed conjoined twins Bob and Walt in The Farrelly Brothers’ Stuck on You, where the two would leave their small town (where Bob was content as a diner owner and cook) for Hollywood in pursuit of Walt’s dreams of becoming a movie star.

Angela and Isabel Dodson (Constantine)

MV5BMTc4NTMzMDk2Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzc4MzMyMDI@._V1_-2In 2005’s Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves as DC/Vertigo demon-defeater John Constantine, Rachel Weisz played Detective Angela Dodson, a cop investigating the death of her twin sister, Isabel. Funnily enough, Weisz would play a third role in the film, as Mammon, the son of Lucifer who takes over Angela’s form.

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Alfred Borden (The Presitge)

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Seriously though…super spoilers for The Prestige. Stop reading if you haven’t seen it.

Christian Bale plays twin brothers who occupy one life, going by the name Alfred Borden. We’re never sure which is Alfred or if the name is made up entirely, but the secret allows Borden to do a pretty meat magic trick.

The Grady Twins (The Shining)

the-shining-grady-twinsOkay, so the Grady Twins apparently are not twins. Still, their specific place and iconography in horror is undeniable. They’ve been called twins because of their similar look and identical dress, but Overlook manager Stuart Ullman clearly states that one is eight and the other is ten. That being said, their ghostly arrival in Kubrick’s The Shining, and the subsequent invitation to an eternal playdate extended to young Danny, will be forever (and ever) known as “The Grady Twins.”

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Celebrate Sky High’s 15th Anniversary With This Great Making of Video

Here at IGN we occasionally like to showcase something from geekdom’s rich history — a pop-culture Time Capsule, if you will, that gives us a peek in to the past, perhaps providing a new appreciation for previous projects.

If you’d like, please check out the past few Time Capsules:

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This past week marked 15 years since young Will Stronghold discovered he not only had superpowers, but he’d inherited abilities from both his father, alpha-supe The Commander, and his mother, soaring siren Jetstream. And if that sentence means nothing to you then you need to watch Sky High abso-freakin-now.

Hey, parents. Watch Sky High with your kids! Hey, non-parents. Watch Sky High by your disposable income-having selves! Lovingly crafted during the initial superhero movie boom, but before the MCU burst onto the scene, 2005’s Sky High was a clever take on the world of capes, imagining a school that superhero parents send their teens to in order to train them for future adventures as a hero or – perish the thought – a sidekick (aka “hero support”).

Available to stream now on Disney+, and with rumblings of a possible sequel or sequel series headed to the platform, Sky High featured a marvelous mix of stars – from Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston (who, sadly, recently passed) to Bruce Campbell, Kids in the Halls’ Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley, and O.G. Wonder Woman Lynda Carter as the principal.

But not only that, as you’ll see in this extensive behind-the-scenes video, Sky High featured several future players as well, like The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker, The Expanse’s Steven Strait, The Knick’s Michael Angarano, Community’s Jim Rash, Succession’s Nicholas Braun, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who became somewhat of an insta-star afterwards)…

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Yes, new-to-school Will (Angarano) is the offspring of the world’s two most-popular superheroes: Kurt Russell’s Commander and Kelly Preston’s Jetstream (who run a real estate business as married alter-egos Steve and Josie). Will feels the pressure of his lineage every day, especially considering that he…hasn’t shown any signs of superpowers yet. Could he be a genetic anomaly, where traits skip a generation, and therefore a huge disappointment to all? And how will he deal with his school nemesis Warren Peace (Strait) or popular cheerleader Gwen Grayson (Winstead), who seems to have eyes for him? To get all these answers and more, you’ll have to travel high up into the sky.

Another fun Sky High tidbit, aside from the “no dating” rule for the teens revealed in the video above, is that the soundtrack is comprised of wall-to-wall ’80s covers. Yes, before the cover industry was taken over by slowed-down, calm, breathy versions of songs, Sky High, possibly to evoke an updated John Hughes feel, featured new versions of old tracks by Tears for Fears, Devo, Modern English, The Smiths, The Go-Gos, Talking Heads, and more. So if you love movies where most of the stars are way too young to know what music is being played, Sky High just checked another box off your very weird list! Perfect for an IGN Time Capsule look-back!

Sky High can be streamed on Disney+.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Atlantis Has Arrived in Fortnite as Coral Castle

Fortnite’s version of Atlantis has officially arrived in the battle royale as Coral Castle.

Since the start of Fortnite’s Chapter 2: Season 3, the water level of the map has been lowering, and the latest update has revealed Coral Castle, which exists north of Sweaty Sands near the plane crash site.

Coral Castle, which you can see in the below screenshots, is surrounded by waterfalls and features ancient ruins, statues, coral, orbs with creatures inside, and much more.

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As reported by Fortnite Insider, data-miners had previously leaked that an Aquaman Atlantis POI would be headed to Fortnite.

Additionally, The Ancient Astronaut near Craggy Cliffs is now completely above water, Slurpy Swamp is back and now free of water on top of it, and the Fortilla has “completely changed orientation.”

Fornite’s map’s water level is is now at the “proper level” with this latest update, and Fortnite Insider questions if its time for the long-awaited cars to finally make their way into the game.

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For more on Fortnite, be sure to check out the Marvel’s Avengers crossover that will gift those who complete the PS4 beta of Marvel’s Avengers a Hulk Smashers pickaxe and an added style that makes them the gloves from Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN who proudly took all the above screenshots in his Cleveland Browns outfit. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Hannibal: NBC Wanted Hugh Grant or John Cusack as Dr. Lecter

NBC’s low-rated Hannibal lasted for three brilliant seasons before it finally got the chop, and in a new interview, creator Bryan Fuller, who recently shared some ideas for a possible fourth season, explained how he fought to cast relative-unknown Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter while NBC wanted a bigger name, along the lines of what they did with James Spader and The Blacklist.

Talking to Collider, Fuller said “there was a difference of opinion on what a traditional television network would want as a leading man and what we would want as an actor playing Hannibal Lecter to personify playing that character.”

“I think the network wanted somebody that was much more poppy, much more mainstream, much more American I think in some ways,” Fuller stated. “That was just them thinking about ‘Okay how do we get the biggest audience for our television show? We have to cast John Cusack as Hannibal Lecter and everybody will tune in because won’t that be surprising?’ I was like, ‘Well go ahead, make an offer.’”

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Fuller shared that whenever NBC suggested a name, he suggest they make an offer. An offer he knew would be turned down. “I’d say ‘Mads Mikkelsen’ and they’d say ‘No, how about Hugh Grant?’ and I’d say, ‘Great, make an offer, he’s gonna say no,’ then they’d make an offer and he’d say no, and I’d be like ‘What about Mads Mikkelsen?’ and they’d be like ‘Well what about John Cusack?’ and I’d say ‘Great, make an offer, he’s gonna say no’ and they’d make an offer and he’d say no and I’d say, ‘What about Mads Mikkelsen?’”

The casting of Mads Mikkelsen, according to Fuller, then made the marketing folks more or less tune out from the show. But that, in turn, gave the Hannibal team way more creative freedom. “They sort of gave up on it a little bit because we were casting a European guy as the face of [a show] they wanted to be more accessible,” he said. “I felt that they were right for their reasons but wrong for my reasons.”

“And so the gift of that, the gift of casting Mads Mikkelsen, is that their investment in the show became dramatically decreased,” Fuller continued, “and so that allowed us to do a lot of things that we wouldn’t have been able to do if they were saying, ‘No this show needs to get 10 million people watching it every week.’ Because then we would have to really be tied down to certain parameters of storytelling that were going to mesh with a mainstream audience. So Mads was the gift that allowed us to tell the story the way that we wanted to tell it, because the network was like, ‘Well it’s not the person that we wanted and we don’t really see him in this role,’ and we were like, ‘Fine, just let us make the show’.”

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In other TV news, you can read IGN’s review of The Umbrella Academy: Season 2 (along with an explainer of the ending if you’ve already finished), plus here’s everything we know about The Witcher prequel series, Blood Origin.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.