Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • Harry Potter Streaming Series in the Works at Warner Bros. Discovery

    Harry Potter Streaming Series in the Works at Warner Bros. Discovery

    As part of a series of announcements accompanying the reveal of the new title of their combined streaming service, Max, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed the rumored development of a Harry Potter streaming series. The series is said to “to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” according to Casey Bloys the Chairman and CEO, HBO & Max Content.

    The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.

    Official Description via Max

    “Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World,” said Bloys. “In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.” While Warner Bros. is still searching for both a showrunner and writer for the Max streaming series, Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is on board as an executive producer of the project.

    Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series.

    J.K. Rowling on her involvement in the Harry Potter streaming series in development at Max

    Source: THR

  • REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    I saw it coming. You saw it coming. We all saw it coming. Everyone saw it coming except for Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the dozen or so other Mandos who walked right into Moff Gideon’s trap. Things were going far too well for the Mandalorians in their quest to reclaim Mandalore and in a galaxy where peace is not an acceptable status quo, things were bound to take a turn for the worse. After several episodes established Din, Bo-Katan and Grogu as a functional unit at the center of the Mandalorian Renaissance, Chapter 23, The Spies, saw it all taken away from them at the hands of Gideon, calling into question if Mandalore might not just be cursed after all.

    While Gideon’s return was already advertised, the live-action debut of the Shadow Council–a group of Imperial loyalists working behind the scenes to ensure the return to power of the Empire–serves as an interesting parallel to the work being done by the Mandalorians. Just as Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the Armorer seek to round up and reunite Mandalorians from across the galaxy, Gideon seeks to amass the resources of the Imperial remnants from across the galaxy to stop them. Having Gideon launch his plan–and his trap–from the depths of Mandalore, indeed from the heart of their once great civilization, just adds another notch on the belt of this wonderful bastard.

    Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, top right) and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher, foreground right) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    The fallout from the events of this episode promises to be nothing short of transformational for the next arc of the series. Bo-Katan–whose desire to lead again had to be stirred extrinsically–has now led her newly formed army into a trap that cost her the life of Paz Vizsla and steadying influence of Din Djarin. How those losses will impact her next move and how an increasingly independent Grogu will respond to the capture of his father are major questions that will define not only Chapter 24, the Season 3 finale, but also next season and, ultimately, the Mandalorian-centric film set to be directed by Dave Filoni.

    While the finale of the episode feels like the beginning of a slow march to the creation of the First Order, their canonical birth is still 5 or so years away and, so far as we know, Gideon is not a part of their sequel trilogy story. So, as parallel as their paths may seem at the moment, Bo-Katan and Gideon are certain to come together again. Will that be the time that Bo-Katan’s song is finally written? As Din Djarin said, Bo-Katan is defined by honor, loyalty and character–all things Gideon knows nothing about. While their goals may seem superficially similar, Bo-Katan’s quest to reclaim Mandalore is done selflessly for the good of her people while Gideon looks to amass the resources of the Empire for his own selfish ends. While the Shadow Council was swayed to play along for now, it’s safe to say that while Thrawn may see value in eliminating the Mandalorians, Gideon won’t find him so easy to manipulate. As things move towards their inevitable end and Bo-Katan and Gideon are positioned against one another, this episode will be noteworthy for its subtle conveyance of the idea that while Gideon seems to have the upper hand, he rules from a throne of fear and manipulation while Bo-Katan has grown from her mistakes and seeks not to lead but is called to it. Short of the Darksaber, which has slowly lost its meaning, Gideon now has everything Bo-Katan, Grogu and The Mandalorians desire. Has that put him in a good place or a very bad place? Place your bets and let’s see what surprises are in store for the season finale!

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian saw Bo-Katan reclaim her fleet, take possession of the Darksaber and become the chosen one to lead the Mandalorian Renaissance. It was all too easy. Chapter 23, The Spies, brought all the good Mandalorian mojo to a quick halt. While fans expected the episode to feature the return of Mandalorian archnemesis Moff Gideon, the episode also contained a delightful surprise that portends continuing bad news for the heroes of the story.

    The opening moments of The Spies not only quickly added Gideon back into the mix but also introduced a group of high-ranking Imperial loyalists known as the Shadow Council. The Shadow Council made its first canonical appearance in Chuck Wendig‘s 2017 novel Aftermath: Life Debt where, led by Admiral Gallius Rax, they planned to overthrow the New Republic. The machinations of the Shadow Council, which consisted of Rax, Rae Sloane, Brendol Hux, Ferric Obdur, Grand Moff Rand and Hodnar Borrum, were thought to be thwarted with their defeat at the Battle of Jokku, however, as seen in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian, it has been reformed.

    While the identities of every member of the Shadow Council weren’t revealed, their goals–by in large–remain the same: reestablish the Empire. Two members of the council, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Number 2, Gilad Pellaeon, and soon-to-be First Order General Brendol Hux, who is heading the mysterious Project Necromancer, seem to be allotted a disproportionate amount of the resources available the Imperial loyalists as they work. As seen in The Spies, however, Gideon is less than impressed with his fellow council members, who seem content to wait for the return of the Heir to the Empire, Thrawn.

    Gideon’s speech in the opening moments of Chapter 23 certainly stirred the Shadow Council to action as the agreed to move on the accumulating Mandalorians before they were able to rise to their full strength and offer a much more real threat to the reemergence of the Empire. Given what’s known about the future of the Star Wars universe, Hux’s work on Project Necromancer, likely being done in the Unknown Regions, will lead to the creation of Snoke, a reborn Emperor and the rise of the First Order. However, with Thrawn set to make his return in Ahsoka and the future of Gideon’s feud with the Mandalorians yet to be written, there are certainly some tense moments ahead for the beskar warriors.

  • ‘Private Practice’, ‘Prison Break’ Star Paul Adelstein Joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    ‘Private Practice’, ‘Prison Break’ Star Paul Adelstein Joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    Paul Adelstein, best known for his roles as Paul Kellerman on Prison Break and Dr. Cooper Freedman on Private Practice, revealed that he has joined the MCU. Though the nature of his involvement with Marvel Studios was not disclosed, Adelstein revealed via his Instagram that he was currently in Atlanta for something MCU-related.

    While the tendency would be to believe Adelstein has been cast in one of Marvel Studios upcoming projects–both Captain America: New World Order and Agatha: Coven of Chaos are currently filming in Atlanta–it’s also possible he’s working behind the camera as part of a writing room. Adelstein recently appeared in The Menu and The Greatest Beer Run Ever and is slated to appear in an episode of the second season of Cruel Summer later in 2023.

  • Marvel Studios Confirms Identity of Zawe Ashton’s Kree Revolutionary; Reveals Casting of Daniel Ings

    Marvel Studios Confirms Identity of Zawe Ashton’s Kree Revolutionary; Reveals Casting of Daniel Ings

    The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Marvel Studios film, The Marvels, gave fans a taste of what to expect when the film hits theaters this November the first look at the film’s villain, played by Zawe Ashton. In the Fall of 2021, we heard that Ashton’s character was going to be loosely inspired by a very minor character from Marvel Comics by the name of Ael-Dan. Now we know who she’s actually playing.

    According to an official still released by Disney, Ashton is playing Dar-Benn who is described as a “revolutionary” in the official synopsis for the film. As explained in 2021, Dar-Benn was a co-conspirator of Ael-Dan’s when they deposed and murdered Clumsy Foulup, the Kree Emperor at the time. Neither Ael-Dan nor Dar-Benn’s stories continued on for long as they were both killed by the Shi’ar warrior Deathbird.

    And that’s where Ashton’s character comes into play. I heard that Ashton’s character, described by the trades as the villain ofThe Marvels, is loosely based on an incredibly minor Kree comic character named Ael-Dan, who has appeared and/or is referenced in a total of 3 comics. In those appearances, General Ael-Dan works in tandem with a General Dar-Benn to assassinate the sitting emperor and then take his place. Their great reign ended during Operation Galactic Storm when they were killed by Deathbird of the Shi’ar. Ashton’s character in The Marvels is a gender-swapped take on this character which means that for all intents and purposes, she’s playing an original character. I’ve heard the character described as both the Kree Emperor and a Kree general. In the comics, both are true and I can’t confirm if Ashton’s character will be one or the other or both in the film.

    The release also confirms the addition of Instinct and I Hate Suzie actor Daniel Ings to the cast. Ings will be portraying a Kree by the name of Ty-Rone who seems to be an original character.

  • Marvel Studios Unveils the First Official Synopsis for ‘The Marvels’

    Marvel Studios Unveils the First Official Synopsis for ‘The Marvels’

    Following the release of the first trailer for The Marvels, Marvel Studios unveiled the first official synopsis for the Captain Marvel sequel.

    In Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”

    The Marvels hits theaters on November 10th.

  • MCU Slump May Impact the Opening Weekend Box Office of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    MCU Slump May Impact the Opening Weekend Box Office of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    A recent trend in how audiences have perceived the latest Marvel Studios films may have an impact on their next project. Though it did well at the box office, Thor: Love and Thunder was hardly a hit with fans and after a quick start at the box office, poor word of mouth stomped on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Next up for the studios is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and according to a long-range box office forecast by Box Office Pro, James Gunn‘s threequel may bear the brunt of general audiences’ growing displeasure.

    Citing low interest in pre-sales and a lack of social media buzz that typically accompanies Marvel Studios’ releases, Box Office Pro is currently projecting Vol. 3 to open between $120-$155M from May 4th’s Thursday previews through showings on Sunday, May 7th. While that’s the kind of opening weekend most studios would covet, it would be considered a disappointing opening for what’s expected to be Marvel Studios’ biggest film of 2023. An opening on the low end of that range would mean Vol. 3’s take would come in below Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s $145M from 2017 which would certainly cause an uproar online and possibly behind the scenes at the studio.

    There’s plenty of hope, however, that those numbers will climb–potentially significantly–however. Pre-sales aren’t a bulletproof predictor and the Guardians franchise is one of the MCU’s most beloved and well-received. The characters have grown from a group that not even casual comic readers recognized to some of Marvel’s most popular heroes and with there being little competition at the box office, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 could draw huge walkup-numbers. It will also be worth watching how reviews from the premiere and early screenings influence audiences, some of whom might be waiting to hear what critics have to say before dropping their dollars on pre-sale tickets.

    Source: Box Office Pro

  • SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    After a bit of a slow start to its sophomore season, The Bad Batch picked up the pace and delivered several consistently wonderful episodes in the back half. That culminated in a heart-breaking finale that saw Omega separated from the group as they try to overcome the apparent loss of Tech.

    The cliffhanger came with the promise of at least one more season’s worth of stories for Clone Force 99 and now we know that’s all we’ll get. During Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was announced that Season 3 of The Bad Batch will be the final one for the animated series.

    Updating…

  • ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Seems to Confirm Rumored Delay

    ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Seems to Confirm Rumored Delay

    As word began to circulate that Marvel Studios 2023 streaming slate might see some reshuffling following the return of Bob Iger, one series that seemed a safe bet to remain in 2023 was X-Men ’97. The revival of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 was set to kick off its rumored four-season run in the Fall of 2023. Now it seems as though that will not be the case.

    Following a rumor about the show being delayed until 2024 was shared on Twitter by CanWeGetSomeToast, showrunner Beau DeMayo took to social media to tell ask fans who are anxiously awaiting the show to “just be patient.” Though DeMayo said he could “neither confirm nor deny” the rumors of the show’s delay, the information is consistent with word that reached us as well.

    https://twitter.com/beau_demayo/status/1644418268403499009?s=20

    Despite the friends of humanity still having their mullets and getting all up in it, things are really starting to look up for mutants. And this is gonna kind of come to a head and leads our X-Men to say, ‘What does our future hold for us? We weren’t expecting this.

    Beau DeMayo on X-Men ’97

    As with many of the projects that are currently facing delays of varying lengths, the extra time to nail things down should ultimately be worth the wait for fans. The new series is set to pick up right where Season 5 of X-Men: The Animated Series left off. According to DeMayo, X-Men ’97 begins “several months after Professor X left Earth after being shot by Henry Gyrich and had to return to the Shi’ar homeworld to be with Lilandra.” The mutant superteam will also be going up against a familiar foe in Mister Sinister, according to an official synopsis of the series. So it sounds like there are plenty of great things in store for fans whenever the show finally makes its way to Disney Plus.

  • Tales of the Empire

    Tales of the Empire

    Premiere: May 4, 2024

    In April 2023, a second season of the animated streaming series, Tales of the Jedi, was revealed as part of Star Wars Celebration. According to Dave Filoni, the series “was so fun the first time, I decided to do some more.“

    The first season of the canonical animated series was set during the Fall of the Jedi era and was focused on the personal histories of Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano.

    As revealed in the first trailer for the series, the second season of “Tales” will be called Tales of the Empire. The new season will tell all-new stories about Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee.

    Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is a six-episode journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two warriors on divergent paths, set during different eras. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy. The choices they make will define their destinies.

    Official Synopsis for Tales of the Empire

    Cast

    • Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth
    • Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee
    • Rya Kihlstedt as Lyn, aka Fourth Sister
    • Wing T. Chao as Wing
    • Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn
    • Jason Isaacs as Grand Inquisitor
    • Matthew Wood as General Grievous