Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • BTS Photos from the Times Square Set of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ May Confirm Rumored Plot Point

    BTS Photos from the Times Square Set of ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ May Confirm Rumored Plot Point

    As Daredevil: Born Again continues filming in and around New York City, set photos from the production continue to find their way online, treating fans with plenty of tidbits around which they can speculate. Nothing that’s made its way into the wild thus far has been incredibly spoilery but the latest behind-the-scenes look at the streaming project might be the most interesting yet. The new photos, captured at the Times Square set of the show, seem to confirm one of the longest-standing rumors about the plot of the show, so spoiler-sensitive fans should check out these great pictures of Charlie Cox walking instead.

    In what appears to be a scene ripped right from the pages of 2017’s Daredevil #595, a New Year’s Eve celebration, sponsored by the Pym van Dyne Foundation, seems to be doubling as either a rally or celebration of Wilson Fisk’s mayoral campaign.

    While the majority of the paraphernalia seen at the event bears the Pym van Dyne Foundation logo, a foam fist with “FISK” printed across it can clearly be seen. The Mayor Fisk arc, written by Charles Soule over the course of Daredevil #595-600, see Fisk become Mayor of New York City and launch a crusade against the city’s vigilantes.

    Though no shots have been shared online yet, it’s possible that Vincent D’Onofrio made his way on set last night. While the presence of the Pym van Dyne Foundation merch in the photos may seem like innocuous shared universe minutia, it’s worth pointing out that one of the most interesting fan theories about Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania posit that when the Ant-Family emerges from their adventure in the Quantum Realm, they do so into an alternate universe. That theory may be pretty spot on (Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness indicated it’s “not too far off”) and could open a whole world of possibilities for any project set within that alternate universe, such as explaining how a character like Fisk, who was incarcerated in the Netflix Daredevil series, could end up as Mayor of New York City.

    A previous batch of photos from the Harlem set of Daredevil: Born Again indicated that the series will be visiting a young Wilson Fisk in the 1970s. The Netflix Daredevil series established the childhood trauma of Fisk incredibly well; so well, in fact, one would be excused for wondering why they’d need to revisit it again. However, if it were to establish that this Fisk is one who lives in the same alternate universe the Ant-Family may have entered into. Star Charlie Cox has stated that the new project will offer the opportunity for portions of the characters’ stories told on Netflix to be revisited and retold and perhaps this alternate universe theory could help explain why.

  • Owen Wilson Reveals Timeframe for ‘Loki’ Season 2 Release

    Owen Wilson Reveals Timeframe for ‘Loki’ Season 2 Release

    The once robust 2023 slate of streaming projects for Marvel Studios seems to have been pared down significantly following Bob Iger’s return to Disney. At one point, 5 live-action series were expected to stream in 2023, along with a pair of animated series; however, according to a new trade report, that’s been “narrowed to three or four” with the others moving into “2024 or beyond.” Rumors have the first of those streaming series, Secret Invasion, set to launch in June which is significantly later than its original “Spring” release window. That means the other series, including Season 2 of Loki, have been pushed back as well though it looks like fans may not have to wait too much longer than originally expected.

    Before the big Disney slowdown, the second season of Loki was scheduled for a Summer 2023 release and according to star Owen Wilson, it might still make it despite all the delays. While discussing his appearance in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania in an interview with ET, Wilson said the streaming series should debut around the “end of summer.”

    I guess they have kind of a little shot of Tom Hiddleston and I and Jonathan Majors from Loki season two. And I think that’s coming out end of the summer or September.

    Owen Wilson

    The “end of summer of September” release of Loki Season 2 would also confirm the delay of Echo until late 2023, per showrunner Marion Dayre, as it seems totally inconceivable that Marvel Studios would roll out Secret Invasion, Echo and Loki Season 2 over the course of 3 months. As for what to expect from the second season, Wilson teases that the series is set to “get very wild” following the events of Loki Season 1 and Quantumania which have revealed a whole lot of Kangs out in the Multiverse, none of whom seem to be up to good things!

    Source: ET

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Runtime Reportedly Revealed to Be…Too Short

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Runtime Reportedly Revealed to Be…Too Short

    The theatrical debut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is just 6 weeks away and fans are beginning to steel themselves for the emotional sendoff of the team. Director James Gunn, who has already moved into his new role as co-chair of DC Studios, has continued to maintain that the third installment in the Guardians franchise would be the final story of the current iteration of the team and that “not all of them” would continue as part of the MCU. With Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary set to square off against the team, the movie seems like it has quite a bit to accomplish and, to that end, Gunn has already established that Vol. 3 will be the longest film of the trilogy. Now, thanks to a listing at Atom Tickets, we may have an idea of just how long that is.

    Atom Tickets is reporting that the runtime for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be 2 hours and 29 minutes. If that’s accurate, it means the threequel will be 12 minutes longer than its immediate predecessor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and 27 minutes longer than 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. It will also be the longest film of Gunn’s directorial career.

    Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    It’s worth pointing out, of course, that the runtime has not been confirmed by Marvel Studios and that inaccurate runtimes end up posted online ahead of pretty much every MCU project. However, should the reported runtime for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 be accurate, it would tie the film’s runtime with that of Avengers: Infinity War as the fourth longest in the MCU’s history. It would also make it 12 minutes longer than the average MCU film.

    In Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 our beloved band of misfits are looking a bit different these days. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

    Official synopsis for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

    Source: Atom Tickets

  • First BTS Look at Shira Haas’s Sabra from ‘Captain America 4’

    First BTS Look at Shira Haas’s Sabra from ‘Captain America 4’

    Principal photography on Captain America: New World Order is underway in Atlanta and set photos from the fourth installment in the franchise have been beginning to roll out. While they’ve been incredibly mundane to date, a new set of behind the scenes photos has provided the first look at one of the film’s new heroes!

    New set photos from Atlanta’s Majestic Diner have provided the first look at Shira Haas who will be joining the MCU as mutant hero Sabra. Haas was spotted on location with stars Anthony Mackie and Danny Ramirez. While both Mackie and Ramirez appear to be in street clothes, a closer look at Haas suggests she may be sporting some tactical gear that’s being hidden by her overcoat.

    Hass’s Sabra will be the MCU’s first Israeli superhero and while her comic book counterpart has often been the center of controversy, Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige says they’re taking a “new approach” to the character.

    While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics,” the studio said in a statement to Variety, “they are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago.

    Kevin Feige

    Source: Variety

    Details on the character’s role in the film have been kept secret but sharing a scene in an American diner with Captain America and Falcon would certainly seem to indicate she’ll be teaming up with that duo to take on whatever injustices reveal themselves. Captain America: New World Order is scheduled for a May 3, 2024 release.

  • ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Steven Knight to Take Over Development of Not-So-Top-Secret Star Wars Film

    ‘Peaky Blinders’ Creator Steven Knight to Take Over Development of Not-So-Top-Secret Star Wars Film

    In March 2022, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof was rumored to be developing what was at the time a top-secret Star Wars project. Over time, the existence of that project was confirmed, Justin Britt-Gibson came on to co-write and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy agreed to direct the film. Almost a year to the day that the news of Lindelof’s involvement in the project broke, the writer left the project after delivering a draft of the script to Lucasfilm. Now, the project, which is reportedly being prepped for a December 2025 release has a new writer.

    According to a trade report, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight will take over scriptwriting duties for the untitled Star Wars project. Lucasfilm worked fast to find a replacement for Lindelof and Britt-Gibson as it’s expected they plan to officially announce the film–and likely the creative team behind it–during Star Wars Celebration 2023 which takes place in London April 7-10.

    As Bob Iger‘s return to Disney continues to shake up the future slates of Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios, it’s hard to keep track of what to expect on the film side of things for Star Wars, even as their streaming series continue to be more hit than miss. With the recent news that Patty Jenkins‘ Rogue Squadron and Kevin Feige‘s untitled Star Wars movies were no longer in development at Lucasfilm, the Knight/Obaid-Chinoy project is the only project known to be on deck at the studio. Taika Waititi‘s untitled Star Wars project, while still in development, is nowhere near as ready to go as the now not-so-top-secret film.

  • ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos Provide First Look at Danny Ramierez’s Return as Joaquin Torres

    ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos Provide First Look at Danny Ramierez’s Return as Joaquin Torres

    The fourth installment in the Captain America franchise kicked off filming earlier this week in Georgia, providing fans with the first look at Anthony Mackie‘s Captain America. Now, a new pair of photos from a different set show Mackie hanging out with Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres.

    Following the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Ramirez is expected to join Mackie’s Captain America as the new Falcon. The events of the film are rumored to revolve around Thaddeus Ross becoming the President of the United States and devising a plan to harvest Adamantium from the corpse of Tiamut, the Celestial killed in Eternals and left in the Indian Ocean.

    The new project marks the first time someone other than Chris Evans will suit up as Captain America in an MCU film. Mackie and Ramirez will be joined by Harrison Ford, Tim Blake Nelson, Carl Lumbly, Shira Haas and Xosha Roquemore with several additional members of the cast yet to be revealed. Captain America: New World Order is currently slated for a May 3, 2024 release.

  • New Report Clarifies Marvel Studios 2023 Streaming Plans

    New Report Clarifies Marvel Studios 2023 Streaming Plans

    Less than one year ago, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, rolled out a fully loaded Multiverse Saga to the thunderous applause of fans at SDCC ’22. That slate included 9 total projects slated for release in 2023: 4 films (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvel and Blade) and 5 streaming series (Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos). Halfway through halfway through the year–that’s one quarter to you and me–that slate has already been blown all to hell and the pieces haven’t been Humpty-dumptied back together again.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which kicked off Marvel Studios 2023 as planned, was supposed to be followed by the Spring release of Secret Invasion. Spring has now sprung and though there are solid rumors of a June release of the series, there has been no word from Disney as to when fans will actually be able to check out the Nick Fury-centric spy thriller on Disney Plus. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was originally slated to follow Secret Invasion, will make its May 5, 2023 release date; however, Echo, which was scheduled for a post-Guardians Summer release, has been subject to some pretty wild production rumors and, according to showrunner Marion Dayre, was pushed to late 2023.

    Those moves began the cascade of moves that resulted in 2023’s slate devolving into chaos. Delaying the release of Secret Invasion caused the second season of Loki to be pushed back as well; Blade brought on one–and then another–new writer and a new director and was moved to 2024; The Marvels left its late July slot for Blade’s November slot, giving it more time in post-production and a better release window; with all the other series shuffling around, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos seem destined to be moved to 2024. Dominoes. And almost a quarter of the way through 2023, Marvel Studios fans have absolutely no idea when they’ll be able to catch a streaming series on Disney Plus.

    While that might not be remedied any time soon, a new report from Variety does at least seem to clarify how many projects fans can expect to stream in 2023…sort of. According to Variety’s sources, the five series that were planned to stream this year (Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki, Ironheart and Agatha: Coven of Chaos), “have been narrowed to three or four” and whichever ones don’t make the cut will be “moving into 2024 and possibly beyond.” With Secret Invasion and Loki sure bets for 2023 and Dayre’s statement about a potential late-2023 release of Echo lining up with recent rumblings, the “three” part of “three of four” seems set. Will Marvel Studios try to jam another live-action series into the second half of 2023? If so, Ironheart would be the safest bet given that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is still filming and would not be done any favors be being rushed through post-production to make a 2023 release. So what’s the safest bet at the moment: rounding out 2023 with Secret Invasion, Season 2 of Loki and Echo. What Marvel Studios will do beyond that remains to be seen and until they give us some direction, it’s best to keep things speculative and not etched in stone.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Sets Its Sights on a Franchise Best Opening Weekend

    ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Sets Its Sights on a Franchise Best Opening Weekend

    Following the lackluster opening weekend of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, it looks like the Baba Yaga’s fourth big-screen adventure is set to kick ass at the box office. After getting glowing advace reviews that resulted in a 94% Fresh Rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore of 78, John Wick: Chapter 4 is setting up to have the franchise’s best opening weekend take.

    The franchise has always outperformed expectations, with each sequel significantly outperforming its predecessor at the box office. The three previous installments opened to $14M, $30.4M and $56.8M, respectively, and the trend looks to continue with the fourth film currently looking at a domestic opening weekend estimate of $70M and over $100M worldwide. Such a global opening would mean much of the film’s $100M production budget would be covered in the first three days of its theatrical window.

    The universe of John Wick is rapidly expanding with theatrical and streaming spinoffs planned but there seems to be no hint at waning interest from the audience. Perhaps superhero fatigure is real, but John Wick is tireless.

    Source: Variety

  • Beau DeMayo Sets the Scene for ‘X-Men ’97’ Season One

    Beau DeMayo Sets the Scene for ‘X-Men ’97’ Season One

    As Disney continues to delay Marvel Studios 2023 streaming slate, on project that was recently said to still be headed to the service this year is X-Men ’97. A revival of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 was announced during 2021’s Disney Plus Day and the first ten-episode season has always been framed as starting right where X-Men: The Animated Series left off. During the recent X-Men: 60 Uncanny Years Live Virtual Event, X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo addressed that possibility and gave some insight into what to expect from the new show.

    “We’re gonna be picking up about 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,” DeMayo said of where X-Men ’97 begins. Gyrich’s attempted assassination of Xavier was broadcast for the whole world to see, something DeMayo says will come into play in the new season. “And what ends up happening is that assassination attempt has led to this wave of increased sympathy towards mutants and understanding.” What does that mean for the X-Men, who were used to being hunted and hated? According to DeMayo, it’s a more positive outlook than they’re used to and that will be an adjustment.

    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

    Not everyone on the team sees the same opportunity, however. According to DeMayo, Cyclops and Storm want to take charge in the absence of Charles and “carry on the dream”, something Magneto is intent on doing with them, while others see it as a chance to move on. Either way, X-Men ’97 is about facing the future, according to the showrunner.

    As the X-Men are kind of looking at the future and, we’re going to be talking a lot about this, ‘How do you face the future? How do the X-Men do what they’ve been telling humanity to do for decades, which is embrace the future?

    Beau DeMayo

    Will fans get to pick up the old storyline this year? Marvel Studios has yet to make anything official and recent rumblings have suggested that yet another release date shuffle may have taken place. So until you tune in for the first episode of the new season, don’t count your chickens.

    Source: Marvel Unlimited via The Direct

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Pushes Clone Force 99 to a Tipping Point

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Pushes Clone Force 99 to a Tipping Point

    The last several episodes of The Bad Batch have been the best of the show’s second season and really put a lot of balls in the air for the audience to keep track of as it quickly reaches its two-part finale next week. Doctor Royce Hemlock was brought in as the creepy, new big bad, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech and Omega seemed to find themselves a safe haven and Crosshair finally saw the light. Though it was all pretty by the book, Episode 14, Tipping Point, did its best to redirect all the balls in the air in the same direction ahead of the season’s end.

    The episode had the unenviable job of ensuring all the key players would make it to the stadium on time for next week’s dual episodes, The Summit and Plan 99. Rex and Echo’s mission to rescue wayward and discarded clones led them to encounter a ship transporting several clone prisoners and a commander who was in a huge hurry to delete any and all information concerning where they were headed and why. Echo recovered what he could which led him to Pabu where he needed Tech’s help to decrypt what he had which led the whole happy family to discover Crosshair was now a prisoner of Doctor Hemlock and had sent them a warning and now all the disparate threads are heading toward denouement. As I said, by the book… but it works.

    Emerie Karr in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    While Hemlock’s plans for the clones are still a bit mysterious, the show overtly foreshadowed that the audience will find soon enough. During his meeting with Hemlock, Tarkin tells the doctor he expects a “full briefing at the summit.” While it’s unclear what the summit is, who will be there and where it will be held, it is clear that Episode 15 is titled The Summit which means Hemlock will likely get to monologue about his intentions for the decommissioned clones. Whatever his plans may be, Omega seems key to them and Crosshair’s warning to the rest of Clone Force 99 seems as though it will place Omega directly in harm’s way. But is Emerie Karr fully on board with Hemlock’s plans?

    Though the ending of Tipping Point does its best to make it unclear if Hunter and company will put together a rescue mission for Crosshair, it wouldn’t be The Bad Batch if Clone Force 99 didn’t band together to rescue one of their own. What is unclear, however, is just what the cost will be for the group who had begun to settle in a coalesce as a family and what they’ll find waiting for them when they go up against the sheisty and crafty Doctor Hemlock.