Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • Mother Knows Best: Kathryn Hahn Tapped for Live-Action ‘Tangled’

    Mother Knows Best: Kathryn Hahn Tapped for Live-Action ‘Tangled’

    The “Hahn-aissance” continues. After bewitching fans with her turn to the dark arts in the MCU, it looks like Kathryn Hahn is trading Agatha Harkness’s purple robes for Mother Gothel’s dramatic velvet. Hahn took to social media to reveal she has taken the role of thr villain in Disney’s live-action reimagining of Tangled.

    Hahn has been associated with the role for over a year and as previously discussed, her work in Agatha All Along proved she could handle a villainous role that requires both comedic timing and a genuine sense of threat. Mother Gothel—a woman obsessed with eternal youth and psychological manipulation—is a role practically tailor-made for her energy.

    The production, which is rumored to be looking at a 2027 release window, is reportedly eyeing a “darker, more grounded” take on the Rapunzel story while still maintaining the musical elements of the 2010 animated hit.

    Following the success of The Little Mermaid and the hype for Lilo & Stitch, Disney knows that the villain often makes or breaks these remakes. By putting a powerhouse like Hahn in the tower, they’re ensuring that Tangled isn’t just another carbon copy, but a vehicle for a top-tier character study.

  • Is ‘Lanterns’ Actually a Prequel? Decoding the Hal Jordan Continuity Mystery

    Is ‘Lanterns’ Actually a Prequel? Decoding the Hal Jordan Continuity Mystery

    One single line from the first teaser for HBO’s Lanterns has sent the internet into a tailspin as the first cracks in the continuity of the all-new, all-different DCU could be showing.

    In a world where Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is already an established, public-facing hero–as seen in last year’s Superman–why is Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan acting like he’s the only human to ever touch a power ring?

    The Line That Launched a Thousand Theories

    The moment in question occurs early in the teaser when Hal Jordan refers to himself as the only human Green Lantern in a conversation with new recruit John Stewart.

    For the casual viewer, it’s a line that establishes Hal’s veteran status. For the die-hards who just watched Guy Gardner trade quips with David Corenswet’s Superman, it’s a massive continuity red flag. As seen in Superman, Guy Gardner is not just a Lantern; he’s a celebrity. So, did Marvel’s “Quality over Quantity” rival just make its first major continuity blunder?

    Probably not. Knowing James Gunn, the answer is either a very specific character trait or, more likely, a shift in the timeline.

    The Case for the Prequel

    The leading theory—and truly the more interesting one—is that Lanterns is a prequel set years before the events of Superman.

    The official synopsis for the show repeatedly refers to John Stewart as a “new recruit.” If the show were set in the current DCU timeline (late 2025/early 2026), John would be joining a world already populated by Guy Gardner and potentially other Earth-based heroes.

    As has been widely discussed since the teaser debuted, Hal’s gear looks ancient. It’s weathered, tactical, and looks like it belongs in a world where the Justice Gang doesn’t exist yet. Setting the show in the early 2010s or 2020s would allow the “Earth-based mystery” to feel isolated and high-stakes without the interference of other caped icons.

    While Nathan Fillion is confirmed to appear in the series, his role has been described as “smug and devious.” Fillion himself recently teased in Gizmodo that “Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable” by the end of the show. Could this suggest that  Lanterns may also be Guy’s origin story—perhaps a moment where the ring chooses him after Hal’s era comes to an end?

    The “Hal is a Jerk” Alternative

    Of course, there is a second, much more “Green Lantern” explanation: Hal Jordan is just being Hal Jordan.

    In the comics, Hal’s relationship with Guy Gardner is defined by mutual loathing. Hal famously views himself as the True Lantern of Earth. It’s entirely possible that Lanterns takes place in the present day, and Hal simply refuses to acknowledge Guy Gardner as a legit Lantern. To Hal, a loudmouth like Guy is a glitch in the system, not a partner.

    However, this doesn’t explain why John Stewart—a man who presumably watches the news—wouldn’t mention the flying ginger with the bowl cut who just helped save Metropolis.

    3 CENTURIES AGO, the first superpowered beings, known as METAHUMANS, appeared on earth, ushering in a new era of GODS AND MONSTERS.

    3 DECADES AGO, an extraterrestrial baby was sent in a spacecraft to Earth, and adopted by Kansas farmers.

    3 YEARS AGO, the baby, now grown, announced himself as SUPERMAN, the most powerful metahuman of all.

    3 WEEKS AGO, Superman stopped the country of BORAVIA from invading JARHANPUR, sparking controversy around the world.

    3 HOURS AGO, a metahuman called THE HAMMER OF BORAVIA attacked Superman in the city of METROPOLIS.

    3 MINUTES AGO, Superman lost a battle for the first time.

    From a production standpoint, the prequel angle is the smartest play for HBO. The key to prestige TV is making the story feel standalone, and setting Lanterns before Superman–especially when it’s been established that metahumans have been known for some time–opens some intriguing doors.

    By setting Lanterns in the past, Gunn, Chris Mundy, and Tom King can deliver a True Detective style thriller that isn’t burdened by the “Where was Superman during this?” question. It allows the Hal/John dynamic to be the center of the universe, building the foundation of the Green Lantern Corps lore before we see them fully integrated into the larger DCU battles of 2027 and beyond.

    And then it leaves plenty of room to ask questions about why neither Hal nor John are present in Superman. Do Hal and John  get wrapped up in something that takes them both into space to investigate further? Or maybe just John?

    Whether it’s a prequel or just a case of selective memory from a jaded Hal Jordan, the mystery is officially part of the marketing and the human Lantern discrepancy is likely the first breadcrumb in a trail that leads directly to the ancient horror at the heart of the series.

  • Donald Glover is Your New Yoshi as ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Drops Final Trailer

    Nintendo and Illumination aren’t messing around. With the April 1st release date for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie looming, they used today’s Nintendo Direct to drop a final trailer that confirms they are leaning into the star-power casting that made the first film a billion-dollar hit.

    In addition to a returning voice cast full of A-listers, we no know that Donald Glover is officially voicing Yoshi.

    Glover isn’t the only heavy hitter joining the Mushroom Kingdom’s cosmic expansion. Luis Guzmán will voice Wart, a deep-cut villain pull from Super Mario Bros. 2., and Issa Rae will lend her voice talents to the Honey Queen, bringing some Galaxy specific royalty into the mix

    The final trailer gives us a clearer look at the stakes. Bowser Jr., voiced by Benny Safdie, is stepping up to the plate, determined to break his father out of captivity and restore the Koopa family legacy. Mario and Luigi aren’t just protecting the Mushroom Kingdom anymore; they’re heading into deep space to stop a crusade that spans multiple planets.

    Nintendo is clearly positioning this as their Empire Strikes Back. The scope is bigger, the cast is more diverse, and the April 1st release dat le is being backed by a massive marketing push and ticket sales that are already live. After the first movie’s success, the “Mario Cinematic Universe” is no longer a joke—it’s vying to become the new gold standard for animation.

  • Tobey and Hugh Reportedly Set to Clash in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Tobey and Hugh Reportedly Set to Clash in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    If you think Deadpool & Wolverine was the peak of nostalgia, buckle up. For years, Kevin Feige has reportedly wanted to see the Kings of the 2000s share the screen, and per a new reports from one of the internets busiest bees, that moment is coming at the literal start of the next Avengers epic.

    As we move through March 2026, the multiversal floodgates have officially opened. While the rumor mill was initially focused on these two clashing in Avengers: Doomsday, a new report suggests that Marvel Studios and Sony are looking far beyond a simple cameo.

    According to industry scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Marvel and Sony are reportedly in early discussions to develop a standalone Spider-Man and Wolverine team-up movie, starring Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire.

    Marvel is reportedly looking at the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine as proof of concept for high-stakes legacy team-ups. Instead of just being part of the massive Avengers ensemble, this standalone project would allow for a deep dive into the dynamic between these two specific icons, who have so often co-inhabited Marvel Comics stories.

    Interestingly, Jackman once revealed that a Wolverine cameo was actually planned for Sam Raimi‘s 2002 Spider-Man, but fell through because the crew couldn’t access his suit. This movie would essentially be the 25-year payoff for that lost moment. Other rumors have suggested that Maguire and Jackman are being positioned as the main protagonists of Avengers: Secret Wars. A standalone film could serve as the bridge or prequel to their roles in that event and would almost certainly own the box office for weeks.

    We really tried to get me to come on and do something, whether it was a gag or just to walk through the shot or something. The problem was, we couldn’t find the suit. The suit was stuck in some thing. And so when they were in New York when I was there, we couldn’t get it together.

    -Hugh Jackman on a Spider-Man and Wolverine team-up, 2013

    A standalone Spider-Man and Wolverine movie could potentially take place on Battleworld, featuring the two heroes navigating Doom’s patchwork reality before the final showdown in Secret Wars…or, given recent comments by both actors, it could simply be engagement bait.

  • Pixie Hollow is Heading to D+ as ‘Tink’ Live-Action Series Takes Flight

    For a while, it looked as though Disney was cooling off on the live-action remake machine; however, the studio is officially looking to the small screen to expand one of its most lucrative sub-franchises. Deadline is reporting today that Disney is in early development on Tink, a live-action series for D+ centered on the iconic fairy.

    Rumblings of  a solo Tinker Bell live-action project date way back in 2015 when Reese Witherspoon was attached to star and produce. Since then, the project has shifted shapes more times than a changeling—moving from a feature film to a rumored Jennifer Lawrence vehicle, and now evolving into high-budget streaming series.

    The series is described as a reimagining of the Disney Fairies lore, moving away from the Peter Pan narrative to focus squarely on the politics and magic of Pixie Hollow. This isn’t just a side story; Disney is reportedly treating this as their version of a “magical procedural,” exploring the different fairy talents (water, light, animal, etc.) that made the direct-to-video animated films such a juggernaut in the late 2000s.

    While no cast has been officially announced, the creative muscle behind the scenes is what has us interested. The show is being developed with a “prestige” lens, aiming to capture the same visual wonder as Peter Pan & Wendy but with the serialized depth of a show like Once Upon a Time.

    This move confirms a major shift in Disney’s strategy. By moving smaller IPs like Tinker Bell to D+, they’re able to world-build in a way a 90-minute movie doesn’t allow. If Tink is a hit, it opens the door for a massive live-action Fairies universe—merchandise, spin-offs, and theme park ties included. After years of DisneyToon Studios being shuttered, it looks like the wings are finally back on.

  • King Conan Lives! Arnold Drops a Cimmerian-Sized Bombshell

    Arnold Schwarzenegger never actually retires a character—he just lets them ferment. And in this case, the character has been fermenting for quite some time. At his Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio, Arnold casually dropped a nuke on the fantasy genre: King Conan is finally, officially moving forward at 20th Century Studios and he’s bringing Mission: Impossible franchise director Christopher McQuarrie along for the ride.

    Whether it was titled Crown of Iron, The Legend of Conan, or just King Conan, the project has spent more time in development hell than most of you have been alive. Originally, John Milius had a script that was supposed to turn into a gritty two-film epic. Then, around 2012, Fast & Furious architect Chris Morgan was attached to a version described as a “fantasy Unforgiven,” focusing on an old man who has to shake off the rust. The project hit a brick wall in 2019 due to a mess of rights issues that Arnold himself once called a “thorn in the side” of the sequel.

    The McQuarrie Factor

    Bringing in McQuarrie—the man who basically saved the Mission: Impossible franchise and turned it into a masterclass in practical action—is a massive statement. Arnold confirmed that McQuarrie is set to write and direct, while also stating he’s putting together a script for his current age of 78, rather than continuing to pretend he’s 40.

    Tonally, fans can probably expect something closer to Conan the Barbarian‘s operatic brutality rather than the campier Conan the Destroyer. The story beats Arnold teased sound like classic Robert E. Howard.

    With King Conan, it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King and now he gets forced out of the kingdom and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic and creatures and stuff like that.

    -Arnold Schwarzenegger

    With potential returns to both the Predator and Commando franchises also in the works, Arnold is entering his Legacy Era, and if McQuarrie can capture the raw, heavy metal soul of John Milius‘s original world, King Conan could be the definitive final chapter fans have been waiting 40 years to see.

  • Scrapped ‘Acolyte’ Season 2 Would Have Portrayed Yoda as a “Villain”

    Scrapped ‘Acolyte’ Season 2 Would Have Portrayed Yoda as a “Villain”

    Just when you thought the discourse around The Acolyte was cooling down, Leslye Headland has thrown a thermal detonator into the room.

    Headland confirmed that had the show been grantedba second season by Dave Filoni and his Jedi council, Yoda wouldn’t have been portrayed as the Grand Master savior fans expected. Instead, he would have been complicit in Vernestra Rwoh’s cover-up of the massacre at Brendok.

    According to Headland, who revealed the plan on The George Lucas Talk Show, the move would be consistent with Yoda’s behavior as seen in the Clone Wars, referring to the Jedi Council’s occasional moral flexibility during the war; however, applying that to a pre-war era where the Jedi were at their peak is a move that would not have sat incredibly well with one of the world’s most consistently displeased fandoms.

    For sure. Yeah. Don’t come at me in the comments, because he does it in Clone Wars. So I don’t want to hear about it.

    -Leslye Headland

    Headland’s comments  confirm that despite being set during The High Republic, The Acolyte was never interested in the  Golden Age of the Jedi. It was always about the rot and showing that it had taken root in the Order long before the beginning of The Skywalker Saga.

  • Mask On? John Campea Claims RDJ’s Face Won’t Be Seen in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Mask On? John Campea Claims RDJ’s Face Won’t Be Seen in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    The discourse around Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom just took another turn. Recently, the consensus among the scooper community has been that while Victor Von Doom would keep his mask on when in front of the 616 heroes, the audience would get that meta moment of seeing RDJ’s face—likely to hammer home the tragedy of a man who looks exactly like the hero we lost in Avengers: Endgame.

    However, John Campea is now throwing a monkey into that wrench. On a recent episode of his show, Campea stated that he has confirmed Marvel is keeping the mask firmly in place for the duration of Avengers::Doomsday, saving the face reveal  for the grand finale in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

    One of the rumors about Doomsday that we did confirm for people is that they do not reveal Robert Downey Jr.’s face as Doctor Doom… they don’t reveal Tony Stark’s face or Robert Downey Jr.’s face in Doomsday, and that the repercussions of that and the reasons for that and all that kind of stuff is something they’re saving for Secret Wars.

    -John Campea

    To mask or not to mask, that is the question but it’s hardly a new debate. But with Robert Downey Jr. in the role, it seems hard to believe that Marvel invested that kind of money just for a voice-over performance and a stunt double in a green cape.

    If Campea is right, Marvel is making a bold, narrative-driven choice. By withholding the face, they’re forcing the audience to treat Victor as a separate entity from Tony Stark. It builds tension so  when that mask finally comes off in Secret Wars, it’s a tactical emotional nuke designed to break the heroes, perhaps mirroring the division in Captain America: Civil War.

    This contradicts several other reports that suggested the audience see a scarred version of the 616-Stark-lookalike early on. If Campea’s info holds water, it means the brothers Russos are leaning into the horror of Doom, which does match up with  Film Threat’s Chris Gore’s claim that Doom’s face will be disfigured and, in his opinion, looks to be inspired by the look of creatures from “classic Universal Monster movies.”

    If they’re saving the face for Avengers: Secret Wars, they’re betting everything on a singular moment of shock to carry the entire Multiverse Saga finale.

  • Gillian Jacobs’ ‘Dakota North’ Pitch is Exactly the Spotlight Marvel Television Needs to Find Its Pulse

    Gillian Jacobs’ ‘Dakota North’ Pitch is Exactly the Spotlight Marvel Television Needs to Find Its Pulse

    Even as the Multiverse Saga speeds toward its end, it remains clear that fans who have pent so much time worrying about the stability of the Sacred Timeline and the logistics of incursions have forgotten that some of the best Marvel stories have happened on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

    As Marvel Television continues to bring the Defenders-verse back from the dead, recent quote from Gillian Jacobs–buried in an interview with MovieWeb’s Patrick Cavanaugh–illustrates just how much room there is to expand the studio’s foundational street-level narrative.

    While promoting the fourth season of Invincible, Jacobs dropped a pitch for a character so obscure, so deep-cut, that it actually makes too much sense for Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum to ignore.

    “I actually have a pitch,” Jacobs told Movie Web. “Do you know this comic, Dakota North? It was a short-run Marvel comic. I think that would make a great TV show. However, they’ll have me. I don’t know. I just discovered that comic, and I think it’s such a great world visually. It’s such a fun character.”

    With Marvel Television’s strategy continuing to shift toward grounded, character-driven narratives that don’t require a PhD in Multiversal physics, a character Dakota North is the literal poster child for that initiative.

    For the uninitiated, Dakota North (created in 1986 by Martha Thomases and Tony Salmons) isn’t a superhero. She’s a high-fashion model turned private investigator who specializes in the kind of high-stakes corporate espionage and personal security that the Avengers wouldn’t even notice. But in a world where the Marvel Spotlight banner is supposed to represent standalone, character-first storytelling, Dakota North is the perfect bridge. She is the investigative tissue that connects the high-society glitz of the MCU’s elite with the grime of its criminal underworld…the kind of character who might even know Tony Dalton‘s Swordsman.

    In the pages of Marvel Comics, specifically during Ed Brubaker’s legendary run on Daredevil, Dakota North was the primary investigator for Nelson & Murdock. She was the one who kept the lights on when Jessica Jones was occupied or when Matt Murdock was…well, being Matt Murdock.

    If Marvel is serious about rebuilding a Defenders-verse that feels lived-in and sustainable, they need characters like Dakota. A character, like North, who can walk into a room with Wilson Fisk and hold her own, serves as a fitting foil for interminable twats like Daniel Blake. Gillian Jacobs—who has proven her dramatic chops in The Bear and her comedic timing in Community—is the ideal anchor for that kind of noir-lite that really serves as a vehicle for violence and F-bombs.

    Of course, an actor’s pitch on a press tour doesn’t mean a greenlight. We’re still waiting for several projects, including,that Silver Surfer Special Presentation that’s been floating in the ether since 2020. However, in a 2026 landscape where Marvel is desperate for wins that don’t break the bank or the timeline, listening to an actor who actually knows the source material is not the worst move Kevin Feige can make. Dakota North might have been a short-run comic in the 80s, but she’s the exact long-term solution the MCU needs today: a character with multi-platorm narrative ductility.

    If Marvel wants to prove that Spotlight is more than just a marketing gimmick for the shows they don’t want to explain to the general public, Jacobs‘ pitch could be the…North Star

  • Is James Mangold’s ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ Dead? Insider Weighs In on Lucasfilm Shocker

    Is James Mangold’s ‘Dawn of the Jedi’ Dead? Insider Weighs In on Lucasfilm Shocker

    For nearly three years, the promise of a “Biblical Epic” set 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga has been the north star for Star Wars fans seeking something truly original. James Mangold, fresh off Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was set to explore the very origins of the Force.

    However, speaking on The Hot Mic (via SFFGazette.com), Jeff “the In” Sneider didn’t mince words when asked about the film’s status:

    I heard this week actually. I just heard it. That’s like dead. I can’t say that conclusively, but it doesn’t sound good. I think Mangold is focused on that Timothée Chalamet heist movie is what I think. I think Swamp Thing could be after that.

    -Jeff “The In” Sneider

    If the report holds true, the primary culprits for the film’s demise would seem likely to ne creative differences and  scheduling.

    With Dave Filoni now weileing unlimited power over the “creative direction of the franchise in film, television, and any other platforms in the galaxy,” it’s very possible that Mangold’s film didn’t fit his vision of what Star Wars should be moving forward.

    Mangold has spent the last year riding a massive wave of momentum following the Oscar-winning success of his Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. Mangold and star Timothée Chalamet have officially reteamed for a motocross heist thriller titled High Side. The project, described as “Heat meets Hell or High Water,” was picked up by Paramount in a massive bidding war. With High Side now moving into active production, it appears the timeline for a galaxy far, far away has simply run out of room. And, of course, there’s Mangold’s Swamp Thing lurking in the background.

    The sting of this cancellation is felt even more acutely because of the creative team involved. In April 2024, news that Andor scribe Beau Willimon had joined the project to co-write the script with Mangold seemed to give the project new life.

    Willimon’s involvement was seen as a guarantee of quality, bringing the same stylings to the Jedi origins that he brought to the Narkina 5 arc in Andor. However, news recently broke that Willimon has moved on to write a major Game of Thrones feature film for HBO, which, in hindsight, may have been the first major  that the Jedi project was on life support.

    For Star Wars fans, this story feels all too familiar. From Patty Jenkins‘ Rogue Squadron to the Kevin Feige-produced project, Lucasfilm has a documented history of announcing high-profile director-led films that never make it to the screen…or even into production. The studio’s pivot toward the Mandalorian and Grogu as their primary theatrical return signals a retreat to safe IP, which seems to be the way of things at the House of Mouse. A 25,000-year-old prequel about the origins of the Force was always a high-risk gamble. In a 2026 landscape where Disney is prioritizing guaranteed hits, a risky, mold-breaking epic like Dawn of the Jedi may have simply been too unconventional for Filoni.