Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • Netflix Unveils 2023 Film Slate

    Netflix Unveils 2023 Film Slate

    In a series of #NetflixSavetheDates tweets, Netflix rolled out its 2023 film slate which includes some impressive talent in front of and behind the cameras. Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of what’s coming from the streamer in 2023!

    January

    27th-You People

    Kenya Barris makes his feature directorial debut in You People which examines “an interfaith, culture-clash twist on the relationship rite of passage.” Jonah Hill plays Ezra Cohen who meets and falls in love with Lauren London’s Amira Mohammed. But in the twist you never saw coming, Ezra’s “progressive and semi-woke” Jewish parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny) and Amira’s conservative Muslim parents (Eddie Murphy and Nia Long) get involved and hilarity (probably) ensues.

    February

    10th-Your Place or Mine

    From the mind of the Brosh McKenna, the writer of The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses, comes the answer to the question you never asked nor needed answered: what happens when romcom overachievers Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher make a romcom together? Your Place or Mine will answer that question by forcing the two together when Kutcher’s Peter and Witherspoon’s Debbie, besties who have known each other for years, “take over each others’ homes and responsibilities for a week, they realize that maybe they’ve been living the life they think they should, instead of the one they really need.”

    March

    10th-Luther: The Fallen Sun

    The great Idris Elba returns to his greatest role as detective John Luther. Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis and Dermot Crowley will share the screen with Elba as he does “whatever it takes to catch a killer.”

    31st-Murder Mystery 2

    The dynamic duo of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back for the sequel to 2019’s Murder Mystery. The cleverly titled Murder Mystery 2 will see the clumsy amateur dicks take on an “even more mysterious case” than they solved in Murder Mystery.

    May

    12th-The Mother

    J-Lo is still making movies and in Niki Caro‘s The Mother, she portrays “a female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter she gave up years before.” Misha Green and Peter Craig join Jenny from the Block in the action-thriller.

    June

    1st-Extraction 2

    Stuntman turned director Sam Hargrave reunites with Chris Hemsworth to tell the next chapter in the story of Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. “After barely surviving the events of the first movie”, Rake is tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they’re being held. Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa reprise their roles as Nik Khan and Yaz Khan and are joined by Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili.

    July

    21st-They Cloned Tyrone

    John Boyega, Netflix mainstay Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris star in the directorial debut of Juel Taylor. The film is “a timely and mind-bending thriller” that sees a “series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.”

    August

    11th-Heart of Stone

    Peaky Blinders Tom Harper directs Gal Gadot in Heart of Stone. Gadot plays Rachel Stone, a secret agent who “lives off the adrenaline” and finds herself as “the only one standing between world peace and global destruction.

    25th-Lift

    Director F. Gary Gray looks to be revisiting his Fast and the Furious days in Lift. An international heist crew is recruited to prevent a terrorist attack and must pull off the heist on a plane mid-flight at 36,000 feet! Lift boasts an incredible cast led by Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Vincent D’Onofrio with Úrsula Corberó, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno and Sam Worthington joining along.

    October

    13th-Damsel

    Millie Bobby Brown stars in Oscar-nominee Juan Carlos Fresnadillo‘s (28 Weeks Later) subversive Damsel. The film, co-starring Angela Bassett, Robin Wright and Nick Robinson, will follow Brown as a damsel in distress who “realizes that no one is coming and that she must save herself.”

    27th-Pain Hustlers

    Directed by Harry Potter universe vet David Yates, Pain Hustlers stars Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia and Catherine O’Hara. Blunt stars as a single mom who “falls into a lucrative but ultimately dangerous scheme selling prescription drugs”

    November

    17th-A Family Affair

    Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King star in a romcom that tells the story of a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss. A Family Affair was directed by Oscar nominee Richard LaGravenese.

    22nd-Leo

    An animated “coming-of-age musical comedy”, Leo stars Adam Sandler and Bill Burr. The film, which tells the story of the last year of elementary school as seen through the eyes of a lizard who is a class pet, Leo is directed by Robert Marianetti, David Wachtenheim and frequent Sandler collaborator Robert Smigel.

    December

    8th–Leave the World Behind

    Written and directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, Leave the World Behind is a “tense thriller about two strangers who interrupt a family’s vacation bearing news of a mysterious blackout.” Mahershala Ali, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawke and Myha’la lead the ensemble cast.

    22nd–Rebel Moon

    Director Zack Snyder space opera is loaded with talent. Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher and Staz Nair star alongside Charlie Hunnam and Anthony Hopkins. Rebel Moon tells the story of a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius (Skrein). The desperate civilians dispatch Kora (Boutella), a young woman who has a mysterious past to seek out warriors from nearby planets to help them challenge the regent.

    Sources: Twitter, TUDUM

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 4 Reminds Us All That Podracing Exists

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 4 Reminds Us All That Podracing Exists

    In 1999, when Y2K was set to end us all, George Lucas came to the rescue by introducing podracing in Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menace. A high-stakes sport that was wildly popular in the Outer Rim territories, podracing (and a little sleight of hand by Qui-Gon Jinn) was the plot device that put Anakin on his highway to hell. Episode 4 of The Bad Batch, cleverly titled “Faster”, puts the win-at-all-costs sport back in the spotlight, only with much lower stakes.

    As has been the case in the show’s second season, “Faster” splits up the squad allowing the episodes to focus a bit more on the growth of individual characters. . Episode 4 sees Tech, Wrecker and Omega accompany their sleazoid boss Ciddarian Scaleback to the sordid spaceport Safa Toma. While the episode leans heavily into reminding the clones and the audience just how unsavory of a character Cid is thanks to Ernie Hudson‘s Grini Millegi, an old associate of hers, its primary focus is the continued growth of Tech. So far, no character has shown more growth than Tech and “Faster” is truly his time to shine.

    Tech in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Beginning in the season’s two-episode debut, Tech has continued to move from a nearly insufferable know-it-all and has begun showing signs of becoming sympathetic. Though it was never intentional, Tech has always displayed a tendency to talk down to others and being amazingly unaware of appropriate behavior in most social situations. Through a series of bets and contrivances that put Cid in a bad spot with Millegi, “Faster” puts Tech in a position where his mutation sets him up to save the day. And while he gets to show off his big brain and impress the masses with his calculations, it’s his selflessness in putting himself at risk to save Cid that truly earns him high marks.

    Through four episodes, Season 2 has yet to truly pull back the curtain on its main plot thread, focusing rather on making sure the audience knows that these clones are more than just their mutations and that Omega is not the only one who is still learning. While clones across the galaxy face being “decommissioned” and looking at a fate no better than the battle droids they replaced, Clone Force 99 continues carving its own way through the galaxy and growing as they go.

  • The Batman Part II

    The Batman Part II

    Premiere: October 1, 2027

    One month before The Batman was released in theaters in March 2022, director Matt Reeves confirmed plans for a sequel with Matt Tomlin co-writing the film with him. In January 2023, it was revealed that the sequel would be produced under DC Studios Elseworlds banner and hit theaters on October 3, 2025. In March 2024, the release date was moved to October 2, 2026. Then, on December 27, 2024, it was rescheduled again, with WB slating it for October 1, 2027.

    Cast

    • Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/The Batman
    • Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman (unconfirmed)
    • Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth
    • Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon
  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Tony Award Winner Nikki M. James

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Tony Award Winner Nikki M. James

    Production on Daredevil: Born Again is set to kick off in February and as the cast begins arriving in New York City, another member has joined the mix. According to Deadline, Book of Mormon’s Nikki M. James has boarded the project in an unknown role.

    Though James’ role is unknown, Marvel Studios has been searching for a Black actress, 40-49, to play a “loyal” but potentially “ruthless” character whose success is described as “self-made.” In 2011, James won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Nabulungi in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon. She recently appeared in four episodes of Apple TV’s Severance after roles in The Good Wife and BrainDead.

    Daredevil: Born Again was unveiled at SDCC ’22 as an 18-episode event starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. It was originally slated to debut on Disney Plus in the Fall of 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • Michael B. Jordan Teaming Up with Chad Stahelski for ‘Rainbow Six’

    Michael B. Jordan Teaming Up with Chad Stahelski for ‘Rainbow Six’

    John Wick director Chad Stahelski has signed on to direct Paramount’s Rainbow Six starring Michael B. Jordan. The film will adapt author Tom Clancy’s novel of the same name and serve as a direct sequel to Without Remorse, which streamed on Amazon Prime in 2021. Without Remorse was streamed in 2.3M households during its first weekend on the service in April 2021.

    Jordan will be reprising his role as CIA operative John Kelly whose origin story as Rainbow leader “John Clark” played out in Without Remorse. The films are set in Amazon’s Jack Ryan universe with Jodie Turner-Smith‘s Lt. Commander Karen Greer serving as the connective tissue between the two franchises.

    While Without Remorse was picked up by Amazon Prime has a result of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic’s impact on theatrical releases, Paramount hopes to land Rainbow Six in theaters. The novel followed Clark’s Rainbow group as the uncoverd a massive conspiracy, codenamed “The Project”, which is desinged to decimate the human race.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Prey’ Star Teases Sequel Plans

    ‘Prey’ Star Teases Sequel Plans

    20th Century Studios Prey was one of the surprise hits of 2022. The latest installment in the Predator franchise, which debuted exclusively on Hulu and dominated its viewership numbers, was incredibly well-received by critics and may just be the best Predator film to date. Breakout star Amber Midthunder‘s performance as Comanche healer-turned-hunter Naru, among the film’s largely indigenous cast garnered her a Critics Choice nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. While attending the event, Midthunder was asked about the potential for a sequel to Prey and certainly seemed to play coy while giving her reply.

    The credits of Prey clearly teased the potential of a sequel, even hinting at a potential plot that would revolve around several Predator ships returning to Earth to square off with War Chief Naru and her tribe. When asked by Variety when fans could expect a sequel, Midthunder replied, “I don’t have a date for you,” before adding, “This is not an announcement, but I’m not saying it’s not [happening].” When pushed further about the status of the sequel, Midthunder teased, “We talk all the time about all kinds of things and that was probably one.” On the prospect of reprising her signature role, Midthunder said, “Of course. I’m ready. I loved that experience. I loved that movie and I would be happy to see where else we can take it.”

    Given the film’s success, the star’s willingness to get back to work and director Dan Trachtenberg‘s plans for multiple sequels involving “unique ideas” it seems only a matter of time before another film is given the green light and, hopefully, a theatrical run.

  • New Trailer for ‘The Mandalorian’ Hints at Revisiting one of Star Wars Most Harrowing Events

    New Trailer for ‘The Mandalorian’ Hints at Revisiting one of Star Wars Most Harrowing Events

    The latest trailer for Season 3 of The Mandalorian is filled to the brim with Mando madness, putting a dozen or so different armored warriors on display and making clear the path forward for Din Djarin involves a trip to the ruins of Mandalore. Fans who have been following the story of the war-torn planet through the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels are sure to feel giddy at the prospects of The Mandalorian following through on those unresolved arcs but it’s another unresolved arc that caught the attention of fans upon first seeing the trailer.

    During Luke Skywalker’s time with Grogu as seen in The Book of Boba Fett, the Jedi Master helped the young Force-wielder tap into his memories, giving audiences a glimpse into his tragic backstory. As seen in the flashback, Grogu bore witness to members of the 501st murdering a trio of Jedi who protected him. The scene brought to life the events that Grogu communicated to Ahsoka Tano in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. After communing with Grogu through the Force, Ahsoka shared that Grogu was raised at the Jedi Temple and was taken from it during Order 66. The identity of his savior, however, remains unknown though it may not stay that way for long.

    At around the 1:07 mark of the new trailer, a shot of the interior of the Jedi Temple can be seen and close attention to the door in the center of the frame seems to indicate that not only will Season 3 of The Mandalorian revisit Order 66 once again but that its most terrifying myrmidon may make an appearance.

    The door in frame is clearly being cut open by a lightsaber, leaving the only question to be who is using it on the other side. Following the debut of the trailer, fans immediately began to speculate that Anakin Skywalker is the unseen menace behind door number one and that Grogu will come face-to-face with Hayden Christensen. There is, of course, another option in play, however. While it’s entirely possible Christensen will make an appearance in the series (he did reprise the role of Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi, after all and could have filmed his Mando scenes then), it’s equally possible that the shot is a bit misleading and that Grogu’s savior stands behind the door.

    One of the more popular theories about the identity of Grogu’s savior revolves around the idea that the traitor Barriss Offee, who was a prisoner of the Jedi during Order 66, may have played a role. In the Summer of 2022, during production on the live-action Ahsoka series, a rumor made the rounds that Lucasfilm was looking to cast an actress as Barriss Offee. Given pickups and reshoots for Season 3 of The Mandalorian took place during the time Ahsoka was filming, it’s possible the actress could appear in both. Given Offee had gone to the dark side, her reasons for taking Grogu might be a bit mysterious, but obviously whoever is behind that door didn’t kill the Youngling.

    Without any strong evidence at this point, the identity of the person holding the lightsaber will remain a classic 50/50 scenario until the third season of The Mandalorian debuts on March 1st.

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Directors Revealed

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Directors Revealed

    Along with a new trailer for the upcoming third season of the Star Wars Disney Plus streaming series, The Mandalorian, comes news on the group of the team of directors that worked on bringing it together. The team, made up of equal parts new faces and old hands, looks to have leaned heavier than ever into the mythology of Mandalore for the new season of Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau‘s baby.

    Rick Famuyia, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Carl Weathers, who also portrays Mando mainstay Greef Karga, will return to helm an unknown number of episodes of the third season. That trio will be joined by newcomers Lee Isaac Chung, Rachel Morrison and Peter Ramsey, all of whom are entering the galaxy far, far away for the first time. Chung directed the highly regarded Munyurangabo, which debuted at Cannes in 2007 and later that year won the grand prize at the AFI Film Fest. Morrison has a long resume as a cinematographer, including working as the director of photography on 2018’s Black Panther, but has begun to direct more and more over the past 6 years, including several episodes of the STARZ series Hightown. Interestingly, Ramsey has extensive experience in art and animation, having worked as a story artist on films such as Minority Report, Monsters vs. Aliens and Sausage Party, and directing the acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018.

    Season 3 of The Mandalorian debuts on Disney Plus on March 1st.

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ and ‘Quantumania’ Set February Release Dates in China

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ and ‘Quantumania’ Set February Release Dates in China

    For the first time since Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted in theaters in June 2019, Chinese audiences will be able to catch a Marvel Studios film in theaters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania have slated release dates in China, heading to theaters on February 7th and February 17th, respectively.

    Though Black Widow didn’t have a theatrical run in China, differences in sociopolitical ideologies reportedly kept Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals from theatrical releases and a historically strong relationship with Disney began to fall apart. Relations seemed to be reconciled with the release of Avatar: The Way of Water and that seems to be confirmed with two Marvel tentpoles now headed to theaters.

    The Chinese box office has long given a major boost to Disney’s bottom line and in 2022 films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder likely lost $100M or more as a result of the ongoing dispute between China and Disney. In the cast of Multiverse of Madness, the lack of Chinese receipts almost certainly kept it from crossing the $1B mark. On that note, the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever may push its global total near that same $1B mark as it currently stands at $835M and its predecessor pulled in $105M back in 2018.

    Marvel Studios has two other major releases in 2023 in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels. In 2017, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 pulled in over $100M in 5 weeks in China and in 2019, Captain Marvel made just over $150M during its 5-week window. While no word on whether those films will receive release dates in mainland China has come down, the prospects certainly seem rosier than they were just a few months ago.

    Sources: Deadline

  • James Gunn Teases Adam Warlock’s MCU Future

    James Gunn Teases Adam Warlock’s MCU Future

    Adam Warlock’s MCU debut has been a long time coming. A space weirdo with one of Marvel Comics most interesting histories, Warlock was teased in a post-credit scene to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and, played by Will Poulter, will make his debut in May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In the comics, Warlock had strong connections to Thanos and was a major player in all the Infinity Gem business, including leading an eclectic team known as the Infinity Watch. With the Infinity Saga in the books, Warlock’s MCU path would seem to be headed in a much different direction.

    That direction, however, may not be very clearly defined in Warlock’s debut. According to director James Gunn, while Warlock’s mission in the film seems pretty black and white (the Sovereign want the Guardians taken out), the character has quite a bit of learning to do about the way the universe works and may ultimately be a little more grey than the trailer makes him appear.

    It’s kind of more complicated than that. But he’s definitely not a good guy. What we’re seeing is the infant form of Warlock, newly out of the cocoon, and he does not understand life very well. He’s basically a baby.

    James Gunn
    Will Poulter as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, via Empire

    When Poulter was cast as Warlock, the internet did a collective double-take as the young actor’s name wasn’t one tossed around in association with the role. “People online were saying, ‘Oh, Tom Cruise should be Adam Warlock,’”, said Gunn, who had his own ideas about what type of talent he wanted in the role. “I wanted somebody who was youthful,” explained Gunn, “and I wanted the person who had the dramatic chops and the comedic chops, not only for this movie but for what Marvel will use Adam Warlock for in the future. He could become this really important character.” 

    Of course, part of that future could ultimately be joining up with the Guardians, as his character has done in the comics. Gunn‘s made it clear that Vol. 3 is the last ride for this group and for him, but given the overwhelming popularity of the franchise, it’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios letting everyone ride off into the sunset and closing up shop on the Guardians.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters May 5th.

    Source: Empire