Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • ‘Willow’ EP Addresses the Madmartigan-sized Hole in the Disney Plus Series

    ‘Willow’ EP Addresses the Madmartigan-sized Hole in the Disney Plus Series

    The upcoming Disney Plus series, Willow is a nostalgic return to the fantastical lands of Tir Asleen and Galadoorn and the characters who inhabit it. The series is a direct sequel to the 1988 film of the same name and set 20 years after the events of it saw the evil Queen Bavmorda defeated by a band of people that included Willow and The Greatest Swordsman that ever lived, Madmartigan. However, while Warwick Davis returned to the role of Willow Ufgood in the series, there’s no sign of Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, who played such an integral role in the film. During the global press conference for the upcoming series, Willow writer and executive producer Jon Kasdan talked about how Madmartigan’s absence helped shape the series into its final form.

    For Kasdan, the absence of the original film’s co-lead wasn’t a roadblock so much as the way to expand on his story by showing the impact it had on others, including his two children Kit and Airk, played by Ruby Cruz and Dempsey Bryk, respectively.

    It was always sort of going to be, right at the core of the story we were, we were telling. And it really had to be… but because we were telling a story that had so many young characters, and they were all sort of searching for their identity, the search for Madmartigan, and the question of what had happened to him was right at the heart of the story we were telling. And we knew that it would be woven into this quest in a fundamental way, really, to see where he was and what had become of him, and what he’d given up. Particularly for Ruby’s character, Kit, and for Dempsey’s character, Airk, in order to do good.

    Jon Kasdan

    Both Kit and Airk have taken their father’s near life-long absence from their lives very differently and when your father is the legendary Madmartigan, the hole left by his absence is a big one. Indeed according to Kasdan, it’s something the young heroes will deal with for the entire season.

    And that question sort of follows the whole season. And we always knew that we sort of wanted to pay it off in one way or another, and we had a lot of ideas about ways to pay it off and ways to leave it open.

    Jon Kasdan

    Though he’s not in the series, the tales of his deeds and adventures certainly play a large role thanks, in part, to the addition of a new character to the franchise. Amar Chada-Patel plays Thraxus Boorman, a warrior who shared an adventure or two with the Daikini Lady Lover and who Kasdan says was created out of need when Kilmer wasn’t able to be on set. And according to Kasdan, it provided an unexpected boost to the series.

    And one thing that happened, because Val himself wasn’t able to come out to Wales and work with us, was that we were a- we added this texture of a friend of Madmartigan’s, who could give us some clues about his whereabouts. And… and deepened the mystery around what happened to him, in a way that only actually extended the story we were already telling. So it was very satisfying, and it sort of prevented… it provided an opportunity for us to add a whole new element that we didn’t expect to the show.

    Jon Kasdan

    Fans of Kilmer’s character shouldn’t despair at the star’s absence from the series, however, According to Kasdan, he and Davis are just as eager for his return as fans.

    Madmartigan is still out there, I mean, I have had many conversations with everyone involved, and our feeling is, he is, he is out there to be found, should the day arrive. And I think Warwick and I would both love to see him pick up that sword again.

    Jon Kasdan

    Where is Madmartigan? What took him away from his family? Find out when Willow begins streaming November 30th on Disney Plus.

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Concept Art Reveals Alternate Designs for Namor

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Concept Art Reveals Alternate Designs for Namor

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever introduced one of Marvel Comics oldest and most conflicted characters to the MCU in Tenoch Huerta’s Namor. Writer and director Ryan Coogler wanted to give Namor, who is the Prince of Atlantis in the comics, and his underwater kingdom a unique makeover. The result was the underwater city of Talokan, a Mesoamerican-inspired twist on Atlantis.

    While fans only see the finished look of Namor, Talokan and its people in Wakanda Forever, the design process takes hundreds of people thousands of hours with the majority of that work never being seen. Ultimately, dozens of designs don’t make the final cut of the film for whatever reason despite having just as much work put into them as the ones that do. Concept artist Anthony Francisco, whose look for “warrior” Namor was chosen for the film, released a series of alternate designs for the character via Twitter.

    Francisco’s tweets detail the incredible amount of work the artist put into the character, including researching multiple cultures and their histories. His description of how he finalized the design for Namor’s necklace, which was featured throughout the film, provides a fascinating insight into the creative process.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters.

    Source: Anthony Francisco Twitter

  • CCXP Confirms Marvel Studios Plans for Next Week’s Event

    CCXP Confirms Marvel Studios Plans for Next Week’s Event

    Brazil’s annual comic-con experience, CCXP, has more often than not proven a source of self-made disappointment and frustration for Marvel fans. Returning as a live event in 2022, however, CCXP looks to be set to make at least a little noise that should satisfy those same fans. A tweet from the official CCXP account has confirmed that not only will Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige be in attendance on December 1st, but he’ll also be bringing some friends and some info on at least a couple of projects with him.

    According to the tweet, Feige will be joined at the event by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly and Jonathan Majors to hype Marvel Studios’ next theatrical release, Ant–Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The third film in the franchise, Quantumania is set to hit theaters on February 17th, 2023 and although the first trailer for the film hit social media at the end of October, it’s possible that a new look at the film debuts at CCXP. However, as often is the case, it’s possible that any new footage released may be a con exclusive and not be shared publicly for some time.

    In addition to Quantumania, CCXP will also feature something Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 related. A recent rumor indicated that Disney may be angling to have the first trailer for Vol. 3 ready to be in theaters by mid-December to play in front of Avatar: The Way of Water. While that hasn’t been confirmed, it makes sense that the studio would use the sequel, which is expected to have a monster opening weekend, to hype what’s likely to be one of 2023’s most anticipated films in Vol. 3.

    Given the panel will likely run nearly an hour, it’s also possible Marvel Studios might use it to hype other projects set to debut in the first half of 2023 such as Secret Invasion and Loki, which are slated to stream on Disney Plus in Spring and Summer, respectively.

  • Expect Plenty of Laughs Along with Adventure in the Disney Plus Streaming Series ‘Willow’

    Expect Plenty of Laughs Along with Adventure in the Disney Plus Streaming Series ‘Willow’

    1988’s Willow was a dark fantasy adventure dreamt up by a young George Lucas in 1972 before he ever put pen to paper for Star Wars. In 1986, the project began to come together with director Ron Howard, writer Bob Dolman and Lucas developing the script. Somewhere along the way, likely due to Dolman’s comedic chops, Willow became a far funnier fantasy film than contemporaries such as Kull and Labyrinth. Though it wasn’t a critical success, Willow developed a cult following and a fanbase that clamored for a sequel for over 30 years. That sequel will soon debut on Disney Plus and according to one of its stars, the spirit of the original lives on in the streaming series.

    During the global press conference for the upcoming streaming series, Warwick Davis, who reprises his role as Willow Ufgood, writer Jon Kasdan was able to embue Willow with the same sense of humor as the original.

    It’s important that we took that kind of ethos from the film, the humor, because that’s what really set ‘Willow’ apart from the other fantasy offerings of the 80s, was that it could look at itself and laugh and not take itself seriously. But also, as well as being a great kind of fantasy writer and sci-fi writer, Jon is also a very good comic writer as well.

    Warwick Davis

    While the 1988 film certainly wasn’t a full-on slapstick comedy, it was filled with laughs, often at the expense of Willow’s struggles with magic. In an attempt to recapture that magic, Dolman returned to write two episodes of the upcoming streaming series. Unfortunately, another source of comedic relief, Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, is mysteriously absent from the series, though his presence is certainly felt throughout. The series is certainly much more light-hearted in tone than what fans have come accustomed to seeing in recent fantasy series such as Game of Thrones and The Rings of Power while still finding a nice balance of action as fans will find out for themselves when it begins streaming on Disney Plus on November 30th.

  • ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Easter Egg is a Nod to One of Marvel’s Most Important Crew Members

    ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Easter Egg is a Nod to One of Marvel’s Most Important Crew Members

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special finds the Guardians recovering from their adventures with Thor and preparing for the unknown from their new base of operations, Knowhere. While the special spends a portion of the runtime inside the severed head of a Celestial, the bulk of the action takes place on Earth where Mantis and Drax head to give Peter the best Christmas present ever: Kevin Bacon. During the botched abduction of Bacon, the pair had an encounter with the police and director James Gunn used that scene as an opportunity to sneak in a reference to one of Marvel Studios’ longest-serving and most important crew members.

    As seen in the credits, one of the officers who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Mantis and Drax is Officer R. Bobbitt. Though it’s not been confirmed by Marvel Studios, the Officer is almost certainly named for longtime Marvel Studios Property Master, Russell Bobbitt. Few people outside of Kevin Feige and Casting Director Sarah Finn have worked on as many MCU projects as Bobbitt. Bobbitt first served as the Property Master in 2008 for Iron Man and has worked on a total of 20 MCU projects to date, from the Agent Carter One-Shot, to streaming series such as WandaVision and Loki and the Werewolf By Night Special Presentation. In addition, Bobbitt has made his way on screen in a few projects.

    As Property Master, Bobbitt oversees the creation and acquisition of the props used in each MCU project. Bobbitt’s MCU designs include Captain America’s shield, Mjolnir and the Infinity Gauntlet. Bobbitt is set to serve as Property Master on 3 upcoming MCU projects: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Blade, running his total number of MCU projects up to an impressive 23. Given the work he’s done on the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it was incredibly cool of Gunn to give Bobbitt a nod in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

  • Maria Bakalova’s Voice Role Confirmed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

    Maria Bakalova’s Voice Role Confirmed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special saw the roster of the Guardians grow by one as Cosmo the Spacedog joined the ranks of the team. After appearing briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmo is now a more fully realized character complete with her comic-accurate powers of telekinesis and telepathy. Being a telepathic Soviet spacedog means that someone was going to be brought on to voice the character and as reported during SDCC, that someone is Maria Bakalova.

    Bakalova was reported to have joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in June of 2022. After to rising to fame in her role as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Bakalova has found herself increasingly busy. While she doesn’t hold down a major role in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, it’s possible that Cosmo will find herself a key player in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and could play a role in assembling a new version of the team should her arc follow that of her comic book counterpart. If that’s the case, Bakalova could become an MCU mainstay in the way that Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel have as voice actors for Rocket and Groot, respectively.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5th, 2023.

  • The Origin of Star-Lord’s Quad Blasters Revealed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

    The Origin of Star-Lord’s Quad Blasters Revealed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

    The premise of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special revolves around Mantis and Drax trying to give Peter a great Christmas. Not only do they want to bring him out of his funk over the loss of Gamora, but they also hope to help Peter recapture the magic of Christmas after hearing a story from Kraglin about how Yondu ruined the holiday for Star-Lord.

    Told in an animated flashback featuring Michael Rooker’s return as the voice of Yondu, Kraglin’s story shows a young Peter setting up a Christmas tree with Kraglin and setting out presents for their fellow Ravagers. A grumpy Yondu puts and end to the Christmas cheer by stomping on the Christmas tree, throwing away the presents and exclaiming that he hates Christmas. Kraglin believes that event ruined Christmas for Peter and it’s his story and hope to cheer Peter up with a great Christmas that sends Mantis and Drax on their well-intentioned-if-not-entirely-illegal trip to kidnap Kevin Bacon.

    Not only are Mantis and Drax successful on their mission to bring Bacon to Knowhere, but the rest of the Guardians also chip in to make Christmas memorable for Peter. During his conversation with Mantis, who is revealed to be Peter’s sister, Peter explains that there’s part of that story of Christmas past that Kraglin didn’t know. Peter goes on to reveal that Yondu later changed his tune and not only kept Peter’s present (one of the little figures he liked to keep on his console) but also gifted Peter with the Quad Blasters that he’s carried with him ever since. While there was certainly no need to tell the story of how Peter came into possession of his weapons, having them be a gift from Yondu only adds to the emotional connection that Peter and the audience already have with the character.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Sees a New Member Join the Core Team

    ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Sees a New Member Join the Core Team

    While James Gunn made it clear that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special wasn’t going to introduce any major new character to the MCU, he didn’t say that the team wouldn’t experience a few changes. It turns out that the special, set between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, finds the team not only moving into a new base of operations but also adding one to their number. True to his word, Gunn didn’t introduce a new character but rather brought one on board who hasn’t been seen for nearly a decade.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special reveals that Cosmo, a labrador that was part of the Soviet space program who was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, is now working with the Guardians. Last seen with Howard the Duck and The Collector in the post-credit scene to the 2014 film, Cosmo appears early on in the special, working with Rocket on cleaning up Knowhere. Those unfamiliar with the comics may have been shocked to find out that Cosmo is no ordinary space dog.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special immediately establishes a pretty comic-accurate Cosmo by putting her two primary abilities on full display. While working with Rocket, Cosmo uses her telekinesis to lift a pair of panels up to begin repairing a building. After being insulted by Rocket, she drops the panels and speaks to Rocket using her telepathy. In the comics, Cosmo’s DNA was mutated after being exposed to cosmic rays during a failed test launch.

    The comics established Cosmo as an incredibly powerful telepath, able to read and manipulate the minds of others and reach out over long distances. Adding Cosmo to the team now is of note as it was Cosmo who formed a new team of Cosmic defenders, The Annihilators, after the dissolution of the Guardians and the death of Star-Lord. Though no plans have been revealed for what comes next for the members of the Guardians who come out on the other side of the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s possible the Cosmo could play a similar role in assembling the next iteration of the team.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Establishes a New Base for the Team

    ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Establishes a New Base for the Team

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special isn’t exactly essential viewing for those trying to follow the ongoing narrative of the Guardians in the MCU, but it does sprinkle in a few key changes to be aware of ahead of next May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Although the bulk of the special follows Mantis and Drax as they head to Earth, it’s bookends take place in a familiar setting from Guardians of the Galaxy that’s now become their base of operations!

    Following the special’s animated opening sequence, Nebula reveals that the Guardians now own Knowhere after having bought it from Taneleer Tivan. Knowhere, the severed head of a Celestial floating about in space, was a key location in Guardians of the Galaxy and was visited again by Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax and Mantis in Avengers: Infinity War. Tivan had put up shop on Knowhere hundreds of years prior to the Guardians’ first visit and set up a mining operation to extract the valuable organic matter that remained inside the Celestial’s head. Tivan, also known as The Collector, also kept his museum of oddities on Knowhere where he stored the Infinity Stone known as the Aether/Reality Stone and where the Soviet space dog Cosmo was kept until being freed following the explosion of the Power Stone.

    During the events of the special, it’s clear that the Guardians have only recently taken ownership of Knowhere and are in the process of cleaning it up following the exit of the Tivan Group. The move to Knowhere puts the Guardians in an interesting location headed into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning introduced Knowhere in 2007’s Nova #8 and it became an important location for both Richard Rider and the Guardians following the events of Annihilation: Conquest. Later, Knowhere became the base of operations for the Annihilators, a team of “cosmic heavy hitters” assembled by Cosmo following the dissolution of the Guardians and the death of Peter Quill.

    Director James Gunn has made it clear that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the end of the road for the current iteration of the team, but with them preparing to operate out of Knowhere and Cosmo joining the squad and displaying her telepathic powers in the special, it’s possible that a version of the Annihilators could be making its way into the MCU. The original comic book Annihilators consisted of Silver Surfer, Ikon, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator and Quasar, so it’s hard to imagine any MCU version of the team being too similar; however, their first mission found them taking on the Cosmic powerhouse Blastaar, a character whose live-action rights were acquired by Marvel Studios when Disney acquired Fox in 2019. Given the knowledge that Nova is headed to the MCU soon, it seems likely that Knowhere could be propped up as a major Cosmic location as Marvel Studios finally expands that corner of its universe.

    The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is streaming now on Disney Plus.

  • Warwick Davis On How ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Helped ‘Willow’ Become Reality

    Warwick Davis On How ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Helped ‘Willow’ Become Reality

    2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t truly land with audiences or critics. More than that, it seems to have inspired Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s decision not to recast iconic roles. Having done so unsuccessfully with one of Harrison Ford’s most iconic roles, Kennedy refuses to do it again even as Ford’s last adventure as Indiana Jones prepares to hit theaters, choosing to create an Indy-adjacent streaming series for Disney Plus rather than misfire on another recast. However, not all the takeaways from Solo were negative; in fact, it turns out that some behind-the-scenes conversations during its production were the genesis of the Disney Plus streaming series Willow.

    During the global press conference for the upcoming series, star Warwick Davis, who first starred as Willow Ufgood when he was 17 years old, shared his belief that despite many attempts to get a follow-up to the 1988 movie off the ground, it would never happen. “For years it’s been talked about, not by anyone official but by the fans“, said Davis. “They’ve constantly pestered me“, he continued, “saying ‘when are we going to see a sequel to that movie?’ And it’s a question that I could never answer.”

    A question, Davis says, he wasn’t able to answer until fate intervened. A Willow sequel seemed impossible for the star “Until I met Jon Kasdan“, said Davis of the writer and executive producer of the Willow streaming series. It turns out Kasdan, the son of frequent Lucasfilm collaborator Lawrence Kasdan who also worked on the script for Solo. As it turned out, Kasdan the younger was a fan of the Willow film as a kid and, according to Davis, joined him in feeling the time was right for a sequel series.

    We decided that there should indeed be more ‘Willow,’ and so that was the catalyst for this project to happen, really, and it happened very quickly in Hollywood terms. You know, it wasn’t years and years of development, before I knew it I was sat on set, in Wales for the very first day of filming. Once again looking just like ‘Willow, but a slightly older, more mature, better-looking version. Sexier.

    Warwick Davis

    Of course, it didn’t hurt the chances of a follow-up happening that the conversations about it happened on the set of Solo, where Ron Howard, who directed Willow, was helming the Star Wars origin story. According to Kasdan, the three of them formed a triumvirate that believed there was more story to tell.

    There was the impulse certainly between Ron and Warwick and myself to continue this story, and return to this world. And I came at it as a fan, and they came at it both as the creators, and they found a champion in me, and I kept fighting and sort of hoping that we’d get a chance to go back here, and my ace was always that Warwick would be back and that he would look so attractive and America would – and the world – would really fall on their knees. I think everyone got that, and everyone appreciated that, that there was something really special in the opportunity to bring this character back to the screen.

    Jon Kasdan

    Fans of the original film will have a chance to decide for themselves how necessary the sequel series is when Willow streams on Disney Plus beginning November 30th.