Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • James Gunn Explains Why One of DC Studios’ Original Gods and Monsters Projects Won’t Be Made Anytime Soon

    James Gunn Explains Why One of DC Studios’ Original Gods and Monsters Projects Won’t Be Made Anytime Soon

    When DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran rolled out the initial slate for their new company, The Authority was one of a few non-traditional, non-household projects that caught fans’ attention.

    Through Matthew Vaughn was reported to be attached to the project, it never gained enough traction at the studio and was eventually discarded. Now, Gunn has taken to social media so address one particular rumor about The Authority and why it never made it to the screen.

    “I would have never had time to do this, and although I know this is a popular theory online, I never had an intention of writing or directing The Authority,” Gunn revealed on Threads. “The script wasn’t quite there, but more importantly, it didn’t work in terms of the larger DCU, both in terms of the story and practical concerns. Maybe someday. Not soon.”

    As usual, Gunn’s very matter-of-fact approach to the explanation of why the project was shelved leaves little room for further questioning. As intriguing an idea as it was, The Authority was perhaps too big of an idea to bring to the DCU in its current state.

  • The Future of the DCU — James Gunn Updates a Pair of Projects Thought to Have Been Scrapped

    The Future of the DCU — James Gunn Updates a Pair of Projects Thought to Have Been Scrapped

    The architect of the DCU has spoken, and he’s clearing the air on two projects  from the original Gods and Monsters slate that were believed to have been scrapped. Taking to social media, James Gunn took a moment to address the production status of Booster Gold and the Wonder Woman prequel series, Paradise Lost.

    While fans have been worried about the radio silence surrounding these titles, Gunn’s update suggests that things are moving at two very different speeds.

    Booster Gold: Still in the Lab

    Regarding the time-traveling showman Michael Jon Carter, Gunn confirmed that Booster Gold remains in active development.

    Described in 2022 by DC Studios’ co-chair Peter Safran as a “loser from the future who uses his basic future technology to come back to today to pretend to be a superhero“, Michael Jon Carter isn’t one of DC Studios household names but has been a character Gunn has been locked in on since putting together DC Studios Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate. Though there had been rumors that Kumail Nanjiani had landed the role of Carter, no official word has ever come on the matter.

    In July 2025, Deadline reported that David Jenkins (Our Flag Means Death) had taken over duties on cracking the code on a pilot and, potentially, taking over as showrunner if Gunn and Safran were pleased.

    Paradise Lost: “Extreme Development”

    The bigger surprise came when Gunn described Paradise Lost as being in “extreme development” (no, I don’t know what that means, either).

    Set on the island nation of Themyscira before the birth of Wonder Woman, Paradise Lost was described as a “Game of Thrones’-ish story” that will explore “the political intrigue behind a society of all women,” according to Safran. Gunn expanded on Safran’s comments about the series, which he said will examine the “beautiful” and “ugly truths” behind Paradise Island.

    Gunn isn’t rushing. By putting Paradise Lost into “extreme development,” he’s signaling that the prequel isn’t just a spin-off—it’s a prestige epic designed to redefine the Amazons. Meanwhile, keeping Booster Gold “in development” shows he’s willing to wait for the perfect creative team rather than hitting a release date for the sake of it. Above all else, the news reveals that the DCU–or at least Gunn’s plans for it–will live on into the late 2020s despite concerns to the contrary.

  • ‘Maul-Shadow Lord’ Reopens A Savage Wound

    ‘Maul-Shadow Lord’ Reopens A Savage Wound

    Since first appearing in The Phantom Menace, Maul has evolved from a silent, stalking slasher baddie into a truly archetypal tragic monster. The development of the former Sith in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels have made him not only a fan favorite baddie but also, perhaps, a Star Wars most interesting antagonist. Now headlining his own series, Maul is doing what he does best–and always–seeking revenge and showing that his past will never truly be behind him.

    The latest pair of episodes, 7 and 8, went deep into the fractured mind of Maul, revisiting the death of his brother, Savage Opress, revealing that the madness that once plagued him still has a strong hold.

    The episode features a devastating flashback to Maul’s childhood on Dathomir and a verbal confirmation that the deepest wound Palpatine ever inflicted was the murder of Savage Opress.

    In a poignant moment, Maul clarifies that his war with Palpatine isn’t just political—it’s personal. He specifically cites the events of The Clone Wars episode “The Lawless” as the moment he truly lost everything.

    By acknowledging his brother’s death, the show is grounding Maul’s hatred of the Empire in grief rather than just power-lust. This adds a layer of protective vengeance to his character; Maul isn’t just trying to kill Sidious; he’s trying to stop him from doing to others what was done to him. Unfortunately, part of the tragedy of Maul is ultimately that he used the very tools of his tormentor to try to find freedom from who he had become.

    The episodes also concludes with a cliffhanger tease for the live-action return of Paul Bettany’s Dryden Vos, setting up the final transition into the Solo era. It looks like the final two episodes of the season, set to stream on Star Wars Day, will depict Maul’s takeover of Crimson Dawn and, just maybe, give fans a lightsaber duel that they’ve been waiting for…

  • ‘Spider-Noir’ Trailer Unleashes Nicolas Cage’s Ben Reilly

    Prime Video and Marvel officially unleashed the full-length trailer for Spider-Noir last night during a surprise CCXP Mexico presentation. Producer Christopher Miller described the series as a “Humphrey Bogart detective story where the detective has spider powers.”

    Unlike the animated version from Spider-Verse, Cage is playing a live-action Ben Reilly in a self-contained, noir-soaked universe.

    “The origin story was this was a character that we developed in the first Spider-Verse movie, and we had an amazing time working with Nic Cage,” Miller explained to Deadline. “And when the idea of us making a live-action Spider show came up, this was the first idea that we had, because it felt like it was a contained universe. It was its own thing.”

    Unlike the animated film, Spider-Noir will be gritty, standalone 1930s detective thriller that feels more like The Maltese Falcon than The Avengers with Cage’s Reilly a 70/30 mix of Humphrey Bogart and Bugs Bunny.

    “One of the things that you don’t think about with Noir is that you’re like, ‘It’s super serious,’” Miller explained during Spider-Noir’s panel at Deadline Contenders TV event Saturday, “But Bogart always had a twinkle in his eye and he was always doing something clever, and he and Bugs Bunny have more in common than you might think.”

    Co-producer Christopher Lord agreed, saying, “Yeah, there’s like a playfulness to it, right? And there’s a playfulness to Nic – I think that’s why he’s so iconic and there’s a playfulness to Oren, who we worked with on the Jump Street movies. And so the idea is that the show is: it is a big character drama, it is an amazing mystery, it’s a big event television, but it’s also light on its feet.”

    Check out the new trailer below, in either Authentic Black and White or True Hue Full Color. The series will premiere on Prime Video on May 27th.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Set Photos Reveal A New Threat to New York City

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Set Photos Reveal A New Threat to New York City

    Production on Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again is well underway in New York and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the new batch of episodes will be taking a different direction than the first 17.

    On the heels of a leaked photo of Matt Murdock wearing prison orange and set photos of a grizzled-looking Wilson Fisk, a new series of photos from the set of Season 3 have revealed a new threat to the citizens of New York…and it’s a familiar face behind a familiar mask.

    Whole it’s been heavily telegraphed in Season 2, the new photos confirm that Margarita Levieva‘s Heather Glenn will become the second Muse.

    https://twitter.com/i/status/2047935529791172998
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    https://twitter.com/i/status/2047948097381339485

    In 2025, Marvel introduced the second Muse, Morgan Whittier, in 2025. Influenced by the ghost of the original masked killer.

    With Season 3 already confirmed to see the return of Mike Colter’s Luke Cage and Finn Jones’ Iron Fist, at least there will be some heroes, perhaps for hire, ready to step in and take on the new Muse.

  • Lucasfilm Rumored to Be Bringing a Heavy Hitter to the Next Season of Its ‘Tales’ Anthology

    Lucasfilm Rumored to Be Bringing a Heavy Hitter to the Next Season of Its ‘Tales’ Anthology

    The prime Luke Skywalker drought might finally be coming to an end, and we won’t need a de-aged deepfake to see it. According to a budding but credible leaker, @FivesWalker on X, Lucasfilm is reportedly bringing the legendary Jedi Master to the animated realm for the next installment of the Tales anthology series.

    While the first season focused on Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku, and the follow-ups explored the Empire and the Underworld, the next set of shorts is reportedly circling back to the Jedi—specifically the new hope who rebuilt the Order.

    @FivesWalker gained significant traction earlier this year by correctly leaking plot beats and the darker tone of Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, the animated hit that is currently wrapping up its run on Disney+.

    While @FivesWalker clarified that they are assuming the title is Tales of the Jedi (it could easily be Tales of the New Republic or Tales of the Academy), the focus on Luke opens up a massive era of untapped potential:

    • A Post-Endor Quest: We could finally see Luke’s search for Jedi artifacts and hidden temples–like the one on Pillio–in the Clone Wars animation style.
    • The Master & Apprentice: After his cameos in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, fans are desperate to see more of Luke’s early training days with Grogu or even the first days of a young Ben Solo.
    • The Return of Mark Hamill?: While nothing is confirmed, animation allows for a much more seamless return for Mark Hamill’s voice than live-action de-aging does for his physical presence.

    Traditionally, Lucasfilm drops these Tales seasons on Star Wars Day. A May 4th, 2025 release date for Tales of the Underworld was not revealed until April 2nd of last year but if these new Tales episodes are coming in 2026, the studio would need to release some information soon, especially if these shorts might serve as a narrative bridge to the upcoming Mandalorian & Grogu movie, establishing Luke’s role in the galaxy before the Imperial Remnant war reaches its peak.

    If Tales of the Jedi can do for Luke Skywalker what it did for Count Dooku—providing deep, emotional context to his eventual disillusionment—it could be the most important piece of Star Wars media since Rebels, moving beyond the cameo era and into the Jedi Master era.

  • New ‘Daredevil:Born Again’ Season 3 Set Photos Provide the First Look at a Shocking Change to Wilson Fisk

    New ‘Daredevil:Born Again’ Season 3 Set Photos Provide the First Look at a Shocking Change to Wilson Fisk

    Though Season 2 of Daredevil: Born Again has a pair of episodes to go before concluding its run, photos from the set of Season 3 and the Spider-Man: Brand New Day teaser have confirmed that Wilson Fisk will be Mayor no more. Now, new photos from the New York City set have provided the first look at Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and his shocking new look.

    While it’s likely from the first episode of the new season, it looks that Fisk, like his counterpart Matt Murdock, will be sporting a full beard in Season 3.

    Between the beard and the costume, it’s a wildly different look for the typically buttoned-down Kingpin of Crime. However, outside of the shaved head, it is the same look D’Onofrio has been sporting for quite some time, including his appearance on the Daredevil podcast.

    It remains to be seen what exactly befalls Fisk in the Season 2 finale but between losing the love of his life and his public office, it’s clear that the villain will have to rise from the ashes if he hopes to build his global empire.

  • ‘Clayface’: James Gunn Confirms New Film’s Place on the DCU Timeline

    ‘Clayface’: James Gunn Confirms New Film’s Place on the DCU Timeline

    Following the release of the teaser trailer for DC Studios’ Clayface, fans expressed some confusion about if the film’s titular monster was the same character that debuted in Season 1 of Creature Commandos. It’s a fair question given that the title of Clayface has belonged to more than half a dozen characters in the pages of DC Comics and also because in it’s short history, the DCU’s timeline has expanded chronologically…until now.

    While responding to a fan’s question about when Clayface takes place within the DCU, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn revealed that the events of the new film are set before Superman, making it “the first DCU film out of chronological order.”

    Set in Gotham and inspired by Batman the Animated Series, Clayface will tell Matt Hagen’s origins as the muddy menace. With it being set an undisclosed period of time before Superman, it leaves plenty of room for DC Studios to either explain how Hagen continues on as the character or pass the mantle to another character.

    Clayface will “center on an ascending actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster. As a last resort, the actor turns to a fringe Elizabeth Holmes-style scientist for help. At first, the experiment is a successful but … well, it wouldn’t be a horror movie if the story ended right there, would it?”

  • ‘Clayface’ Trailer Reveals a Terrifying Body Horror Vision for the DCU

    Look fear in the face—or what’s left of it. DC Studios has officially dropped the first trailer for Clayface, and it is a stark departure from the traditional superhero aesthetic.

    Written by horror maestro Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil), the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an actor whose face is destroyed in a brutal attack. The footage shows Hagen in a hospital bed, bandaged and bloody, before shifting into The Fly territory as his cells begin to liquefy. We get a shadowy glimpse of Hagen transforming his arm into a spiked mace, but the horror remains grounded in the tragedy of his lost identity.

    This is a full-blown body horror movie that just so happens to me set in the DCU. The trailer concludes with Hagen in a bathtub literally wiping his own face away with his hand. If you want the dark, tragic side of Gotham without the Bat-Signal, this is your movie.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Leak Teases Massive Return of Netflix Villains in Brutal Fight Scene

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 Leak Teases Massive Return of Netflix Villains in Brutal Fight Scene

    The Out the Kitchen production cycle is living up to its name, and things are getting hot. According to an exclusive report from ComicBookMovie, the currently filming Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 is doubling down on its Netflix roots with a sequence that sounds like a love letter to the original series’ gritty stunt choreography.

    SPOILERS AHEAD

    Following an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Charlie Cox’s heavily-bearded look had fans belieing that ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 3 would be at least partly inspired by Ed Brubaker‘s “Devil in Cell Block D” arc. In the story Matt Murdock is outed, arrested, and thrown into Ryker’s Island alongside the very criminals he put away…and it sounds as though Season 3 will indeed bring some of that to the screen.

    According to CBM, Cox recently filmed a scene in which he took on members of the Anti-Vigilante Task Force in a prison fight that may well have been inspired by Season 2 of the original Daredevil.

    Showrunner Dario Scardapane has done some impressive work weaving threads from the original series into the revival and it sounds as though the Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again will not only pay homage to the epic prison fight from Daredevil Season 2 but also bring back the Kitchen Irish. The Irish mob was featured heavily in the season before being systemically offed by Frank Castle because of their involvement in the death of his family.

    While it’s not confirmed, a rebirth of the Kitchen Irish would almost certainly coincidence with a vacuum of power, leaving fans to wonder what might happen to Wilson Fisk.