Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Charles Murphy

  • Rumored Casting Call Could Bring an All-New Team of Heroes to Marvel Studios ‘Nova’

    Rumored Casting Call Could Bring an All-New Team of Heroes to Marvel Studios ‘Nova’

    While Marvel Studios Blade continues to struggle to get into production, a character whose “immediate potential” to enter the MCU predates the 2019 SDCC announcement of Blade is still waiting for an entry point. Nova, Marvel’s Human Rocket, was first identified by Kevin Feige as a character to keep an eye on at 2018’s premiere of Avengers: Infinity War and while the studio put the gears in motion on a streaming series over two years ago, little progress has been made. However, it sounds as though the project may be getting closer to lift off and a new casting call could point toward a classic late-80s, early-90s comic book team showing up in the streaming series.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios has brought a showrunner on board for Nova and in addition to having begun the search for the show’s lead, the studio is also searching for additional talent that has been described as a “group of young protagonists.” While there’s been no indication of whether or not the series will feature Richard Rider or Sam Alexander, the inclusion of a group of young protagonists could be a clue that it’s Rider and the group could just be…The New Warriors!

    While Rider’s time as Nova is certainly most associated with Cosmic adventures such as Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest, many of his early adventures took place on Earth, including teaming up with Night Thrasher, Vance Astro, Firestar, Namorita and Speedball to form the original New Warriors. Introducing the team alongside Rider in a Nova streaming series would be a surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

    The New Warriors almost made it to the screen as a traditional TV series on Freeform. After being greenlit as a 10-episode series in 2017, the series filmed a pilot which was highly regarded but never made it out of the can. Created and written by Kevin Biegel, New Warriors would have featured Squirrel Girl, Mr. Immortal, Microbe, Debrii and original team members Night Thrasher and Speedball. After being dropped by Freeform, New Warriors never found another studio and ultimately was shelved. Could Nova give new life to the group? It’s far too early to say but it is an interesting possibility.

  • Marvel’s Rebuilt ‘Vision’ Series May Be Searching for A Key Young Avenger

    Marvel’s Rebuilt ‘Vision’ Series May Be Searching for A Key Young Avenger

    After being in development under the care of Jac Schaeffer for over a year and a half, the Paul Bettany-centric WandaVision spinoff series originally titled Vision Quest, is now under new management. In April 2024, Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas was revealed to have taken over development on the now-untitled series. Despite Matalas only recently taking over, the series remains on track for a late 2024 start of production with an eye on streaming on D+ in 2026. To that end, the studio has begun the casting process and some details on the search for an actor to fill one of the series’ key roles may hint at one of Marvel Comics Young Avengers popping up.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, the studio is casting for an 18 to 20-year-old to star as one of the series’ co-leads. While no further details were provided, one very interesting possibility comes to mind as to which character might co-lead the series alongside Bettany‘s Vision.

    While we’ll keep additional details about the role under wraps, for now, they do exist. By connecting those dots to the ones revealed by Daniel RPK, it’s possible that the co-lead of the series will be Tommy Shepherd, the son of Vision and Wanda and the brother of Billy Kaplan.

    Kaplan, played by Joe Locke, is set to make his debut this Fall in Agatha All Along which will have to provide some explanation as to how the soul of Billy Maximoff, who disappeared when the Hex was broken, has come been reborn..sort of. If Billy is back, Tommy can’t be far behind and by casting for someone 18-20, they’re right in the same age range of Locke, who is 20 years old. In the comics, Tommy was part of the Avengers Fail-Safe program and was one of the original Young Avengers. With Kamala Khan gathering heroes and a Young Avengers project reportedly coming together quickly, it makes a whole lot of sense for Tommy to show up sooner rather than later.

  • ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Black Widow’ Scribe to Take Over Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Black Widow’ Scribe to Take Over Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    The road to getting Marvel Studios’ Blade into production has been more nightmarish than facing off with a pack of vampires. First announced at SDCC ’19, the film has struggled mightily to get off the ground. Originally set to be penned by the Emmy-nominated Stacy Osei-Kuffour, directed by Bassam Tariq and in theaters on November 3, 2023, Blade has seen more turnover on its creative staff than any project in Marvel Studios’ history and will almost certainly not make its latest release date of November 7, 2025. Now on the hunt to replace Tariq’s replacement, Yann Demange, the project has also hired a new writer to take over the screenplay and this time, it’s one the studio has collaborated with frequently.

    According to Variety, Eric Pearson has taken over screenwriting duties for Blade, following Logan writer Michael Green–among others–in that task.

    First breaking in as the writer of several of Marvel Studios’ One-Shots, Pearson has worked with the studio on Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four. According to the trade report, the powers that be at the studio see Pearson as “ a closer who can bring scripts over the finish line.” In the case of Blade, perhaps just getting to the starting line would represent growth.

    Marvel Studios’ Blade is currently as real as vampires and its release date cannot be seen in a mirror.

    Source: Variety

  • Star Wars Creative Grand Admiral Provides Positive Update on Season 2 of ‘Ahsoka’

    Star Wars Creative Grand Admiral Provides Positive Update on Season 2 of ‘Ahsoka’

    Dave Filoni’s new role as Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm certainly keeps him quite busy. The role allows Filoni to be “involved at the inception phase” and “help [Lucasfilm creative teams] tell the best story that they want to tell.” If that were all Filoni was doing with his time, he would find himself with a full plate; however, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars creator also has many more stories of his own he’d like to tell in the best way possible, including more chapters in the lives of some of his most beloved creations.

    Among those creations, it’s clear that Ahsoka Tano has carved out a large place in Filoni’s heart. Her story has been carefully curated over more than 15 years, including headline her own Disney Plus series in 2023. While the finale of Season 1 saw the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker stranded on the extragalactic planet Peridea, far away from her home galaxy, it still ended on a hopeful note and with a very clear indication that Season 2 was right around the corner. In January 2024, Lucasfilm made it official, announcing that a second season of Ahsoka was in development under the watch of Filoni. Not much has been said of the project since but recently, in an interview with Josh Horowitz, Filoni gave an encouraging update on the sophomore season.

    When asked by Horowitz if Filoni had produced a script for his live-action, New Republic-era film (which was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023), the CCO indicated that Season 2 of Ahsoka was taking up the bulk of his time. “Because I’ve been writing [Ahsoka Season 2], things have clicked and I have a much better idea about where things are going to go,” explained Filoni, before teasing his film a bit by saying, “I will say, I have an opening I really like quite a bit, I’m very excited about it for that picture. I’m excited about the potential of just doing it.”

    “Right now, my focus is clearly on [Ahsoka]” said Filoni before adding, “as well as the rest of the galaxy and how it’s spinning.” The rest of that galaxy currently consists of projects such as The Mandalorian & Grogu (which Filoni said has been “fun to dive into“), Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order-era film and James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi-era film, which has been described as a “biblical epic” about the “first Jedi to wield the Force.” Of course, like with any studio, there are also multiple projects at different stages of production about which nothing is known which will also take up part of Filoni’s time; however, it seems clear that the future of Star Wars is in great hands with Filoni leading the way for a new generation of stories and storytellers.

  • The Hierarchy of Power in the MCU Is About to Change (?): Dwayne Johnson Is in Business with the House of Mouse

    The Hierarchy of Power in the MCU Is About to Change (?): Dwayne Johnson Is in Business with the House of Mouse

    The Rock is cooking…and while we can’t quite smell just exactly what it is he’s cooking quite yet, it’s likely to be something special. Through his Seven Bucks Production company, The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment has struck a first-look deal with Disney that will see The People’s Champ develop films for both theatrical and streaming release.

    The agreement cements what’s been more or less a handshake deal between the Seven Bucks and Disney for quite some time. Dwayne Johnson has starred in several Disney films including 2021’s Jungle Cruise and has been leading the promotional charge for Moana 2 as it prepares for its November theatrical release. Johnson’s deal provides the marketable star the opportunity to collaborate with all of Disney’s major studios, including Marvel and Lucasfilm.

    The move is the latest in a series that has seen Johnson grow his brand to unimaginable heights. Johnson spun a successful pro wrestling career into an even more successful acting career and has become a social media icon. The actor has his own tequila label, his own energy drink, his own line of men’s skincare and is part owner of the UFL. Following the major restructuring of Warner Bros. plans with DC Comics characters–which no longer included Black Adam–Johnson now finds himself back in the market for another comic book movie. Interestingly enough, a recent rumor had Johnson in the running for one of the X-Men’s most formidable adversaries, Apocalypse, though no further word has come of that since. While there’s no word just yet on what Johson will tackle first, it’s hard to imagine the star doesn’t have something in mind that would see him move into one of Disney’s major brands fairly quickly.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Funko Box Confirms Multiple Variants Set to Appear

    ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Funko Box Confirms Multiple Variants Set to Appear

    As seen in Loki, Marvel Studios’ infinite Multiverse allows for infinite variations of characters to exist. Old Man Loki, Alligator Loki and all the other Lokis gave fans a taste of just how wild and diverse Variants can be throughout the MCU’s Multiverse but as it turns out, an alligator Variant of Loki is nowhere near the most ridiculous twist on an MCU character fans will meet.

    Deadpool & Wolverine is set to take full advantage of the Multiverse, introducing not only a new Variant of Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine but also multiple absurd and comic-accurate Deadpool Variants that have been revealed via marketing and promo art. While none of the Variants’ names were included with the art, fams used their comic book knowledge to predict the names of the Variants of the Deadpool Corps. Now, thanks to Funko packaging, fans can check their predictions against the answer key.

    “Correct.”

    -Kevin Feige when asked if Hugh Jackman was playing an all-new, all-different and previously unseen version of Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine

    As most had already assumed, Babypool, Kidpool and Headpool at the names of the Variants who will join Dogpool, Logan and Wade in their fight to save… whatever it is they’re saving. While these are certainly not the only Variants fans will meet in Deadpool & Wolverine, they will likely stand among the most outlandish.

    Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th.

  • ‘Blade’ Now Hunting for a New Director

    ‘Blade’ Now Hunting for a New Director

    Nearing the five-year mark since Marvel Studios’ One Above All, Kevin Feige, surprised the crowd at SDCC ’19 by bringing Mahershala Ali on stage to announce a Blade reboot was in the works. It may be another five years before the vampire film sees the light of day. The film has been delayed multiple times as original director Bassam Tariq left the film in 2022 and at least five different writers have taken a turn on the script after original scribe Stacey Osei-Koffour parted ways with the project. Now, the project has taken yet another stake to the heart.

    According to a new report from THR’s Borys Kit and Aaron Couch, director Yann Demange, who took over for Tariq, has exited the project.

    According to THR, Marvel Studios and Ali remain committed to bringing Blade to the screen but given all the delays, they are in no rush. Though Michael Green was the latest reported scribe to give Blade a pass, THR reports that Marvel’s finisher, Eric Pearson, has taken a cup of coffee on the film.

    Currently slated to hit theaters on November 7, 2025, Blade could be one of the first casualties of the studio’s mandate to cut back on the number of projects released per year. While it was expected to enter production this Fall, there’s no telling how long a search for a new director may take which could see the film move to 2026.

    Source: THR

  • Danny McBride Rumored to Be Attached to a DC Studios Max Series

    Danny McBride Rumored to Be Attached to a DC Studios Max Series

    A year and a half after James Gunn and Peter Safran gave fans the first glimpse of DC Studios’ upcoming slate, most of the projects on the list have begun to take shape. Superman will complete production this summer and cameras are set to roll on Supergirl: Woman of  Tomorrow this Fall, giving fans a double dose of El to bring the all-new, all-different DCU to theaters in 2025 and 2026.

    Plenty of stories will be told through streaming series, as well, beginning this December when the animted Creature Commandos launches DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Damon Lindelof, Chris Mindy and Tom King are working on putting together a pilot script for Lanterns, a terrestrial-based investigation story featuring Hal Jordan and John Stewart. And now, another the creative team behind another streaming series may be assembling.

    According to a report from Nexus Point News, the studio has brought in a team headlined by Danny McBride to write the Max series Booster Gold.

    According to the reports, McBride will team up with John Carcieri and Jeff Fradley for the gig. The trio have not only a long history of working together but also with HBO, having collaborated with the studio on the hit series Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones. Should the report prove true, the only question remaining will be what role they write for Walton Goggins.

    Described as an “outright comedy” by James Gunn, Booster Gold will tell the story of Michael Jon Carter, “a loser from the future who uses his basic future technology to come back to today to pretend to be a superhero.” While the studio has not yet cast an actor for Carter, Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You and Hitman actor Glen Powell has become a popular choice for the role among fans.

    Source: Nexus Point News

  • ‘Creature Commandos’: DC Studios Sets a Launch Date for the Animated Adventure

    ‘Creature Commandos’: DC Studios Sets a Launch Date for the Animated Adventure

    The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is underway in Annency, France and while it’s not typically one that receives a lot of coverage during the summer convention circuit, this year it’s delivered some breaking news.

    As has been known for some time, the animated series Creature Commandos will serve as the official launch of the all-new, all-different DCU. While the project has its own panel planned for Friday, it was revealed today that the series is set to stream on Max in December.

    https://twitter.com/MidouMir/status/1800901691518451755?t=01Ttp-F2HZirhoyuLSq4wA&s=19

    James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking a unique approach to the DCU, signing up talent to flesh out their characters across all genres including video games, animation and live-action. For example, Frank Grillo, who originally joined the DCU as the voice of Rick Flag Sr., was recently announced as part of the cast of Season 2 of Peacemaker, where he will bring Flag Sr. into live-action.

    With The Penguin set for a September release and, now, Creature Commandos headed to Max in December, DC Studios’ new slate is starting to take shape and Max will continue to play a large part in it.

  • Marvel Studios Big Horror Crossover Project Gets an Encouraging Update

    Marvel Studios Big Horror Crossover Project Gets an Encouraging Update

    In 2022, Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation Werewolf By Night was an unmitigated success. Michael Giacchino‘s 53-minute black-and-white feature paid homage to Universal’s classic horror films and opened the door for monsters to make their way into the MCU. However, nearly two years later, the studio has yet to follow up on that premise despite having a hotly anticipated film in the genre, Blade, in the works since 2019. Beset by a worrying inability to put together a script good enough to get the project up and running, a change in directors and the 2023 Hollywood writers’ strike, Blade has been delayed again and again, though it sounds like production will finally kick off later this year.

    Despite the delays to Blade, rumors have persisted for some time that the studios was already developing a follow-up project, Midnight Sons, that would see the Daywalker team up with the cast of characters from Werewolf By Night, Moon Knight and, possibly, Ghost Rider to take a major supernatural threat. While it was originally rumored that Marvel Studios was hoping to reteam with Giacchino on the project, other names, such as Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez, have also been tossed into the mix. Despite all the rumors, however, the project has yet to be mentioned by either the studio or a trade and until that happens, it’s best to let rumors be rumors no matter how interesting they may be. On that note, a new rumor about the project has popped up that, if true, could suggest Midnight Sons is on the fast track to the big screen.

    According to Nexus Point News, Logan and Blade Runner 2049 scribe Michael Green—who took over writing duties on Blade in 2023–has agreed to write the screenplay for Midnight Sons.

    Green’s impressive resume includes quite a few superhero properties in addition to Blade and Logan. Though he has the misfortune of having 2011’s Green Lantern on his filmography, he also worked on Smallville and Heroes in addition to writing for DC Comics. While we wait for anything official about Midnight Sons to come down from the studio (that COULD happen this summer during the convention circuit) we’ll continue to monitor the more interesting rumors about the project.

    Source: Nexus Point News