Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Hunter Radesi

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Moon Knight’ Producer Talks Reimagining the Scarlet Scarab for the MCU

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Moon Knight’ Producer Talks Reimagining the Scarlet Scarab for the MCU

    The Moon Knight finale had more than a few surprises up its sleeve, but its biggest may have come in the form of May Calamawy‘s Layla El-Faouly. After being introduced as an original character, fans began to view Layla as an updated version of Marc Spector’s comic book love interest Marlene Alraune. However, the show’s final episode revealed her to be quite a bit more. A big twist has Layla bonding with the goddess Tawaret and transforming into a version of the Scarlet Scarab, an obscure character from Marvel lore and the first Egyptian superhero.

    In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, Moon Knight producer Grant Curtis explained how Scarlet Scarab came to be a part of the show and why Calamawy’s Layla was the perfect choice for the role:

    We had an incredible female protagonist. Whether or not she had wings in the previous episode, she was already a superhero in her own right. When you start looking at the Marvel canon for potential superheroes, we found the Scarlet Scarab. We learned that was Egypt’s first superhero and what an incredible actress in May Calamawy to lead that charge. It was a natural merging of two different stories into one character. I think it worked quite well.

    Grant Curtis

    In the comics, Scarlet Scarab is a man named Abdul Faoul, a version of whom is revealed to be Layla’s father in the MCU series. Faoul gains supernatural abilities from a mystical scarab amulet and vows to rid Egypt of all foreign invaders. He comes into conflict with the superhero Invaders during World War II but eventually sides with them against the Nazis. His amulet, and Scarlet Scarab title, are eventually passed down to his child, in a similar manner to Layla picking up her father’s torch in Moon Knight.

    It’s unknown if Layla will continue to appear as the Scarlet Scarab going forward, or if this was simply a one-time appearance. The character’s fate is left in the air at the end of the Disney+ series. If fans are lucky, though, Marvel will find a way to keep revitalizing this long-forgotten hero for years to come.

  • Xochitl Gomez and Victoria Alonso On the Importance of LGBTQ+ Visibility in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez and Victoria Alonso On the Importance of LGBTQ+ Visibility in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to add quite a bit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and perhaps its most important addition will be Xochitl Gomez‘s new young hero, America Chavez. The character, who can punch open portals to other universes, will undoubtedly be an integral part of Marvel’s superhero repertoire going forward, but it won’t be her abilities that mean the most to some viewers. Chavez is a Latina member of the LGBTQ+ community, raised by two loving mothers in her own timeline. Marvel Studios Executive Producer Victoria Alonso, herself raising a daughter with her wife, commented on what it would have meant to her had America been on the big screen in her youth:

    What it would’ve meant is to have had a tad more understanding of the person that I was and that I was growing into being was not invisible. I think visibility at any age is incredibly important whether you’re 10, 20, 30 or 80. To have your people and to have someone who says, ‘I am, and it’s OK. I am, and I am powerful. I am, and I belong.’ I think any young adult could have that today, [specifically] the 42 percent of LGBTQIA adults that consider suicide or those that do it, would probably think twice that maybe they’re OK [as they are]. My hope today is that—as a small gift from a bunch of filmmakers that want to tell great stories—if there are any kids out there thinking even minimally that their lives are not worth it, I can honestly tell you their lives are worth it and we will celebrate it with them.

    Victoria Alonso

    Alonso also commented on the film’s recent ban in Saudi Arabia:

    I understand that certain lands have certain rules and I live in a land where our rules are that of inclusion. And we will continue to fight for inclusion in every place, city, and state so that every kid that doesn’t see themselves can at least see a tiny little bit of who they can become.

    Victoria Alonso

    Gomez chimed in on the conversation as well, revealing her excitement to be part of what she considers to be something very important:

    It’s huge that I get to represent these communities that maybe haven’t felt seen before. And you really do see her—I mean, how do you miss her? She’s on the poster! How crazy is that?

    Xochitl Gomez

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6th.

    Source: Deadline

  • Rachel McAdams Explains How Christine Palmer Has Changed Since ‘Doctor Strange’

    Rachel McAdams Explains How Christine Palmer Has Changed Since ‘Doctor Strange’

    Despite taking place across infinite universes, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the return of quite a few familiar faces. Among them is Rachel McAdams‘ Dr. Christine Palmer, who has not been seen on the big screen since 2016’s original Doctor Strange movie. The last time Dr. Palmer made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Sacred Timeline, she had discovered her on-and-off lover, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Dr. Stephen Strange, had gained magical abilities and was now saving the world from supernatural threats. In a recent interview with Fandom, McAdams was asked how the character has adjusted her life since learning about the existence of magic. According to the actress, Palmer will be in a pretty good place when audiences find her in the sequel:

    I think she’s just gone fully into it. She’s hooked on multiversal travel and she’s become a bit of an expert on it, I feel like. It’s very much something that she’s comfortable in now. So quite different from the Christine of the previous film, [where] this was all just happening for the first time.

    Rachel McAdams

    Palmer’s last MCU appearance was technically in last year’s animated What If…?. A variant of the character from a universe where she perishes in Stephen’s fateful car accident played a pivotal role in one of the show’s best episodes. McAdams returned as the voice of Palmer, but Multiverse of Madness will be the first time audiences learn what happened to her in the main timeline after Strange took up residence in the Sanctum Sanctorum.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters this Friday.

    Source: Fandom

  • Marvel Studios Tweet Hints At ‘Moon Knight’ Season 2

    Marvel Studios Tweet Hints At ‘Moon Knight’ Season 2

    Moon Knight has only just released its final episode, and Marvel Studios is already hinting that it won’t actually be the show’s last. From the very beginning, the Oscar Isaac-led project has been marketed as a “limited series.’ The show was even submitted for Emmy’s consideration in the “limited” category. Presumably the original idea was for Moon Knight to act as a standalone entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing Marc Spector and Steven Grant to a wider audience and then sending them on their way to larger team-ups or other spin-offs. However, a recent tweet from Marvel’s official account has cast doubt that this is still the plan.

    On Monday, the account tweeted out the trailer for the conclusion of the series with a caption that read “epic series finale.” That is, of course, exactly what one might expect to see. Yet, the tweet was taken down a short time later and replaced with a new post that instead read “epic season finale.” This is far from official confirmation of another season, but the decision to change the wording of above the trailer is definitely a little suspicious. At the very least, it indicates Marvel Studios may not be as certain about the way they’ll handle the future of Moon Knight.

    As a side note, this could potentially mess with the show’s chances at the Emmys. Even though the tweet might be a mistake, it still could be enough to disqualify Moon Knight from “limited series” contention. The Television Academy has reportedly been trying to crack down on shows attempting to use loopholes to win awards. They may view this as evidence of Marvel hoping to do the same.

    Source: Variety

  • Sam Raimi Describes Changing ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Based On Other MCU Projects

    Sam Raimi Describes Changing ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Based On Other MCU Projects

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project with “multiverse” in the title, but it’s certainly not the first to tackle the topic. The movie is set to continue some of the plotlines established in both Wandavision and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will utilize several elements first introduced in Loki. Keeping this in mind made things a little more complicated for director Sam Raimi, who had to juggle more than just his own project when developing plotlines. Luckily, the filmmaker is pretty sure everything turned out for the best, and even had some help from writer Michael Waldron along the way:

    It was a fun challenge, and a little scary. Most of the work was done by [screenwriter] Michael Waldron, who is a really big fan of the Marvel Comics and has friends on the WandaVision writing staff, so we would communicate with each other, the WandaVision team and ours and the Spider Man: No Way Home team, and we would keep abreast of their changes. And even while we were shooting, they were shooting, and we’d be making changes based on changes that they made, because we really wanted this to be the next installment. We really wanted it to be a really good — not sequel, but a very logical next step for the fans.

    Sam Raimi

    This could partially explain why Multiverse of Madness underwent so many reshoots during production. The MCU seems to be an ever-changing beast, like any good comic book universe, and the next solo Doctor Strange adventure still has to fit somewhere between the lines. It also likely didn’t help that Multiverse of Madness was originally scheduled to premiere before No Way Home, which meant the way both films referenced each other would have had to be changed to accommodate the new timeline. Thankfully, it seems like this level of studio adjustment worked out better for Raimi than it did when he was making Spider-Man 3 in 2007.

    Check out Multiverse of Madness when it hits theaters on May 6.

    Source: Fandom

  • Sam Raimi Reveals How ‘Evil Dead’ Influenced ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ 

    Sam Raimi Reveals How ‘Evil Dead’ Influenced ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ 

    Since it’s very announcement, Marvel Studios has been describing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as their first true foray into the horror genre. As such, it made a lot of sense when the company hired Sam Raimi to replace Scott Derrickson as the film’s director. The iconic filmmaker has experience with both comic book projects and horror movies, and has even mixed the two before in 1990’s Darkman. However, it was apparently his work on the famed Evil Dead franchise that helped him the most throughout filming of Doctor Strange. In a recent interview with Fandom, Raimi explained:

    It was really nice to have the experience of having made those horror films because I could take my knowledge of building suspense and delivering scares, and when it got spooky in Multiverse of Madness, I could apply those techniques.

    Sam Raimi

    The latest MCU film is said to be filled with plenty of ghastly moments and jump scares. Raimi is known for his fast-paced camera work and up-close visuals, which the film’s star Rachel McAdams confirmed in her own quote:

    He’s really great at describing what is happening in his mind’s eye, thank goodness, because, you can see it all sort of swirling in there. And you’re like [whispering] ‘What are we doing? What’s happening?’ And then he’s very good about taking you through the whole day and what this will look like and what’s coming towards you and the build up of a scene and how scary it’s going to be. You sort of start to understand, like, ‘Oh, this is my part in this. And this is how I can help him make it as scary as possible.’ That was kind of fun. And doing super, super tight shots – like, way up in your face! But once you know why, that’s kind of exciting.

    Rachel McAdams

    Fans will see just how terrifying Doctor Strange can be when Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6th.
    News

    Source: Fandom


  • Jon Hamm Open to Another Chance at Mr. Sinister

    Jon Hamm Open to Another Chance at Mr. Sinister

    Jon Hamm never had the chance to play Mr. Sinister, but he got pretty close. The former Mad Men star revealed recently that he was almost cast as the iconic X-Men villain for a post-credits cameo in Josh Boone’s The New Mutants. If it had happened, it would have teased Hamm’s baddie playing a larger role in the future of Fox’s now-cancelled franchise. Unfortunately, this never came to pass, but the actor is still very interested in returning to the role should the character appear in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot.

    Speaking with Comic Book, Hamm explained he’s a lifelong fan of Marvel’s merry mutants and continues to be interested in the characters:

    That franchise — it’s so weird to talk about it that way — but I was a big fan of just reading the comic books when I was a kid, the X-Men of the ’80s. And it remains. I remain a fan. It’s an interesting, very cool story, for want of a better word.

    Jon Hamm

    Mr. Sinister, a.k.a. Nathaniel Essex, is an ageless evil scientist from the Victorian era, who is obsessed with cloning and experimenting on mutants in search of perfecting the human race. He was teased in both X-Men: Apocalypse and Logan, and was reportedly set to appear in Channing Tatum’s Gambit before that project met it’s end. Hamm continued to reveal he’d still like to play the character if given the chance:

    I think that what they’ve been able to do, and what I think their plans — and I’ve talked to people that plan these kind of things — with how they are expanding these stories, and the wit and the creativity with which they are presenting these stories, really gets back to the old way that comics were presented. Something like the most recent Spider-Man, which was such a cool iteration of that idea of the Multiverse and what’s happening and how three things can exist at the same time, it’s very creative. The way that they lean into that creativity is something that, for sure, I’d be happy to be a part of.

    Jon Hamm

    Sinister is one of the untapped treasures gained by Marvel Studios when Disney acquired Fox in a 2019 merger. With the mutants on the horizon, it’s likely only a matter of time before Sinister, whose fascination with the Summers’ family has been a big part of the comics, makes his live-action debut.

    Source: ComicBook

  • Sam Raimi Finally Explains Dancing Tobey in ‘Spider-Man 3’

    Sam Raimi Finally Explains Dancing Tobey in ‘Spider-Man 3’

    It’s been fifteen years since the critically panned release of Spider-Man 3, but that doesn’t mean director Sam Raimi is done answering for it. One of the film’s most iconic moments comes when Tobey Maguire‘s Peter Parker finally succumbs to the dark desires of the Venom symbiote, but finds himself hilariously dancing down the street instead of performing any of the irredeemable actions one might have expected. The sequence has since become an internet phenomenon, with fans using gifs, videos, and images of Maguire‘s terrible dance moves for use in making memes and ultimately making fun of the film itself. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse even recreated the routine as a comedic reference to the character’s onscreen history.

    In a recent interview with Fandom, Raimi was asked outright his thoughts on “Dancing Tobey” becoming so popular in the years since he directed the scene. His response was expectedly lighthearted and upbeat:

    Well, we meant it to be funny, actually. It was Peter Parker’s version — this lame kid — of what it must be like to be his evil self. But he’s so whipped. He’s so out of it that that’s his take on it. And that didn’t go over well with the audience. But that’s what we were trying to do. So I’m not surprised that people… I’m glad people find it funny! We wanted it to be fun.

    Sam Raimi

    Raimi is known for using over-the-top, often somewhat cheesy, techniques in his films. So, it lines up that he would have used such a goofy performance to convey Peter’s emotions in Spider-Man 3. It’s also nice that he isn’t hurt by the initial outcry against the dancing, and instead embraces the fun of laughing with his audience.

    Raimi‘s next superhero project, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, releases on May 6th.

    Source: Fandom

  • Sam Raimi Thinks Scarlet Witch is More Powerful Than Doctor Strange

    Sam Raimi Thinks Scarlet Witch is More Powerful Than Doctor Strange

    One eternal debate among Marvel fans is about just how powerful Wanda Maximoff really is. The Scarlet Witch has always been a dominant force in the comics, and the events of WandaVision have finally helped bring the character up to speed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After fully embracing her abilities, Elizabeth Olsen‘s Avenger was able to best a wildly capable witch and take down the centuries-old Agatha Harkness. However, the character has never faced the MCU’s headlining magic-user, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Dr. Stephen Strange, and it’s still up in the air whether or not that fight is one she could win.

    Luckily, Wanda’s next big screen appearance will be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it’s possible events play out in such a way that fans will finally get an answer to that question. A recent poll conducted by Fandom revealed that 62% of voters thought Scarlet Witch would wipe the floor with the Master of the Mystic Arts, and an ensuing interview with director Sam Raimi let slip the filmmaker was inclined to agree. Citing her use of Chaos Magic as the tipping point, Raimi explained:

    Just from my reading of the Marvel comic books, knowing what happened to her, she seems like she just was born with it. That chaos magic is really a bad, bad mother. You don’t want to mess with it. So I bet that she, when push came to shove in a fair fight, could probably handle Doctor Strange.

    Sam Raimi

    Other members of the Multiverse of Madness cast also chimed in, and every single one of them put their vote towards Wanda. Benedict Wong called the decision a “tough” one, but eventually gave the nod to Maximoff, remarking, “It’s the chaos magic, isn’t it?”. Rachel McAdams explained her stance was due solely to WandaVision:

    I loved WandaVision so much. Not that I haven’t loved Benedict [Cumberbatch] in everything he’s ever done, but I did love what Lizzie did with that character. She was just such a force!

    Rachel McAdams

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Fandom

  • Louis Leterrier Replacing Justin Lin On ‘Fast X’ 

    Louis Leterrier Replacing Justin Lin On ‘Fast X’ 

    The Fast Saga has a brand new director. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has selected Louis Leterrier as the new helmer of Fast X. The filmmaker, known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and The Transporter, will replace Justin Lin. Per the outlet, details are still being worked out between the two parties, but Leterrier is Universal’s pick. Should things work out, filming could pick back up in just a matter of days.

    Lin, the previous director, was a couple of weeks into production before he dropped out of the project about a week ago. At the time, Lin released a vague statement regarding his exit, revealing he would stay on board as producer. However, recent reports have surfaced stating Lin’s exit was over differences with star Vin Diesel. Other names that were once attached to potentially replace Line had been F. Gary Gray and David Leitch.

    While Universal continued its search for a director after Lin’s exit, it is said the studio switched to second unit photography to stay on track. This would mark a return to Leterrier who previously worked with Universal on The Incredible Hulk.

    Fast X hits theaters on May 19, 2023.

    Source: THR.