Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Hunter Radesi

  • EXCLUSIVE: Harris Dickinson and Gemma Arterton Describe ‘The King’s Man’ As An ‘Anti-War’ Film

    EXCLUSIVE: Harris Dickinson and Gemma Arterton Describe ‘The King’s Man’ As An ‘Anti-War’ Film

    The Kingsman movies have never slouched when it comes to their action choreography. Director Matthew Vaughn is known for his energetic sequences, and his new franchise prequel is no exception. The difference this time around is that some of those sequences take place in an actual historical war. 

    We recently had a chance to sit down with The King’s Man stars Harris Dickinson and Gemma Arterton. During the interview, I was able to ask if this setting impacted the theme of the movie. When I brought up the phrase “anti-war,” breakout lead Dickinson responded surprisingly. For Dickinson, his character is keen to show there are other ways to solve issues rather than going to war.

    Yeah, no, I think that’s an astute point. I think that’s what’s so interesting about Ralph’s character…The point he’s trying to prove essentially is that there’s better ways to solve conflicts. Whether that’s directly linked to the point in question of war or whether it’s all conflicts in general. We’ve had a terrible history of wars and the human cost of it has been devastating. So, yeah.

    Harris Dickinson

    Arterton gave her own thoughts soon after Dickinson. For her, she feels Vaughn is commenting on the opposition of using violence to prevent violence.

    Yeah, I think you’re right. I think it is a message that Matthew wanted to convey, and I think he believes that very strongly. This Kingsman agency, having been created so that, y’know – the inevitability is that there will always be conflict. There will always be people disagreeing, and potentially wars breaking out. So, Kingsman being created to kind of protect and try to prevent that from happening. I guess it’s sort of a peaceful organization that uses, like, guns and violence and knives and stuff to stop these things from happening. So yeah…it’s the message of the film.

    Gemma Arterton

    As The King’s Man readies to hit theaters, a third Kingsman film is finally confirmed to be in the works with production kicking off in Sept. 2022. Vaughn, who confirmed the news, returns as the director. As it stands, no further details are currently available.

    The King’s Man hits theaters on December 22nd.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Discusses “Larger Than Life” Portrayal of Rasputin

    EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Discusses “Larger Than Life” Portrayal of Rasputin

    Every movie has that stand-out character you keep thinking about after the film is over. If the marketing for The King’s Man is any indication, it may be Rhys Ifans‘ Rasputin that takes the cake there.

    During a recent interview with the Welsh actor to promote The King’s Man, I was able to ask about his unrecognizable portrayal of the famed Russian mystic. After I mentioned the actor typically played more subdued characters, he seemingly agreed. For Ifans, everything he’s done before is “subdued” when coming those roles to the likes of Rasputin. As he puts it, there’s a certain “Matthew Vaughn-ness” to the character.

    I think everything is subdued compared to what I do in this. What was required of me in this movie – I think Rasputin has to be, in this manifestation, in this movie…a weather system. When he arrives, he can’t be ‘Rasputin’ he has to be ‘RASPUTIN’. It has to have that Matthew Vaughn-ness.

    Rhys Ifans

    Ifans continued, discussing the actual Rasputin’s influence on his performance:

    Although, the real Rasputin was very much larger than life. He was referred to as the ‘Mad Monk’. He was impossible to kill. He had a huge physical presence. It was great fun to play. Characters like that lend themselves well to franchises like this where you can bend the rules and magnify moments in time. I had so much fun working on it…It’s as extreme as it gets.

    Rhys Ifans

    Grigori Rasputin is a renowned historical figure, best known for being a wildly influential holy man in his native country. In the film, he’s one of the many villains going up against Ralph Fiennes and his fellow heroes.

    The King’s Man opens nationwide in theaters on Dec. 22nd.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Reveals Director Matthew Vaughn Invented Rasputin’s Unique Fighting Style

    EXCLUSIVE: Rhys Ifans Reveals Director Matthew Vaughn Invented Rasputin’s Unique Fighting Style

    Perhaps the most mesmerizing character in The King’s Man is Grigori Rasputin. The real-life historical figure has a fictional counterpart played by Rhys Ifans in Matthew Vaughn‘s prequel to the Kingsman franchise. Like any good installment in the series, The King’s Man features many riotous moments of action. One of these sequences has Rasputin in a prominent role, in which he uses a rather bizarre form of combative dancing to fend off his enemies.

    In a recent interview, I was able to ask Ifans about this unique method and how it came about. He revealed the idea originated with the film’s director. It came about as they were looking for a “physical language” to use for the character. Vaughn ended up coming up with the combative dancing one day, and the rest is history.

    Matthew [Vaughn] came up with the idea in the middle of the process. We were trying to find a language for Rasputin, a physical language. Y’know, we had one which was kind of a martial art-y thing but there wasn’t anything specific. Of course, it had to be humorous as well. It had to entertain, thoroughly. This is what Matthew does well. He stormed into the stunt room one day and said, ‘I’ve got it! Russian dancing and martial arts.’ And then he stormed out and the stunt team are going, ‘What!?”

    Rhys Ifans

    Ifans continued to explain just how difficult it was for production to get the choreography right:

    Even these highly trained stunt men couldn’t pull [the moves] off, so we had to get a couple of Georgian dancers in from Georgia. And these guys trained from the age of two to do these moves. It takes an incredible kind of core to cross a room with your [butt] two inches off the floor.

    Rhys Ifans

    See the moves for yourself when The King’s Man hits theaters on December 22nd.

  • Former ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Star Directing Episode of ‘Superman & Lois’

    Former ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Star Directing Episode of ‘Superman & Lois’

    Production on the latest season of the CW’s Superman & Lois is underway, and it looks like fans will be treated to an unlikely Marvel crossover when new episodes begin hitting their screens. 

    Former Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Elizabeth Henstridge has revealed via her Instagram that she was behind the camera on the season’s seventh episode. The effort will mark her second foray into directing after she previously helmed a seventh season episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. titled “As I Have Always Been.”

    Henstridge portrayed one of the brains of Phil Coulson’s operation in the Marvel series, as one half of the science duo known as “FitzSimmons.” Her character, Agent Gemma Simmons, quickly became a fan favorite on the show. While British actress hasn’t appeared in much since her time on Agents came to an end, fans can next see her in the Apple+ TV series, Suspicion, which released its first trailer a couple of days ago. While it remains to be seen what else the actress has on deck, it seems she may begin getting steady work behind the scenes as well as on camera.

    All seven seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now available to stream on Disney+, while the first season of Superman & Lois is now streaming on HBO Max.

    Source: Instagram

  • Warner Bros. Interested in Developing More ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoffs

    Warner Bros. Interested in Developing More ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoffs

    The Wizarding World is still going strong, with the latest entry in the Fantastic Beasts series set to hit theaters in April. However, it doesn’t seem like The Secrets of Dumbledore will be the final film in the wildly popular franchise that started with the original Harry Potter book and continued through at least eleven movies. In a recent conference hosted by Bloomberg, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff commented on the future of Potter at the company:

    We would love to develop more original Harry Potter series, and we regularly talk to J.K. Rowling and her team. It’s got to be right though. Whatever we do has to be true to the canon, and true to the ethos of the Wizarding World, and who Harry is.

    Ann Sarnoff

    The quote is especially interesting considering Sarnoff‘s use of the word “original”. Both of the series currently in existence, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, originate from literary works by author J.K. Rowling. The British writer is a controversial figure, but she’s remained very involved with the characters who made her famous.

    Each Fantastic Beasts film has been plotted by the creative, who continues to expand her own universe through live-action projects. It would seem the plan is for this to continue, possibly with Rowling outlining completely new stories without any basis in literature. Fans will have to keep their eyes out for any possible announcements on the horizon. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently eyeing a release in theatres on April 15th.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Amy Pascal Open to a Possible Blade-Morbius Crossover

    Amy Pascal Open to a Possible Blade-Morbius Crossover

    If the trailers for Spider-Man: No Way Home are any indication, no villain is truly off the table for Marvel Studios. The film is set to be a crossover of multiple Spider-Man franchises, with characters from both the iconic Sam Raimi films and the cult favorite Marc Webb movies set to appear in the MCU film. With this in mind, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that other characters from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could show up in the MCU as well.

    This is the same thing Geeks of Color must have been thinking when they asked Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and longtime Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal what they thought about the potential of a Blade and Morbius meet-up happening somewhere down the line. After Feige pondered the question enthusiastically, Pascal took charge with an answer:

    Blade and Morbius, that’s a cool idea. We, uh, y’know – the future…You never know what’s going to happen. There are all sorts of possibilities.

    Amy Pascal

    The response is not a straight-up rejection of the question, but it isn’t a full confirmation either. Blade and Morbius have a long history together in the pages of Marvel’s comic books. The vampiric duo has been both friend and foe, battling each other and teaming up as part of the supernatural group the Midnight Sons. Morbius was even set to be the main antagonist of Blade II at one point, which is a deleted scene from Blade featuring a distant look at the character. While that never came to pass, it doesn’t seem like the people in charge of the pair’s future are opposed to making it happen at some point.

    Source: Geeks of Color

  • REVIEW: ‘The King’s Man’ Isn’t Quite Sure What It Wants to Be

    REVIEW: ‘The King’s Man’ Isn’t Quite Sure What It Wants to Be

    I remember the cold winter night I spent heading to my local theater in 2015, not sure of what to expect from Kingsman: The Secret Service. The trailers promised a second coming of the spy genre, with rising star Taron Egerton and established gentleman Colin Firth dubbed the finest leading men since James Bond. What I found on the screen felt almost exactly as I’d hoped. A confident, stylish, pulse-pounding two hours that knew exactly what they wanted the audience to feel. I left the theater elated, already hoping that a new film in the series would soon be on the way. Walking out of my screening for the franchise prequel The King’s Man, I did not feel the same way.

    Perhaps their biggest draw, the Kingsman films feature a handful of distinctive trademarks to let you know what kind of movie you’re watching. The most important of these, undoubtedly the most talked about, are the zany, over-the-top action sequences laced throughout each entry. These wild kerfuffles typically involve brutal takedowns, carefully placed camera work and tight choreography. One opponent is always a well-dressed protagonist, while the other is usually the film’s second modus operandi — the totally corny villain. Whether it be the story’s big bad, or one of their overly skilled henchmen, the evildoers of Kingsmen are never down to Earth. This works because the movies never want you to believe the story is taking place in a world any less silly than their silliest character.

    The major problem with The King’s Man is that it fails to commit to the bit in the same way as its exaggerated predecessors. It has all of the aforementioned traits without any of the devotion to a bigger, romp-filled world. The movie is admittedly charming when it wants to have fun with itself, but it never lingers in the amusement long enough for the camp to settle. On the other side of the coin, there’s an attempt at an uncharacteristic tear-jerker plot point that ultimately crumbles under the weight of tonal shifts. Parts of the film are very serious, and there are a handful of real-world problems the script seems it wants to tackle. It occasionally gets the point across, but its eventual need to dip back into visual sex jokes and goofball one-liners undercuts the pacing of any emotional impact. At a certain point, the back-and-forth between drama and genre can become exhausting.

    As for the cast, there is no one having more fun than Rhys Ifans. The Welsh actor’s take on the iconic Russian mystic Gregori Rasputin is, without question, one of the most absurdly mesmerizing performances of the year. It almost feels strange that Ifans is the man behind all that false hair and makeup, considering most moviegoers are probably used to seeing him in more subdued roles. As the secondary villain, his theatrical efforts ensure that the film’s mysterious, heavily accented, cheeseball main antagonist is overshadowed by a country mile. The underrated Tom Hollander also has a seemingly good time portraying all three major European/North Asian world leaders involved in the First World War, as part of the production’s aforementioned camp. Newcomer Harris Dickinson and industry vet Ralph Fiennes do their jobs fine, though they fail to live up to the chemistry of previous stars Firth and Egerton. The rest of the supporting cast, like Djimon Hounsou and Gemma Arterton, get by on likability alone, but none of them are given too much to work with before the movie ends.

    By the time the credits roll, The King’s Man provides fans with a serviceable prequel, a few more enjoyable moments of combat, and a handful of mostly satisfying answers about the origins of Kingsmen. The issue is that’s really all it has to offer. It’s missing that certain “je ne sais quoi” that helped push the other two Kingsmen up out of the pack. While room is left for director Matthew Vaughn, or a worthy replacement, to continue the prequel story, it feels like maybe 20th Century Studios ought to let this one lie and hope the long-gestating Kingsmen 3 has a better result.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Would Like To Return For ‘What If…” Season 2

    EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Would Like To Return For ‘What If…” Season 2

    Of all the Marvel Studios series to debut in 2021, the most unique was perhaps the animated What If…?. The anthology series featured the voices of many returning Marvel Cinematic Universe stars, including the incomparable Djimon Hounsou as Korath the Pursuer. The actor had previously portrayed the character in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, and appeared in an episode of What If…? alongside Chadwick Boseman.

    During a recent interview, I was able to ask Hounsou about his time in the booth for the Disney+ project. He reminisced on the process fondly. For the actor, getting to do voice work is a nice change because he gets to be by himself and immerse himself in the work.

    Well, for voiceovers you’re mostly by yourself. In some essence, it’s maybe also very nice to be by yourself and to be immersed and not really interacting. I mean, your only interaction is the other person reading the lines to you. So, you get to have a very special moment when you’re doing voice recording.

    Djimon Hounsou

    After his character seemingly died in his first appearance, many fans thought Hounsou might be a one-and-done performer in the MCU. However, the timeline shenanigans of Marvel’s storytelling process have allowed him to keep coming back. When I asked the actor if he’d be willing to come back once more for the second season of What If…?, he answered enthusiastically:

    He’s a machine that you can’t terminate. You may unplug him, but you can’t really turn him off… Of course, if I was called back to play Korath. Yes, of course. It would be nice. I think that series was quite successful, no?

    Djimon Hounsou

    What If…? season 2 has no current release date, and it remains to be seen if Hounsou will be a part of the cast.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Gemma Arterton Teases Potential Plans For ‘The King’s Man’ Sequel

    EXCLUSIVE: Gemma Arterton Teases Potential Plans For ‘The King’s Man’ Sequel

    Earlier today, director Matthew Vaughn revealed plans for another Kingsman movie starring Taron Egerton, ,meant to wrap up his original trilogy of films. However, before that project gets underway, fans of the series will be treated to a brand-new prequel film under the clever name The King’s Man. That movie features a wealth of talent, including the wonderful Gemma Arterton. Speaking with me ahead of the release of The King’s Man, Arterton hinted that there may be plans for the prequel to be followed by some sequels of its own.

    Arterton portrays a founding Kingsman member by the name of Polly in The King’s Man. When asked if she expects to play the role a second time, she found herself happily giggling through the following response:

    I sure hope so. I mean, I think it’s set up that way. I’d like to think – I hope that this was the introduction to Polly. I would love to. I love playing her.

    Gemma Arterton

    The King’s Man was originally billed as a simple side-step for the franchise before pivoting back to the main storyline, so it’s interesting to hear Arterton claim that the movie is “set up” in a way that allows her character, and assumedly some of the film’s other major players, to return in the future. Perhaps this means that The King’s Man is quietly the first film in an all-new trilogy, which could pick up the reins once Eggsy’s story ends in the currently untitled Kingsman 3.

    The King’s Man drops in theaters on December 22nd.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Is the Perfect Superhero Film for the ‘Twilight’ Generation

    REVIEW: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Is the Perfect Superhero Film for the ‘Twilight’ Generation

    The Amazing Spider-Man was always facing an uphill battle. Marc Webb‘s reboot of cinema’s most iconic superhero franchise came on the heels of an upsetting Spider-Man 4 cancellation and was attempting to establish everyone’s favorite wall-crawler for a whole new breed of teenager. It was never going to please everyone, and it certainly lived up to that expectation. The film debuted in 2012 to a stream of mixed reception, with some praising the Andrew Garfield-led film for its modern take on the title character and others ripping it apart as a hollow recreation of Sam Raimi‘s original masterpiece. Upon yet another rewatch, I’ve discovered that the movie, while flawed, may be more misunderstood than actually all that bad. In fact, it may have been the perfect superhero movie for the generation taking over cinemas when it released, even if hardcore fans missed it at the time.

    I couldn’t be more aware of the fact every Spider-Man movie has been reviewed to death. Perhaps it would be better to think of this as a retrospective, just a year shy of The Amazing Spider-Man‘s decennial anniversary. Doing this requires an understanding of 2012’s film landscape. Comic book movies had only just truly reached mainstream popularity, and the highest grossing films at the box office were mostly adaptations of young adult novels. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 had just dominated the cultural hive mind only a year prior to Amazing‘s release, and one of the only movies to outgross the film in its actual release year was The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Not far behind was The Hunger Games, and although it wasn’t a money-making juggernaut, The Perks of Being a Wallflower managed to capture the minds of 2012’s teens and critics alike. Before long, theaters would be filled with hormonal youth, cash in hand to see movies like Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars on the big screen.

    Sure, The Avengers also came out in 2012. However, the impact that film would have on the future of Hollywood and the format of superhero movies could not have been known when Webb and screenwriter James Vanderbilt were crafting the story and tone of The Amazing Spider-Man. There had to have been a reason Sony hired a director best known for his work with romantic comedies to helm their spider-reboot, and it’s because they were creating a new take on Peter Parker designed to appeal to the same masses who would turn out for Katniss Everdeen and Edward Cullen. In this regard, the studio and creative team succeeded.

    Andrew Garfield‘s portrayal of Parker is often knocked for being “too cool” and lackadaisical. Yet, he fits right in with the effortlessly attractive and sullenly charming crowd of early 2010’s protagonists. Garfield‘s Peter is not just angry about his life and the deaths of those he loves, he’s angsty instead. His chemistry with Emma Stone, whose Gwen Stacy is still considered a top-tier rendition of the character, is not only incredibly agreeable to watch, but filled with the same pulpable tension as any forbidden teenage love story. The film presents us with two attractive, intelligent characters teeming with lust, who will continue to battle their own fates in an attempt to truly be with each other. That is the crux of the entire plot, a dramatic romance supporting a story that involves giant lizard men and plenty of spandex.

    It’s true that this often leads to moments that conflict with the comic book ideals of Spider-Man’s mythology, but it’s no more or less committed to its own bit than the Raimi films before it. Part of the appeal of The Amazing Spider-Man is the way it so desperately wants to birth its own filter for the wall-crawler’s universe. As much as I love the current Spider-Man entries, they do tend to lack the definitive look and feel that the franchises before them managed to achieve. It’s hard to genuinely insult Amazing for its specifically dark coloring and nearly full-blown emo tone when you consider how unabashedly it doubles down on those things. There is not a corny moment that’s any more or less cheesy than some of the comical scenes in revered adaptations likes Spider-Man 2; the difference is that 2012’s goofball actions and dialogue are written for a different audience than the one seated in 2002. When that 2002’s Spider-Man is taken as the standard, 2012’s becomes a hard pill to swallow.

    I’m not saying that this movie is perfect by any means. Rhys Ifans puts together an admirable performance as Dr. Curt Connors, but his work is undermined by poor character development. A side story involving Peter’s parents having mysterious backgrounds feels unnecessary and overcomplicated, taking away from Martin Sheen and Sally Field as the best Uncle Ben and Aunt May we have seen on film. Based on his actions, everyone should have figured out Peter was Spider-Man almost immediately. Yet, beneath all the complaints you’ve heard a million times, there’s actually a superhero movie based in love that’s campy in a way only the early 2010’s could have pulled off.