Strange World, the latest entry in Disney’s massive film collection, is set to introduce audiences to a whole new batch of wonderful characters. Brought to life by a wide range of talent, including Jake Gyllenhaal and Jaboukie Young-White, the movie will revolve around an adventurous family known as the Clades. Gyllenhaal portrays Searcher Clade, a humble farmer, while Young-White plays his wanderlust-fueled son, Ethan. The patriarch of the Clade clan, a world-famous explorer named Jaeger, is brought to life by Dennis Quaid, while Searcher’s wife Meridian, a skilled pilot, is voiced by Gabrielle Union.
The crux of the film’s story, which sees the family journey through an unknown world, is the relationship between Jaeger and Searcher. While the former is fully on board with his exciting way of life, the latter could do without, causing an emotional rift between the two when Jaeger tries to impose exploration on his only child. Their names, obviously, are reflective of this, something co-director Don Hall says came about at the very beginning of the creative process. In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, Hall and co-director Qui Nguyen were asked how the film’s protagonists got their monikers, and Hall explained that, like everything else in the movie, it really came down to jumping off of Jaeger:
I think it was very early on, maybe before Qui got on. Really, Jaeger is the planet that everything orbits around. The desire to examine that overly heroic adventurer and deconstruct that character a little bit. That’s where it started. Then, y’know, thinking about how interesting it would be to tell the story through the perspective of his son, who didn’t want to be that. Who rejected pretty much all of that. That felt like a more interesting angle to watch the movie through.
Don Hall
He continued to reveal that, with this plot point in mind, what to call Gyllenhaal‘s lead fell into place naturally. Hall even offered an alternative option for the character’s name, before giving the final thought on why they went with ‘Searcher’:
It made sense that Jaeger would name his son ‘Searcher.’ It just felt like it was in the same vibe – and obviously ‘Jaeger Jr.’, probably. I could see that too. If not ‘Jaeger Jr.’, then ‘Searcher.’ I just liked what it evoked, I just liked that feeling of not knowing everything and that you’re still seeking, and that’s what this character was doing.
Quentin Tarantino, the acclaimed creative behind indie megahits like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, has been on a bit of a tear lately in regards to superhero cinema. A recent interview with the Los Angeles Times saw the director call filmmakers who work with Marvel Studios “hired hands“, and claim that modern auteurs like himself “can’t wait” for comic book movies to fail. Not long after, Tarantino continued his tirade to imply companies like Marvel Studios had killed the “movie star”, effectively making characters more famous than the actors who play them.
This is, of course, not a surprising stance for the famously old-fashioned talent to take, but it is unexpectedly harsh for someone with a long history of almost working on comic-based projects. Throughout his career, Tarantino has been attached to four separate superhero adaptations and has admitted to using comic-adjacent concepts as the basis for some of his released projects. Kill Bill, one of Tarantino’s seminal works, famously includes a comic-inspired monologue, and the director is known to have rows of superhero books stored in his home. He even recently revealed that Inglorious Basterds, another fan favorite from his resume, was heavily inspired by Marvel’s Howling Commandos line from the 1940s.
For what it’s worth, Tarantino does not seem to despise the idea of adapting comics. He once said that, in his 20s, the idea of making films based on his favorite superheroes was all he wanted to do, but that he’d since “grown out” of that phase and moved on to focusing on original concepts. It would appear that his true qualms with superhero adaptations stem more from their unexpected impact on the film industry, and his perception that they’re produced at a high rate with low quality. As such, it’s intriguing to look back on the films his name was once attached to, and ponder what could have been different in a world where Tarantino was among those who had left their mark on the history of superhero cinema.
Luke Cage: Hero For Hire
Perhaps the closest Tarantino ever came to actually making a Marvel movie. The Jackie Brown filmmaker spoke with MTV in 2013 and dropped the bombshell he had once actively attempted to get a Luke Cage: Hero For Hire film off the ground. He claimed the idea for the project came very early in his career after he completed production on his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. That puts Tarantino’s pitch somewhere around 1992, nearly a decade before Blade, Spider-Man, and X-Men put comic book movies back on the map, and a lifetime before Netflix’s Luke Cage series made the character a household name. At the time, Marvel Studios had not yet been created, so Cage’s film rights were among the countless of their kind being bounced from company to company. As it turns out, however, Tarantino nailed down their then-owner, and a potential star, in a strong effort to get Hero For Hire made:
After ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ I had considered doing a ‘Luke Cage: Hero For Hire‘ movie. Ed Pressmanowned it at that time and we talked about it. And I talked with Larry Fishburne about being Luke Cage and he really liked that idea.
Quentin Tarantino
In the same interview, Tarantino explained that Hero For Hire fell by the wayside when the idea for Pulp Fiction grabbed his attention. As time continued to slip by, Hero For Hire suffered a quiet creative death. Much later, in a 2020 podcast interview, Tarantino added that some of his geekier pals were to blame for the Luke Cage film’s demise. Apparently, they felt dramatic actor Laurence Fishburne was not suited for the title role and had pestered Tarantino about casting action star Wesley Snipes instead. Never a fan of being told what to do, the director said this back-and-forth “ruined the whole damn thing”, despite Cage being his “absolute hero” at the time. Ultimately, Tarantino said he felt like he “made the right choice” in committing to Pulp Fiction as his second feature.
Silver Surfer
Around the same time, after Reservoir Dogs and before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino is reported to have written a full-blown script for a film based on Marvel’s cosmic mascot, the Silver Surfer. What’s more, he supposedly brought the script to German studio Constantin Film, who owned the rights at that point. In the early 90s, several creatives saw the immense potential in a Silver Surfer adaptation, but most studios – Marvel included – felt there was no money to be made in Silver Surfer on the big screen. The visual effects required to bring a movie like that to life were considered too expensive, and as a result, every attempt to develop a cohesive film was shot down. This, unfortunately, included Tarantino’s treatment, which was supposedly around 500 pages long.
Green Lantern & Iron Man
Years later, after superhero films had gained steam but prior to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s emergence, Tarantino was offered two separate major adaptations from big-name studios. Green Lantern and Iron Man, both in varying stages of development in the late 2000s, were pitched to the Django Unchained director by their respective producers as his first tentpole picture. Obviously, he passed on both. While Tarantino has never publicly commented on his opportunity to bring Iron Man to life, which came at a time before the involvement of Robert Downey Jr. or any of the factors that eventually made it a huge hit, it likely came to him in a scenario similar to what he described for Green Lantern:
I was offered the ‘Green Lantern’. Not since it’s been a script, but just like, ‘Hey we own the ‘Green Lantern.’ Would you like it?’
Quentin Tarantino
Again speaking to MTV, Tarantino conceded that, by the time Green Lantern and Iron Man arrived at his door, he had fully grown past his phase of wanting to adapt other people’s material. He elaborated, saying if he were to ever make a superhero film, it would have to be something entirely of his own design:
It wouldn’t be an existing comic book character. I’m a writer. I’d want to use my imagination and not have to fight with geeks’ memories of how this character should be and, ‘Oh, I cast an actor as opposed to a bodybuilder’ or it’s not as good as the way Neal Adams drew him.’ If I were to do something like that, I would want the fun of coming up with the superhero myself.
Quentin Tarantino
With only one film left in his 10-film career plan, Tarantino will likely never make a superhero movie. Unless, of course, he decided he wanted to contribute to the trend, and use his imagination to show the current crop of directors how he thinks it should be done.
For those outside of the know, visionary director James Gunn is now in the driver’s seat at DC Films, alongside co-leader Peter Safran, and he’s not afraid to clear things up when the internet gets them wrong. A recent online rumor claimed British star Henry Cavill, who has portrayed Superman in the DCEU since 2013’s Man of Steel, had signed a new contract with the company that included the potential for television appearances. While Gunn has not yet fully denied this, he did take to Twitter to clarify that no current reports on the matter come from anyone with actual knowledge on the situation.
I’m not sure if you’re purposely lying or being taken advantage of by someone lying to you, but, as I’ve stated on here before, NO ONE knows what’s happening at DC Studios right now other than me & Peter. That would include writing up any new contracts for anyone at this point.
Cavill made a grand return to his iconic role in last month’s Black Adam, while Gunn has been hard at work revitalizing DC’s television slate since the release of The Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker earlier this year on HBO Max. The return of Cavill to playing Superman after several years away from the superheroic spotlight has gotten audiences very excited, and reports like the one Gunn has shot down are likely to be plentiful. However, no official announcements have been made regarding what’s next for DC Films now that Gunn and Safran are in charge. Luckily for fans, the duo’s track record indicates they might have a lot to be hopeful about. A dedicated comic book fan and proven filmmaker, Gunn is slated to head the creative aspect of DC’s cinematic future while Safran handles the business side. When the pair are ready, there’s a good chance the DC fandom gets quite a bit of thrilling news. Until then, it appears reports about Superman and his fellow Justice Leaguers should be taken with a grain of salt.
When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters in 2018, it’s incredible art direction was immediately praised. The animated film featured a distinct, and wildly unique, animation style that proved to be a hit with audiences and critics alike. Since the movie’s release, it’s look has been replicated in video games, comics, and countless pieces of fan art across the World Wide Web. As such, the return of this animation to the big screen has been a major talking point in regard to the upcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. According to the creatives, however, the now-iconic style that dominated the first film won’t be the only one making an appearance in cinemas next year.
Speaking exclusively with Empire Magazine, executive producer Phil Lord revealed that Across the Spider-Verse will have six different styles presented throughout the movie. This falls in line with the title and the film’s first teaser, which hint the story will flip the concept of the first film, which saw the multiverse come to Miles Morales, and instead see Miles Morales traveling across the multiverse himself. A separate art style for each new world. Lord explained:
The first film had one animation style that dominates the movie. This movie has six. So we’re taking those tools, adding all the things we learned on The Mitchells Vs The Machines, and then growing them further to accommodate the ambition of this movie. Which is to wow you every time you enter a new environment, and also to make sure that the style of the movie reflect the story, and that the images are driven by feelings, as opposed to some egg-headed art project. Which it also is, by the way!
Phil Lord
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings its way into theaters on June 2nd, 2023.
Every generation is looking for their Star Wars. Something that transports them to another universe and sends them tumbling through a galactic adventure stuffed with fluffy, lovable characters and charmingly heroic leads. A tale made for everyone, that inspires children to be better adults and adults to unlock their inner child. On the surface, it may seem like this is the goal writer Adam Barnhardt had in mind while craftingKeepers of the Cosmos, the latest comic from publisher Scout Comics. However, after reading the series’ first two issues, this is assuredly not the case. Instead, Keepers of the Cosmos is raunchy, daring, and definitely not for kids. It refuses to be for everybody, and it’s miles better for it.
Keepers of the Cosmos features a group of intergalactic peacekeepers traversing the galaxy’s last frontier and doling out their own unique forms of justice; so on paper, it definitely has the trappings of a typical space-bound romp. Yet, the end product is so much more than standard fare. The series is ripe with sci-fi goodness but manages to ground itself with wildly human characters. From the get-go, Keepers introduces its main cast as deeply flawed individuals, giving the story a relatable sense of humanity that draws the reader in immediately. Part of keeping with that humanity involves the use of quite a bit of debauchery, something that stamps the comic with Barnhardt’s signature comedic flair and officially brands it as Guardians of the Galaxy for full-grown adults.
Keepers also does an impressive amount of world-building for a new book, constructing a new universe with surprising efficiency and speed. In only a few short pages, readers will meet a fairly large, merry band of misfits and likely hop on board their adventure with comfortable ease. There is action and romance aplenty, and artist Agung Prabowo proves adept at laying out exciting splash pages that jump at the reader and demand they pay attention. In fact, Prabowo’s character design is one of the book’s highlights, accurately playing on expected sci-fi tropes while remaining fresh and exciting. The colorful and vibrant universe made possible by Barnhardt and Prabowo is one readers will want to continue exploring for a long time to come.
Ultimately, Keepers of the Cosmos is both fresh and familiar. It’s full of love for decades of intergalactic storytelling, with plenty of nods for the most die-hard fans, while still fiercely molding its own path toward originality. Barnhardt and Prabowo’s style works together seamlessly, blessing Keepers with a distinct brand of comical chaos. It’s an excellent read for those who are looking for something exciting and different and would like to support an original voice in the industry.
Walt Disney Animation Studios has produced, what one might call, quite a few films. When Strange World, their latest offering, hits theaters on November 23rd, it will be the 61st animated picture developed by the studio in the last 100 years. The company has been around since 1923, and they’ve made it this long for a reason. Disney has a formula for moviemaking that works, and despite existing within an industry that’s ever-changing, they don’t stray from it very often. Strange World, as fun as it proves to be, sticks firmly to those tried-and-true methods Disney has been using for, essentially, the entirety of its lifespan. It’s not a bad film by any means, but it comes up frustratingly short of greatness when it stops allowing itself to be different. Ironically, the exact point the movie spends its runtime trying to make.
The film revolves around the Clade family, a dysfunctional clan of explorers who traverse an unknown world in hopes of finding something that might save their homeland. The premise is admittedly unique, and at the start, the movie plays on its pulpy inspirations to promise an adventure unlike anything Disney has created before. Unfortunately, after a brief flash of brilliance in the opening minutes, the film devolves into a series of tropes that cause its impact to all but vanish. What is poised to be a memorable, heart-warming family drama set against a mind-boggling backdrop instead becomes just another entry in Disney’s void of content.
Granted, this doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching. Strange World is still a lovely little tale, and it has a blast telling its own story. The characters are well-developed and likable, the visuals are often striking, and there’s even a solid twist in the third act. It’s a perfectly fine family film that nobody will regret experiencing. It just feels like – to present a silly metaphor – a world-class restaurant bought all the ingredients to make a heaping bowl of some daring new stew, but the cooks decided to settle for chicken noodle soup instead. It’s delicious, and it reliably hits the spot, but it tastes exactly the same as it always does. There’s no excitement, just warm familiarity. Strange World is the animated film equivalent of this. It sets up a leading LGBTQ romance for the first time in Disney history, paints a wondrous image of an undiscovered landscape, tees up an emotionally complex finale, and then it all plays out like the script was formed via paint-by-numbers. It’s a movie about adventure, but it never feels all that adventurous.
That being said, Strange World does have its fair share of strengths. Thematically, it has a lot to say, and it says it pretty well. It’s an eco-friendly story that promotes making changes for the better, and as mentioned before, it’s very much on the side of teaching kids to follow their own paths. The fictional world it presents is also fairly creative, with plenty of goopy creatures and sweeping set pieces that will, at the very least, keep audiences entertained. Jaboukie Young-White is excellent in his role, evidently having a lively time in the recording booth and bringing a much-needed sense of humor to the film. The story’s commitment to dissecting the father-son dynamic is admirable, if not played out, and may even result in the shedding of some tears. Again – a splendid, comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Strange World might not be as off-the-map as its title suggests, but it maintains the potential for a nice night out with the family. It’s a cute, classic Disney flick that tugs the heartstrings and opens the door for some important discussions. As long as one doesn’t expect anything groundbreaking, one likely won’t be disappointed. There is pulp and circumstance, just no sign of changing the game anytime soon.
Walt Disney Animation Studios has been making movies since 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. With such a long history, and so many projects to pull from, it’s not a surprise that each successive production from Disney is filled with an increasing amount of Easter eggs and hidden references for fans to find. Strange World, the upcoming 61st animated film from Disney, is apparently no different. During an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, directors Qui Nguyen and Don Hall were asked if audiences should expect to see any familiar objects or contraptions snuck into the background of their movie, and according to them, the answer is a resounding “yes“.
Nguyen was especially excited to answer the question, revealing the film has everything from the classic “Hidden Mickeys” to full-blown cameos from previous Disney characters :
There’s quite a few hidden Easter eggs throughout the movie. I’m not gonna name the places, because that kind of spoils the fun of finding them, but there’s references and there’s actual, full-on characters from Big Hero 6, Raya and the Last Dragon, Atlantis, there’s definitely Hidden Mickeys. Winnie the Pooh, even. So, it’s out there for you to find and to hunt for, but it’s in there.
Qui Nguyen
The selection of films supposedly referenced in Strange World makes sense, considering the creatives behind it. Big Hero 6 is one of Hall‘s great achievements, and Nguyen recently broke out co-writing Raya and the Last Dragon with Adele Lim. Neither was involved with Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but referencing that project makes sense, considering the similarities in content. Strange World revolves around the Clade family, as they embark on an adventure into an unknown world in hopes of discovering something that might save their home. Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, and Dennis Quaid star, with Lucy Liu and Alan Tudyk in supporting roles. None of these performers are playing Winnie the Pooh in the movie, but as it turns out, he might still be in there somewhere.
Strange World, the next entry in Disney’s long history of animated projects, features an absolutely stellar voice cast. Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal headlines a group of performers that also includes Twitter icon Jaboukie Young-White, former Jaws 3-D actor Dennis Quaid, one-time Love & Basketball breakout Gabrielle Union, and Charlie’s Angels standout Lucy Liu. With such an insanely talented cast, one would likely not be alone in asking the simple question – “how did they pull that off?“.
During a recent interview, Murphy’s Multiverse got the chance to question co-director Don Hall on just that. The veteran filmmaker, known for previous works Big Hero 6 and Winnie the Pooh, began his answer by crediting casting director Amy Roberts, revealing she had these specific casting choices in mind from the very beginning of the creative process:
We had an amazing casting director named Amy Roberts who, after reading – I think – the first draft of the script…it could have just been the treatment, probably, kind of suggested these actors and we were blown away. Y’know, of course. We’re fans of all their work, we love all of their films and everything.
Don Hall
Hall continued to explain how the team locked Gyllenhaal and company in, allowing them a real chance to impact their characters and the film’s final product:
We just fell in love with that idea, pursued that idea, met with them, tried to give them an insight of what we were trying to do, and then open up a real collaboration. So that it wasn’t just, they’re coming in and reading some lines and leaving. It was about investing in the character and letting them shape their character as well.
Don Hall
Strange World hits theaters on November 23rd, and is set to follow the Clade family of adventurers as they traverse an unknown landscape in search of something that may save their home. Hall and co-director Qui Nguyen have promised character relationships are central to the story, so it sounds like the cast will have plenty of room to flex their creative muscle along the way.
Strange World, the upcoming 61st film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, looks like it will deliver on its pulpy title. Trailers for the film, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, have promised a grand adventure through an unknown landscape, with plenty of gorgeous visuals to aid in the excitement. Of course, designing a brand-new world is not easy work, and the visual development team likely went through several iterations before landing on the final product. During an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, co-director Don Hall was asked how the creatives decided upon their look for the “Strange World” presented in the film, and his response was far funnier than anticipated:
It’s a very broad aesthetic, which is just organic and round. There’s just not a lot of hard edges or straight lines. Everything’s very organic and kind of goopy. One term that kept coming up, and it became a term for all of the vis dev, but it started with the Venture. When the Venture was being designed, it was like you took an air ship and just went [mimics squishing]. It kind of made it ‘chonky’, and so that became our word for everything in the strange world. ‘Just make it chonkier’. ‘Can you up the chonky?’. “A little bit more chonky’. It’s like everybody knew what you were talking about.
Don Hall
“Chonky” might not be a word in the English dictionary, but it’s certainly one everybody understands. Adorably plump cats come to mind, as well as large babies and, apparently, fictional airships flown by an animated Gabrielle Union. Hopefully, the film’s “chonky” aesthetic lands with audiences when Strange World hits theaters on November 23rd.
Eddie Munson is back to fight more monsters, only this time, he won’t be able to shred on his guitar. Stranger Things breakout star Joseph Quinn has joined the cast of A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel spin-off to John Krasinski‘s acclaimed horror franchise. He is set to play a leading role opposite Black Panther favorite Lupita Nyong’o, who boarded the project earlier this month. Day One will be directed by Michael Sarnoski, who recently received praise for his indie hit Pig, making it the first entry in the Quiet Place pantheon not to be helmed by Krasinski himself. However, though nothing is publicly known about it’s plot details at this time, the film’s story is reportedly set to be based on an idea from Krasinski that will help set up a full-blown Quiet Place cinematic universe for the future.
A Quiet Place Part III is also in development, with Krasinski back to direct, but is an entirely separate project from Day One. It is highly unlikely thateither Krasinski or fellow franchise star Emily Blunt reprise their roles from previous films, if not completely impossible. For now, fans should find themselves very content with talents like Quinn and Nyong’o leading a new adventure through the horrific silence of the Quiet Place world. This will be the former’s first major role since his Stranger Things character threw him into the international spotlight.
A Quiet Place: Day One is set to hit theaters on March 8th, 2024. A Quiet Place Part III will follow sometime in 2025.
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