Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Christian Bale Reflects on First Time Working on ‘Thor 4’s Green Screens, Calls it “Monotony”

    Christian Bale Reflects on First Time Working on ‘Thor 4’s Green Screens, Calls it “Monotony”

    While the title of this article may be the perfect fuel for those calling out Marvel Studios’ use of the green screen, Christian Bale shared his experience on what it’s like working on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder. He famously took on the role of Gorr the God Butcher in the film, and it seems like he had a hard time differentiating between sets early on, especially with this being his first attempt at working with a more green-screen-heavy production.

    That’s the first time I’ve done that. I mean, the definition of it is monotony. You’ve got good people. You’ve got other actors who are far more experienced at it than me. Can you differentiate one day from the next? No. Absolutely not. You have no idea what to do. I couldn’t even differentiate one stage from the next. They kept saying, ‘You’re on Stage Three.’ Well, it’s like, ‘Which one is that?’ ‘The blue one.’ They’re like, ‘Yeah. But you’re on Stage Seven.’ ‘Which one is that?’ ‘The blue one.’ I was like, ‘Uh, where?’”

    Christian Bale

    He also highlights how he struggled to stick to his usual method acting due to the makeup process with his character. It certainly highlights that Bale attempted something new with this production; though he highlighted he had fun with it as well.

    He highlights in his statement that other actors have more experience with it and it certainly shows that it was quite an adjustment for Bale. We’ll see if this has made him uncertain about returning to that type of film in the future, or if he might still have enough fun to return one day. Perhaps Gorr has a future in the MCU’s multiverse.

    Source: Variety

  • RUMOR: New Leak Offers First Look at Chris Pratt’s Mario in Illumination’s ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie

    RUMOR: New Leak Offers First Look at Chris Pratt’s Mario in Illumination’s ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie

    Just yesterday, Illumination and Nintendo revealed our first look at what the upcoming Super Mario Bros. film will look like. While the animation studios’ reputation had many concerns, the visuals showcased in the poster for an upcoming exclusive Nintendo Direct did seem promising. We got the classic hero shot from behind looking at the world he’s about to enter and most of it seems pretty faithful to the games.

    Now, the first look at the character may have leaked early. Someone working for Mcdonald’s has shared a piece of artwork on Discord (which subsequently was shared by Twitter user @ConnorEatsPants) to offer a first look at the actual design of Mario and he seems mostly faithful to the original games.

    There are tweaks that make the character look a bit more “realistic” but nothing truly distracting to state that this is some kind of live-action version of the original. We might hopefully find out what he sounds like in the upcoming teaser as Chris Pratt takes on the role of the iconic plumber.

    We know surprisingly little about the actual story of this film, but it may explore his first visit to the Mushroom Kingdom and making his way to save the princess. Of course, they could mix things up and have Bowser kidnap Luigi which adds a more personal touch and potentially have his baby brother driving the Koopa King crazy. Whatever they may have planned, we’re closer than ever to get a true first look.

    Source: Discord via Twitter

  • New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    While all eyes are on Marvel Studios, there are still quite a few projects over at Sony hoping to capture that same light. Morbius couldn’t quite keep the same momentum that Venom and its sequel did; leading to some uncertainty if they might shift their plans to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Still, they have projects in some form of production like Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web.

    The latter actually is currently filming and has many rumors surrounding what direction it might potentially take. While nothing has been confirmed, it definitely has a lot of hopes to tell a unique tale within the Spider-Verse but there has been a lack of updates. While nothing major, it seems that a new photo from Madame Web’s crew has found its way online featuring them wearing some crew merch with a new logo. The image has been shared by u/Parking-Balance111 on Reddit.

    The Madame Web crew and their hats from the movie MadameWeb
    byu/Parking-Balance111 inMarvelStudiosSpoilers

    It should be noted that crew merchandise isn’t something officially licensed by the studio. Commonly, it’s used as a thank you gift using elements from the Internet highlighting elements from the project. There’s some likelihood that this new logo is based on something someone found online. It’s unclear though if this is something used for the production crew while they are filming, or if it’s already a present as they slowly wrap up.

    Still, it’s great to see that filming is coming along. We’ll hopefully get some kind of hint at what exactly Sony is going for with Madame Web, especially with them giving a minor supporting character their entire film. It still feels uncertain what Sony is going for, as they still never confirmed which Spider-Man is part of their universe and what they hope to accomplish besides a potential Sinister Six team-up, as hinted in Morbius‘ post-credit sequence.

    Source: Reddit

  • Latest ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merch Focuses Teases Namor’s Iconic Battle Cry

    Latest ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merch Focuses Teases Namor’s Iconic Battle Cry

    While a lot of discussions surrounding Marvel Studios’ upcoming Black panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, focused on how they’ll juggle whoever may take on the mantle, there’s one more big element they are making sure no one forgets. The sequel will act as the introduction of Namor the Submariner into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it seems he’s getting quite the spotlight in some of their latest merchandise reveals. Among them is the confirmation that he’ll also get to use his iconic battle cry “Imperius Rex.”

    As shared by @NamorNews, we get a bunch of new designs highlighting the three main members of the MCU’s take on Atlantis. We see some familiar artwork of Attuma, Namora, and Namor but the newest addition is the fact that his battle cry is added to some of the designs. It’s the first time we’ve seen it used and it may confirm that we’ll get the shout at least once during the upcoming film.

    It’s great to see the elements they are taking from the comics. Even while they changed the character’s cultural background, it opened up the concept to stand out while still pulling in elements from the character’s comic origin. Marvel and director Ryan Coogler managed to even get his iconic green pants as part of his design with the little feet wings hinted at in the first trailer. Here’s hoping that the next trailer potentially offers a bit more from the character and shows us how dangerous he’ll be when facing against the nation of Wakanda.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios Hoping to Start Production on ‘Blade’ in Early 2023

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios Hoping to Start Production on ‘Blade’ in Early 2023

    Just as many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were on a high with the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it seemed like another production was facing some turbulent times. The long-awaited Blade film has been continuously pushed back and is now seemingly in limbo. The film lost its director Bassam Tariq and Moon knight writer Beau DeMayo is on board to rewrite the script. Still, it seems Marvel Studios is still hopeful about getting the project off the ground sooner than later.

    According to Big Screen Leaks, Marvel is hoping to start production in early 2023. Of course,e that depends strongly if they find a director by then and can also get the script together. Film productions start without a finished script, but they’ll likely try to finish an outline that will help solidify the project, especially with Mahershala Ali already attached to play the role.

    https://twitter.com/bigscreenleaks/status/1574973513743863808

    It’s not been an easy road for this project, but there’s also a lot of hope to give the character the right treatment. Early castings already hinted at the project moving away from the 1998 version as they try to embrace his comic roots. Early storyline teases hinted that the film might take a more Gothic direction and explore the character during the 1920s. Though, if they are rewriting the script it is unclear if they will still stick to this original pitch. Either way, it’s better they take their time until the project is ready rather than rush it out and we’ll see who they might find as the new director.

    Source: Twitter

  • Sony Obtains Movie Rights to ‘Tarzan’

    Sony Obtains Movie Rights to ‘Tarzan’

    It looks like Tarzan will swing his way back into theaters, as Sony Pictures has officially acquired the rights to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ iconic character. They seemingly seek a “total reinvention” of intellectual property and might bring the iconic character into the modern era, though details remain under warps. It should be noted that they have no writer, director, or even producer attached to any project, as they only have acquired the rights and have not yet set anything else into motion for the project.

    Tarzan is no stranger to the silver screen, as the most recent project featured Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie back in 2016. While the character is quite beloved, especially for the 1999 animated film by Disney and Phil Collins‘ iconic score, the book has been scrutinized for some of the ideas it places into the world. It hasn’t aged gracefully and there have been challenges in bringing it into the modern age.

    The interesting aspect about Sony acquiring the rights is that Tarzan technically is in both the private and public domain. It seems that what they mainly acquired was the trademark for the character of Tarzan, though the exact details of the deal are uncertain as of now. Still, it looks like Sony is trying to get its hands on more IPs to keep up with other studios and quite interesting to see how they might bring this character into he 21st century.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Eyeing $650M Domestic Run, Unlikely to Dehtrone ‘Top Gun Maverick’

    ‘Avatar 2’ Eyeing $650M Domestic Run, Unlikely to Dehtrone ‘Top Gun Maverick’

    While there have been many discussions surrounding the slow recovery of the box office since the pandemic started back in 2020, there have been some massive successes even through these unpredictable times. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick went on to break far past any expectations set on the projects, and there has been a lot of hope that Avatar: The Way of Water would do exactly the same later this year. It’s the first sequel to James Cameron‘s passion project from 2009. While the film is set to make a big splash in the box office, it may not surpass its predecessor.

    Variety’s early predictions based on Cinelytic believe that The Way of Water is likely to make around $650M but likely won’t come near the first Avatar‘s $772M. The reasonings are quite simple. A lot has happened since that film was released and we’ve seen quite a few CG-heavy worlds being created. So, it’s no longer as unique as it once was, as we’ve entered an era inspired by the technology that was established through that film’s release.

    If it does end up going below $700M, it’ll also remain in the second spot for 2022, as Top Gun: Maverick managed to pass the $700M mark not too long ago and still continues to have a strong staying power at the box office. Black Panther Wakanda Forever was predicted to not even make it past the $500M mark but early projections for the Top Gun sequel also had it set for a lower $300M box office run. At this rate, there are a lot of unpredictable elements at play and we’ll have to see how the rest of the year turns out with very little hitting the market moving forward.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    Dwayne Johnson is about to change the power dynamic in the DC Extended Universe as Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly dismantles itself from within. Still, there’s a lot riding on the upcoming Black Adam project, as it’s the last major release for the studio this year. As they are facing financial troubles and Don’t Worry Darling isn’t doing as hoped either, there’s a lot of money riding on their next superhero project set to release in late October. Yet, it seems that current predictions don’t see it making as big of a splash as the March release, The Batman.

    According to Variety and an analysis by Cinelytics, Black Adam is likely to pull in around $328M domestically. While Johnson is quite the box office draw, he still is playing a rather obscure character in the DC universe that is also hoping to bank on some familiarity with the legacy characters of the Justice Society of America. The property is untested and with the hope to build a bunch of spinoffs from this one film, there’s some concern on just how well it’ll perform. If these projection turns out to be true, the film is likely to make less than The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder.

    It should not be downplayed as it’s a strong turn-in for a new property to pass $300M domestically. Plus, it’s being compared to one of the most well-established characters in pop culture and the first fourth entry of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. If it makes its budget back and gains a profit, it’ll be a win for Warner Bros. either way but the question remains just how profitable do they expect this film to be. If it doesn’t make a “big enough” splash for the execs, they may also not be too happy with its results. Luckily, there’s still some time and who knows how things turn out once marketing starts pushing harder ahead of its release.

    Source: Variety

  • Early Projections Predict ‘Wakanda Forever’ to Outgross ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Domestically

    Early Projections Predict ‘Wakanda Forever’ to Outgross ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Domestically

    There’s still some time until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters later in November. Yet, that isn’t stopping form early projections from hitting the web. The sequel has some heavy weight upon its back, as it not only has to compensate for the loss of its main star Chadwick Boseman but also faced quite a few production troubles along the way. After a powerful first trailer though, it definitely seemed safe to say that Wakanda Forever will still leave its mark in theaters while paying tribute to the actor that made T’Challa a household name.

    According to Variety’s early projections based on Cinelytics, the film is likely to make around $423M domestically. Many will look at these numbers and point out that it’s a far cry from the first entry’s massive $700M domestic release. It’s still very early to say how it will truly perform as the marketing has yet to kick into high gear but there is some concern about the passing of Boseman negatively affecting the film’s main draw. Plus, the first entry was quite the cultural release that went way past expectations.

    While many like to callback to Tom Cruise‘s star power for the box office success of Top Gun: Maverick, it’s just as much lightning in the bottle scenario that it had the staying power it did. It became Cruise’s highest-grossing film ever by a wide margin. Sometimes elements just come together at the right time to give films a massive boost, which we saw in the past with Avatar, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and The Force Awakens. The question is rather if people’s curiosity about the sequel and how it pays tribute to the actor.

    It could just as well end up surprising many. Plus, Marvel Studios’ main goal is for it to cover the production costs and pull in a profit. If it manages to accomplish that, it’s still a success in their eyes even if it wouldn’t really break any massive records or come near the first release. For now, it still looks like it could likely become 2022’s highest-grossing Marvel Studios release and that might be enough to push the project forward. Who knows if we have another No Way Home scenario on our hands and we won’t know until November.

    Source: Variety, The Numbers

  • Robert Egger’s ‘Nosferatu’ Picks Up Steam as it Finds New Cast

    Robert Egger’s ‘Nosferatu’ Picks Up Steam as it Finds New Cast

    There were a lot of theories hitting the web when Robert Eggers‘ Northman didn’t quite become the massive box office success that many expected it to be. It still went on to make its money back through its physical and digital releases, which also seemingly boosted the chances of the director to realize his passion project, a new take on the iconic 1922 film Nosferatu. Deadline has revealed that not only is it gaining momentum, it even found a brand new cast to take on the leading roles.

    It seems that Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp are now set to star in the film for Focus Features. They are replacing original stars Harry Styles and Anya Taylor-Joy when it was set to film in 2019 for Studio 8. The project was originally going to be tackled before he took his turn at telling a Viking-based story but due to budget calculations, it was put on hold. It seems he wasn’t always going to return to the project as he looked at others but still wanted to explore the gothic tale.

    It seems that Focus joining was the reason he settled on bringing his passion project to life. It seems he started meeting with talent right after and Skarsgard would take on the role of the 19th-century monster even when his previous cast was already attached. It seems he swiftly ensured he’d get time to join the project but Taylor-Joy was too busy to find time in her schedule, which led to Depp getting the role.

    Source: Deadline