Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Netflix Still Hasn’t Renewed ‘The Sandman’ But Work Has Already Started

    Netflix Still Hasn’t Renewed ‘The Sandman’ But Work Has Already Started

    The Sandman has become one of Netflix’s biggest hits as it dominated the top spot for quite some time on the streaming service. Yet, we still haven’t gotten any word on an official confirmation for a second season. While the wait still continues, it does seem like the team behind the production are confident they’ll get to continue work on the series. In an interview with ScreenRant, VFX supervisor Ian Markiewicz has hinted that they’ve already prepped the scripts and are even looking into how to tackle the VFX as they wait for a confirmation.

    We have a really wonderful framework for what we think season 2 looks like. Allan is still touching up scripts and reworking things, but we have an arc. Up until pretty recently, I think maybe even two weeks or so, Gary, our production designer, myself and Allan meet over lunch, and we will do a script over that meeting. It’s like, “Okay, let’s look at 201,” and we’ll do our breakdowns together, where we do page turns on 201, and we say, “Okay, what do we think? Where can we film this? Can we film this in a real space? If not, what do we need to build, if we need to build it?

    Ian Markiewicz

    He also reveals that they’ve been trying to adapt their approach for the second season, as they decide what can be tackled through VFX and what would make use of a practical set. The work on the first season definitely helped them shape their approach.

    Are we building this as a physical set, or can it be a building as a virtual set or a combination thereof? Is it physical to a certain extent, and then digital beyond that?” Just trying to break each one down to be like, “What’s the most value for this, what’s the most sensible way that covers the need for what we need it to be?” That process is happening now, which is great, and it’s really fun and exciting to be able to sort of have season 1 and behind us to know what we feel worked there, things that we wanted to sort of finesse further, and how that impacts our approach for season 2.

    Ian Markiewicz

    The team certainly sounds confident even as Neil Gaiman has been hesitant regarding the missing confirmation by Netflix itself. Here’s hoping that the wait isn’t much longer and we’ll finally get a confirmation in the coming weeks.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Brie Larson Offers Glimpse Into Her ‘Fast X’ Role

    Brie Larson Offers Glimpse Into Her ‘Fast X’ Role

    Just recently, Brie Larson has been on a high promoting her upcoming Marvel film The Marvels, which will see her once again return to the role of Captain Marvel alongside some new co-stars. That isn’t the only big production she’s currently involved with, as she also has a big role in the latest Fast and Furious entry, Fast X.

    Little is still known about her character and it seems that the actress wanted to offer a little glimpse behind-the-scenes with the reveal of her character’s name. It seems she’ll be playing someone named Tess and that is sadly all she’s willing to let us know in regards to her role in Fast X.

    Brie Larson has gone through quite a bit since her jump to stardom as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’ll be interesting to see how the reactions will be when she joins another major project like this. She’s definitely powered through it, as showcased in some recent postings poking fun at the reactions from the D23 panel.

    There’s a lot of drama already surrounding the project. Fast X‘s production has been quite chaotic early on as Justin Lin, it’s initial director, left the film shortly after they got the cameras rolling. There was teases that there were a lot of conflicts between Lin and the franchise’s main star Vin Diesel. They were able to add Louis Leterrier as its new director, but it definitely must’ve left some sour taste during the production of the tenth entry.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Woman King’ Dominates the Weekend Box Office as ‘Barbarian’ Shows Strong Hold

    ‘The Woman King’ Dominates the Weekend Box Office as ‘Barbarian’ Shows Strong Hold

    Here’s some great news as The Woman King has taken the weekend. Not only did it pull in $19M with strong word-of-mouth but also nabbed the rare A+ CinemaScore from General Audiences. It’s quite the boost after taking in $1.7M in previews. In a market dominated by high-octane action flicks like Marvel and this year’s stand-out Top Gun: Maverick, it offered something quite unique.

    Production wasn’t easy on the film, so it’s exhilarating for everyone involved to see its current success. The movie could still end the weekend with more than $19M as Sony hopes to see an additional boost in churchgoing audiences that’ll head to cinemas, which is currently predicted to end with around $5M. Given the film’s little, women were also the majority viewers with 60% and an older demographic; a good sign for non-four quadrant productions moving forward.

    Taking second place is Barbarian, which is holding quite well with a 40% drop and pulling in $6.3M. Disney was smart to bring this film to theaters even if it could’ve done the same with a few other productions throughout the year. A24’s Pearl has also opened and gotten a TIFF boost, as it pulled in $3.124M which is slightly below Ti West‘s previous entry with X, but still mighty impressive considering its low budget.

    Source: Twitter, Deadline

  • ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ Leak Confirmed, Among Gaming’s Biggest

    ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ Leak Confirmed, Among Gaming’s Biggest

    It’s been a heavy day for Rockstar Games, as one of their biggest upcoming releases has seemingly leaked, Grand Theft Auto 6. We don’t know what exactly led to it but it seemed unreal that so much footage would find its way online, as it seemingly is from the actual developers. It offered some first looks into the long-rumored game that’s been seemingly in development for quite some time.

    To some degree, it just seemed surreal and many were uncertain if it was actual footage of an earlier version of the game. As it turns out, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has seemingly confirmed that this is indeed from an earlier build of Grand Theft Auto 6, which may be one of the biggest leaks in gaming history.

    https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1571489679534608384?t=6QKITlGbncl1u_c8BHpaJA&s=19

    While some are excited about the first footage of the game, this isn’t something to really be excited about. Small hints or teases have become part of the overall way for the Internet to build up momentum but never to such a degree. It’s heavy for the first look to be an unlikely very early version of the game that is purely meant for the developers. Other devs like Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann have reached out to support Rockstar through these hard times.

    https://twitter.com/Neil_Druckmann/status/1571525058946035713

    It definitely should not be something to drag down the talented staff at Rockstar Games and discourage anyone from bringing their projects to life. Those that have spoken out about the quality and it being “unfinished” should also keep in mind that this is indeed the case. We have very little insight into the complexities of game development, and this is definitely not in any way the finished product as that would only be the case once Rockstar Games decided to actually reveal it to us on their own terms.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: First ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ Footage Potentially Leaks, Further Hints at Return to Vice City

    RUMOR: First ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ Footage Potentially Leaks, Further Hints at Return to Vice City

    The Internet has always been unpredictable, especially in the day and age of leaks and scoopers rising in popularity. Still, gaming mainly was safe outside of small elements finding their way online such as skin leaks from Marvel’s Avengers. This time around, one of the biggest leaks may have happened as the first footage has found its way online from the long-rumored Grand Theft Auto 6. We still have to take it with a grain of salt but it’s certainly looking to be quite real given just how much has been revealed.

    The game is seemingly going for a Bonnie and Clyde storyline, as the game features male and female protagonists, Jason and Lucia. It also is seemingly taking place in Vice City with some familiar locations teased like Malibu Club. Twitter user @Okami13_ has shared some of the details that were noticed in the footage provided online. There’s also a full video of a diner takeover that was seemingly leaked where the player takes control of Lucia.

    This footage seems to be from a dev build and it’s unclear just how someone was able to get their hands on it. That isn’t the only footage, as @Who2Pitts has also shared what seems like a conversation between NPCs highlighting that this is indeed the dev version with a debug menu included.

    If this turns out to be real, it’s definitely one of the biggest leaks we’ve seen in a while for a game this deep into development. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has seemingly also added fuel to the fire by pointing out that a lot that has leaked also connects with what he’s heard about the game, which includes two protagonists and Vice City as the main location. For now, we’ll have to see if Rockstar will make a statement in regards to these leaks eventually or if they might still keep a potential reveal a secret until it’s ready.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter, Twitter

  • BREAKING: Keanu Reeves to Reunite With Francis Lawrence for ‘Constantine’ Sequel

    BREAKING: Keanu Reeves to Reunite With Francis Lawrence for ‘Constantine’ Sequel

    Here’s something you may have never guessed: Keanu Reeves is set to once again take on the role of Constantine in an upcoming sequel. He’ll reunite with director Francis Lawrence who helmed the original 2005 adaptation of the popular DC character. Akiva Goldsman is writing the screenplay and is also producing through Weed Road Pictures. J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella are also attached to produce the sequel of a film that was released 17 years ago.

    There were rumblings around 2020 that they might be interested in doing a sequel but when Abrams started working on his Justice League Dark universe with its own take on John Constantine it seemed like they moved on from the project. The character has seen a resurgence in popularity with an NBC series starring Matt Ryan who would, later on, join the CW’s Arrowverse, and even with The Sandman‘s Johanna Constantine, who was played by Jenna Coleman.

    It’ll be interesting to see what this entry means for Abrams series, as it might have quietly been canceled. There’s also the fact that this once again muddles the “a united DC Cinematic Universe” strategy of Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav. Without any new leadership to map out the project, it seems they’ve been busy mapping out various projects that have no direct connection with each other.

    Either way, this is a great surprise for those that have been longing for a sequel and it’s always great to see Reeves return to a role he loved dearly. There’s no exact window yet on when we might expect the project to release but with Lawrence‘s busy schedule there might still be some time before it releases.

    Source: Deadline

  • Sony Delays ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Release Dates

    Sony Delays ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Release Dates

    It looks like we’ll have to wait just a little longer for the upcoming Marvel projects from Sony, as they have now pushed back quite a few releases. While they’ve also updated their upcoming schedule to include a new Karate Kid film, which we exclusively revealed just last month, and the sequel to Searching titled Missing (here’s hoping the third one is named Finding), it seems their various Marvel films have also been delayed.

    Kraven the Hunter is now eyeing a release on October 6th, 2023, quite a few months away from its initial January 13th release date that same year. It took over Madame Web‘s original release which is now scheduled for 2024 on February 16th. Both films are set to also screen in IMAX. The delay also affected one of its untitled Marvel films which were initially planned for June 7th, 2025 but it is now a July release. Some have theorized this might be the next Spider-Man MCU entry, but there hasn’t been an announcement so far.

    Sony is still moving forward with its projects even after Morbius didn’t quite make it the first two rounds it attempted in theaters. It’s uncertain how their relationship stands with Marvel and what the future has in store for Spider-Man. We haven’t heard anything about a new trilogy or even if the character will appear in Sony’s own universe. There are a lot of unknown variables at the moment and we can only hope that an update isn’t too far away.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios “Taking a New Approach” With Shira Haas’ Sabra In Response to Online Backlash

    Marvel Studios “Taking a New Approach” With Shira Haas’ Sabra In Response to Online Backlash

    Not surprising given the recent releases, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film is surrounded by controversy online but this time it’s for a different reason than you’d think. During D23, the character of Sabra was introduced and would be played by Shira Haas in the upcoming film Captain America: New World Order. Given the Israel and Palestine conflict, this has led to quite the controversy in addition to the “New World Order” having been used for anti-semites online.

    The controversy took its hold online in certain circles and has now led to an official statement by Marvel Studios through an article for The New York Times. It seems that they’ew highlighting that they are “taking a new approach” with the character of Sabra.

    While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics. They are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience, and the filmmakers are taking a new approach with the character Sabra who was first introduced in the comics over 40 years ago

    It’s hard to say if this jump may have been an assumption on the character’s comic history and Marvel simply wanted to take an existing character to put it in a better spotlight, moving away from its original rather questionable storyline.

    In many ways, this was a lose-lose situation for Marvel even if they tried to pull through with it, as reactions occurred before a single glimpse of the actual story came to light. As they haven’t started production yet, it still gave them a chance to maybe tweak a few elements and this statement also serves to hint at that happening.

    There’s more to this controversy given the history surrounding the name. Many have made the connection to the Sabra and Shatila massacre when it was first announced. So, while the name was carried over from the comics, it has become associated with a terrible act that occurred in Lebanon back in 1982. We’ll have to see how they tackle this challenge once more news surfaces.

    Source: The New York Times via The Direct

  • RUMOR: Joaquin Phoenix May Not Be the Lead of DC’s ‘Joker’ Sequel

    RUMOR: Joaquin Phoenix May Not Be the Lead of DC’s ‘Joker’ Sequel

    There have been a lot of questions surrounding the upcoming sequel of Todd Phillips‘ Joker. Not only did many scratch their head at the idea, but it became even more astounding when it was teased to be a musical. Then Lady Gaga was announced as part of the cast and hinted to be taking on the role of Harley Quinn. Now a new rumor may be hinting at a unique direction for the sequel.

    Now, The Weekly Planet’s latest podcast episode has maybe hinted that while the sequel Joker: Folie à Deux still keeps the jester in its title, it won’t be from his perspective. Rather, host James Clement hinted that the project is actually from Dr. Harleen Quinzell’s view, who seemingly sees her romance as a musical that results in the way it’s told.

    Apparently, Joker 2 isn’t so much a Joker movie, it’s a Harley Quinn… It’s from Harley Quinn’s perspective. And the reason it’s a musical is because that’s how she perceives her relationship with Joker.

    James Clement

    It’s definitely an interesting direction o take the sequel nd would make it stand out from its predecessor. Not an uncommon move from Pixar to turn its main star into a side character in the sequel, but there’s a chance this move is mostly that they could have parts switch between perspectives. There’s a chance that we’ll see it from her views when it turns into am musical and the usual ark reality when we switch to Joker, or perhaps we learn how he might see the world in a new light since the last film. We can only speculate for now.

    Source: Weekly Planet via The Direct

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership May Be Prepping for a Future Sale, Comcast the Likeliest Potential Buyer

    Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership May Be Prepping for a Future Sale, Comcast the Likeliest Potential Buyer

    Warner Bros. Discovery has been quite the chaotic merger for many reasons. The cancelation of almost finished products left a sour taste with many, but taking down exclusive projects from streamers may have been the straw that breaks the camel’s back. In a new report by The Hollywood Reporter, they showcase a lot of uncertainty that’s brewing between talent agencies and investors for the company.

    Their current hunt for a “Kevin Feige” for DC has many concerns as no one really would want that job. Even if you do a decent job, like Walter Hamada did dragging the franchise to its current popular standing after the Zack Snyder fallout, you’re always stuck in comparison. One talent representative highlights the biggest issue anyone would face:

    DC is so fragmented. J.J. [Abrams] had this one, Zack Snyder had that one, Todd Phillips had the other thing. And they’re all such huge egos.

    With that many egos, it’ll be hard to truly bring a united franchise together as WBD hopes to accomplish. Plus, they are still moving forward with Elseworld stories like a Joker sequel and The Batman franchise. Some are suggesting that new CEO David Zaslav, who has been reported in the past to have a harsh leadership style by former Discovery employees, is simply prepping the company for its next sale.

    Most of his endeavors and that of the CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels is to cover Warner Bros.’s massive $50B+ debt; no simple task for anyone. As such building up their biggest brands and covering as much of the debt as possible opens up that very possibility. It seems Comcast’s Brian Roberts is the one that has his eyes on the studio the most to further build up NBCUniversal and combine it with WBD. One executive with inside knowledge gave the following statement in regards to why there’s a good possibility:

    Obviously Peacock sucks. There are some good synergies. I’m sure [Roberts] is licking his chops because the [WBD] stock is so low. And I think that’s Zaslav’s endgame. Get the place sold.

    The head of another company highlighted just how sad this development would be as it would mark the end of another massive studio after Disney purchased Fox some years ago. The issue is simply becoming challenging for these massive studios to stay afloat and handle their debt management. Not everything is doom and gloom, as some are highlighting that some additions have been more talent-friendly unlike under AT&T’s leadership and a seller isn’t something that’s definite as of yet.

    Source: THR