Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • D23: First Look at Tim Allen’s Return as Stana Clause for Disney+ Series

    D23: First Look at Tim Allen’s Return as Stana Clause for Disney+ Series

    D23 is finally upon us, as we anxiously await any reveal or tease of what’s to come in Disney’s future. While Disney+ Day surprisingly didn’t include any reveals for the streaming service, it led to many speculating that they are keeping their reveals and potential trailers for the upcoming Disney-owned event. Luckily, it turns out that while they are only getting started we’ve already gotten a first look at one of the upcoming projects

    As shared by Matt Dobrovolsky, it seems that they are showing some glimpses of what’s to come during D23. While he shared quite a few teases of what’s to come with the theme park side of Disneyland, it seems that they also included a first-look video where Tim Allen’s return in the upcoming The Santa Clauses Disney+ series has been unveiled.

    It definitely looks like Santa Clause and is our first look at the series. So, it seems likely that we might get our hands on a first trailer during the event. It also opens up the possibility of other Disney+ originals might get some promotion as well for what other new original series or legacy series are in development. Perhaps we’ll also see more from the National Treasure series that has been teased quite a bit. It’s a great little way to kick off D23.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘One Piece’ Cinematographer on Making Netflix’s Live-Action Version Distinct from the Anime

    ‘One Piece’ Cinematographer on Making Netflix’s Live-Action Version Distinct from the Anime

    There’s a lot of pressure for the live-action One Piece team to bring this iconic manga series to life. Not only will they be compared to the original work but also any other adaptation out there, most notably its anime. Still, it’s not an undertaking that is taken lightly and it seems cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker prepared quite a bit to bring this series to life.

    In an interview with the Filmmakers Academy, she reveals how she consulted with cinematographer Paul Cameron of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as well as some grips that worked on Life of Pi to get a better feeling for how she can film with boats. She also revealed that she had her crew for six weeks ahead of production, which just wrapped today.

    She has also actively prepared for the project for around three months in advance to prepare how she can tackle the project. In the interview, she confirms that she was mainly responsible for the “first block of production, which amounts to 62 days” as she worked alongside director Marc Jobst on the project. In the interview it was highlighted how they tried to make it stand out from the anime.

    They wanted it to stand out on its own and not just be a carbon copy of the anime. Together, they referenced different films along with photography and the look of the show. 

    She still did her homework as she actively watched 1,000+ episodes of the anime alongside her son, who’s seemingly a fan. She also seemingly read the manga to her kid in the past, which adds an extra connection to the project. She highlighted the following in regard to how they set it all up.

    There will always be fans and critics. You can’t please everyone but at the heart of it, the most important thing is the story. And if the story isn’t there, and that doesn’t grab the viewers, it doesn’t matter what you do. We can only hope that we’re going to gain a new audience and people that find it fascinating and interesting.

    Nicole Hirsch Whitaker

    It definitely sounds like she had quite a bit of fun working on the live-action One Piece series, and making it stand on its own feet to “gain a new audience” is exactly the right approach. While these projects are made for fans alike, it’s always a trouble to fall into familiar territory that pays more tribute to fans but doesn’t ease in new viewers. So, it’ll be exciting to see how they approached the series and added their own visual touch to make it stand out from the rest.

    Source: Filmmakers Academy

  • Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series Wraps Production

    Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series Wraps Production

    It’s hard to believe but Netflix’s upcoming live-action One Piece series has officially wrapped production. We’ve first heard about it all the way back in 2017 when Eiichiro Oda revealed that they were starting work on the project but it wouldn’t truly start production until 2022. It’s been a long road but even more so for showrunners Steven Maeda and Matt Owens.

    To celebrate the wrap-up, Maeda took to his Twitter account to share some photos from his time in Cape Town, as well as look back at the family he won through the time they worked on thee production. Of course, he also shared his hopes that this series will get picked up for another season which many of us share.

    Owens took to his Instagram account to share some fun pictures from his time in South Africa while also playing on the “the One Piece is real” meme making the rounds.

    That’s not the end of it, as the main star himself, Iñaki Godoy, has also announced he’s wrapped up his work on the production and is sharing what he learned from portraying a character like Monkey D. Luffy.

    There’s a lot of hope for this adaptation to break the curse that many have seen in the past. One Piece is an important franchise for many and has been running for 25 years, which is already impressive considering its entire story is from a singular person. With a recent boom in popularity in the Western markets, we may see the franchise get a second life even after dominating the world market with France and Japan alone.

    Source: Twitter, Instagram

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    Warner Bros. Discovery Exec Believes ‘Batgirl’ Shelving Was “Blown Out of Proportion” by the Media

    There have been many discussions surrounding the decision of Warner Bros. Discovery in regards to Batgirl, and it seems like their CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels has quite a strong opinion about how it was portrayed online. According to him, it was “blown out of proportion” during the Bank of America Media, Communications, and Entertainment Conference. He had the following to say in regards to how the media has discussed it, as he believes “media likes to talk about media.”

    Media likes to talk about media, I guess. We have healthy relationships with talent, and we are offering one of the best platforms for anyone in the creative space.

    Gunnar Wiedenfels

    It’s certainly a high statement if one considers that Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock fall wasn’t because of a singular film. Plus, it’s vague enough to avoid any of the pitfalls that surrounded osm of the rather questionable decisions made, especially with not naming any talent involved with the project but speaking in broad strokes.

    Wiedenfles highlighted that they’ll continue to conduct “significant investments” on content but there is quite a bit more to this story. The sudden drop of animated originals and original HBO Max films from the platform revealed a rather questionable decision to save on taxes. There has not been a statement on any of the creatives that worked on Batgirl and for now the future still seems quite unsure.

    Source: Deadline

  • Home Office and Higher VFX Demand Led to Marvel Studios’ Increase in Leaks

    Home Office and Higher VFX Demand Led to Marvel Studios’ Increase in Leaks

    Many have noticed that throughout COVID, a lot more things have leaked from the normally super secret house of Marvel Studios. The company was well-known for keeping things tightly under wraps but much has changed in the last few years. COVID and a rise in home office have become one of the sources of their dismay as of late, at least according to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter.

    They have shared that quite a few leaks have happened not because people are sharing them directly from home but rather curious family members or friends get a quick snapshot. They also highlighted how their dependency on smaller studios also led to a rise in demand, which also meant schooling a lot of new people and scattering their offerings across more vendors. Of course, scattering their footage also didn’t help from things finding their way online.

    That didn’t stop them from their usual strict guidelines according to an anonymous source for THR, as they still tried to keep a tight lid as usual even during these difficult times:

    I had to go through a whole training course to make sure that I know exactly what I need to do and where to report [anything suspect.

    Anonymous VFX Artist

    There has been an increase in security since the COVID leaks from Marvel Studios, especially surrounding Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which seemingly had the least information hit the web so far. It’s seemingly the return for many to their office that has helped even if some things still might find their way online in the future.

    Kevin Feige has openly discussed the leaks and focused on keeping the experience alive with or without knowing ahead of time. So, we’ll see how much finds its way online with future releases or if merchandise remains our main source for first looks at projects.

    Source: THR

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’ Director on Paying Homage to Ray Harryhausen

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’ Director on Paying Homage to Ray Harryhausen

    With the Cars on the Road series hitting Disney+, we finally get a chance to discuss some of the fun additions. Earlier concept art even dating back to last year’s Disney+ hinted at an episode including the duo of Lightning Mcqueen and Mater in prehistoric times. As it turned out, the episode also was a way for the animation team to pay tribute to Ray Harryhausen‘s claymation era.

    In an exclusive interview with the creative team behind Cars on the Road, Steve Purcell shared the initial inspiration for tackling this episode and why they decided to include a tribute to Harryhausen. Plus, he praises his animation team for managing a way to bring that unique animation type to live in a new medium.

    I think in that case it was really specifically wanting to see that and I think it worked because it’s in a dream environment. It helps to separate that world from the regular world but I had this itch I wanted to scratch. I wanted to see this world animated in that style and I thought our animator’s swung for the fence and they hit it.

    Steve Purcell

    Furthermore, he also highlighted that they used the opportunity to pay homage to Harryhausen with the way they animated the prehistoric T-rex-inspired car.

    There’s a little homage in there where the dino kind of let’s go and waits for a minute and then snaps him up again. It goes back to any kind of dinosaur movie from the 30s or 60s.

    Steve Purcell

    It’s great to always see how these stories come together and use the opportunity to pay tribute to the animations that paved the way to the modern era. It also sounds like a unique challenge for the animators that wanted to add a special flair to what the Disney+ series has to offer.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’s Steve Purcell Talks Exploring New Sides of Familiar Characters

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’s Steve Purcell Talks Exploring New Sides of Familiar Characters

    Cars on the Road will take the unlikely duo of Mater and Lightning McQueen out of Radiator Springs out into the world. The new Disney+ series offers a new perspective on these characters and the world they live in. It’s a simple concept that also uses the opportunity to pay tribute to many films and franchises that have come before.

    In an exclusive interview with Steve Purcell and the creative team behind the project, he reveals that the main idea of a road trip was the first concept that came together. He also highlighted the excitement of taking these well-known characters and introducing them into new scenarios.

    I think the road trip idea came first and then we started adding the sort of baggage of what kind of place it would be fun to see them in, because what we love about the characters: We know what they’re going to be like so what would they be like here or be like here, and so I think that’s what was cool about working on this.

    Steve Purcell

    Purcell went on to highlight that the idea of blending these stories with different genres or even paying tribute to iconic films came naturally afterward. They started adding them to the different locations once they had the high concept together. He also highlighted that the initial pitch also included many more episodes that could’ve potentially explored similar ideas.

  • ‘Joker’ Sequel Adds Catherine Keener as Production Eyes December Start

    ‘Joker’ Sequel Adds Catherine Keener as Production Eyes December Start

    Many were surprised when 2019’s Joker suddenly got a sequel announced by Warner Bros. Discovery, especially during their current trend of reshaping their DC universe. Either way, the moment it was hinted that the series would act as a musical with Lady Gaga joining Joaquin Pheonix, expectations certainly were set. They will be joined by Brendan Gleeson and Zazie Beez, but have not also added Catherine Keener in an unspecified but major role. Production is expected to start in December based on a script co-written by Scott Silver and returning director Todd Phillips.

    The project is shaping up to be one of DC’s most curious sequels. Not only is it continuing a story that seemed singular in design but given its success on a small budget, Warner Bros. Discovery’s focus on the bottom line must see the cash opportunity. Phillips has been on a high since his work on the 2019′ film as an auteur and has quite an interesting background as the director of The Hangover trilogy. Perhaps he has a chance to make a second trilogy with the Joker films.

    We’ll see what role Keener might have in the project. There’s the possibility that the film will once again pay tribute by basing its story around some classics. She could have a quasi-villainous role or even be someone that is quite close to Lady Gaga’s character, who is heavily implied to be Harley Quinn. We can only theorize for now.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Boys’ Star Speaks Out Against Mysogonistic Fans

    ‘The Boys’ Star Speaks Out Against Mysogonistic Fans

    The Boys has become quite a phenomena with a strong third season and even setting up a future spinoff with Gen V. Yet, the series’ strong themes have seemingly gone over the head of some watchers, as a new increase in misogynistic comments has surrounded the project, especially in regards to Erin Moriarty‘s Starlight. Especially in how reactions towards a fictional character are commonly thrown towards an actor playing a role.

    In reaction to a post that highlighted this very issue, the actress took to her personal Instagram account to share how it has affected her and generally used the opportunity to speak out against the misogynistic comments that are being sent her way since the third season’s release.

    I do feel silenced. I do feel dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed. I’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I’ve grown UP in this character’s shoes (*emphasis on grown up – we change & evolve mentally AND physically). So with that I say: a) thank you to @butcherscanary b) this does break my heart – I’ve opened up a vein for this role and this kind of trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against and c) everyone’s going through their own battle(s); let’s not add to that. I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly add to yours. This has only strengthened my empathy muscle and to anyone who comes at me: I see you, I don’t hate you, I only empathize and forgive.

    Erin Moriarty

    It’s great to see Moriarty speak out against the things that are being thrown at her, especially with how much support she receives from her co-stars. We’ve seen a lot of misogynistic and racist comments made towards popular franchises, especially the recent reactions to House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, as well as any Marvel or Star Wars release.

    There’s a general odd trend surrounding the series take on political and pop culture satire. While it mocks DC and Marvel, it also owes a lot of its storylines and concepts to those franchises. The existence of counterculture isn’t new and is a recurring element we’ve seen throughout the years; even with the original The Boys comic back in the day. Yet, it’s being taken to a different level with hard-R and violent action being “for adults” and making comparisons to other superhero media out there.

    Source: Instagram

  • Funko Reveals ‘One Piece’ Funko of the Going Merry Heading to New York Comic-Con

    Funko Reveals ‘One Piece’ Funko of the Going Merry Heading to New York Comic-Con

    New York Comic-Con is just on the horizon and we’re slowly getting a few teases of what merchandise will be available for fans attending the event. Not only did we get our first look at Secret Invasion‘s Nick Fury due to their reveal, but it seems that One Piece fans are also getting something fun. As part of Funko’s Frightmare on Fun Street, there will be a new Funko POP! Ride that’ll feature Luffy on top of the Going Merry.

    Being teased as a “Super Deluxe” edition and limited for NYCC, this new Funko Pop will definitely be a must-buy for One Piece fans and collectors. It would be fun if they follow it up with a version of the Sunny or even the rest of the crew aboard the ship they initially joined the crew with.

    One Piece has currently seen quite a resurgence in popularity in the West. The franchise has sold more than Batman within 25 years mostly by dominating the Japanese and even French market; a reason the Red film has released there early while the rest of the world has to wait until October. There’s also the live-action adaptation that’s on the horizon which will add a potential boost to its popularity moving forward. So, it’s a perfect opportunity to bank on the franchise’s growing success by also giving them a bit more spotlight even during NYCC. Who knows if Netflix is also already preparing for a round of merchandise fo their own adaptation to accompany it once we get more news on the project.

    Source: Twitter