Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Rogue One’ Returns to IMAX With ‘Andor’ Sneak Preview

    ‘Rogue One’ Returns to IMAX With ‘Andor’ Sneak Preview

    It looks like Lucasfilm found the perfect way to promote the upcoming release of Andor. While it was postponed to September 21st, it does look like they will build up to its release with a re-release of the Star Wars film, Rogue One. It is currently eyeing an August 26th release in select IMAX theaters as revealed by Fandango, which included the following tease as it’ll also include a special preview of the Disney+ series Andor.

    Experience Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in select IMAX theatres. Plus, get an exclusive look at the new Disney+ Star Wars series, Andor! In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.

    Image

    So, it’s quite the treat for fans of Rogue One that are excited to see what the upcoming prequel series has to offer. Andor will explore the earlier days of Diego Luna‘s character Cassian Andor. There are still no exact details on how the story will evolve, but the first trailers have teased that they are sticking to a similar vibe from the spinoff film.

    It’s still crazy to think that we haven’t had a film release in the franchise since 2019 and there is currently not a single one in production. Lucasfilm has focused all its efforts on Disney+, which still offers some exciting and sometimes even experimental projects but it does feel like something is missing when it comes to whatever their plans are on expanding the franchise.

    Source: Fandango

  • She-Hulk Spotted on Tinder to Promote Disney+ Series

    She-Hulk Spotted on Tinder to Promote Disney+ Series

    All eyes right now are on Marvel Studios’ next Disney+ series, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is set to release next week. There have been quite a few trailers and TV spots to promote their latest project. Sometimes they also get quite creative, such as when they had Ms. Marvel greet people on a billboard driving into New Jersey, her hometown. Now, Twitter user @jozopath has uncovered that Marvel Studios and Disney had a rather creative idea on how to promote their latest entry.

    Taking to Twitter, they’ve shared the fact that Marvel Studios# currently is advertising the Disney+ series through Tinder, the famous mobile dating site. The character has her own profile on the app, and when you swipe to DM her, you get a fun little list explaining what hse is like with a link to get a reminder when the series releases on August 18th.

    https://twitter.com/jozopath/status/1558401479152640001

    It’s definitely a great idea and it fits into what was teased from the project. We’re not getting our usual world-ending event but rather just joining She-Hulk’s journey of balancing her new abilities while also trying to have a normal life. We even had a sequence of her being on Tinder, which makes this a great little tie-in to that brief sequence. We’ll see if Hulk or even Abomination got their own profiles to also further advertise the project.

    Ironically, this isn’t the first Marvel series to advertise on Tinder, as Deadpool did the same thing for the first film’s release. There are a lot of fun ideas that one can do with these characters and using the real world adds a lot of tie-ins, especially with uncovering who the audience is for these projects that are slowly starting to diversify their audience.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Will See the Return of a ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Plotline

    ‘She-Hulk’ Will See the Return of a ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Plotline

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law will be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe venture into the legal side of its own universe. While it’s mainly going to be a comedy focused on the popular Marvel comic character, it still offers the opportunity to explore a corner that has yet to truly be explored. We already saw laws set in the wake of superheroing going wrong, and it seems that it’ll make a comeback in the upcoming Disney+ series as revealed by She-Hulk‘s head writer Jessica Gao.

    In an interview with The Direct during the series’ press tour, Gao revealed that we’ll see the return of the infamous Sokovia Accords. They were first enacted back in Captain America: Civil War due to the events that unfolded during a mission that went wrong for the group of Avengers. though the name is taken from Wanda Maximoff’s home country that was the focal point of Ultron’s plans in Age of Ultron. She reveals that we’ll find out what exactly happened to this legal paper at a later point in the season.

    Yeah. Well, this show will answer the question of whatever happened to the Sokovia Accords. It’ll happen later in the season, but you will get an answer to what actually happened to the Accords.

     

    It’s great to hear that they are bringing back this storyline and finally setting up what has happened to it. The Blip has taken over most of the discourse, but there were small hints at the existence of it still existing before the events of Avengers, especially with Steve Rogers still on the run. We’ll see just how it may be brought back and how it could potentially tie into the events of the series.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Head Writer Teases Characters They Couldn’t Use in the Disney+ Series

    ‘She-Hulk’ Head Writer Teases Characters They Couldn’t Use in the Disney+ Series

    With any Marvel project, it seems that the writers and directors want to use as many characters as they possibly could. Of course, Marvel Studios has some restrictions due to already set-in-stone ideas. A series that seemingly will include quite a few memorable appearances from the comics, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, also tried to get as many characters in it s they could as revealed by head writer Jessica Gao in an interview with The Direct.

    While she doesn’t give away any details on what characters they wanted to include (one exception we’ll get to later), it does seem like Marvel still gave them quite a lot of playing field. Yet, there are always some things that got in the way, may it be rights issues or just plans that were already set in motion of some kind, as pointed out by Gao.

    There were a lot of characters from the comics– we wanted a lot of the comics for characters for fun situations where we could bring in like a character and think of like funny reasons why they would be in legal trouble. But there were a lot of characters that were from the comics that we couldn’t use either because of a rights issue, or there were a few times where it was because Marvel… all they would say is that they had other plans. And that’s all they would tell us. And then, we tried very, very hard to poke, and prod, and get a little bit more information. Of course, they wouldn’t tell us.

    Jessica Gao

    She does go on to highlight that they had one definite restriction in the form of Spider-Man. It’s no wonder they couldn’t use the character due to the rights still being with Sony for live-action, which sadly seemingly limited how they handle the character moving forward but was a shame given how many fans of the webhead worked on the show.

    But I will say, the one MCU character that really bummed out a lot of the writers in our room that we couldn’t use was Spider-Man and anyone involved around– like in the Spider-Man universe. Because we had so many Spider-Man fans in the room.

    Jessica Gao

    It’s definitely a shame that Sony isn’t playing along with Marvel Studios, as including the character in other projects contractually would give their next entry a little boost. They still have to produce Spider-Man films in a specific time frame and we’ll likely hear about the fourth entry in the near future but it’s still a shame Tom Holland doesn’t get to play in the sandbox like everyone else does.

    Source: The Direct

  • Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel Still in Development But is “Years Away”

    Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel Still in Development But is “Years Away”

    We’ve all been excited when we got the announcement that Matt Reeves‘ The Batman was getting a sequel. Not only was the first film quite the global hit during the pandemic with $770M, but it also set up a new trilogy with an expansive franchise being built around it. HBO Max would feature a Penguin-focused series with Colin Farrell set to return in the role. That was not all, as there was also an Arkham Asylum project in some form of development. Yet, Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent shake-ups have made their future quite unknown for many.

    In a new piece by Variety, they offer some insight into what the future looks like even if it remains quite the mess. According to them, The Batman is still in development but doesn’t have a greenlight yet. As such, the project isn’t likely to see the light of day for a few years. This does add some uncertainty if whoever takes over DC Studios in the future has the patience to let Matt Reeves do his thing while he works on the sequel for an extended period of time. Plus, who knows if the spinoff series is as safe as some reports seemingly hinted at.

    It’s bizarre they aren’t trying to fast-track this project, especially if they are keeping up with the multiverse angle as Joker’s sequel is in active development. Plus, Reeves’ own little pocket universe offered something that made it stand out in the blockbuster landscape, and yet Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to create a unified universe. So, who knows if this might become an issue down the line with many visions colliding at some point.

    Source: Variety

  • HBO Max’s ‘Titans’ and ‘Doom Patrol’s on the Chopping Block, ‘Harley Quinn’ Seemingly Safe

    HBO Max’s ‘Titans’ and ‘Doom Patrol’s on the Chopping Block, ‘Harley Quinn’ Seemingly Safe

    Warner Bros. Discovery is taking a great big axe at everything DC, which has made many wonder what exactly they can expect from the future of this franchise. Batgirl‘s sudden cancelation and the bizarre situation surrounding The Flash have created quite the rift in the franchise’s future. There are also various other shows in some form of production with Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn, Titans, and many more on HBO Max. In a new report by Variety, it does seem that a little glimpse is given in regards to the future of these projects.

    First off, and scarily so, it seems that the popular and wildly out there series Doom Patrol is on the chopping block alongside fellow DC Universe series Titans. They have renewed not too long ago and it does seem like the next seasons are likely to release, but anything beyond that remains a mystery for now. Luckily, Harley Quinn is so popular that it’s safe but no word on its Kite Man-focused spinoff. #

    Constantine and Madame Xanadu, the two projects of J.J. Abrams prolonged Justice League Dark franchise, are also seemingly still in some form of development. Though whoever is set to spearhead the DC Studio could change that rather fast. For now, we’ll have to see if any of these projects may still see the light of day or if internal reshuffling in the near future could change any plans moving forward.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Joker’ Sequel Will Receive Massive Budget Increase From First Entry

    ‘Joker’ Sequel Will Receive Massive Budget Increase From First Entry

    Here’s quite the surprise but it looks like the upcoming Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux will have a twice as large budget as the previous entry. While it did surprise many when it pulled in over a billion at the international box office in 2019, it seems that the ambitious sequel will have quite a higher investment than the previous entry. The first was reported to have a budget between $55M to $70M, and it now seems that the latest entry will be closer to a high-budget Marvel film in scope.

    According to Variety, the film will have a budget of $150M due to the high salaries of Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Phillips, who are expected to get $20M. Lady Gaga, the long-rumored addition show as recently confirmed, will get $10M. That is not all, as the production costs will get raised quite a bit due to the complicated musical sequences that are planned for the project, even if Variety hints that it’s closer to A Star is Born than In the Heights.

    We’ll have to see just where the budget will go, especially if the project is mostly taking place at one location. Perhaps they plan to have the dance sequences break the mold of reality and add interesting showpieces to the two dance sequences. It does seem curious how the budget ballooned for the sequel after Phillips statements in regards to keeping the project “smaller and more personal” in the past but we’ll see how the Joker sequel will turn out.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Star Shares What It’s Like Working with Mark Ruffalo on Set

    ‘She-Hulk’ Star Shares What It’s Like Working with Mark Ruffalo on Set

    The world is about to meet its newest Hulk in Tatiana Maslany‘s She-Hulk. The upcoming law comedy will offer a unique look into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we not only meet its latest hero but also have the return of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. As his cousin, Jennifer Walters ends up gaining his abilities, he tries to find a way to help her control her newfound abilities.

    During the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law press conference, she pointed out what it was like working alongside Ruffalo on set, who has ten years on his belt as the iconic Green Goliath. She recounted a sequence of watching her co-star just transform into Hulk on set, showcasing the character and how much he’s personified the character at this point while doing a kip-up.

    He was laying down on the ground outside as Bruce, and then he got up as Hulk, like, truly from a laying down position, he’s suddenly standing. It looked completely inhuman. And I was like oh, so that is what 10 years of playing this character and physically embodying him and being so inside of him … you get to do cool stuff like that.

    Tatiana Maslany

    the fun aspect of just how much he personifies this character is highlighted that the actor says he can’t actually do a kip-up outside of his “Hulk-Mode” which highlights just how in the role he can get. Ruffalo has played the character ever since the first Avengers, and while we don’t know just how The Incredible Hulk might tie into the series but with Blonsky‘s return, there’s actually the chance other elements may also make a return in one way or another.

    Source: Slash Film

  • ‘Watchmen’ Showrunner Shares His Thoughts on Marvel’s Expansion

    ‘Watchmen’ Showrunner Shares His Thoughts on Marvel’s Expansion

    There’s been a lot of discussions surrounding Marvel Studios’ recent expansion. Fans of the franchise have been enjoying a smorgasbord of offerings with fan-favorite characters getting a chance at a live-action adaptation, which wouldn’t happen in any normal circumstance. Yet, some also feel like the franchise is watering down its offerings with the Disney+ series and releasing up to four or five films a year.

    Well, Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof shares the latter sentiment, as he highlights his own personal taste when it comes to media. In an interview with Variety, he highlights his own personal feelings towards franchises; something that has gotten quite popular from many more veteran members of the cinematic landscape.

    It’s always going to be hard because once you’ve got someone’s attention, you want to keep it. And so the idea of letting it go and not knowing if you’re ever going to get it back again is sort of like it’s antithetical to the way that we’re wired.

    Damon Lindelof

    He also gives that he believes that less is more in this case, as he’d love to see more memorable projects. Yet, he also makes the point that he simply likes things to end, one aspect of how he approached Watchmen that some believed could get a sequel season but remained a limited series after all.

    From a slightly sort of more cynical standpoint, this is a business. It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them…People don’t want things to end. I do.

    Damon Lindelof

    Lindelof also makes sure to point out that he doesn’t blame Marvel for doing what they are doing. It simply makes sense and he’s not innocent in working on franchising as well given his experiences with Star Trek and Prometheus.

    I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going. I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two ‘Star Trek’ movies and ‘Prometheus.

    Lindelof

    Damon Lindelof‘s points are definitely fair as something being short-lived tends to get a different view than when they continue going on. Phase 4 has been hit with criticism even by long-time fans due to hitting that sophomore slump that any long-running show or franchise tends to hit. There is a fun addition to this story, however, as Lindelof actually highlighted that he actively watches all these projects on his personal Instagram account, which adds an interesting bit of levity to the discussion

    So, it seems that Lindelof is also a fan of the franchise and it’s a shame that this may have been committed from the interview. He also goes on to highlight praise for Ms. Marvel as “one of the best things I saw on any network, streamer or movie screen in the past year. Originality masked in I.P… and a cultural authenticity that dares the entire industry to rise to it“

    Source: Variety, Instagram

  • Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Finds its Rika

    Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Finds its Rika

    Things have been a bit quiet on the live-action One Piece front, as we have heard very little on the production as of late. There have been some potential teases, but official news has slowed down quite a bit since Netflix’s Geeked Week. To be fair, it was quite the showcase with an actual set video and even quite the cast reveal.

    While things still remain a bit quiet until Tudum, we did get a little something to tide us over. Young actress Kamdynn Gary took to her Instagram and TikTok to reveal she has joined a production in South Africa. Now, it instantly made the connection to One Piece which she would then go on to confirm is going to play Shell Town’s Rika.

    For those that may not know, Rika is actually an important character early on as she was the one to feed Zoro while he was forced to starve for killing Helmeppo’s dog. We learn that he did exactly that to save her from the rabid dog, and would even get a small cameo in a cover story during the post-time skip. We haven’t seen her since and it’s unclear if Eiichiro Oda might revisit her character at a later point, but she definitely was memorable during her short time in the East Blue Saga.

    Source: Instagram