Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Dolph Lundgren Sets the Record Straight on ‘Creed’ Spinoff

    Dolph Lundgren Sets the Record Straight on ‘Creed’ Spinoff

    You’d think the announcement of a Drago spinoff focusing on the father-son duo by the same name spinning out of Creed would mostly have a positive place in media coverage. Yet, it seems that it hit quite a soft spot with Rocke himself, Sylvester Stallone who publicly spoke out against the franchise’s producers due to a rights ownership discrepancy. Now, Dolph Lundgren has “set the record straight” in regards to what exactly is going on and that he’s also in touch with Stallone in an interview with Variety.

    Just to set the record straight regarding a possible ‘Drago’ spinoff. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr. Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go.

    Dolph Lundgren

    So, it does seem it’s in very early stages and it may not happen given the circumstances; at least not with the returning cast. Plot details remain uncertain and if there’s no approved script, it might be in a very early stage of development. So, we’ll have to see how or when this project even comes together. It’s good to see that Lundgren is in touch with Stallone and offers some insights, as the former Rocky star has pointed to the producers of the franchise as “parasites” in a recent Instagram post. He’s actively condemned the Winkler family in the past and it’s interesting

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Prey’ Share One of Their Worst Experiences on Set

    ‘Prey’ Share One of Their Worst Experiences on Set

    Producing a film is never easy, especially something like Prey which takes you out of the modern world into a time that had its own unique challenges. Survival is essential and if you’re being haunted by the Predator, you will use every chance you have at your disposal. During the official press conference for Prey, the cast and director bonded over what may be one of their worst experiences, filming in a stinking mud pit.

    While discussing the tribulations of filming during COVID, director Dan Trachtenberg brought up how unexpected the “smell fo that mud pit” was that they used during filming. Main actress Amber Midthunder highlighted how “that smell is in my nose forever” before thanking the director. He surprisingly shared that it seemingly didn’t smell at first but something about it interacting with human

    Yeah, the haunting thing about that is that it didn’t smell at all before anyone got in it. And then as soon as human flesh entered that zone, suddenly, some chemical reaction happened and it was horrifying.

    Dan Trachtenberg

    Midthunder jokingly points out that it wasn’t because of her as she “was not the first one in there.” It’s definitely always interesting to find out what actors and the team on set have to go through when filming sequences, especially something involving something that seems simple like a mud pit. It also sounds like they made the best of it to ensure we get an iconic sequence featuring it as Midthunder‘s Naru faces off against an unlikely foe.

  • Latest ‘Spider-Verse’ Merch Offers First Look at Cyborg Version of Spider-Woman

    Latest ‘Spider-Verse’ Merch Offers First Look at Cyborg Version of Spider-Woman

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been pushed back by quite a bit, but it seems like the merchandise releases may have not received the memo. A batch of toys is finding their way online teasing the various characters from across the Spider-Verse potentially joining the project. Of course, there’s always a chance they are just creating some based on ideas and it isn’t definite they’ll have a role but the latest merchandise finding its sway online reveals a Cyborg Spider-Woman.

    You read that correctly, it seems like a cyborg version of Spider-Woman will have the role of some kind in the upcoming Spider-Verse sequel. Theere has been a version of the character int he comics with a cyborg version of Peter Parker, whose design is quite a bit different; the arm was more Winter Soldier and less 90’s arm cannon. You can check out the visual as shared by @preterniadotcom on Twitter.

    It’s surprising they are going down the Spider-Woman route with this character, especially given that the design is mostly similar to the classic red-blue from Spider-Man. Though, there might be an interesting story here that is teased, as she could be part of a Wasteland-inspired part of the Spider-Verse. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the upcoming sequel but hopefully, a new trailer isn’t too far even with the long wait until the sequel releases on June 3rd of 2023.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Batman’s Director Won’t Direct Episodes of the HBO Max Penguin Spinoff

    ‘The Batman’s Director Won’t Direct Episodes of the HBO Max Penguin Spinoff

    It wasn’t long around the time that The Batman sequel was announced that we got the confirmation we’ll also be getting an HBO Max spinoff based on Colin Farrell‘s Penguin. While we still don’t know where it’ll take place in the story or if it’ll fill the blank between sequels, but in an interview with Entertainment Today, Farrell offered some insight into how involved Matt Reeves is with the project.

    In the interview, the actor reveals that while Reeves is heavily involved with the upcoming spinoff, he is not going to direct any of its episodes. Farrell does say that he’s “all over” the upcoming Penguin spinoff, which he hints may be simply titled The Penguin but it’s great to know that Matt Reeves still is supervising the franchise even with the current shifts over at Warner Bros. Discovery.

    He’s so obsessive about what he does, but he’s all over [HBO Max’s] The Penguin [series] as well. I mean, he’s not gonna direct it but he’s all over the structure of the scripts and who’s gonna direct them. And so, it’s exciting.

    Colin Farrell

    It’s definitely interesting that he won#t take any directing duties, but if he’s eyeing starting production on the sequel in the near future, he’ll be quite busy sooner rather than later anyway. Plus, there’s also the other HBO Max spinoff he hinted at that’ll focus on Arkham Asylum that hasn’t had an update in a while. So, we’ll see if perhaps he plans to direct some episodes of that project.

    Source: Entertainment Today

  • ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Sequel Working Title Teases Storyline

    ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Sequel Working Title Teases Storyline

    It’s not long ago that we learned that Adam Wingard was starting work on the upcoming sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong. Monsterverse was seemingly facing its end with the big clash between the two Eastern and Western Kaiju giants but surprised many, as it was the film to kick off the box office during the pandemic. Now, work has seemingly started and the film’s production title may be teasing what exactly the film will be about.

    @KDM_Monsters shared what seems to be the clapperboard for the upcoming Monsterverse entry, which includes the working title. It appears that it’s currently filming under the title “Origins” which raises some questions regarding what we can expect from the upcoming project. In a way, it does seem to imply that the next entry may either explore the origins of either Godzilla or Kong, especially which was already set up in the latest entry, or even act as a prequel.

    It should also be pointed out that it confirms that Ben Seresin is back as the film’s cinematographer, as he’s also worked on the previous entry of the Monsterverse. The Godzilla vs. Kong sequel will have a lot of heavy lifting to do, as it not only has to continue where the previous one left off but also potentially build up the future of this franchise; if there is one at all.

    With an Apple TV+ series on the horizon, there are many questions about what we can expect and with no clear announcement, if this sequel is about Kong or Godzilla, it does add some questions if it might move away from the big two in future entries. Here’s hoping that they may get the momentum they are looking for to give us a third entry in the Godzilla franchise.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Prey’ Director on How the Disney-Fox Merger Delayed the ‘Predator’ Prequel

    ‘Prey’ Director on How the Disney-Fox Merger Delayed the ‘Predator’ Prequel

    In a few days, we’ll finally get our hands on the latest entry in the Predator franchise, Prey. The project is taking a very different direction this time around to offer something unique, as it’ll act as a prequel to the long-running R-rated franchise. Dan Trachtenberg has taken over directing duties on the eight entries in the franchise, and shares that he’s been actively working on this project since his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane.

    In the official press conference for the Hulu Original release, Trachtenberg got a chance to share just how the film came together and what led to it taking as long as it did, mostly pointing at the Fox-Disney merger being one of the many reasons that it took as long as it did to release it.

    Why now? Because it just took this long to make this movie. I started developing this maybe a year after 10 Cloverfield Lane came out. And the last movie came out in theaters. And then, the Fox-Disney merger happened. And all of those things really delayed this from getting going. But the main inspiration behind it was sort of a confluence of a couple things. One was really wanting to make a movie that was primarily action-driven, mainly told visually, but not wanting to that just be fun, just be a good time, to wanna inject that with heart and emotion.

    Dan Trachtenberg

    It’s unknown just how many projects may have been affected by the merger, as Disney did end up carrying quite a few to release. There has been a noticeable trend that productions under the 20th Century Studios brand are slowly becoming streaming exclusive releases. though one could also easily make the point that the pandemic has also led to the influx of streaming originals that eventually led to the current productions still releasing as mapped out. We’re seeing a few more finally hit theaters and it’s hinting at a new shift for the franchise.

  • ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ Has Soft Opening Weekend While Nope Faces Harsh Drop

    ‘DC League of Super-Pets’ Has Soft Opening Weekend While Nope Faces Harsh Drop

    The numbers are here and it does seem like DC League of Super-Pets isn’t going to make the box office explode as much as one would hope, as it came in at the lower end of its initial predictions with $23M. While it opened to a strong $2.2M, it didn’t quite pick up momentum over the weekend and was quite frontloaded; playing more like a usual franchise IP-driven project than family-friendly animation would even with an A- CinemaScore.

    The opening is closer to The Bad Guys back in April, which managed to leg out quite a bit, which the Super-Pets film can hope for with little to no competition. Perhaps taking over Black Adam‘s release date didn’t help either. It isn’t performing much better internationally either, as it pulled in 18.4M in 64 markets, which is quite below industry projections which expected at least a 41.4M worldwide opening.

    In other news, Nope took a heavy beating this weekend. Not only did it open quite below expectations but it dropped by 70% going into its Friday, not far from Marvel’s recent releases in the B CinemaScore club. It did take an overall 58.1% drop in its weekend which is higher than even Us which puts it at 80.6M now, earning 18.6M which is less than Get Out‘s 28.2M. Still, it’s currently on route to make around 140M and could still leg out in a very dead few months coming.

    Thor: Love and Thunder is also surprisingly quite a bit, as while it didn’t seemingly have the same legs as expected, it’s slowly picking up steam again and internationally performing decently with a 20.8M 4th weekend and now standing at 662.4M. Its projection is even growing again domestically, as it’s the 7th film to cross 300M in the US and now entered the Top 100. It could still end its run around 340M domestically, which is higher than Thor: Ragnarok‘s 315M. Only internationally it’ll slightly pass the original’s run sans China and Russia (and yes that is significant).

    The only thing hurting is that it does have a higher production budget of 250M which means the film will likely break even with a much smaller profit, still not bad considering the discourse surrounding it. Marvel isn’t dead by a longshot and still pulling in strong numbers. So far, the only real well-performing blockbusters entries have been 2020 layovers Top Gun Maverick and Minions: The Rise of Gru, which does raise some interesting questions. Everything Everywhere All At Once has also been one of those rare productions to keep its momentum, but not all indie productions have shared the same kind of momentum. We’ll see how this long pause may affect upcoming releases.

    Source: Forbes, Forbes, Twitter, The Numbers, Twitter

  • First Set Video of Prime Video’s ‘Fallout’ Series Teases a Familiar Location

    First Set Video of Prime Video’s ‘Fallout’ Series Teases a Familiar Location

    The last time we heard anything of the live-action adaptation of Fallout by Amazon Prime Video was back in June when they added Kyle MacLachlan to the cast. While things have gone silent, it seems that they are already setting up some iconic locations from the gaming series for the adaptation. Now, a new video has surfaced teasing the production getting ready to showcase the post-apocalypse with a rather familiar location.

    The video is quite short and shared by @frankpappalardo on his TikTok account. While it doesn’t reveal much, it does give us our first look at the series take on the iconic Super Duper Mart, we also see that they are definitely sticking to the traditional dusted version of a post-apocalypse.

    @frankpop89

    #frankpop #fallout #series #movieset #SAHD

    ♬ original sound – frankpop89

    It’s great that they are using iconic locations, and it’ll help highlight that this is definitely a Fallout adaptation. The trouble with the amount of post-apocalypse storylines nowadays is that it’s difficult to find a concept that makes you pop. Luckily, the Fallout franchise always had a charm that was uniquely it’s own and perhaps we’ll get more teases of iconic landmarks from the various gaming entries. We still don’t know where in the United States (if at all) that’ll take place. So, future set photos could give us further hints where this entry will take place and if it’s a location familiar to fans of the gaming franchise.

    Source: TikTok

  • ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Teases His Take on the Spider-Man Villain

    ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Teases His Take on the Spider-Man Villain

    Sony has been pushing forward with its Marvel franchise and is hoping to capitalize on the iconic rogue’s gallery of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. While we’ve recently focused a lot on Madame Web, Sony’s answer to Doctor Strange, there’s also the live-action adaptation of Kraven the Hunter in the future.

    Taylor Aaron-Johnson will take on the iconic role of Spidey’s most human foes, especially the one with the darkest storyline in Kraven’s Last Hunt. With rumors making the rounds online, the actor got a chance to tease what we can expect from his take on the character in the upcoming Sony game in an interview with ComicBook.com.

    I can’t confirm any details or anything. And also, I guess that was probably a little taken out of context and then run. I mean, I think you know what I meant what really stated was that he was a protector of the natural world I said and he’s a conservationist, which is probably more accurate, and then should have stopped there, full stop, shouldn’t have gone on beyond that because, yeah I think you know you really got to understand, yeah, he is a hunter and from that world of hunting and there’s so many aspects.

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson

    He also shares that there’s something that he found fascinating about the character and promises that this version of the character is definitely “going to be the hunter that we all want to see.”

    What I love about that character is that what is he humanizing is that he has flaws, right? Kraven is a beautiful character. Sergei Kravinov is a beautiful character because it’s someone who’s really understanding themselves and has flaws. This is a character that was built ages ago and it’s in a new time and era, but yeah, is he going to be the hunter that we all want to see? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson

    Many are still a bit confused about what to expect from the character, especially if they will try to humanize him in the upcoming project. The challenge is in how they then set him up as a future villain for whatever version of Spider-Man they plan on including. We’ll have to wait until the film eventually releases and potentially teases further connections.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Michael Mann Offers First Look at ‘Heat 2’, With the Words “Coming Soon”

    Michael Mann Offers First Look at ‘Heat 2’, With the Words “Coming Soon”

    Heat was one of those heist films that left quite an impression. For many, it was quite an iconic entry of the genre that would also set the path for future films trying to imitate it. Though while many were focused on the fact that he has been working on a sequel novel by the name; teasing it also acts as a prequel, he also had recently teased that he’s working on a film based on Heat 2.

    Well, it turns out that he jumped into production quite fast as Mann has shared a new picture on Twitter which seemingly hints that he already started working on filming the sequel. There’s always a chance he is making a trailer for the novel release, but given he teased that the Heat sequel is already underway just last week, it wouldn’t be surprising if he already started work on it.

    The “coming soon” is an interesting surprise and in a sea of legacy sequels performing quite well at the box office, its timing couldn’t be better. Given just how long it’s been since the first film was released–1995 to be exact–there might be a crowd waiting for one of the US’ most iconic criminal dramas.

    There’s no word if Al Pacino or Robert De Niro might return in one capacity or another, but a director like Mann is surely going to get together a very talented group of actors to bring the film back to theaters in style. If Top Gun Maverick is anything to go by, it’ll be interesting to see just how well this legacy sequel might perform.

    Source: Twitter, Playlist