Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Loki’, ‘Hawkeye’, and ‘What If…?’ Nab Emmy Nominations

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Loki’, ‘Hawkeye’, and ‘What If…?’ Nab Emmy Nominations

    Emmy season has started and while Marvel Studios isn’t topping the board this time around after the success with WandaVision, which did only end up winning a few actual awards, they are still going to be present this year. We already reported on Moon Knight drawing in an impressive eight nominations but that#s not the only series to draw in Emmy’s attention.

    Hawkeye got a bit snubbed this year with only two nominations. They have been nominated for Best Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series as well as Best Stunt Performance. Loki, however, was able to draw in six nominations in total with Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, Best Music Composition, Best Original Main Title Theme Music (well deserved), and Best Sound Editing. What If…? has also received three nominations, which include a posthumous nomination for Chadwick Boseman, Outstanding Animated Program for the Doctor Strange episode, and one for Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher.

    All three shows were quite well received by critics and have left their impression upon the MCU with some unique concepts. Loki stands out for telling a story out of time while Moon Knight was the most standalone since the original Iron Man. In a way, Hawkeye gave us the most grounded of all the Marvel Studios storylines as Clint had to take down a mafia.

    Source: Variety, Deadline

  • Chadwick Boseman Receives Posthumous Emmy Nomination for ‘What If…?

    Chadwick Boseman Receives Posthumous Emmy Nomination for ‘What If…?

    With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the horizon, it’s been on many minds how much the Marvel Cinematic Universe won’t be the same without Chadwick Boseman‘s T’Challa. He’s certainly left a landmark performance and we still got to hear his voice in the animated What If..? series for Disney+ sometime after his passing. Now, the Emmys have revealed their nominations and it turns out that Boseman has received one posthumously for his performance in the Disney+ series.

    He’s not the only one, as Jessica Walter has also been nominated for her work in animation, as she gave a memorable performance in Archer even 12 seasons in. The season bid farewell to the actress who gave us one of the most memorable mothers in animation. She and Boseman are both nominated with this becoming Walter’s sixth overall nomination.

    The nomination for Chadwick Boseman will count as his first, which is fitting timing given how many of the team behind What If…? paid tribute to his work on the series and in the MCU. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has been quite vocal about not recasting the actor in their universe, and it has led to some uproar online but it’s uncertain just how the mantle of Black Panther will be carried on. For now, it’s a nice touch for him to receive this nomination for his hard work on the project.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Ironheart’ Star Spotted on Set as Disney+ Series Starts Production

    ‘Ironheart’ Star Spotted on Set as Disney+ Series Starts Production

    Actress Domique Thorne has been busy with her work on the upcoming Black Panther sequel where we’ll first meet Riri Williams. The genius college student would be the first to develop a suit of armor as advanced as Tony Stark and she is set to get her own Disney+ series. Now it seems that the first set photo has seemingly found its way online.

    Atlanta Filming, who has shared set photos in the past, took to his Instagram account to share a first look at Domique Thorne on what is likely the set of Ironheart, which may have only recently started production. We don’t have a set release date for the project but it’s exciting to know that work is underway.

    We don’t get an exact look at if this is her costume, but the purple jacket could seem like something Riri Williams wears. There have been rumors that might hint at her suiting up as the titular Ironheart even before her series premiers, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever tie-in promotional material is hinting that we’ll see her Mark 1 at some point in the series. It’ll be interesting to also see how her story may connect to Armor Wars series that is also set to kick off at some point.

    Source: Instagram, The Direct

  • Taika Waititi Has No Plans to Release ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Deleted Scenes

    Taika Waititi Has No Plans to Release ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Deleted Scenes

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been teased to have quite a few deleted scenes, especially starring Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, and Peter Dinklage. Many were excited to see the return of the Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War veterans but for some reason, it ended up on the cutting room floor. As such, many were looking forward to the physical and digital release to offer a glimpse at what was going to be included. Yet, Taika Waititi has seemingly no plans to release them.

    The Love and Thunder mastermind has always been rather straightforward with his answers, though he also enjoys playing with people such as the recent CGI scene that made the rounds, he has pointed out that he’s not interested in releasing the cut sequences.

    And if you ask any of those actors who were cut out — Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage — they all understand how it works. They have been in the game long enough. But that’s just the way I look at things. […] because this is my way of telling you, like, people say, “I can’t wait for the deleted scenes with those actors.” I don’t want people to see the deleted scenes because they’re deleted for a reason: They aren’t good enough. [Laughs.] The scenes were not in the movie and that’s it. 

    Taika Waititi

    It’s a bit of a surprise, especially with how deleted scenes are a tradition with any additional release. Of course, they may still find their way unto the blu-ray disc if Marvel Studios has the final say but it’s unclear just how much input he’ll have on the project. We still have to wait a few months until we find out.

    Source: Insider

  • Former Marvel Studios Lawyer Opens Up on Missed Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Deal

    Former Marvel Studios Lawyer Opens Up on Missed Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Deal

    While Benedict Cumberbatch has become THE definite Doctor Strange for many, there was a time when Marvel Studios was eyeing Joaquin Phoenix to take on the role. He famously passed on it, as he wasn’t a big fan of their multi-film contract. A lot has happened since that day, as even Marvel Studios moved away from that model, and former production lead attorney Paul Sarker revealed in an interview with The Direct that the Phoenix situation was a key catalyst for their current strategy.

    But to be perfectly honest, the Joaquin Phoenix thing was unique to me, because there was a deal and because it was pretty far along. And we were hopeful that it would close, but it didn’t. And that happens. And that to bring it back full circle, things like that may be why Kevin is saying we don’t want to do these super long-term deals because we want to see what works and if it works, and people want to do more than we’d love to have [them]. We don’t want someone to feel like they’re forced.

    Paul Sarker

    While everyone still benefitted in the end, as Phoenix went on to make a splash with another comic book property in Joker and Cumberbatch became the de facto choice for anyone imagining what this character would look, sound, and be like. It would be fun if he does end up returning in a cameo as the multiverse continues to expand. Sometimes these things just fall into place and it also highlights once again that Marvel Studios is a studio that tends to learn with time.

    Now, they have a bigger universe than ever and their talent is still interested in returning even without any real contractual obligations like in the past. Even Natalie Portman and Idris Elba returned after sharing their dismay with the contract in the past. So, who knows what else they might have started learning and adjusting.

    Source: The Direct

  • Russell Crowe’s Zeus Almost Had a British Accent in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Russell Crowe’s Zeus Almost Had a British Accent in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    There are many standout elements in the story of Thor: Love and Thunder, but Russell Crowe‘s Zeus was definitely a fun addition. As a member of the city of Gods, he puts on a great show and we even uncover that Thor looks up to the fellow god of lightning. One of the fun aspects of his character was that Crowe was pulling off a fun Greek accent, but according to director Taika Waititi he couldn’t quite decide on which accent to go with. So, he just had the actor play each scene with both.

    No. You would love to think that, I would love to think that. We actually talked at length about the accent. We wondered if someone did a Greek accent of a Greek god, is it going to be a farce? Will it be too silly? And Russell was very much wanting it to be Greek. But I wasn’t sure, so we ended up doing two versions of every take with Russell. One in a Greek accent and then another in a British accent. Because I felt people would think Zeus would sound British like Laurence Olivier in “Clash of the Titans.

    Taika Waititi

    He did highlight that the Greek accent was welcomed with open arms by the test audience, and it also worked out much better. His worry about offending Greeks has seemingly been solved and Crowe‘s gut instinct was on the money.

    But then I realized in post that it’s actually more offensive to the Greeks to have Zeus sound like he’s British. And test audiences loved the Greek accent. I’m really happy with it. But, yeah, he had to do every take once in the Greek accent and once with a British accent because I couldn’t make up my mind. But Russell was right all along.

    Taika Waititi

    It definitely is interesting to see how these ideas come together. What stands out however is that he went through the trouble of shooting both versions, which may have put a lot of weight on various parts of the production crew, especially if he couldn’t decide even going into the test screenings. Perhaps we’ll get the British Zeus with the digital and physical release.

    Source: Insider

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Almost Had a Bigger Role in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Guardians of the Galaxy Almost Had a Bigger Role in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    When the news dropped that Thor: Love and Thunder would arrive ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, many were surprised and wondered how they would integrate them into the story. As it turns out, they had quite a small role early on as many expected when the first trailers hinted that they’ll likely only be in an early part.

    Surprisingly, it turns out that early ideas originally had the team having a bigger role. While it’s unclear just how they would’ve connected to the ending, it does seem like they were going to become the cavalry that comes rushing in to help thor in his battle against Gorr. Yet, they realized that the focus should remain on Thor and Jane Foster.

    The plan was always to have them in the beginning and then move on. Because they have their own movie. There was talk about having them come back at the end. The thing is that happens in every movie. No more. No more of the cavalry coming at the end. So we shelved that idea. We just wanted Jane to come in at the end.

    Taika Waititi

    While it is a bit strange to not give them one last wink, potentially even teasing their future storyline as a setup for the threequel but the emotional aspect was prioritized. Plus, the friends that they made along the way were there to also set up the ending of the film. We’ll see just where the Guardians are heading with their potentially final story but we’ll have to wait and see.

    Source: Insider

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director on How They Made Natalie Portman Taller With Movie Magic

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director on How They Made Natalie Portman Taller With Movie Magic

    Most discussions surrounding Marvel Studio’s films have been seemingly hyperfocused on CG ignoring most of the other work that goes into these projects. If you paid close attention, you’ll notice that Natalie Portman has grown a bit whenever she transforms into Mighty Thor. Well, it turns out that they used some movie magic to make her taller. In an interview with Insider, Taika Waititi revealed just how they accomplished that very feat.

    As it turns out, all they had to do was build a small deck for her to stand on. So, while everyone else is walking, she’s walking alongside them on a deck of some kind. It seems the challenge they faced was that Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson had to walk alongside him. So, it seemingly brought a few challenges of its own.

    We built a whole bunch of decking around the set. First we would block out the scene — mark out where the actors have to go so the crew knows the whole layout — and once we did that we build an elevated platform that was 4 feet high from the floor that she would walk on. But we also had to leave room so Chris and Tessa could walk around at regular height. It was a weird maze. But it worked.

    Taika Waititi

    It’s always fun to get a little look behind the scenes and hints at how exactly they accomplish these things. Robert Downey Jr. also used to wear higher heels in his shoes to seem taller on camera. So, it’s not the first time they pulled off something like this. It’s also great that they added this detail to highlight how she changes through the powers of Thor granted to her through Mjolnir. Sometimes it’s the small details that add that extra attention from the production team.

    Source: Insider

  • Taika Waititi Would be Open to Return for a ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Sequel

    Taika Waititi Would be Open to Return for a ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Sequel

    Thor: Love and Thunder is certailny a surprisingly divisive film, as Taika Waititi brought his own humor to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. As the internet is ripping itself apart over its quality and the implications of recent hints regarding the VFX industry, the director sat down with Insider to discuss his future with the franchise. In it, he highlighted that Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor while also hinting that he’s certainly open to returning for a fifth Thor film.

    Waititi does confirm that he wasn’t aware of Hemsworth returning for future entries and it seems that the “Thor Will Return” tag was something added at a later point. It’s always unclear just how much insight the directors have on sequel plans.

    Well, guess what? That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking. I saw it in the theater and I was like, “Oh, shit. Really?” Even Chris was like, “What?” But, of course he’ll be back. He’s the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he’s the most fun to watch

    Taika Waititi

    The big question however is if we’ll not only see a fifth Thor entry but also if Waititi is open to returning. There’s been quite the backlash as of late in regards to the MCU entry not performing as some “expect” from the franchise, and the film has faced some harsh criticism. The big aspect of him returning however is only if Chris Hemsworth is also down to make another film.

    Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like “Nebraska.”

    Taika Waititi

    Given Thor has dabbled in space and on Earth, there are quite a few stories they could tackle. While personally exploring the darker storylines within the Norse mythology would be a preferred direction, there are quite a few stories still worth pulling from to explore just what exactly the future has in store for the franchise.

    Source: Insider

  • Former VFX Artist Shares Experience Working for Marvel Studios

    Former VFX Artist Shares Experience Working for Marvel Studios

    There have been many discussions made on Social Media in regards to Marvel’s use of CG. While some tend to drag it down for one reason or another, there’s been an overall industry issue at play for quite a few years now. One former VFX artist for Marvel Studios has opened up on the experience on Twitter.

    Druv Govil has shared his side of working on a Marvel TV series and how that experience also led to him leaving the industry. He calls the production house as a “horrible client” but also highlights that this is mostly due to their deep pockets that they support the industry with.

    https://twitter.com/dhruvgovil/status/1546256207219871745?s=21&t=T61Lp8NE3FTG9kj1wqDSQw

    We, of course, have no detailed insight into how exactly Marvel functions. Yet, there are instances that hint at them having the habit of changing elements shortly before release, which would naturally slam any industry.

    There will likely be people who had positive experiences as well, as we’ve seen in the past such as some statements. Everyone’s mileage can vary but there definitely is an industry problem with VFX agencies. We’re seeing many face issues throughout and might see more statements in the future.

    Stranger Things recently was highlighting how their VFX teams worked until even after the series released on the show. Only to push a tweet claiming that Vecna’s design is without CG. Cats’ production even re-released a version after hitting theaters with better effects.

    This issue is also sadly not unique to the VFX industry, as a rise in demand for cheaper and cost-effective services has become the norm in many others. The advertising industry also works on a sink-or-swim survival tactic with the biggest clients inquiring last second changes repeatedly. Internal management also plays a big role as works get dumped on the various team that have little to no say. We’ll have to see if this current movement will potentially be the point where the VFX industry unionizes.

    Source: Twitter