Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Christian Bale Open to Return as Batman Under One Condition

    Christian Bale Open to Return as Batman Under One Condition

    Christian Bale has been very busy doing the press tour for his latest entry into the superhero genre with Thor: Love and Thunder. The former The Dark Knight Trilogy actor was asked if he’d be open to returning as Batman in a new entry even as the DC Extended Universe has been going into a new direction and recently added Robert Pattinson as its new Batman.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, he opened up on a potential return while highlighting that “no one’s ever mentioned it to me” about potentially returning to the role. He said he’s open to it but there’s one condition that needs to be met, he’d only return if Christopher Nolan approached him to do so.

    I had a pact with Chris Nolan. We said, “Hey, look. Let’s make three films, if we’re lucky enough to get to do that. And then let’s walk away. Let’s not linger too long.” In my mind, it would be something if Chris Nolan ever said to himself, “You know what, I’ve got another story to tell.” And if he wished to tell that story with me, I’d be in.

    Christian Bale

    So, there is the issue that Nolan has seemingly moved away from his work with Warner Bros. after the chaos surrounding Tenet‘s theatrical release during the pandemic. Yet, with the multiverse storyline making the rounds as of late, who knows if they may find a way to convince him he’s interested in joining a DC Comics project after all. Still, it seems that he has made up his mind on when he may return to the role if at all.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • RUMOR: ‘Blade’ Production Start Delayed Until Fall

    RUMOR: ‘Blade’ Production Start Delayed Until Fall

    There have been many theories on when exactly the upcoming Blade film may star production. Mahershala Ali has been attached for some time and there was no real update on where the project exactly is heading. Just recently, we got our first big casting announcement in a while with The Wonder Years‘ Milan Ray, who joined the production in a key role. Now, it seems that they may be inching closer to an actual production start if the new rumor is to be believed.

    In a new piece by The Cosmic Circus, they hint that production is now eyeing a start in October. It seems they will be heading to Atlanta to film at Tyler Perry Studios. They may also be considering filming in New Orleans and Morocco, but the latter is unsure at this moment. Of course, as we’ve seen in the past, these production start dates can shift once again so we’ll have to see if it remains with October.

    Blade may be one of Marvel Studiois’ most “adult” characters they’ve added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it’s unclear what direction they are going with the character, especially with Ray‘s casting adding some curious rumors based on a character that never made its way into the comics. Still, if Ali was the one to approach Kevin Feige to bring this character to life, he may already have a clear vision how to tackle this character, and it’s going to be exciting to see what the future has in store.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Joins the Billion Club Worldwide

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Joins the Billion Club Worldwide

    Top Gun Maverick was quite an impressive entry this year. While opening smaller, the film has refused to truly lost its momentum; ironic given its focus on jet-fueled action. It seemed like the perfect addition after the pandemic that just had an audience coming to theaters that were waiting for this kind of film. Tom Hanks is about to celebrate his 60th birthday and to truly kick it off, he has now nabbed his first $1 billion box office release with the new Top Gun film.

    The film pulled in $521.7M domestically and $484.7M internationally. As such, it is the first release in 2022 to pass that mark and the second from the pandemic era. It is now joining the nostalgia-filled Spider-Man: No Way Home in taking on this huge task and offering a sign that the box office is truly back to where it was in 2019. The pandemic has strongly influenced releases worldwide and no one expected for Top Gun to make that difference, but a pure adrenaline-pumping rollercoaster of a film like this might be just what audiences have been asking for.

    It’s overall been a good year for the box office. Earlier in the year, the Scream revival had a better than expected opening, The Batman took in $768M and left quite a mark for DC with an impressive opening. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also surprised many as after a harsh drop, the film has been pulling in viewers and is inching its way to $950M before leaving theaters. While there have been some blunders like Morbius, the box office overall seems to be doing much better and it may get exciting with upcoming releases.

    Source: Deadline, The Numbers (The Batman), The Numbers (Doctor Strange)

  • ‘Elvis’ Opens to $30.5M as it Fights for Top Spot with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

    ‘Elvis’ Opens to $30.5M as it Fights for Top Spot with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

    The box office is certailny back and it’s been quite a rollercoaster ever since. What started off with a powerful bang back in December with Spider-Man: No Way Home, we’ve seen quite a few films pull in more and more viewers. Now, the top spot is being fought between the recent release of Elvis while Top Gun Maverick has not let go of its box office draw, as both are currently standing at $30.5M.

    It may change once the final numbers are in, but we’ve seen the best opening on a weekend since Thanksgiving 2018, as four films managed to open beyond $20M. Top Gun Maverick is also now at $521M nationally, which puts it as one of the best-holding films of quite a while. Similar to Jurassic World and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there’s something really interesting about legacy sequels that draw in an audience over many repeat viewings.

    Elvis’ performance is also a sign for more music biopics in the future as not only did it make more than the hit Rocketman but it also has been quite a favorite with viewers. So, perhaps this year’s box office is all about the legacy of the red white, and blue even with public news dragging people down quite a bit.

    The big release of this weekend is also Black Phone starring Ethan Hawke as The Grabber. the latest horror release has pulled in an impressive $23M which is already great with its $18M budget. The classic horror B+ CinemaScore is also going to translate into legs that we’ve seen with other horror films like Get Out, Happy Death Day, and recently Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Director Offers Details on 616 Mordo’s Grisly Fate

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Director Offers Details on 616 Mordo’s Grisly Fate

    There has long been a rumored sequence teased where Mordo would take on Wanda Maximoff in an earlier draft of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. During the commentary track from the latest digital release, as shared by Insider, director Sam Raimi reveals just how that sequence was going to end up. It looks like he was going to face a terrible fate and already hint at the brutal takedowns Wanda was going to execute upon the Illuminati.

    Michael had written an early scene with Chiwetel where we saw him in our universe, 616, where he was the Mordo that we knew from ‘Doctor Strange 1.’ Only he had been through many battles since that. He had a limp, and he was coming after the Scarlet Witch to take her power because he knew she was dark and terribly corrupted by the Darkhold. She killed him and cut off his head. Presented it to Strange in a later scene.

    Sam Raimi

    While praising the work by writer Michael Waldron, he does reveal that it slowed down the beginning and it was the reason it was dropped from the script. It also would’ve given away her dark turn quite early on and the mystery did add a little something special early on.

    What seemed like a sequence that would be dragged out throughout the film was swiftly pushed to the side and we got some creative creature designs. Plus, it kept us on edge when the actual takedown happens during the meeting with the Illuminati. Plus, it also keeps Mordo’s fate open and not just kill him off before truly exploring his rivalry with Strange more.

    Source: Insider

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Producer on Making the Mr. Fantastic Fan Cast a Reality

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Producer on Making the Mr. Fantastic Fan Cast a Reality

    John Krasinski joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the role he’s been fan-cast ever since an image made the rounds of him looking like Mr. Fantastic from the comics. Many years later, he would arrive in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as part of the Illuminati. Many wondered if this opens up the potential of him taking on the role in the mainline MCU, but while it’s not confirmed, producer Richie Palmer revealed why he was cast in the commentary track (as quoted by The Direct).

    It’s so funny that Kevin [Feige] cast John [Krasinski] because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be. And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, ‘Let’s make that dream come true.’ I’ve always really enjoyed all of his performances.’

    Richie Palmer

    It’s something that once again highlights just how much Marvel Studios listens to fans and it’s incredible that they were able to make it a reality. Krasinski and Marvel Studios have not given away if there’s a future for him with the franchise, but it definitely was a cameo alongside Anson Mount‘s return as Black Bolt that had many excited for the future of these characters.

    They also confirmed that Mr. Fantastic uses Doctor Doom’s Time Platform to appear in the sequences, which many theorized due to the visual design that is also not too different from the TVA’s transportation device. So, we may see more of it moving forward, and here’s hoping we ‘ll get more teases of the Fantastic Four joining the MCU at one point.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sound Mixer Teases a “Dynamic” New Direction in the Final Episodes

    ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sound Mixer Teases a “Dynamic” New Direction in the Final Episodes

    Ms. Marvel has been quite the standout in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only does it offer a window into the life of Muslim-Americans with the touch that many have wanted from these kinds of stories, but also one of the visual standouts in the franchise. While the series may be the most down-to-earth for the franchise, Ms. Marvel‘s sound mixer Chris Giles teases the final episodes as “dynamic” in an interview with The Direct.

    In the interview, he especially highlights how the later episodes will be “touching on things that a lot of Westerners may not even be aware” of and it may offer a culturally relevant backstory that we haven’t seen yet in the MCU.

    The standout ones will be, somewhere in my mind, for me, will be later in the series. Because we start touching on things that a lot of Westerners may not even be aware of existing. Maybe if you follow the canon of Ms. Marvel and a few other things, you might be able to kind of piece it together and figure some of this out. But I’m fascinated that there are some stories that are going to be told through this medium. And it’s kind of to me, it’s backstories, it’s sort of things that help develop these characters.

    Chris Giles

    He also goes on to highlight how this new series format offers a way to further explore the origin stories of the characters and continues to tease that “some really, really cool things coming” our way in the Disney+ series.

    Because, you know, Marvel gets critiqued a lot for, oh, there’s no character development, oh, it’s just flashing and banging and blowing things up, and this and that. Especially these episodic streaming projects, they’re able to flesh out a lot of backstories. So, whenever you do greet them on the big screen, you’re like, oh, I was able to read up on such and so, this is why they are at, you know, an adversary to this other person that I thought was a good person or bad guy, or whatever the case is. No, there are some really, really cool things coming.

    Chris Giles

    What stood out in the interview is that he also teases a “dynamic differently” direction as the backstory is further explored. The last episode already offered us a glimpse into a very surprising new direction with Ms. Marvel’s origin and we may get a better look as more puzzle pieces fall into place moving foward.

    I can’t say. When they start building more of the backstory, it gets more dynamic differently than I think a lot of MCU things have typically. So, if nothing else, because it’s different. It stands out in my mind. I hope it translates to the audience because we can perceive it one way, because we’ve read the scripts we’ve been through the process. And we can applaud our ways all the way to release. But, until the audience sees it, you have no idea if it registers, or if it speaks to people. Mostly because the demographics that it serves are what speak to me the most. If nothing else, the more youthful audience.

    Chris Giles

    It definitely sounds like Ms. Marvel may continue to evolve and if it hits the landing, could find its place among the top of the Marvel Studios’ offerings on Disney+ so far. It has the most “weekly” feeling, unlike some of the other dramas that have a more “six-hour film” approach. So, it’s going to be exciting to see how the story comes together.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Producer Highlights Wanda and Strange’s Importance to the MCU’s Phase 4

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Producer Highlights Wanda and Strange’s Importance to the MCU’s Phase 4

    Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been an interesting experience for many. Each project has been a bit more self-contained without a clear build-up, outside of Loki‘s set-up of what is very likely the final conflict of this new saga, and has led to some confusion about what the future has in store. Without an Avengers film on the horizon, many wondered when these newly introduced heroes would truly unite and who will take on the key roles that Steve Rogers and Tony Stark had in the Infinity Saga.

    Well, producer Richie Palmer has highlighted that “Doctor Strange is the anchor of Phase 4” and “Wanda Maximoff is the jewel in the crown.” Especially Elisabeth Olsen‘s time as Wanda has gone through a major shift with her tale in WandaVision and turn to villainy in the Doctor Strange sequel (transcript provided by The Direct). He highlights them as follows:

    Yeah, it’s crazy to see Wanda act like this for the first time, it’s so exciting. And for fans of the comics, we were so excited to bring this to screen and finally deliver on the promise. Once you introduce the character of the Scarlet Witch, even before she was the Scarlet Witch, we introduced her in Age of Ultron, there was always the hope that we can bring her to this place of her doing things like [infiltrating Kamar Taj]. And it’s really exciting, and she is the best. If Doctor Strange is the anchor of the MCU of Phase 4, then Wanda Maximoff is the jewel in the crown.

    Richie Palmer

    While he doesn’t point to their role in the new saga, which Kevin Feige has teased may become clearer in the coming months. They are seemingly building up towards a Secret Wars crossover which would require some of the strongest universe-defying characters to bring some logic to it. So, who knows if perhaps the remnants of the Dakrhold are the incursion that was just waiting to unleash them unto Battleworld.

    Source: The Direct

  • Taika Waititi Struggled Balancing ‘Our Flag Means Death’ and Editing ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Taika Waititi Struggled Balancing ‘Our Flag Means Death’ and Editing ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Taika Waititi has been quite busy as of late. Besides producing various projects, he’s also been trying to get some projects going that sadly wouldn’t move forward, like a live-action Akira but ended up focusing on directing Thor: Love and Thunder. Yet, he was also involved in playing Blackbeard in the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death. Turns out, he may have overestimated the projects after all and ended up editing while still in costume.

    In an interview with SlashFilm, the Love and Thunder director talked about it being the first project where he was asked to take on the role. It seems that David Jenkins had him in mind when creating the seris’ take on Blackbeard, and somehow they made it work out that he was able to take on the role.

    This is one of the rare occasions where I didn’t put myself in my own thing; someone else asked me to do it. David Jenkins wrote Blackbeard with me in mind and, at first, I was just too busy to do it. But with some shuffling of schedules, we were able to do it, which was great because I really wanted to play the role. I would have been really bummed out if I had missed out on it.

    Taika Waititi

    He highlights how he would end up editing the project at night after playing Blackbeard

    I was Blackbeard by day and then was editing ‘Thor’ by night and doing various other things. I was trying to work from set with the shaggy hair and the beard. It was a management nightmare, but we pulled it off and it was probably one of my favorite roles that I’ve played because it’s something I didn’t have to write so I could bring a lot of myself to it.

    Taika Waititi

    The irony of two unique love stories overlapping production is a curious fate, but it may have helped develop them. While he does call it a “management nightmare” it seems that he certainly is passionate about both projects. So, we’re the lucky ones to get to see him bring Blackbeard to life and Love and Thunder.

    Source: SlashFilm

  • Don’t Expect the Multiverse in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Don’t Expect the Multiverse in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    In an interview with Total Film, director Taika Waititi got the chance to discuss some of the theories that have run rampant ever since the first time he announced that Natalie Portman was going to become the Mighty Thor. Some believed that they may be a version from the multiverse, as many other projects like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness start expanding beyond the Sacred Timeline. Yet, while there wasn’t a clear confirmation, Waititi confirmed that this is definitely not part of the expanding multiverse.

    While he said that he “[likes] the idea of the Multiverse,” he wants to make clear that this film is “the singular-verse” part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and that “nothing like that in this film.” Though he does highlight that he wanted this project to stand out from the rest as it also focuses quite a bit more on romance, which isn’t too surprising with a title like Love and Thunder.

    ”I feel like this one feels more original and unique, and stands apart from a lot of other Marvel films because of that element of love, and leaning into that idea of what love means for all these characters. You never go to those superhero movies to see a movie about love. It’s a preposterous answer. No fan wants to see that. But as I said with the last film,  they don’t know what they want until they get it.

    Taika Waiti

    So, if you’ve been wondering if we’ll explore the multiverse in the upcoming film, here’s your clear confirmation that won’t be the cast. Some might not be too excited for a romance subplot in the MCU again, as they were mostly sidelined for the main story but it does seem like Waititi had an idea to make it stand out.

    Source: Total Film via The Direct