Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • RUMOR: ‘Tokyo Vice’ Director May Have Joined Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series

    RUMOR: ‘Tokyo Vice’ Director May Have Joined Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series

    We’ve been slowly getting a good look behind the scenes at who is working on the upcoming live-action One Piece series. Just recently, the agency United Agents gave away that Doctor Who director Emma Sullivan was working on the production. Earlier in April we also learned that Lost in Space‘s Tim Southam has joined the production as Daredevil‘s Marc Jobst wrapped work on the first two episodes of the series. Now, it may look like one more has been uncovered.

    First shared by @OnePieceNxBr on Twitter, an agency site for hair and make-up artist Amanda Ross McDonald reveals she is actively working on Project Panda, the name of One Piece‘s production. What sticks out is that alongside the previous three directors, they also confirm one more is part of the team. The list reveals that Josef Kubota Wladyka may be directing episodes of the series spearheaded by Steven Maeda and Matt Owens.

    Wlydka has been building up quite the filmography, as he not only worked on quite a few episodes of Netflix’s iconic Narcos and Narcos: Mexico series, but also recently worked on HBO Max’s break-out hit Tokyo Vice. He’s also worked on Fear the Walking Dead and The Terror. So, he has quite a varied background that’ll definitely come in handy

    Source: Gems Agency

  • ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Will Feature Disney Worlds

    ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Will Feature Disney Worlds

    Here’s a rather curious surprise, as Tetsuya Nomura, the man behind Kingdom Hearts, has offered some insight into what the upcoming fourth entry has to offer. We were teased about the new world known as Quadratum some time ago, but it seemingly hinted at a very different game moving forward. Yet, it turns out that those worried we won’t get a chance to visit Disney Worlds.

    In an interview with Game Informer, he reflected on his time with the franchise and also discusses some minor aspects of what the future has to offer. In it, he also confirms that we’ll definitely be visiting Disney worlds yet wouldn’t elaborate on which ones.

    With regards to Kingdom Hearts IV, players are definitely going to see a few Disney worlds in there. I just want to mention that they don’t need to worry so much about this aspect of the game. It might feel slightly different from previous Kingdom Hearts titles, but once players have had a chance to play the game, I’m sure they’ll be relieved to find that it is definitely a Kingdom Hearts title. It’s the game series that they’ve come to know and love.

    Tetsuya Nomura

    Of course, there’s been a lot of speculation that one of the “Disney” worlds they’ll visit might turn out to be from Star Wars. The new art style also seemingly hints at a possible Marvel inclusion, as the game has seemingly moved away from its more cartoon-inspired roots in its graphics. Well, it turns out that also played a key factor as they approached the project.

    As far as the graphic qualities … since with each new title, the specs have been really increasing and there’s so much more we can do in terms of graphics, it kind of limits the number of worlds that we can create in a sense. At this time we’re considering how to approach that, but there will be Disney worlds in Kingdom Hearts IV.

    Tetsuya Nomura

    They may have made some decisions based on the graphical challenges, as the more realistic the designs get, the more difficult it becomes to adapt some franchises to keep the design consistent. It’s a shame they didn’t keep a more stylized look, but the upcoming

    Source: Game Informer

  • ‘The Equalizer 3’ Adds Denzel Washington’s ‘Man On Fire’ Co-Star Dakota Fanning

    ‘The Equalizer 3’ Adds Denzel Washington’s ‘Man On Fire’ Co-Star Dakota Fanning

    Denzel Washington has proven that you’re never too old to lead your own action franchise, as he’s been busy preparing for the third entry of The Equalizer series. Now, he has added an old co-star, as Dakota Fanning has joined the production according to a new report by Deadline. She’s joining a franchise where both previous entries managed to pull in over $190M at the worldwide box office.

    Richard Wenk wrote the script for the third entry which Antoine Fuqua will direct. It’ll be the first time that Washington gets a chance to work with Fanning again since Man On Fire almost 20 ago. The third entry is eyeing a release on September 1st, 2023, and will likely start production soon.

    Fanning has been busy on The First Lady, a Showtime series, starring alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. There’s also the adaptation of Ripley where she worked alongside Andrew Scott and even returned to the second season of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness as Sarah Howard. She’s been quite busy with film and TV projects alike, and it seems she’s looking to add a fun action film to the mix.

    Source: Deadline

  • Josh Andrés Rivera Joins ‘The Hunger Games’ Prequel

    Josh Andrés Rivera Joins ‘The Hunger Games’ Prequel

    The upcoming Hunger Games prequel film has been quite busy with casting. We got the big casting of Rachel Zegler in the leading role of Lucy Gray Baird. She’s the songbird in the title of the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Tom Blyth has also been cast in the title role of Coriolanus Snow, who would eventually grow into the antagonist of the original Hunger Games. Now, they’ve added an additional member.

    Josh Andrés Rivera has joined the cast in the role of Sejanus Plinth. It marks a reunion for the actor who also appeared in West Side Story alongside Zegler. He’s taking on the role of Plinth, who is a close friend to Snow and also the mentor for the tribute from District 2, who will be played by Jerome Lance.

    The film has been busy casting as they are preparing to start produciton. Just recently, they added five new members to the cast which includes the previously mentioned Lance alongside Know Gibson, Aamar Husain, Ashley Liao, and Mackenzie Lansing. The cast is coming together and it’s going to be exciting to see how they welcome viewers back to the franchise with Snow’s younger years.

    Source: Deadline

  • Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Eyeing a $135M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Eyeing a $135M+ Opening Weekend Worldwide

    With Lightyear releasing in theaters in the near future, it seems that we’re finally getting some projects in on where exactly the film will perform. First estimates are giving the Toy Story spinoff a smaller estimate going into the theater due to not being a direct sequel and is potentially eyeing a $70M to $85M opening stateside. The film will make good use of Father’s day to pull in a Sunday audience plus Juneteenth is on Monday.

    Internationally, the film is going to release in 43 markets, as it has been banned in specific markets. UK and Mexico are frontrunners for the market but the estimates are at around $50M+ opening internationally. As of such, the film will likely play around $135M worldwide in total by the end of the weekend.

    Though it should not be underestimated that Top Gun and Doctor Strange kicked off an overall strong summer blockbuster, which is showing some of the best numbers we’ve seen since the pandemic started. So, the film may surprise us and pull in quite the audience given its legacy status. Sonic the Hedgehog left quite an impression with younger audiences that may motivate them to visit the theater again more often.

    Source: Deadline

  • Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Spinoff Trilogy in Development

    Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Spinoff Trilogy in Development

    Netflix has been busy with its live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yet, after the original creators of the series, Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, departed the adaptation to found an entire studio focused on the iconic franchise, we’ve anxiously waited for an official confirmation of their next projects Turns out they have not one but three films currently in development.

    Lauren Montgomery, a veteran of the franchise, is directing an untitled film in the franchise with two sequels already being worked on. The creators will be producing alongside Eric Coleman. They will be part of the Avatar Studios banner that was first founded back in February 2021. Ramsey Naito, Paramount Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation president offered the following statement.

    As original creators Mike and Bryan expand the ‘Avatar’ universe with us, we’re keeping it all in the family with Lauren bringing the same kind of expert, beautiful work she did on the original series to her new directing duties on the forthcoming theatrical.

    Ramsey Naito

    UPDATING

    Source: Variety

  • REVIEW: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Part 5

    REVIEW: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Part 5

    Darth Vader’s hunt for Obi-Wan Kenobi continues as we’ve entered the endgame for the Disney+ series. After a more lukewarm bridge episode, we’re back into the final confrontation as Darth Vader closes in on his former mentor and we finally unravel the secret of Reva’s obsession. While the episode keeps one wondering how exactly they’ll close out the series, it did offer a more thrilling experience than its predecessor. Yet, is it building up to become one of Star Wars best entire son Disney+?

    Let’s get one thing clear from the get-go, Darth Vader is the definite highlight once again. The force of nature that is being showcased continues to stand out and there’s something haunting about the way he blindly follows his rage. Yet, he’s also showcased to be fully aware of his surroundings; no matter the distraction. The best part is how they finally gave us a sequence with Hayden Christensen out of the suit, showcasing a lesson he seemingly has still not learned to overcome.

    Though as great as that sequence was, it once again highlighted just how many cuts are used to keep a flow going in this show. When we’re in the bunker under attack, the camera goes on a free-for-all and it sadly still is one of the show’s weakest parts. Yet, you can see the diamond under the rough when we get a final lightsaber showdown to cap off the episode. There’s a purpose for the camera work but it feels a bit too disjointed from the rest of the show’s more focused approach.

    Speaking of, Reva finally getting the necessary reveal on her overly ambitious goals; which were perfectly hinted at through the posters as uncovered by our own Hunter Radesi. In a way, it was a bit predictable in how it connected to the opening of the series and she isn’t truly “redeemed” by the end. They play on her having a different kind of ambition than the rest of the Inquisitors, but she isn’t suddenly a good person saving Kenobi. She simply has her own goals and is willing to use anyone to accomplish them.

    The stand out moment is an emotional one in the episode, which I don’t want to spoil. But, I will say I was surprised in how it did hit me and it was another highlight of the path that Kenobi has gone down in his life. There’s also a hilarious twist that kind of seemed obvious but still managed to keep people wondering if Obi-Wan Kenobi killed canon for weeks. Either way, it’s setting up what might be an exciting finale but does sometimes feel like they could’ve tightened the script up in some places, but it still was the best entry so far.

  • HBO Max Working on ‘Looney Tunes’ Musical

    HBO Max Working on ‘Looney Tunes’ Musical

    The whole gang is about to put the tune back in Tunes, as HBO Max and Cartoon Network are actively developing a musical titled Bye Bye Bunny: A Looney Tunes Musical. It‘s the second musical reveal from Warner Bros. Discovery after the Joker sequel was teased to take that direction with Lady Gaga in talks to join as Harley Quinn. According to Deadline, the film will feature an original song and dance numbers, as well as orchestrations of some classic WB musicals. The story is as follows:

    After starring in a long-running Looney Tunes Broadway smash production, an exhausted Bugs Bunny decides it’s time to trade in sold-out shows for life as a regular rabbit. Ever the spotlight opportunist, Daffy Duck attempts to step into the lead role, but his star ambitions are quickly sidetracked when he is kidnapped by an obsessive fan who has more sinister plans for her favorite stage duck. With his ticket to Broadway retirement in danger, Bugs sets off on a rescue mission to find Daffy and, with the help of his Looney Tunes co-stars, hopefully, his joy of performing again.

    Amy Friedman, Warner Bros. Head of Kids & Family Programming, has pointed out that it’ll offer “old Hollywood and Broadway vibes” as it offers the usual mayhem we’re used to from the Looney Tunes. The announcement follows shortly after a preschool series was also announced titled Bugs Bunny Builders. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert‘s Ariel Dumas and Next to Normal‘s Tom Kitt is set to write the screenplay and lyrics. It’ll be interesting to see what this take on the iconic cartoon characters might have to offer for young and old. Here’s hoping Elmer Fudd gets to scream “Kill the wabbit” at least once.

    Source: Deadline

  • Miranda Otto to Return as Eowyn in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Anime Film

    Miranda Otto to Return as Eowyn in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Anime Film

    While all eyes are on the upcoming big-budget live-action prequel The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we also have a new animated film on the horizon. The War of the Rohirrim promises to tell the story of what happened to the House of Helm Hammerhand, which was part of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s appendix. They have now announced the voice cast for the series. The big surprise is the return of Miranda Otto, who played Eowyn in the original films by Peter Jackson.

    She’ll be joined by Succession‘s Brian Cox, who’ll play King of Rohan alongside Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods), who’ll play Hammerhand’s daughter Hero. The ruthless Dunlending lord, Wulf, will be voiced by Snowpiercer‘s Luke Pasqualino. The story will take place before the events of the original novels as we learn the story of the fortress Hornburg, one that would eventually be known as Helm’s Deep.

    The voice cast is also joined by Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, Bilal Hasna, Janine Duvitski, and Jude Akuwedike. So, the film by director Keni Kamiyama has quite an impressive voice cast and will be the first anime adaptation of the franchise. Philippa Boyens, who was part of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit‘s screenwriting team, is attached to produce alongside Joseph Chou of Blade Runner: Black Lotus fame.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Black Adam’ Promo Art Offers a Closer Look at Hawkman’s Full Design

    New ‘Black Adam’ Promo Art Offers a Closer Look at Hawkman’s Full Design

    It looks like more promotional art has found its way from Black Adam. While a big highlight of these visuals was in the form of the titular character as well as offering a tease of the upcoming silver screen debut of the Justice Society of America. While the JSA has some iconic members and we got our first look ahead of the recent trailer drop through Funko Pops, it does seem like new promotional material has surfaced, as shared by Twitter user @TaurooAldebaran.

    What stands out this time around is we get a new wingless look at Hawkman. Aldis Hodge is taking on the task of bringing the iconic JSA member to the silver screen and it finally gives us a confirmation of his iconic battle mace. He also seemingly will have a shield that’ll definitely help him in his fight against Black Adam that was teased in earlier promotional material.

    We still know very little about the film and the trailer has seemingly stuck to only teasing a small part of the overarching story. It does try to paint the picture that the JSA is going to face off against Adam, but it does seem like there are other threats in the future, especially one with their different ideologies. Still, his overall design is great and we can’t wait to see more of Hodge‘s Hawkman when the film releases later this year.

    Source: Twitter