Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • First Look at MCU’s Wrecking Crew May Have Been Spotted in First ‘She-Hulk’ Trailer

    First Look at MCU’s Wrecking Crew May Have Been Spotted in First ‘She-Hulk’ Trailer

    There have been quite a few discussions last night as the first trailer dropped for She-Hulk. Many have focused on the CG work for Tatiana Maslany‘s transformation into She-Hulk but also the vibe it is seemingly going for, as it may give us the first Disney+ series that’s full-on comedy. A press release confirmed that we can expect Benedict Wong‘s return to the MCU right after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but there’s one aspect that may have gotten overlooked in all the chaos.

    Early in the trailer, we can see a group of people that are wielding crowbars. While they seem like an unassuming group of thugs but this may be our first look at the MCUs take on the Wrecking Crew. We’ve heard rumors back in July of 2021 that the group of Thor villains would appear in the series, and this might be our first look at them.

    It definitely is a different take on the team, as they aren’t wearing their over-the-top costumes from the comics, but them all wielding wrenches seems like the dead giveaway that it’s them. Of course, they may all get powers at a later point and this is just our first introduction to them. So, we’ll see if they’ll also embrace the concept from the comics and we get some magically enchanted crowbars. Either way, they may be a group of recurring villains throughout the show’s runtime and it’ll be interesting to see how they balance the comedy with their usual superhero action.

  • Kevin Feige Confirms ‘Loki’ is Marvel Studios’ Most-Watched Disney+ Series

    Kevin Feige Confirms ‘Loki’ is Marvel Studios’ Most-Watched Disney+ Series

    So far, we’ve been strongly dependent on external analysis to see just how successful the various Disney+ series have been. Yet, most have pointed to Loki potentially being their most-watched series so far, and luckily during Disney’s Upfront conference, Kevin Feige confirmed that this was indeed the case. The timing is also perfect as they are about to start production on the second season in a few weeks. So, expectations might be high for the continuation to build upon the momentum of the first.

    We’ve seen from SambaTV’s analysis that this was most likely the caste, but as it’s a third-party analysis it doesn’t work as a definite confirmation of where the viewer ratings lie. Plus, it’s unclear what exactly Disney+ is focused on when it comes to what makes a show successful, as the subscriber count is their main draw to further grow their income for the service. So, they may be looking at multiple factors at play, especially as their projects are a bit more sprayed out.

    Now, the question remains what might be the series to dethrone it moving forward. She-Hulk just dropped its trailer and has some positive buzz around it besides some concerns about the CG. Still, with quite a few interesting projects heading our way, you never know what project might draw in the most attention and potentially take Loki‘s throne as Marvel Studios’ most-watched Disney+ series.

    Source: Twitter

  • Benedict Wong Confirmed to Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    Benedict Wong Confirmed to Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    Here’s a rather big surprise, while all eyes are on the trailer for She-Hulk which included a few glimpses at the supporting cast and villains Tatiana Maslany‘s version of the character will face. Yet, there’s one little additional casting tucked away in the official casting list. It looks like fresh off of his appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Wong will return once again to the MCU in the She-Hulk Disney+ series.

    The series will run for nine episodes similar to WandaVision. It’s a shorter runtime than initially expected, as comedies were rethought to have around ten episodes while drama’s focused on six. It seems that plan has shifted since the release of their first series, which had to shorten its episode count due to the pandemic. Considering the budget involved with a fully CG Hulk, She-Hulk, and Abomination, it might’ve ballooned quite a bit while VFX houses are also struggling to keep up.

    For now, the series looks like a lot of fun and has an Ally McBeal feeling going for it combined with some superhero action. There’s a lot we don’t know yet about the series and it’s unclear if it’ll have an overarching structure or go with a weekly case concept. For now, we can only wait and see as more information arrives and the next trailer gives us a better look at how they bring the character to life.

  • First ‘She-Hulk’ Trailer Reveals New Title for Disney+ Series

    First ‘She-Hulk’ Trailer Reveals New Title for Disney+ Series

    After a long wait, the first trailer finally arrived for Disney+’s She-Hulk. We’ve only gotten a glimpse at the project during last year’s Disney+ Day alongside a new logo, but that was only the tease of what’s to come. The project also got a new logo at the time, which was closer to its Law & Order inspirations rather than the comic-inspired logo. It seems that it got another revamp and a new logo going along with it, as the Marvel Studios series is now titled She-Hulk, Attorney At Law.

    Image

    Now, the title certainly highlights the comedy series’ strong focus on procedural, as we’ll likely spend a lot of time with the titular heroine trying to fight her way through one lawsuit after another. Yet, it also may have caught the attention of some that are fans of Cartoon Network’s earliest Adult Swim era. The title seems like a tribute to Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

    If it is intended, the tribute makes a lot of sense given the way that the animated series featured a former superhero acting as an attorney. He would have various iconic characters from Hanna-Barbera’s animation history pop in for various lawsuits, no matter how crazy they may have been. We’ve even written a piece in December of 2020 about how She-Hulk should echo that series given its perchance to also break the fourth wall. Maybe we even get some appearances of Gary Cole or Stephen Colbert, which would be a nice little touch to pay tribute to the iconic Adult Swim series.

    She-Hulk will begin streaming on Disney+ on August 17th.

  • Ava DuVernay’s Animated ‘Wings of Fire’ Adaptation Canceled by Netflix

    Ava DuVernay’s Animated ‘Wings of Fire’ Adaptation Canceled by Netflix

    It hasn’t been easy for Ava DuVernay‘s projects as of late. Not only did her New Gods project get canceled by Warner Bros but her new CW series adaptation of Naomi won’t be returning for a second season. Now, it looks like her animated adaptation of the Wings of Fire‘s fantasy book series.

    It looks like her series is one of many animated series that were cut as a result of Netflix’s recent subscriber drop. The adaptation would’ve explored Tui T. Sutherland’s books, which would’ve run for a ten-episode season. It explores an ongoing war between dragon tribes of Pyrrhia. A prophecy proclaimed that five young dragons would lead to peaceful times, who would set out on a quest to uncover themselves and just what led to the war in the first place.

    Dan Milano and Christa Starr were working on the project as showrunners and executive producers. DuVernay and Sutherland were also executive producing alongside Sam Register and Sarah Bremner. Sadly, Netflix has generally been on a cancelation spree with their projects, which also included Boons and Curses, Dino Daycare, and Pearl.

    The news also comes in addition to recent mumblings that 150 people are about to lose their job, as their revenue growth has slowed down. Netflix right now is weighing its options and those productions that are further in may not be affected, but it seems they have set their eyes on animation as their main way to save money moving forward when it comes to active pre-productions.

    Source: Deadline

  • Robert Downey Jr. Working on New Discovery+ Series Turning Muscle Cars Eco-Friendly

    Robert Downey Jr. Working on New Discovery+ Series Turning Muscle Cars Eco-Friendly

    Robert Downey Jr. is about to revisit his Tony Stark era in a new and creative way. He is working on a new unscripted series where he turns sports and muscle cars into eco-friendly variants for the 21st century. This makes his second Discovery+ series currently being worked on under the title Downey’s Dream Cars.

    They may change the title, but Team Downey is involved with the project, which is Robert and Susan Downey‘s production banner. They are working with Boat Rocker’s Matador Content with the series eyeing a release later this year on Discovery+, which will not yet fuse with HBO Max after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. He made the following statement on it:

    My goal is to showcase that it’s possible to keep the integrity of classic cars while leveraging new tech and innovation to make them more eco-friendly. I’m thrilled audiences will get to see this series on Discovery+ later this year.

    Robert Downey Jr.

    This project marks the second one alongside the four-part documentary series The Bond. Downey’s Dream Cars is a passion project for the former Avengers: Endgame star, as he tries to bring these cars into the modern eco-friendly age. It’s great to see the star combine his passion with a new project, which has generally become a new trend as stars have entered reality TV productions to explore hobbies in a new way through their production banners.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1932’ Adds Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford

    ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1932’ Adds Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford

    Talk about adding some star power, as Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone prequel series titled 1932 has added Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. They are going to star in the Paramount+ exclusive streaming service that is currently eyeing a December release. It was picked up back in February, which will explore a new generation of the Dutton family during the early 20th century.

    The storyline will take place at the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression affects the mountain west, where the Duttons have made their home. Sadly, they won’t reveal what characters Mirren or Ford are playing as of now. It’s definitely a power move, especially after the success of Sheridan‘s Yellowstone series.

    It also continues to signal Paramount+’s move to further establish the new streaming service with some powerhouse names. There have been various other spinoffs and prequels in development based on Yellowstone, such as 1883 and a spinoff 6666, which is still in early development. So, he’s been slowly building up a cinematic universe on the streaming service.

    With the exception of Yellowstone, all of these projects will be part of Paramount+ with 1932 being produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios, and Sheridan‘s Bosque Ranch Productions. he is joined by executive producers John Linson, David C. Glasser, Art Linson, Bob Yari, Ben Richardson, and David C. Glasser.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • First Details on Disney+’s Ad-Supported Model

    First Details on Disney+’s Ad-Supported Model

    There’s been a lot of questions on what exactly the future has in store for Disney+’s ad-supported model. It was announced that they were planning on expanding it worldwide and in an interview with Wall Street Journal, Disney’s President of Ad Sales and Partnerships, Rita Ferro, explained their approach to the new model. It seems their base plan is to keep it at four minutes for every hour, which is quite a bit smaller than traditional TV and other streaming rivals.

    Peacock is only a minute longer while traditional television has between 18 to 23 minutes per hour. The other Disney streaming service, Hulu, has double the amount while HBO Max also sticks to four minutes per hour as well. The big statement Ferro instantly made is that they are not collecting data to target kids using the service. That was a big concern given its family-friendly focus that this could be seen as its USP for advertisers, but they are staying true to it. They’ve also already confirmed that they won’t allow advertising involving politics or alcohol on the service. They also are excluding rival ads, which isn’t unusual.

    They are also highlighting that they will exclude ads when it involves pre-school audiences, which is seemingly running through the profile rather than the actual content being watched. Of course, the cheaper option for those uncertain about subscribing and with a limited amount of ads at 4 minutes may not sound too bad. There’s no word how it may affect GroupWatch functions.

    It’s important to note that child advertising is illegal in specific countries, which is why an international release for the ad-supported version may be rolled out in different stages. They likely may test it out with internal ads for their own shows and offerings, as a way to fill space and see how people respond to the ad tier before rolling it out. The data provided in the service is definitely going to be a big question mark, as it’s not uncommon in the US that this information is sold. They will also have to abide by the GDPR in Europe, which could lead to some challenges on how they integrate ads, but we might find out more as they build up the model.

    Source: Wall Street Journal

  • Netflix Exploring a 45-Day Theatrical Release of ‘Knives Out 2’

    Netflix Exploring a 45-Day Theatrical Release of ‘Knives Out 2’

    It was only a question of time, but it looks like Netflix is opening up its streaming-focused business model to also explore a cinematic release. While they’ve released films in the past, they are now considering a 45-day release window, starting with Knives Out 2. There’s been a lot of back and forth by the streaming service, but the recent scare after they’ve dropped in subscriber count for the first time has pushed them to try out new ventures.

    As of now, Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out 2 and the Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s Bardo are being considered. The former makes a lot of sense considering it pulled in $165M in the United States as well as $311M worldwide back in 2019 with a production budget of $40M. The move to purchase any sequels for $400M was quite the move and with the recent scare, its box office draw makes sense.

    Yet, there are going to be some issues with this move if they don’t play their cards right. Netflix’s usual bare-minimum marketing strategy won’t pull in the general audience to check out a film, as they may have forgotten it weeks after seeing the initial trailer. Plus, there’s also the fact that while it provides a new revenue stream, there might be some concerns due to moving away from its digital users to embrace a whole new target audience.

    They have released Don’t Look Up and The Power of Dog for two weeks in theaters, but the new 45-day window is becoming the staple for theatrical and streaming hybrid models. The only question will be if Netflix can pull this new model off and start a strong focus to ensure it reaches

    Source: Business Insider

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Has Passed $700M Worldwide

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Has Passed $700M Worldwide

    There have been a lot of discussions surrounding Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ box office development. Yes, it did face a harsh drop in its second weekend but as The Numbers pointed out, many frontloaded projects have tended to face harsher drops and Forbes made a good point on people expecting either an Avengers-level crossover film or a cameo fiesta like Spider-Man: No Way Home. Throw in the strong horror elements that may not jell with some general audiences, you end up with a B+ CinemaScore and people hoping for more, as such slowing down the word-of-mouth. Throw in a rather dead weekend with little competition.

    Still, the film opened as the 11th highest opening ever at the domestic box office. Even if it’s the second weekend was below The Batman‘s stronghold, the film is still not slowing down as it has now passed the $700M club. As of now, the film has garnered $297M domestically and $406M internationally. So, it managed to pull in the missing $12M to pass the benchmark it just barely missed over the weekend.

    There’s something fascinating about the discussions surrounding box office numbers. Even while Multiverse of Madness will very likely not pass the billion mark, it’s by far still a success for Marvel Studios. It already passed the box office of its original release, which stood at a strong $676M and is very likely going to move around the $900M mark. So, it is a definite increase from one film to the next even if it’s been six years between sequels.

    The MCU’s connected universe gives these films the benefit of sustaining franchises even with larger gaps due to ongoing appearances and staying relevant to viewers. We’ll see if Thor: Love and Thunder may soar with the expectations of the multiverse finally dropped from a new release.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers, Forbes