Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • New ‘Ms. Marvel’ Promo Art Pays Tribute to Comics

    New ‘Ms. Marvel’ Promo Art Pays Tribute to Comics

    Marvel Studios has been busy shifting gear to focus on their next Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. The story of Kamala Khan will see Marvel introduce their first Pakistani-American superhero to live action. Iman Vellani takes on the heroic role and in a new bit of promo art they pay tribute to a classic comic cover.

    It’s always great when they pay tribute to the comics. Here’s hoping that we also get some new posters that include references to the comic covers, as they perfectly showcase the teenage heroes attitude.

    The first poster for Ms. Marvel included a cover reference to her sitting on a street lamp. While the second had a more unique design, there’s still a chance we could get more paying tribute, perhaps with the character posters.

    Source: Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer on Sam Raimi’s Influence on the Script

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer on Sam Raimi’s Influence on the Script

    The one thing reviews seem to agree on is that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is that it is definitely a Sam Raimi film. Yet, the director has often spoken of the collaborative effort that is working with Marvel Studios, especially on bringing the script to life together with Loki writer Michael Waldron. In an exclusive interview with Murphys Multiverse, he talked about how that creative process was and just how much input Raimi had on the film’s script.

    We were just sharing a brain, it felt like by the end of it because we worked so closely through such a weird, challenging time. And I was always trying to write through the lens of this being a Sam Raimi film. When I wrote Dead Strange and Strange possessing his own corpse, it looked exactly what I hoped it would look, in a Sam-type way.

    Michael Waldron

    It definitely seems like he had a big part in writing the script while Waldron tried to stay true to how he would generally tackle a project. You can see many dialogue choices felt quite at home in a film he would direct, some even paying homage to his time with Spider-Man, Evil Dead, and so many more. It also turns out that the Deadites-inspired Demonic Souls that are turned into Dead Strange’s cape in the finale were the director’s idea.

    The demonic souls, that was all Sam’s idea […] that was Sam pitching that back to me and saying: ‘Could we do this?’ and we building some logical scaffolding to make this really cool thing he wanted to do. That. was a great example of how we both worked to realize one another’s ideas. Ultimately, because it is Sam Raimi and he’s one of the greatest directors to ever do it, I just felt so confident, I felt like I could write anything because he would make it look amazing.

    Michael Waldron

    That moment definitely felt like a creative decision by him, and it’s great how Waldron highlights their collaborative effort pushed the boundaries of how these ideas came together. He definitely added his unique visual style to the film and added a flair that hopefully, Marvel Studios will revisit, as the director has openly stated he would love to return for more in the future.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Michael Waldron on the “Symbiotic Nature” of Movies and Scoop Culture

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Michael Waldron on the “Symbiotic Nature” of Movies and Scoop Culture

    We’ve entered a new era filled to the brim with leaks and spoilers hitting the web ahead of any project’s official release. Marvel Studios’ films and Disney+ shows are seemingly hit extremely often, as entire screenshots find their way online right before a film releases. Many sites also dabble in the world of running scoops on whatever the new hottest commodity is in the latest entry.

    In an interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron has shared his thoughts on this new “scoop culture” and what it also means for those surfing the web looking to find out what their most-anticipated project might be working on behind the scenes and how Marvel Studios’ famed secrecy has created a very interesting internet culture.

    I like the idea it can mythologize otherwise. I have so much respect for what you do, for what everybody, all the fan sites do, because that was the shit that I grew up reading. I’m such a child of Coming Attractions by Corona, Ain’t It Cool News. That stuff is probably a big reason why I’m a writer. The scoop culture, to some extent, I’m like great, that’s part of it. I think that it’s our job…we want to preserve these secrets because it just makes a better experience in the theater for the audience. You’re going to get a better POP from the audience if they don’t know what’s coming.

    Michael Waldron

    Though he also highlights one aspect that is commonly forgotten on the web, and that is most cinema-goers have no idea about the many spoilers hitting the web. As he points out, those that actively search for it are the ones to get it spoiled the most, especially when stories are dropped

    But I think it’s also…you can really if you spend a lot of time online, you can come to think that if something is spoiled on a corner of the internet that suddenly the whole world knows. But they don’t. It’s the people who are actively seeking that out and who want to find that stuff. And if they want to find it out, that means it’s probably going to enhance their enjoyment of the movie.

    Michael Waldron

    He also highlights that his biggest concern is if this kind of news hits bigger outlets that would spoil it for the general audience that typically isn’t on the Internet frequently and only finds out through official trailers if they include any references.

    And the people who don’t wanna find out, probably aren’t. It’s like, I would be mad if it headlines news on CNN about who was in the Illuminati, but it’s not. There’s [a] spoiler warning and you know where you’re going if you go to a spoiler website. It’s like it’s what we do. It’s like the symbiotic nature of this stuff and it just builds anticipation and excitement. I think it’s cool.

    Michael Waldron

    It’s definitely great to get some insight into the perspective of the modern scoop culture from the perspective of someone working on these projects. As he highlights, the internet is a very different beast and there is certain anticipation if storylines or elements are teased early on.

  • New ‘Moon Knight’ Concept Art Reveals Ammit’s Alternative Designs

    New ‘Moon Knight’ Concept Art Reveals Ammit’s Alternative Designs

    Not too long ago, we got a good look at some alternative designs for Khonshu, Moon Knight’s rather selfish Egyptian deity. The series gave us a good look at a few Egyptian gods, but the big stand out was the build-up to Ammit’s arrival. The crocodile goddess made her debut in the final episode and didn’t hesitate to suck in some souls of those deserving for crimes they haven’t even done yet. As it turns out, the Moon Knight villain may have almost looked entirely different.

    Artist Jerad Marantz took to their personal ArtStation to release some early Ammit designs. As he highlights, this was very early in development before they probably finalized the character’s overall look. What is presented is much closer to her design from the Egyptian mythology, as Ammit is commonly portrayed more like a monstrous giant alligator with humanoid features, which is quite a departure from where the Disney+ series went.

    MOON KNIGHT: Early Ammit Designs
    MOON KNIGHT: Early Ammit Designs
    MOON KNIGHT: Early Ammit Designs

    There’s also a more humanoid alternative that also includes some elements that made it into the final design.

    It’s always great to get a glimpse at what could’Ve been. Sadly, the post-credit sequence has pretty much ended any potential return of Harrow and Ammit, but given Egyptian mythology anything is possible. It would be great to get the monstrous version of Ammit out for vengeance on what was done to her, seeing her fall to become the very thing she was trying to stop. For now, we’re still wondering what the future has in store for Moon Knight before we can even expect a return of Ammit.

    Source: ArtStation

  • ‘Alan Wake’ TV Series in Development by AMC

    ‘Alan Wake’ TV Series in Development by AMC

    Alan Wake has celebrated its 12th anniversary and while we still didn’t get any hints at the sequel that was revealed during the last Game Awards, we did get the announcement that AMC is currently developing a new series based on the action-adventure game. While Alan Wake 2‘s taking a stronger horror direction, it’s unclear if the new series will stick to the format of the original.

    Remedy Entertainment’s Creative Director Sam Lake shared his excitement on the announcement.

    AMC, the wonderful, wonderful home for absolutely brilliant TV shows has bought the rights for Alan Wake. We have been collaborating on making a TV show happen. Nothing more to share at the moment, but we will certainly let you know when there is something to announce.

    Sam Lake

    It seems there have been discussions on adapting the gaming franchise back in 2018 with Legion‘s Peter Calloway attached as its showrunner. Lake had an executive producer role at the time. It joins countless other video game adaptations that have been finding a new home with streaming services and broadcast networks, such as Fallout, Mass Effect, God of War, and Twisted Metal.

    Interestingly enough, there’s no mention if Calloway is once again attached to the series but going by the announcement, it seems unlikely at the moment. They’ve teased more updates in the future, but it seems we’ll have to wait a little longer as they get the project going, as it is seemingly in early pre-production.

    Source: Deadline

  • Kevin Feige on Iman Vellani’s Influence on ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Kevin Feige on Iman Vellani’s Influence on ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Iman Vellani has the challenging task of taking on the role of Kamala Khan, Marvel’s first Muslim-American superhero. The character made headlines when she first was revealed back in 2014 and now Vellani will lead the new Ms. Marvel Disney+ show. While she’s a relative newcomer, she made quite the impression when she auditioned for the role.

    It seems that she prepared a hand-written list of 50 questions regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which she handed to Kevin Feige on the set of Ms. Marvel. It seems he still has kept the list to this day that includes “really granular stuff.” He goes on to compare her to Tom Holland and his passion for the franchise.

    Much like Tom Holland and Peter Parker, Iman is a much bigger Marvel fan than we realized.

    Kevin Feige

    It’s great to see actors involved with the project share the same passion that not only fans do but the many people behind the scenes trying to bring the franchise to life. He highlighted that she also played an important part in giving her input as the show evolves.

    She carries this Unabomber notebook with her everywhere, with scribbles and ideas. And why wouldn’t we want to hear them? Not just because she’s playing the lead, but because if she wasn’t playing the lead, she’d be commenting on the show online. So better comment before the show’s done, and try to incorporate the best of those ideas.

    Kevin Feige

    It certailny sounds like she was a bundle of energy during the Disney+ seris production, perfectly showcasing the same mentality that the comic’s Kamala Khan has. The way he described it is better she comments while they’re working on it is a sweet moment and we’ll see what ideas of hers made it into the final product once it aris in June.

    Source: Empire Magazine via Twitter

  • ‘Gotham Knight’s Ordered to Series by The CW

    ‘Gotham Knight’s Ordered to Series by The CW

    It seemed like the CW was cleaning up, as they’ve started canceling one project after another. Yet, it seems that they still have a few projects in the development pipeline they’ve decided to pick up some of their new pilots. Among them is the new DC series Gotham Knights, which mainly shares the name and premise of the upcoming Warner Bros. Montréal game.

    The series joins Walker: Independence and The Winchesters for the 2022-23 season, which are both prequel series from CW’s line-up. Gotham Knights is an original concept that explores Bruce Wayne’s offspring after his father dies and is forced to work with the children of Batman’s villains.

    While many expected the sale of existing projects was due to the upcoming Warner Bros. Discovery sale that has been rumored for some time. It seems that Nexstar is currently in the lead to purchase the broadcast network, but that makes it unclear what would happen to its intellectual properties that technically belong to WArner Bros.

    They’ve recently been busy canceling various projects, which included their Charmed remake, Batwoman, and even last season’s newest DC addition, Naomi. The latter was quite the surprise for many, as many saw it as a new start to their DC CW slate after various Arrowverse mainstays were leaving. It’s unclear what may happen to Gotham Knights in case a sale does end up happening, but it’s great to see them moving forward.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Sandman’s Tom Sturridge and Neil Gaiman on Bringing Morpheus to Life

    ‘The Sandman’s Tom Sturridge and Neil Gaiman on Bringing Morpheus to Life

    Netflix has been busy promoting its upcoming fourth season of Stranger Things, but that’s not all that is heading our way. This summer will see the release of the highly-anticipated The Sandman live-action series. After getting a very popular audio adaptation, there’s been a lot of hope for seeing the series finally get adapted.

    Creator Neil Gaiman certainly has been hoping so, as he reveals in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he’s gone through “1,500 Morpheus auditions” since the project was hoping to adapt the story of the Lord of the Dreaming. Joseph Gordon-Levitt started a project that didn’t get picked up, but luckily their casting led them to Tom Sturridge taking on the role.

    Tom Sturridge also got to talk about the lengthy casting process, but is quite okay with it, as he understands the importance of the role.

    It was entirely necessary, because this is a character who is so utterly beloved — by me more than anyone. That requires you to spend time with a human being to discover if they can live up to the dream you have of who he is. I think The Sandman pervades culture. Even the name Morpheus, King of Dreams, kind of haunted me in my youth.

    Tom Sturridge

    The actor also jokingly talked bout taking on the role, especially as his first appearance is naked, as the story takes place during World War I, just as some humans try to capture Death but end up with her brother Dream. While joking about ending up naked in front of the people he has nine months to work with, he highlights the challenge of bringing this character to life.

    I cared very much about the physicality and image of Morpheus. We’ve all seen those pictures, we know about his skeletal, muscular, otherworldly physique. Something that’s very exciting about the physical aspect of things is you can solve that problem. I can make my body look like that — it requires A, B, C, and D — in a way that I can’t easily get into the soul of an Endless. There was something quite satisfying about beginning with a task that was achievable, and I worked hard to create this physicality that I felt that was unusual.

    Tom Sturridge

    Gaiman goes on to highlight how they approached the dialogue, and how much work went into the project under showrunner Allan Heinberg‘s supervision.

    Morpheus’ dialogue is incredibly specific. It was probably the thing I was most obsessive about. Someone would have written a fabulous script, [showrunner] Allan Heinberg would have rewritten a fabulous script, and I would have seen it at every iteration, but there would always be a point at the end where I would still be noodling on the Morpheus dialogue: Making sure the words were right, that the rhythms were right

    Neil Gaiman

    Sturridge added to the view of how Dream talks, as everything he says has been “etched in stone” due to the way he’s seen everything there ever was, is and will be.

    I remember you said to me that everything he says has to feel like it was etched in stone. He’s never improvising. He has experienced and perceived every thought, dream, and moment, and therefore he knows what you’re going to say. That was very helpful.

    Tom Sturridge

    It definitely sounds like a lot of work went into bringing this series to life, and The Sandman is definitely an ambitious adaptation. Neil Gaiman‘s heavy involvement definitely adds that special something, and the fact they went out of their way to ensure they can cast the right actor as Dream highlights how much work went into it. Here’s hoping we get a new look soon.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • CW Cancels ‘Charmed’ After 4 Seasons

    CW Cancels ‘Charmed’ After 4 Seasons

    For years, CW has been the network where shows seemingly managed to hold on for quite some time, especially if you think of shows like Arrow, The Flash, and Supernatural. Yet, they’ve been on a cancelation spree as of late. Just a few weeks ago, they’ve canceled Batwoman after it ran for three seasons even as the show managed to get more momentum in its second weekend. Still, as rumors are making the rounds that Warner Bros. Discovery is interested in selling the network, they are seemingly cleaning house.

    Next in line for the chopping block is Charmed, which has now been canceled after running for four seasons on the network. Its viewership wasn’t strong as it was ranked 17th among all 19 currently airing dramas on the CW. So, it’s no surprise that it may have been up for cancelation as it lost viewers over the years. The reboot saw Madeline Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery take on the roles of witches Macy, Mel, and Maggie. Together with their British mentor, Rupert Evans as the Whitelighter Harry, they faced many dangers.

    the third season added one more member to the Charmed family, as Lucy Barrett joined Michaela. The series was an adaptation of the original Charmed that ran from 1998 until 2006 and included Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs, and Kaley Cuoco. It’s a shame the series was canceled and it seems that it’s not the only series on the chopping block as some newer additions are also facing a similar face.

    Source: TVLine

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Directors Reveal Surprising Influences on Disney+ Show

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Directors Reveal Surprising Influences on Disney+ Show

    Many modern-day projects have a wide variety of influences that help inspire their visuals, storytelling approach, and core concepts. Sometimes there are some surprising additions that help make the project still stand out amongst many others. It looks like Disney+’s upcoming Ms. Marvel series has some rather curious inspirations. Director duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah talk about the many inspirations that helped them bring the project to life.

    A big part of the adjustment for them was working outside of their “comfort zone” of R-ratings, as they “can’t go full Bad Boys” with a project that focuses on a younger audience. Still, they talked out the many influences that helped shape the film such as Spike Lee‘s iconic tracking shot, VFX influences taken from anime, and many teen classics, such as John Hughes films, Booksmart, Scott Pilgram vs. the World and Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.

    It’ll be interesting to see how Anime has influenced some of the VFX effects, especially with how varied the designs are from one animation to another. Scott Pilgram‘s influences are pretty obvious with the animated think bubbles and some of the reactions in the initial trailer. Here’s hoping they also dive deep into some fun transitions, which made that film a standout back when it was released. Spike Lee is also such a curious choice, but them using his famous tracking shots could lead to some iconic visual designs to make the series pop in comparison to the rest.

    Source: Empire Magazine via Twitter