Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘This is Spinal Tap’ Sequel in Development, Original Cast Set to Return

    ‘This is Spinal Tap’ Sequel in Development, Original Cast Set to Return

    It’s time to crank it all the way up to 11, as Spinal Tap is getting a sequel. Deadline has broken the news as Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest are back to revive the classic mockumentary. It’ll be the first project for the newly revived film division Castle Rock Entertainment. Reiner is once again returning in the director’s chair and will play Marty DiBergi once again, as he makes a new mockumentary on McKean‘s David St. Hubbins, Shearer‘s Derek Smalls, and Guest‘s Nigel Tufnel, who are known as England’s sauciest heavy metal band.

    In an interview with Deadline, Reiner talked about how their goal is to have the sequel release on the 40th anniversary of the original.

    The plan is to do a sequel that comes out on the 40th anniversary of the original film and I can tell you hardly a day goes by without someone saying, why don’t you do another one? For so many years, we said, ‘nah.’ It wasn’t until we came up with the right idea how to do this. You don’t want to just do it, to do it. You want to honor the first one and push it a little further with the story.

    Rob Reiner

    This announcement is hot off the heels of the original returning to the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the Cinema de la Plage sidebar. The original was a critical darling when it was released in 1984 and would eventually be deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” according to the Library of Congress before it was preserved by the National Film Registry. So, we’ll see if the sequel manages to keep that spirit alive.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Unused Concept Art Reveals Lemire-Smallwood’s Inspired Khonshu

    ‘Moon Knight’ Unused Concept Art Reveals Lemire-Smallwood’s Inspired Khonshu

    Moon Knight may have some of Marvel Studios’ most creative designs as it pays tribute to the original comics while also adding some interesting details that make them pop in live-action. We just recently got a good look at some unused Mr. Knight designs that highlighted what may have been, but now Marvel studios’ Visual Development Supervisor, Jackson Sze, shared some amazing concept art that offers a look at a comic-accurate Khonshu.

    https://twitter.com/jacksonsze/status/1524815527834595335?s=21

    The design looks fantastic, as it’s heavily inspired by Lemire and Smallwood’s run with the character. We would often see him sitting in a chair with webs adding to the overall atmosphere. We did get to see Khonshu wear the iconic suit in Moon Knight‘s post-credit sequence but not in this haunting visual style.

    Here’s hoping that the project gets a second season or even a film that further explores his psyche, especially if that means we get to see this design brought to life. Seeing how Khonshu has a grip over his life and Jake Lockley, it would add an interesting conflict to fully delve into his DID to create one of Marvel Studios’ most experimental projects.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’s Head Writer on the Khan Family’s Importance

    ‘Ms. Marvel’s Head Writer on the Khan Family’s Importance

    Family is everything, especially when it comes to teenage superheroes. They are their moral support and help them ease into any challenge that they might face. In the Ms. Marvel comics, Kamala Khan’s family played that role as they also help center her as she navigated the challenging life of being a Pakistani-American. Keeping that alive and also bringing in personal experiences to make them feel like our own family. Head Writer Bisha K. Ali had set out to ensure that remains the same in Ms. Marvel‘s Disney+ series, especially as she wanted to ensure that the Khans are a “realistic, non-stereotypical, Muslim family“.

    We know [what] we don’ want to see because we live it. So the intention is always to come from a place of like, ‘Oh, what’s aspirational and beautiful? What don’t people get to see about us?”

    Bisha K. Ali

    If there’s one place that truly represents us as people, it’s our family and how we interact with them. Being able to show the beauty and aspects that others don’t get to witness, or those with similar backgrounds get to relive is important to convey in a series like this. The Khans were an important aspect of Kamala’s story in the comics and it’s great that the Disney+ Ms. Marvel series will also stick to that. The last trailer highlighted her relationship with her mother and we’ll see how the rest of her family may influence her evolution as a hero throughout the six-episode series.

    Source: Empire Magazine via Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel’s Title Potentially Revealed

    RUMOR: ‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Sequel’s Title Potentially Revealed

    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was quite a unique experience, as the developers took some inspiration from Dark Souls and used similar mechanics in a Star Wars game. We follow the story of Cal Kestis, who is on the run after having lived through Order 66 when he was a young Padawan and is now faced with the Inquisitors. We’ve still waited for some kind of update on the sequel, but a new rumor may have given us at least the title for the sequel.

    Gaming insider Jeff Grub asked some of his Twitch users what they believe the title might end up being, and it turns out colonelsanders21 was the right one to guess it, as Grubb went on to reveal that the title will be Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. He was the first to hint that a reveal for the sequel would follow at some point this month. So, we’ll see if more follows soon.

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitch via The Direct

  • Christopher Walken Joins Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Two’

    Christopher Walken Joins Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Two’

    Here’s a surprising addition, but it looks like Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune sequel has added Christopher Walken to its cast. He will take on the role of Emperor Shaddam IV. The adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s sci-fi classic has recently cast Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. the story will take place right where the first one left off with Timothy Chalamet‘s Paul Atreides stranded on the desert planet Arrakis, as he meets destiny and the Fremen that made this planet their home.

    Walken will act as the ruler of the known universe in the sequel, and is the reason for Atreides’s downfall. He takes on the role that Jose Ferrer played in the 1984 version by David Lynch. Pugh is playing his daughter, Princess Irulan. They will start production on the project in the summer in Budapest, Jon Spaihts also returned to help pen the script alongside Villeneuve, who is producing the film alongside Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, and Tanya Lapointe.

    The first film made quite a splash at the box office with $400.6M at the box office and managed to win six Oscars, it was also nominated for best picture. This is Walken‘s next major project after working on Apple TV+’s Severance which has a second season on the horizon. So, the actor is going to be quite a bit busy soon.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Chris Pratt on How Star-Lord in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is Different from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Chris Pratt on How Star-Lord in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is Different from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Star-Lord is about to make his return in Thor: Love and Thunder, as he is still recovering from traveling alongside a mopy God of Thunder. Of course, Chris Pratt‘s return in the upcoming Thor sequel will also act as a prelude to what may be the final Guardians of the Galaxy film. Vol. 3 is still a year away, but that didn’t stop Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier to ask Chris Pratt how different it is to tackle the same character in different franchises.

    Well, you know, there’s James Gunn’s Peter Quill and then there’s the Peter Quill that has existed outside of James Gunn, which is in cameos in The Avengers and now the cameos in Thor.

    Chris Pratt

    He goes on to highlight just how different it is working on the character when director James Gunn is involved, as the character “is an extension of him.” So, naturally, it adds a special layer to the character and how the creative team tackles the character.

    And so truly the Peter Quill that I do when James is in charge is an extension of him. And the Peter Quill that I do when it’s not him in charge is really kind of me let loose to do a little bit more than probably he would want me to do, in some way. So I guess the difference would be that.

    Chris Pratt

    The actor also teases how the projects will connect, as there will be a transition from where Star-Lord is during Love and Thunder before heading out into his own adventure with the rest of the Guardians in Vol. 3.

    James Gunn has a [focus] for Quill that isn’t on for Thor or for Avengers. And so we’ll see how that plays out when it comes out. I mean, we’re obviously dealing with the end of Avengers and where that left the Guardians of the Galaxy with Thor [Love and Thunder]. We’ll see how that sort of transition works to set up [Guardians of the Galaxy] Volume 3.

    Chris Pratt

    It’ll definitely be interesting to see how the films connect, especially as there’s still the question of if they are still actively searching for Gamora, who has been missing since the events of Avengers: Endgame. Not only that, but she’s also not the version they spent their time with, as she’s displaced from a different timeline. So, we’ll see if they might hint at her whereabouts in the Thor sequel.

    Source: Gizmodo

  • ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ Gets a Season 6 Renewal, Was Filmed Back-to-Back

    ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ Gets a Season 6 Renewal, Was Filmed Back-to-Back

    If you’ve ever needed a show to just make you smile, Somebody Feed Phil might be the show for you. The culinary travels of Phil Rosenthal are about to premiere its fifth season which consists of five episodes, but it turns out that they actually filmed a sixth season back-to-back. In an interview with Variety, Rosenthal confirmed that an additional season is on the horizon, as well as confirmed that they had to postpone one location due to the pandemic.

    We filmed 10 episodes in the sweet spot between Delta and Omicron. Remember that? So from August to January, we pretty much filmed everything. We only had to postpone one location because of Omicron, but we swapped in another one in the United States for that. And we’ll go back to [that other location eventually.

    Phil Rosenthal

    The upcoming fifth season will include locations from Oaxaca, Portland (Maine), Portland (Oregon), Madrid, and Helsinki. So, there’s a good variety of Portland and other international locations that Rosenthal got to visit. Sadly, they wouldn’t confirm what the other five locations are going to be for the sixth location but it’s good to know that there’s more Somebody Feed Phil on the horizon no matter what. With a title like that though, you’d think the poor guy is starving.

    Source: Variety

  • Danny Elfman on the Challenge of Creating Wanda’s Theme in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    Danny Elfman on the Challenge of Creating Wanda’s Theme in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a special kind of MCU film, as it not only brought back director Sam Raimi but also long-time composer Danny Elfman. While he helped out in the past, it was something special to see him take over for the Doctor Strange sequel. In an interview with Fandom, the composer talked about what it was like tackling the project and highlighted the difficulty of creating a villain theme for Wanda.

    Writing for Wanda and her character, she’s the weirdest antagonist I’ve ever written for. When you think of a Marvel antagonist, you think of Thanos. When you think of a classic villain, you think of Darth Vader and you think of writing these big, heavy, dark themes that play their characters. You don’t think of a woman whose entire purpose is not to possess the universe but just to return to her children… who never quite really existed. It’s crazy! So it really was a writing challenge, because I have to write a theme that can be malevolent but also, I want it to feel heartbreaking at the same time. She’s a very unique character.

    Danny Elfman

    It certainly sounds like it was quite a challenge to find a balance between the evil and kindness that represents Wanda’s transformation into the Scarlet Witch. She creates a very different kind of villain, as while Winter Soldier was also a former ally, Wanda’s motivation is very much grounded with some evil magic adding that extra push off the ledge. Yet, her reasonings are technically from a good place, as she wants to be back with her children. The theme that Elfman ended up with perfectly brought both of those worlds together.

    Source: Fandom

  • Michell Williams Hopes to Return for ‘Venom 3’

    Michell Williams Hopes to Return for ‘Venom 3’

    Venom: Let There Be Carnage has made quite the splash at the box office, as it was one of the first films to inch closer to a $100M domestic release, which was a rarity back in 2021. Its success seemed like a sure-fire hint that Sony is ready to start working on a third entry in the franchise. While there’s no exact word on a sequel being in development or how far it is, with many hoping to see Andy Serkis return as a director, it looks like Michelle Williams is also excited to return for a threequel.

    I have every intention of continuing with the series. I certainly hope they bring me back.

    Michelle Williams

    Shea also talks bout the unique challenge these films bring pretending someone else has taken over your body and highlights how much Tom Hardy brings to the table.

    Pretending that a monster is getting into your body and then taking over and leaving your body, that’s hard. The stuff Tom [Hardy] does is really challenging. They’re big movies and he’s climbing a lot of mountains in them.

    Michelle Williams

    It’s always great to see an actress excited to return to a franchise, and it seems she’s having a lot of fun with it. She talks about Venom 3 in the same article as her excitement to hopefully make a sequel to Greatest Showman, highlighting she loves “making things for kids that are full of joy and positivity.”

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer Confirms Deadpool Was Never Planned to Appear

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Writer Confirms Deadpool Was Never Planned to Appear

    There has been a barrage of questions surrounding the many rumors of who and who wouldn’t appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Now that the film is out, those questions still haunt us and the creative team is getting bombarded with questions about who almost made it. Multiverse of Madness writer Michael Waldron did reveal that there were talks about potentially including Ryan Reynold‘s Deadpool but nothing more.

    Yeah, we talked about it. I think we talked about everything in this movie. So, [it] would’ve been crazy to not raise that, but it ultimately didn’t feel like… It just didn’t feel the right place. But yeah, of course we talked about it.

    Michael Waldron

    They probably had a bunch of ideas and concepts that were discussed but nothing more. We’ve heard about quite a few, such as Namor almost being part of the Illuminati but there were others plans for him moving forward. Deadpool would’ve made for a fun addition, but it’s true that he may not have quite fit into the overall tone of the film, even if it would’ve been great to see him freak out over everyone dying around him.

    The irony of the guy who can survive that kind of mutilation being hit the least would’ve made for a fun punchline, but perhaps that version of the film exists in another dimension. Many did notice what seemed like an Easter egg featuring the Merc with a Mouth in the film’s poster, but that could be something the marketing possibly just snuck in for fun.

    Source: ComicBook.com