Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Receives B+ CinemaScore

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Receives B+ CinemaScore

    While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has left quite the impression to draw in a crowd at the box office, we now also finally know what CinemaScore the film has received from audiences. Eternals surprised people back during its release when it received Marvel Studios’ worst Audience Score with a B, which might very likely be connected to its very different storytelling approach and even something like the inclusion of a sex scene that sometimes rubs general audiences the wrong way. Now, Multiverse of Madness has received its rating and now stands at a B+.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1522794012029108224?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

    the score is the same that Fantastic Beasts: the Secrets of Dumbledore received as well as The Lost City. Even The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Uncharted were given a B+ rating from audiences. 2022’s Scream also got a B+ rating earlier this year and given Multiverse of Madness’ horror roots, it wouldn’t be too surprising that it played a key role in how the general audience reacted to the film. While some believe B+ or even a B rating signals “bad quality,” it’s more a reflection of elements in that film potentially catching audiences off-guard.

    So far, it seems Morbius was one of the few films to actually get hit with the lowest CinemaScore, as it received a C+. The original 2011 Thor was for some time given the “worst” Marvel Cinematic Universe rating with B+ before Eternals release in theaters. Still, the film seems to be pulling in quite a few people into theaters and it’s horror roots may potentially also give it an extra boost, as even with lower CinemaScores they have pretty strong legs at the box office.

    Source: Twitter, ComicBook.com

  • Taika Waitit Teases Jane Foster’s Return as a ‘Mindf-k For Thor’ in ‘Love and Thunder’, New Look at Mighty Thor

    Taika Waitit Teases Jane Foster’s Return as a ‘Mindf-k For Thor’ in ‘Love and Thunder’, New Look at Mighty Thor

    Empire has released a new interview with director Taika Waititi, who has returned to the Thor franchise after his work on Ragnarok. Love and Thunder will see the grand return of Natalie Portman‘s Jane Foster, who hasn’t been seen since 2013’s Thor: The Dark World. The astrophysicist has gone through quite the change, as she’s the new wielder of a resurrected Mjolnir and it looks like it’ll be quite an experience for Thor to see her again. Director Waititi teases that after all this time, her reappearance will be quite the “mindfuck for Thor” in Love and Thunder. Full Quote Here:

    It’s been about eight years. She’s had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It’s a real mindfuck for Thor.

    Taika Waititi
    Image

    In the interview, the director highlights that it wasn’t their initial plan to explore Mighty Thor’s storyline, but it came together through the writing process.

    I didn’t know we were going to use the storyline of the Mighty Thor character until we started working out the actual story. I was writing and it was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to bring Jane back into the storyline?’ You don’t want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who’s walking around with science equipment. You know, while Thor’s flying around, she’s left on Earth, tapping her foot going, ‘When’s he going to be back?’ That’s boring. You want her to be part of the adventure.

    Taika Waititi

    It definitely would’ve been a shame to bring her back and not further explore her character. Though, it surprised many that Portman was going to return to the franchise after she left it behind all those years ago. So, it’s great she got a true moment to shine, as Waitiit also teases some great humor heading our way from the actress once we see her return in the MCU.

    Source: Empire

  • James Gunn Shares Set Photo as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Wraps Production

    James Gunn Shares Set Photo as ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Wraps Production

    It looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has wrapped up its production, as James Gunn took to his Twitter account to share a last image from the set. He’s hinted some time ago that it wouldn’t take much longer before they wrapped work on it, especially as they were also working on the Holiday Special as well. He shared an image of him alongside some of the cast members while also looking back at the work they’ve done to bring the trilogy to life over the years.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1522730391911686144

    Now, we have to keep in mind that there will still be reshoots in the future, which will bring some of the cast back together but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be on set the same way. That is why when the initial production ends, it has a bittersweet feeling for most of those involved, especially if this is indeed the final installment for the franchise. Who knows if we’ll see every member of this team continue their time with the franchise moving forward, or if we’re saying farewell to some members.

    It’s great to see the cast together, and hopefully, we get some teasers on what they have planned for us, as we won’t get our hands on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 until next year. There haven’t been any set photos of the newest additions to the franchise, who might have a bigger role moving forward and here’s hoping they start teasing who else we might see in the film as well as how it might tie into the Holiday Special aiming for a release later this year.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Almost Featured Two Classic Comic Villains Besides Arthur Harrow

    ‘Moon Knight’ Almost Featured Two Classic Comic Villains Besides Arthur Harrow

    Marvel Studios’ projects go through many changes, as they try to find the right way to pull some concepts together and create a cohesive story. We’ve heard in the past that bushman was almost featured in the Disney+ Moon Knight series, but they decided to move away from him due to too many comparisons to other characters. In an interview with The Direct, he goes on to highlight how the decision came to be, as well as the support that Marvel Studios gave them when moving away from the classic comic origin.

    I mean Bushman was in my first couple versions of the script for sure, and we tried to have several different versions of him. Ultimately, I was the one to make the decision to ax Bushman. I went to Marvel and said I’m not comfortable with this, can we take him out and talk about different versions, and they were always really supportive.

    Jeremy Slater

    He highlights that it was his decision to not include the character, especially due to him believing he hasn’t aged well. In some regards, he’s a bit of a racial caricature. Not only that but to make him a formidable force, they considered turning him into an Avatar which could’ve complicated the story even more. Yet, they also considered adding other villains with powers at one point, such as Stained Glass Carlet and Zodiac.

    And we really looked at all of the sort of classic villains. There was a couple that we talked about; Stained Glass Scarlet, and you know, Zodiac, and different characters like that. No one really kind of fit the parameters of the story we were telling, so we were just like, ‘You know what, can we just introduce a guy, and we’ll grab a name from some’—you know, they gave me a list of [like] every villain whose ever appeared in a Moon Knight comic. I just went through and went like, ‘Arthur Harrow, that sounds like a cool villain name, let’s go with that.’

    Jeremy Slater

    He goes on to highlight how supportive Marvel Studios was in letting them choose their villains and how to map out the story. So, they weren’t forced into a corner or had to abide by specific rule sets when tackling their adaptation of Moon Knight.

    Marvel was really supportive about like, let’s figure out a villain that makes sense for the journey this character is on, and not try to shoehorn Bushman in, which would have very quickly turned the entire thing into sort of a revenge story. And it wasn’t a story that we were necessarily interested in telling.

    Jeremy Slater

    We definitely got an interesting villain with Harrow, which gave them an opportunity to also dive deep into the Egyptian mythology that made the character stand out in the first place, in addition to the complex character arc through his DID. While we don’t know what the future has in store, there’s some excitement to see what the future has in store fo the Fist of Khonshu.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Spinoff Focused on Gemma Chan’s Astrid in Development

    ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Spinoff Focused on Gemma Chan’s Astrid in Development

    Here’s an interesting surprise, as it looks like Crazy Rich Asians is getting a spinoff focused on Gemma Chan‘s Astrid Young Teo. The story will focus on her romance with Harry Shum Jr.’s Charlie Wu. The producer behind the hit show Barry, Jason Kim, seemingly sold a pitch to Warner Bros, which kicked off the interest in further developing this storyline. As of now, the project is in early development.

    This will not replace the already in-development sequel, which Amy Wang is currently working on. They will both be tied to the second book of Kevin Kwan’s famous trilogy, China Rich Girlfriend. The original story focused on Constance Wu and Henry Golding‘s trip to Shanghai to find her birth father. The spinoff will pick up after Astrid found out her husband, played by Pierre Png, is cheating on her and she reconnected with her first love, Charlie.

    It’s definitely an interesting move, but Chan was praised for her performance in the film. What stands out is that this was a pitch by Kim that pushed this project forward rather than something the studio purely decided. So, it’s interesting to see creatives inspired by franchises explore other stories or adapt aspects of books they themselves may have quite enjoyed. The film was a milestone in Asian-American representation and the sequel alongside the spinoff will very likely carry on that torch.

    Source: Deadline

  • Farhan Akhtar Confirmed to Appear in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Farhan Akhtar Confirmed to Appear in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Moon Knight only recently finished up its six-episode season and the focus is already on the future, as Deadline just dropped a confirmation that Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar has joined the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series in a guest-starring role. They do not know which role exactly he will tackle, but that he’ll have a smaller role as part of the Disney+ series that follows Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan, who ends up receiving mysterious powers and may finally have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her favorite superheroes.

    It’s interesting to note that Akhtar was already announced to have joined the project back in April of 2021 by India Today, who stated that he was filming in Bangkok at the time. He may be playing a relative of Kamala’s, as they were filming in that location as a backdrop for a family visit from the Khans. Though, it’s also possible he’s playing someone they meet during their time there.

    Ms. Marvel is only a little over a month away and will be our second story within the MCU that explores a young superhero trying to find their place in the world. Unlike Spider-Man, she’ll have no one to truly guide her and will be shaped by the people around her. Here’s hoping the storyline focuses on the support system surrounding Kamala and how important they are to shaping her as a hero, even more than the ones she looks up to.

    Source: Deadline

  • Patrick Stewart Was “a Little Unsure” About Returning as Charles Xavier in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    Patrick Stewart Was “a Little Unsure” About Returning as Charles Xavier in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    Marvel Studios’ latest film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, is filled to the brim with surprises and horror goodness. Earlier trailers did give away one massive addition, which was that Patrick Stewart was joining the franchise as Professor X one more time. His voice alone had many excited and made him a great addition as they further explore the multiverse in this new entry.

    In an interview with Variety, he compares what it was like returning to the role to his hesitation with the Star Trek Picard series. He was “a little unsure” about returning especially after the powerful send-off we got with Logan for the character. But, it seems like he was quite happy with how his role turned out in the film.

    Well, it was a day-and-a-half’s work. I was in a very different environment from the one that I had ever been in, in any of the “X-Men” movies. And just like “Picard,” I was grateful for it, because I could think refreshingly about who he was and how he related to others. Just like “Star Trek: Picard,” I was a little unsure at first if it was a wise thing to do. Given that “Logan” had been such a powerful movie and we watched him die in Hugh Jackman’s arms. So having seen [“Doctor Strange 2”] on Monday night, I’m very happy and very proud that I’ve been part of that.

    Patrick Stewart

    It definitely left a memorable impact on viewers when he arrived, especially with him riding in on the iconic chair from the 90s animated series. They definitely set up some interesting aspects going in and it gave Stewart one more chance to play a role he made so iconic. Of course, his true send-off came in the form of Logan, which left quite a memorable lasting effect with his character and the tragedy of where his abilities lead him. It’ll be interesting if this also sets up a new generation to take on the role with MCU’s take on the X-Men.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Designer Shares What Her Biggest Concern Was Tackling Mr. Knight’s Design

    ‘Moon Knight’s Designer Shares What Her Biggest Concern Was Tackling Mr. Knight’s Design

    No matter what one takes away from the Disney+ series Moon Knight, the costumes are definitely a memorable addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Be it Marc Spector’s mummy-inspired costume that is closer to the 616’s design or Steven Grant’s Mr. Knight suit. Add in the fact that they can seamlessly switch between them for whatever the situation desires, it creates a rather unique situation where the different suit designs become an organic aspect of the character’s fighting style. In an interview with The Direct, designer Meghan Kasperlik offered some insight into how they approached the designs.

    First off, she talked about how the mummy inspiration was pushed by Mohamed Diab. The Egyptian director wanted to have aspects of his culture inspire the costumes, which added this unique aspect of texture, and even created a stronger binding to how Khonshu views a “strong suit.” It brings together many aspects from across the comic history with a new culturally-relevant update.

    Just like any type of superhero thing, there’s lots of iterations of the same suit. Mohamed Diab is one of the directors, and he’s Egyptian. He really wanted to focus on the mummy aspect of it, and being really Egyptian. So it was more about incorporating the strength of the armor and also the mummy aspect. But I think it was a beautiful bridge because it brings in Khonshu from thousands of years ago to what we would probably think of today as being a very strong suit. So I think it was an amazing blend because there is that [part of] both worlds. Like you have kind of that old world, but you also have the new…

    Meghan Kasperlik

    Yet, there was one big issue she was facing with the design of Mr. Knight’s costume. While the white three-piece suit is quite an iconic addition, there was a different issue at hand. In the comics it’s a pure white suit and as a drawing doesn’t require any details, especially given how it plays with shadows from an artist’s standpoint. Yet, if we’re talking live-action and the influence of lighting, it becomes a different problem altogether.

    When I came on, I was a little bit concerned about the three-piece suit because it can go so flat. So my team searched far and wide for a fabric that could give—that had a little texture to it. I love to put a lot of texture to any of the designs I do. So, there’s texture in it, and it’s actually an upholstery fabric because I knew that we would be outside with it, and the costume would be getting dirty and we would need to keep it clean and keep that freshness.

    Meghan Kasperlik

    To avoid this issue, it seems they found a way to weave silver lemay into the fabric to make it pop when light hits it. She highlights a certain “luminescence” which has the added bonus of making the suit not only pop but add to its otherworldliness.

    So between the texture in there, the upholstery fabric giving it a little extra help—there’s also a silver lemay that is woven into the fabric, so when the light hits it, it doesn’t just go flat. There’s a little luminescence that comes off of it, so that was really important. We kept that texture going in the waistcoat, and then there’s a texture on the tie and everything. So [along with] having a lot of texture on the mask it just really helps the character.

    Meghan Kasperlik

    They are definitely some of the best-designed suits in the MCU, and with Lockley’s arrival, we may even have a chance for a third addition moving forward. It’s unclear what the future has in store for these characters, but there’s a lot of excitement moving forward on what they might do next, especially as it’s common for these costumes to get some updates throughout their appearances moving forward and a potential third additional suit.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Designer Teases What Could Be Jake Lockley’s Suit

    ‘Moon Knight’ Designer Teases What Could Be Jake Lockley’s Suit

    Moon Knight may have given us the most unique designs of any superhero costume. The main costume worn by Marc Spector has strong ties to its Egyptian roots with mummy-inspired wrappings. Even Mr. Knight has a different take as while it’s a suit, it has additional detailing that adds some additional flair. While we did meet the third personality of Jake Lockley in the post-credit sequence, we never got to see what suit he might wear. According to designer Meghan Kasperlik in an interview with The Direct, they never got around to designing one.

    Luckily, she does highlight that she’d probably explore the black variant of the costume. The character has a surprising amount of designs, and as we saw in the finale, the different personalities can instantly switch between their costume. So, it wouldn’t be surprising that he has his own version and with the darker direction for this character, it would make sense that he’d have a black variant to showcase what he stands for.

    I think that I would make it darker. I would make it probably the black one, the black costume that’s in the comics. I would definitely start there. This is nothing that they’ve ever done, this is just me. Those suits are so amazing, and you just never know. But there was nothing that was ever, ever done.

    Meghan Kasperlik

    Sadly, we’ll have to wait until we get a look at whatever costume he might end up getting, especially as this is just what Kaserplik would do if she got a chance to design his costume. He might even be the one to wild a scythe, as each costume came with a unique weapon. There are also multiple variants with a black color as they tended to be a bit more modern in design. Here’s hoping that Marvel studios announce their future plans for the character soon and we won’t have to wait too long to finally get a good look at what his design might be.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Pulls in Strong $36M in Thursday Previews Domestically, Just Behind ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Pulls in Strong $36M in Thursday Previews Domestically, Just Behind ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

    The first numbers are in for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and it has definitely left an imprint already. The latest Marvel Studios film pulled in a great $36M in its Thursday previews in the US, which is the eighth-best preview intake right behind Avengers: Infinity War‘s $39M. It’s also the fifth biggest preview for IMAX previews with $4.3M. It was released across 4,545 theaters across the country and is further showcasing that business is healing for theater chains.

    Depending on how frontloaded the film is, it could potentially make beyond $180M, but as Hollywood Reporter points it’s very likely to move between $160M to $180M. This would be closer in line with what we heard from Deadline a few days ahead of its release. It should also be noted that this is higher than other successful entries that include Captain Marvel ($153.4M), Thor: Ragnarok ($122.7M), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146.5M).

    Box Office Pro had it heading towards $215M, which strongly depends on how it goes into Friday and Saturday. but if it keeps up a strong momentum it may even reach their expectations, but it strongly depends on word-of-mouth. The horror and gory elements could either pull in more curious viewers over the weekend, but also has the chance of having great legs like other horror franchises.

    We can’t forget that the film has pulled in a really impressive $27.2M in its Wednesday previews internationally, which is only 4% behind Spider-Man: No Way Home without releases in specific countries. It seems that it potentially would make $300M globally at its current path. The Avatar: Way of Water trailer promotion has also been giving the film quite the boost with IMAX screenings. The growth from the previous entry is quite impressive considering it made $85M back in 2016.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline