Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • RUMOR: ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ May Include an ‘Eternals’ Reference

    RUMOR: ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ May Include an ‘Eternals’ Reference

    It looks like James Gunn may still be busy filming the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. While he shared a wrap gift with only a few more days to go on production, as he is working on both the special and Vol. 3, it was unclear what exactly is being filmed at the time. Perhaps a new rumor not only hints at what they are working on but even includes a great little tie-in to the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    According to The Hashtag Show’s Hunter Bolding, he shared a tweet that they are currently filming something on Hollywood Blvd. While he can’t confirm which production it is, the Christmas decorations seem to hint that it is in fact the Guardians special. The biggest reveal is that it seems there are various posters of Kingo at the location. We last saw Kumail Nanjiani‘s character in 2021’s Eternals. He’s a Bollywood star and it’s a fun Easter egg to include if they are filming at the Chinese Theater.

    Twitter user @PokeDan4 has shared a video from the set that confirms they are in fact filming at the Chinese Theater. The only thing is that it’s hard to make out any posters featuring Kingo.

    Of course, there are no details on what poster it might be but it’ll be something fun to find for those keeping an eye out. It does also open up the question if we’ll see the return of Nathan Fillion, who was cast as Simon Williams but his cameo was cut from the film. So, we’ll see if he might get a second chance to pay tribute to what almost was.

    Updated 4/29/22:

    A new video has surfaced giving us a clear look at a poster featuring Kumail Nanjiani‘s Kingo!

    @patrickadougall

    Well, this was an eventful walk. #marvelstudios #guardiansofthegalaxy

    ♬ Hooked On A Feeling – Blue Swede & Björn Skifs

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ is Most In-Demand Show, as Marvel Studios Influence on Disney+ Subscriber Growth Slows

    ‘Moon Knight’ is Most In-Demand Show, as Marvel Studios Influence on Disney+ Subscriber Growth Slows

    New data offers new opportunities, as Business Insider has shared some more analysis of how exactly the Disney+ series are performing. They provided data by Parrot Analytics that showcases how the various Disney+ shows from Marvel Studios have rather similar developments. They are massive hits for the service, yet have one curious flaw. The Marvel projects aren’t drawing in new fans to further boost the subscriber base even if Moon Knight is the most in-demand series currently.

    They share an overview that seemingly hints at the overall demand, but the takeaway is that the service is having issues bringing in new subscribers even if current ones are quite happy with the offering. The Direct questions if perhaps the streaming service may have potentially reached its high point when it comes to subscriber growth yet it may also be a bit more complicated than that. Moon Knight is ahead of Loki and Hawkeye 25 days after its debut but trailing behind WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

    parrot marvel tv series disney plus data

    While Marvel’s offerings do have diversity in genre, they are still technically connected through the overarching brand, the main focus of Disney+. Most of their focus is on branding over individuality, which might be one of the issues they are facing. Subscriptions services like Netflix can offer more varied series and films due to them not having strong IPs, to begin with. The family-friendly focus also became a crux due to limiting its audience potential but is on a path to potentially grow with their new adult-focused content such as the Netflix Marvel series.

    It also becomes clearer if we look back at data from November of 2021. At the time, Marvel was responsible for 60% of its subscription base. So, it’s no wonder that most of the current subscribers are going to focus on those series and the growth might stagnate slightly. Disney+ will likely focus on diversifying its portfolio while also making sure they keep its current subscribers with the help of the Marvel projects. The data provided is by a third party, which also might not fully reflect subscriber growth due to Disney focusing on a different metric. SambaTV analysis shares some different perspectives, which adds to the issue of how true this data is. For now, it just offers a foggy window rather than a clear view.

    Source: Business Insider, The Direct

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’s Kimmy Gatewood to Direct an Episode of ‘The Muppets Mayhem’

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’s Kimmy Gatewood to Direct an Episode of ‘The Muppets Mayhem’

    Even though Disney owns The Muppets brand, they’ve been struggling to get a series going besides a small variety series. Luckily, it seems that they are finally moving forward with a series titled The Muppets Mayhem, which moves away from the usual Kermit and Ms. Piggy shenanigans to focus on The Electric Mayhem Band, who are on their way to recording their first studio album. The Goldbergs creator, Adam F. Goldberg, is working on the project alongside Jeff Yorkes and Muppets veteran Bill Barretta. Now, we can exclusively share that The Baby-Sitters Club director Kimmy Gatewood is attached to direct at least one episode of the series.

    Gatewood is set to direct the fifth episode of the series, which is tentatively titled “Fortunate Son.” We currently can’t confirm if she’ll direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series. While many might know the actress for her role as Stacey Beswick from GLOW, Gatewood also has quite a lot of experience as a director. She worked on series like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Baby-Sitters Club, Single, Drunk Female, and recently Ghosts.

    The series will include YouTube star Lilly Singh as the human companion of the Electric Mayhem Band, who will act as their junior A&R executive, who has to manage the Muppet band. Earlier this month, we also got the casting announcement of Baby Daddy‘s Tahj Mowry as Gary “Moog” Moogowski, who is a die-hard fan that follows them from one gig to another. The concept will allow for a fun road trip with some Muppet mayhem (pun totally intended) and it’ll be exciting to see what the series has to offer once it premieres on Disney+.

  • New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Teases Comic-Inspired [SPOILER]

    New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Teases Comic-Inspired [SPOILER]

    If you want to avoid spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness then only continue reading at your own risk.

    So, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been spoiled quite a bit by the people that are making the film. It’s unclear if they are trying to give it an additional marketing push, as they are remaining quite vague but still showing off more than one would initially expect. We already shared the first look at What If..?’s Captain Carter but that wasn’t all the trailer included. We already know Patrick Stewart will appear in the film, but the trailer offered our best look yet and it seems that he’ll have a classic X-Men animated series-inspired look.

    The trailer includes a brief tease of the iconic Professor X yellow hoverchair. It was first used back in 1991 when it made its debut in X-Men Vol. 2 #1. It would go on to become quite a popular vehicle of transportation for Professor Xavier, and became an even bigger iconic aspect of the character after being part of the 90s animated series, which is also set to return in a Disney+ continuation titled X-Men ’97.

    It’ll be interesting to see the fully envisioned version of this design, as it seemed like something that wouldn’t make the jump to the silver screen. Even in the original X-Men films, it was mostly a very detailed design wheelchair. If they do introduce the character into the mainline MCU, it’ll be interesting to see if they build upon this reveal or potentially set it up in a way that we get something comic-accurate before they take a unique direction.

    Source: Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams and HBO’s ‘Demimonde’ Series Eyeing September Production Start

    EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams and HBO’s ‘Demimonde’ Series Eyeing September Production Start

    Bad Robot has been busy with various projects as part of their deal with HBO and HBO Max. We’ve been recently hearing more rumblings on their adaptation of Constantine, but they also have quite a few original projects also lined up. Just recently, we got an update on the HBO sci-fi drama Demimonde, which is a French word meaning a part of society that is isolated with a bad reputation. It has found its leading role in Danielle Deadwyler and they hinted that the limited series, which was initially ordered straight-to-series all the way back in 2018, is still in early pre-production even though it was initially believed to start production next week. We can exclusively share that the production is currently eyeing a start in September.

    The production will start later this year and run from September until May of 2023. The production will be traveling the world, as they aim to film in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe. The series is still actively adding to its supporting cast and is currently casting under the production title “Contraband.” It’s interesting to note that producer J.J. Abrams hinted that they’ve already written the scripts for the sci-fi series back in May of 2019, but they may be rewriting elements of it.

    Kira Snyder, Rand Ravich, and Far Shariat are serving as showrunners on the project, which will follow Deadwyler’s Olive Reed. When she was torn away from her husband and daughter after a strange accident, she is left to her own devices to uncover the conspiracy and hopefully reunite with her family once again. Abrams and Ben Stephenson are producing the series for Bad Robot with Rachel Rusch Rich aboard as co-executive producer.

  • Latest ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Includes First Look at [SPOILER]

    Latest ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Promo Includes First Look at [SPOILER]

    Only continue at your own risk if you want to avoid spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The latest promo includes some massive spoilers for the film.

    It looks like another Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promo has found its way online and this one is filled to the brim with spoilers. For some reason, Marvel decided to build up more hype for the upcoming project by including ore from the Illuminati. While an earlier promo did included the first confirmation of their name, they have seemingly revealed a few more members in this spot.

    Not only did it include more teases of Patrick Stewart‘s return as Professor X, but the biggest reveal came in the form of a brief shot that includes the confirmation that Peggy Carter will return to the MCU. Not just Carter, but her What If…? incarnation is known as Captain Carter. It’s unsure how it may tie into the animated series, but this is pretty clearly her

    Image

    It’s such a weird decision by Marvel Studios to include a teaser that reveals this kind of detail. There’s quite a bit of footage in this that most might have likely tried to avoid as much as possible. Not only did it find its way online, but it seemingly is also a public promo for the film. Here’s hoping that there are more cameos to this that they are actively trying to hide even more by teasing their inclusion. Whatever the reason may be, it’ll likely boost their sales numbers now that are already impressive.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Lost in Space’ Director Tim Southam Joins Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series

    ‘Lost in Space’ Director Tim Southam Joins Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series

    It looks like we finally have a reveal of a new director for the upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. Netflix and TV veteran, Tim Southam, has revealed his involvement with Tomorrow Studios and Netflix’s adaptation on his personal website, as uncovered by @OP_Netflix_Fan. While there is no mention if he’s involved with a specific amount of episodes, he is seemingly also attached as an executive producer.

    As mentioned, the director has quite a history with Netflix, as he worked on two episodes of Locke & Key and quite a few episodes of Lost in Space. He’s also worked on an episode of American Gods, Bates Motel, The Good Doctor, and many more. So, he has quite the filmography as a director. He’s also worked as an executive producer on Colony and Locke & Key.

    He’s the second director revealed to be working on the series. Daredevil and Black Sails director Marc Jobst also is involved with the project and is directing the series pilot. It’ll be interesting to see what they bring to the One Piece adaptation, especially as we’ve seen quite a bit from the set that hinted at some massive sets, such as Shank’s ship, the Red Force.

    We might get more information in June once Geeked Week starts, which may even give us a full reveal on who the directing team is behind the project. It’s unclear how many episodes Jobst and Southam might be working on, but it’s great to finally get some hint at who is working on bringing our favorite Straw Hats to life.

    Source: Tim Southam

  • Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s ‘Isle of the Dead’ Adds Gaius Charles

    Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s ‘Isle of the Dead’ Adds Gaius Charles

    While The Walking Dead spinoff focused on Daryl and Carol has hit a snag with Melissa McBride leaving the project, Isle of the Dead is moving forward. Deadline has just reported that the project led by Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan has now added actor Gaius Charles as an additional lead. He’ll join their journey through a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, which has been cut off and is now a cesspool filled to the brim with Walkers, and anarchy reigns among its survivors.

    Charles will take on the role of Izaak, who has a strong sense of justice and unyieldingly follows his own path. He enjoys what he does and certainly adds some humor to the terror he pushes. Izaak is also looking after his wife and daughters, and we may uncover a loss in his life that he still carries with him to this day, yet he never runs away fro his mistakes.

    Gaius Charles made his name with his portrayal of Brian “Smash” Williams on Friday Night Lights, as well as a recurring role on The Wonder Years, Roswell, New Mexico, and Queens. The AMC and AMC+ series is eyeing a 2023 release. It’ll consist of six episodes with Scott M. Gimple, Chief Content Officer of The Walking Dead franchise, producing the series alongside Eli Jorné, Cohan, and Morgan.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Clip May Hint at a Curious ‘Moon Knight’ Connection

    New ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Clip May Hint at a Curious ‘Moon Knight’ Connection

    A clip for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness shows off Doctor Strange’s abilities while he is protecting America Chavez. At first, she is seemingly being attacked by an invisible enemy that Strange unveils to actually be Gargantos, the MCU’s version of Shuma Gorath. While he was heavily promoted with promotional artwork, it seems like we’ll see the character quite early in the film. Yet, the moment we saw the bus being picked up by something invisible, it was quite reminiscent of another recent Marvel Studios project that included otherworldly monsters. It reminded me of when Steven Grant was being chased by invisible jackals in Moon Knight.

    It almost seems like there’s a chance that creatures from another world are invisible when they enter our reality. Arthur Harrow uses his staff provided by Ammet to open a portal through which these mysterious jackals come crawling out. While Grant was able to see them, probably due to his connection to Khonshu, Layla had no idea what exactly he was talking about. We would then see the strange creature leave an impact on the world with a car getting crushed and more. So, while it seems like he might be in Grant’s head, he actually has a tangible effect on the world around him. The same rule applies to his God Khonshu, who seemingly can only be seen by him and no one else.

    Moon Knight Episode 2: Why Only Steven/ Marc Can See the Monsters?

    The clip that was shared seems to have a similar effect, where he is invisible to those standing around and it takes Strange’s magic to give us an actual first look at the creature. So, it does open up the possibility that the many mystical creatures in this world actually can’t be seen by normal people. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also hinted that many mystical creatures stem from alternative realities. Perhaps traveling into another reality somehow makes them invisible and allows them to stay hidden from the public. That might explain why the MCU rarely mentions any supernatural creatures and they still remain legends or stories.

    With the Halloween special on the horizon, we might get to explore that aspect even more. Elsa Bloodstone is rumored to appear in the Werewolf by Night project, and someone who specializes in monster hunting seems like the perfect person to finally explain why these creatures are seemingly invisible. The consistency between Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight adds a little speculation to how these creatures work within our world. Plus, it’s a great consistency if this is, in fact, how they’ll tackle these supernatural creatures moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ and ‘A Quiet Place’ Spinoff Official Titles Revealed

    ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ and ‘A Quiet Place’ Spinoff Official Titles Revealed

    It’s Paramount’s turn at CinemaCon to announce a few projects. While they already had their own event that was chock-full of announcements, they used the opportunity to announce the official titles for two of their upcoming flagship franchises, Mission: Impossible and A Quiet Place. Not only did we get the title for the seventh entry in the franchise but also a good hint of what the spinoff is all about.

    Let’s start with the big announcement and that is that Tom Cruise appeared on screen to announce that his upcoming film is titled Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Now, the name may have some major implications, as there have been some behind-the-scenes statements that hinted that the first film’s production isn’t officially ended as they push back the release dates and try to keep investments open for both parts. So, the title “Part One” may add that additional pressure on the executives.

    That’s not all, as the upcoming A Quiet Place spinoff also finally gets a name, which is simply A Quiet Place: Day One. As many suspected, the project will explore the early days of the invasion that would change the lives of many. Keep in mind, that this isn’t the actual third entry, which isn’t set to release until 2025. Day One will be directed by Pig‘s Michael Sarnoski, who took over from Jeff Nichols. So, it’s great to finally get the confirmation on what the film will focus on.

    Source: Variety, Yahoo