Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Black Widow’s O-T Fagbenle Teases an MCU Return

    ‘Black Widow’s O-T Fagbenle Teases an MCU Return

    Black Widow was the first time that the MCU really explored a prequel on what Natasha Romanoff was up to before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. While it technically set up quite a few important characters for future returns, such as Florence Pug‘s Yelena Belova, there were some minor characters we haven’t heard much from since. One of them is O-T Fagbenle‘s Rick Mason, who many believed was going to turn out to be Taskmaster. Yet, the film caught us off-guard and decided to go in a different direction. Luckily, it seems that Mason might return.

    In an interview with SlashFilm, the actor has revealed that when he was initially cast in the role, it wasn’t as part of a one-time conversation. As an informant, there are many locations where he could end up making his return with Armor Wars being one strong possibility. Who knows if they might have bigger plans for his character as well, especially with Romanoff’s death pushing him into a new direction.

    I mean, you know what, with Marvel, I’m never sure how much they can say about stuff, but I’ll just say that it wasn’t a one-and-done conversation.

    O-T Fagbenle

    It would be interesting to see if they might revisit his original development in some way, as they definitely still planted some seeds. Mason had a habit of constantly sleeping and was quite the informant. His character’s suddenly getting his hands on the Taskmaster technology would make for an interesting development, as we see harsh times potentially also push people to embrace their darker sides. So, the Snap could become a catalyst for exactly that.

    Source: SlashFilm

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Takes a World Record Spot from ‘The Grinch’

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Takes a World Record Spot from ‘The Grinch’

    We’ve been keeping a close eye on what the future has in store for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as director James Gunn has been busy working on the project. While he has continued to tease the appearance of various Rick and Morty characters, we still know very little about the project. Yet, he surprised many when he took to Twitter to announce that the 2023 release has broken a World Record that was previously held by How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They took the top spot for the World Record of the Most Makeup Appliances Created for a Single Production.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1511091202547924996

    There have been quite a lot of discussions on the internet on Marvel Studios’ general use of CG. While they still rely on a mixture of practical elements and CG but also were forced to adapt given the circumstances created through COVID. They’ve also started giving their directors more creative control ever since Kevin Feige and his team moved away from Marvel to work more closely with Disney.

    In a follow-up tweet, Gunn confirms that he has 100% control over how many practical effects are used. So, his involvement also likely played a big role in reaching this world record. It’ll be fun to see if they promote it, or simply stick with his tweet on the matter, as many might not have realized The Grinch was holding on to that record since 2000. It was quite the make-up effects marvel of its time and no wonder it wasn’t an easy one to surpass.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    Moon Knight finally premiered and early data hinted at it potentially being one of the service’s strongest releases. SambaTV remains our best comparison point to get a glimpse into how exactly the Disney+ series are performing. Disney won#t release the data themselves. So, we’re dependent on external analytic firms to offer a glimpse behind the curtain. Their latest release reveals just how popular Moon Knight was within its first five days of streaming.

    According to SambaTV, the premiere managed to reach 1.8M US households within the first five days. As a point of comparison, it is the same amount of viewers that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s premiere episode. Currently, it has managed to surpass WandaVision and Hawkeye, which is in line with what we saw earlier with its trailer viewership. So, the early predictions were pretty on point.

    Loki remains the reigning champion for Marvel’s TV venture with 2.5M according to SambaTV’s household panels. We just recently learned that it alongside The Mandalorian remains the best performing series on Disney+. Moon Knight can definitely be seen as a success for Marvel though, especially with the possibility of its mind-bending aspects pulling in new viewers as it goes on.

    The numbers aren’t the full picture, as there’s always the possibility that they look quite a bit different on Marvel and Disney’s side. Still, these numbers are impressive if you consider how unknown Moon Knight is to the general populous and it’s competition with well-established characters is a good sign for Marvel Studios’ venture on expanding through Disney+. Ms. Marvel is going to be an interesting test to see just how powerful this brand is.

    Source: Twitter

  • Karen Gillan Promises More Improvisation in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Karen Gillan Promises More Improvisation in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Karen Gillan has been busy promoting her newest film, The Bubble, where she teamed up with Judd Apatow to offer a meta film about film-making. It seems her work on that project has inspired her to push a bit more to try and improvise her work. In an interview with The Wrap, she’s talked about her approach to acting and made a promise that Nebula is improvising “a lot more lines” in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    This time around in ‘Guardians 3’, she’s, yeah, she’s improvising a lot more lines.

    Karen Gillan

    Of course, she doesn’t give away what she may have improvised throughout the production but did highlight that a big part of the opening for Avengers: Endgame was her doing just that alongside Robert Downey Jr, as Nebula and Stark bonded while adrift in space.

    I will say, I’ve improvised a fair bit of Nebula because I don’t know if you saw ‘Endgame,’ which seems like. That’s a ridiculous question. But basically, all of the stuff with Robert Downey Jr. at the beginning was like, that whole montage was improvised.

    Karen Gillan

    Some of the most memorable lines in cinematic history have been improvised. So, it’s great to also see James Gunn giving his team the freedom to add their own touches to further develop the characters they’ve played for so long. Nebula’s interactions with Stark were quite memorable, especially in how they added quite a bit more to her personality after just losing her sister, who she finally built up a connection with.

    Source: The Wrap

  • FKA Twigs Joins Bill Skarsgard-Led ‘The Crow’

    FKA Twigs Joins Bill Skarsgard-Led ‘The Crow’

    Just a few days ago, we learned that Bill Skarsgard will spearhead a new attempt at reviving the cult classic The Crow for a modern audience. Rupert Sanders will take on directing duties on the project with the former Pennywise taking on the iconic role. Well, the project is moving at a fast speed, as The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that musician FKA Twigs has joined the reboot and will co-star alongside Skarsgard as the main love interest.

    What is interesting is that THR’s Borys Kit also added some additional information on Twitter highlighting that it’s unclear if they’ll go down the resurrection storyline, or it becomes a personification of the crow. We might not know until we get the first trailer, as the production is eyeing a June production start in Prague and in Munich.

    While many mainly remember the film starring the late Brendan Lee, the story is actually based on James O’Barr indie comic by the same name. After being assaulted by a gang, a man is resurrected by a mystical crow and enacts his revenge plan on those that took his life and that of his love, who will be played by FKA Twigs. It’s unclear if they might make more changes to adapt it to the modern age or stick to a more Victorian-inspired design like the first film did. For now, it’s kind of a miracle that the production is picking up speed, to begin with given how cursed any previous adaptation has been.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter

  • Jeff Fowler Reveals ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Didn’t Undergo Reshoots

    Jeff Fowler Reveals ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Didn’t Undergo Reshoots

    Reshoots have become a staple for the industry, especially as high-budget productions are becoming more and more complex. Yet, it seems that the upcoming release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 managed to go off with a strong start and didn’t really have to rely on any extensive reshoots. In an interview with Collider, director Jeff Fowler revealed that they pretty much only made some minor adjustments but “didn’t really have any reshoots” on the high-budget production. His full quote is as follows:

    I am actually very proud to say that we really, aside from some minor adjustments here or there, we didn’t really have any reshoots on the film. It was just, [that] we had a really strong story from the start. And a lot of it was really just about trying to tighten it up as much as possible, make sure all of the messaging, all of the emotional stuff was clear and was really landing.

    Jeff Fowler

    It’s quite impressive considering how many moving parts and involved parties these projects have. He does hint that they’ve made some adjustments, but it seems those may have been done in their CG work, especially as they don’t require the live-action cast to focus on the sequences that only include Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Still, not tackling any reshoots is a curious decision, as it helps tighten the script and some moments that might not hit as well. But, it’s also great to see a creative team that just believes in their vision and that the producers let them bring the initial vision to life.

    Source: YouTube

  • Jeff Fowler Isn’t Signed on to Direct ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Yet

    Jeff Fowler Isn’t Signed on to Direct ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Yet

    Here’s a curious surprise. Paramount has swiftly confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog will get a third film even long before its first sequel even hit theaters. The second entry has just been released in some select countries with a US release this weekend. So, director Jeff Fowler is currently busy with interviews. In one with Collider, he has revealed that he isn’t signed on yet for the already confirmed third project. While one might assume they are already working on the story, it seems they are doing so without the director’s involvement.

    Nothing would make me happier, I’m not officially involved with any of the additional films yet, but I’m so proud of this movie, I’m so proud of the first movie, so excited for fans to see it. They’re really incredible movies to make.

    Jeff Fowler

    What is interesting is that the words “additional films” may hint at some other spinoffs being in some form of development. So far, we know that Knuckles will get his own Paramount+ spinoff series, but it’s unclear what the story they might explore and if it might even tie into the third entry. If they are working on other spinoffs, it seems that Paramount is all-in to establish a cinematic universe that further explores the many colorful characters in Sonic’s world. At this point, we’ll just have to wait until we get an official name for this newly established universe. If you’re interested to get our thoughts on the film, you can read our review by clicking here.

    Source: Collider via ScreenRant

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Vulture’s Arrival in Sony’s New Universe

    ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Vulture’s Arrival in Sony’s New Universe

    For those that have watched Sony’s latest venture into building a separate Marvel Cinematic Universe, Morbius sets up a curious crossover between its various anti-hero characters. Somehow, MCU’s Vulture (Michael Keaton) lands in this new universe in the film’s post-credit sequence. Not just that, he even ends up meeting up with the newly minted vampire to pitch an idea of teaming up to face off against Spider-Man. Ignoring the fact that Spidey isn’t really a factor at any point in the film and its out-of-character, Keaton was a big part of the ongoing trailers. So, it’s strange he’s suddenly relegated to a post-credit sequence.

    Director Daniel Espinosa got a chance to discuss the challenge of adapting to Spider-Man: No Way Home as the film introduced the concept of the live-action Spider-Verse. It also opened up the confirmation that Venom was part of a separate universe, which turns out was Sony’s idea. So, the fact they are now separate universes complicated matters and forced them to adapt elements of the story. To not overcomplicate things, they just added him at the end as a result.

    The first thing that happened was that we had Michael Keaton because we were planning on doing this. But then when Spider-Man: No Way Home came out, it said, “This is how the visual effects are.” And then the idea of having him just encountering him in that universe seemed too complicated, and then we put it in the end.

    Daniel Espinosa

    A lot of the piece highlights the challenges they’ve faced throughout production. Morbius was originally going to release two years earlier. So, we may have faced a very different kind of connection between the MCU and Sony’s attempt at one. We’ll see if the physical release might include a hint at the original scenes and how Michael Keaton was originally going to fit into the story.

    Source: Uproxx

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Rumors of Jared Leto’s On-Set Behaviours

    ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Rumors of Jared Leto’s On-Set Behaviours

    Jared Leto is well-known throughout the industry, but not for the reasons you’d expect. During his tenure as the Joker on David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad, the actor took “method acting” a step too far by sending his co-stars some questionable gifts. There’ve been rumors that he’s done something similar with his time on his latest feature Morbius, where he plays a character with a disability. Supposedly, he would walk around on crutches and remain in character even long after the camera’s stopped rolling As such, it would cost the production hours for him to just go to the bathroom as a result. Morbius’ director Daniel Espinosa has now confirmed his off-screen behavior in an interview with Uproxx.

    Yeah. Because I think that what Jared thinks, what Jared believes, is that somehow the pain of those movements, even when he was playing normal Michael Morbius, he needed, because he’s been having this pain his whole life. Even though, as he’s alive and strong, it has to be a difference. Hey, man, it’s people’s processes.

    Daniel Espinosa

    As his focus on moving around with crutches became too much, they made a deal to have him sit in a wheelchair as it otherwise would’ve dragged production out even more. It certainly sounds like the director of films like Life and Safe House has faced some harsh challenges on set, especially how he generalizes the experience with actors. He even goes on to say that:

    If you want a completely normal person that does only things that you understand, then you’re in the wrong business. Because what’s different is what makes them tick. It’s very hard to be able to say, “I can take this part away and I will still get the same stuff from him.” I don’t do that. I’m more to see like, “Hey, if you’re doing this, we have to do this.”

    Daniel Espinosa

    So, it sounds like directing a feature film, especially a high-budget one, is quite the challenge. He hints that there are many parties involved with these projects that had their own goals with the production. So, to top it off with actors that have very specific expectations and their own methods to tackle projects like these certainly adds to the pressure any creative has to go through in a competitive industry like Hollywood.

    Source: Uproxx

  • ‘Venom’s Separate Spider-Man Timeline Was Pitched by Sony Not Marvel Studios

    ‘Venom’s Separate Spider-Man Timeline Was Pitched by Sony Not Marvel Studios

    There have been many discussions on who exactly had what idea in setting up the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s relationship with Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. While Tom Holland‘s run as the character stuck in the MCU after Spider-Man: No Way Home, we learned that the universe introduced with Venom was a completely separate timeline altogether. That set-up naturally bled over into Morbius, which existed in this separate timeline. The introduction of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture has added quite a lot of confusion to the story, but luckily director Daniel Espinosa revealed some details on how it came together.

    Most theories pointed to Marvel Studios pitching the idea of a separate universe for Sony, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. According to Espinosa in an interview with Uproxx, Sony was the one that created the concept of this different timeline. Naturally, it led to some issues as the film was originally going to release two years earlier, way before No Way Home even entered production, but ended up having to change course after a constant barrage of delays. So, they had no idea what Marvel Studios was cooking up and Sony forced their hand to adapt. Still, this new timeline was their idea from the get-go:

    But I think that the concept of having different timelines were, I believe, came from Sony, not from Kevin Feige. It was Sony that initiated that idea. I think that Miles Morales that you have in Spider-Verse, I would bet your life on that you would have Miles Morales from the Spider-Verse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point.

    Daniel Espinosa

    It’s a curious reveal, but it may be a hint that Sony wanted absolute freedom to work within their own sandbox. Even if the forced introduction of Vulture made no sense and broke the rules set by the MCU film. Still, that has never stopped the studio from trying out different things as they are seemingly building up towards a villainous crossover against a version of Spider-Man we haven’t seen yet. For now, we’ll have to see where this is heading.it

    Source: Uproxx