Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Halo’ is Paramount+’s Most-Watched Series Within 24 Hours

    ‘Halo’ is Paramount+’s Most-Watched Series Within 24 Hours

    While it seemed that Halo opened to surprisingly little fanfare, the series was still quite the hit on Paramount+. Pablo Schreiber takes on the role of Master chief in this new live-action adaptation based on the popular Xbox gaming franchise. We believed that it was a decent opening to a new series–you can check out our review by clicking here–it looks like Paramount has been quite satisfied with the release. Chief Programming Officer for the streaming service, Tanya Giles, shared the following statement on its success:

    Bringing ‘Halo’ to life as a streaming series has been one of the most rewarding efforts for Paramount+ to date and we could not be more thrilled at the massive fan responses to the series’ debut. Along with our phenomenal partners at Showtime, 343 Industries, and Amblin Television, we cannot wait for fans to experience more of this incredible universe.

    Tanya Giles

    As per usual in the streaming world, we don’t have any exact numbers but it was highlighted that it was a clear winner. Considering the project started initially back in 2013 and has been in production for quite some time, these numbers are definitely a sigh of relief for Paramount+. They already renewed it for a second season with a new showrunner. So, it seems that the early renewal was definitely the right move and we’ll see if it can keep up that viewership over the next few weeks as it rolls out the rest of the episodes.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke Denies Hulk Rumors

    ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke Denies Hulk Rumors

    For quite some time, there have been rumors that we’ll see one Avenger join the upcoming Moon Knight series. Yet, the project has mostly been shown as a very independent storyline from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surprisingly, it seems that Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk was the one teased as a potential addition to the Disney+ series. Yet, it seems there might not be that much after all to the rumors.

    Even as there hasn’t been much proof outside of Ruffalo being sighted near the production, it didn’t stop the rumor from making the rounds on multiple occasions. Ethan Hawke, however, was asked during The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on the rumors surrounding the project, where he quickly denied it having any real weight.

    That would be cool, right? That would be cool. Except I know Mark Ruffalo, and I think if we were in the same show, he would have at least texted me or something. So I don’t think that one’s got a lot of legs. [Audience groans ] I know, I know. Maybe in another one.

    Ethan Hawke

    He does go on in the interview that his personal hope is to see Mahershala Ali‘s Blade make an appearance but he wouldn’t know if they filmed anything in that regard. Given the darker direction for the character, it would make the most sense. Yet, we’ve been surprised in the past and who knows if he appears in a post-credit sequence that Hawke wasn’t involved with. Of course, there’s always the chance that he’s just denying it outright as he can’t break his NDA as part of the series. For now, we have to wait and see.

    You can watch the full interview here:

    Source: YouTube via The Direct

  • Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Merch Offers New Look at Thor’s New Helmet

    Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Merch Offers New Look at Thor’s New Helmet

    It looks like the new ornament collection shared by Hallmark isn’t just leaking the costume for Black Adam, as another one has found its way online offering a look at Thor’s new updated design for the upcoming fourth entry in the franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder. We’ve gotten some glimpses in the past, most notably with the LEGO set, but this new one offers a good look at the overall design and on his new helmet he’ll be wearing at some point in the film. The image comes courtesy of @common_writer on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/common_writer/status/1507463718472409091?t=CCjPz8zeW6JwE7pTSr5Vqg&s=19

    The new design is embracing more gold elements, and it’ll be interesting to see if this might have some connection to him potentially taking back the throne as the king of Asgard. We don’t know what the future has in store for Chris Hemsworth‘s character and just how his story will pan out after joining the Guardians after the events of Avengers: Endgame. We saw him rock a sleeveless shirt and jacket on some set photos, but it’s uncertain if he might summon this new design through his hammer or have a new armor forged.

    It would be great to see his armor actually forged, as most of the time he manages to use his electricity to gather the armor around him. Taika Waititi also is continuing his trend of adding more colorful elements to his design, as Ragnarok also introduced a very different depiction of the character. Instead of just focusing on the blue, black, and grey design elements from the originals, they’re adding details to make it stand out better, which fits his usual colorful visual style. It’ll be interesting to see if they include it in the first trailer.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Be Facing Creative Issues With ‘She-Hulk’

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Be Facing Creative Issues With ‘She-Hulk’

    Marvel Studios’ venture into Disney+ has been quite the success so far. While not every show was considered a massive hit right out of the gate, they still found their audiences and proved the studio is willing to experiment. WandaVision was quite the departure from their heroic tale, as they explored grief through the eyes of a superpowered individual. And it seems that there might be some concerns or worries behind-the-scenes with the upcoming adaptation of She-Hulk. Jeff Sneider has briefly discussed the topic on the latest episode of The Hot Mic With Jeff and John, where he highlighted some concerns that have been happening behind the scenes.

    I’ve heard not good things behind-the-scenes… and I’ve asked whether it’s Moon Knight or Ms. Marvel or Secret Invasion or any of these [projects], they are always like, ‘She-Hulk is the one that could be a problem.

    Jeff Sneider

    He goes on to make a comparison to the Guardians of the Galaxy films, which helps solidify this less than a quality issue but potentially just a project that sticks out from a creative direction.

    I’ve heard it from people working on it, from people actually working on it who are just like, ‘We’ll see.’ I think that’s a lot of Marvel things, honestly, and you know where it’s just like, ‘Ugh, this could be really stupid, like we’ll see.’ I’m sure people making Guardians of the Galaxy felt that way, right? And most of the time [Marvel] pulls it out. But there will come a time where they won’t, that’s just the laws of moviemaking, the laws of numbers.

    Jeff Sneider

    The “laws of numbers” comparison is a bit curious, as that is more in overabundance leads to mediocrity if you stick too much to put out the same thing; a common provocation in the discourse surrounding the MCU. In this case, it sounds like they are trying to break away from the norm as Guardians did some time ago. He does add that it “is not shaping up to be very good” but there have been those kinds of rumors in the past, especially the more the studio departed from its usual fare. For now, the bigger showcase will be as we close in on its release which is still some time away. Some of the concerns could also be due to the CG-heavy reliance on a character like She-Hulk and Hulk on a smaller budget. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

    Source: YouTube via The Direct

  • ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Will Introduce Multiple New Characters to the MCU

    ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Will Introduce Multiple New Characters to the MCU

    We have quite a few exciting MCU projects on the horizon that will continue to expand the franchise in creative ways. Not only that, but they are also starting to try out new expansions such as a Halloween and Christmas special later this year. While both are currently filming, Gunn has recently offered a few teases of what’s to come. He also shared a few details on Twitter as a follow-up, he teased what we can expect from the project such as that the upcoming Disney+ Holiday special will introduce not just one but multiple new MCU characters.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1507546334387126274

    Of course, this opens up a lot of potential questions on who we might expect. As it is a Christmas special, we have jokingly wondered if we’ll see the MCU’s incarnation of Santa Clause. In the comics, he’s an actual character that exists. If Khonshu is a real being so why couldn’t old Saint Nick also make an appearance? Plus, he may be the first MCU-based mutant to get introduced into the franchise. If we exclude the upcoming appearance of Patrick Stewart‘s Xavier who was briefly teased in the last Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer.

    The most difficult connection to make is if the story is going to remain in space or be earth-based. Star-Lord making his way back home to visit his family would be a nice way to bring a Christmas story together, as he also faces his own family. With the upcoming Vol. 3 teased as the final entry for the team, or at least its current roster, there’s a chance that this might be his only chance to also make up for running away. We briefly saw his grandfather appear in the second entry. It would be nice for him to face his family and maybe even visit his mother’s grave after the events of the last film. He was already on Earth with the battle against Thanos. So, it’s time to face his demons in the holiday spirits.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Better Nate Than Ever’s Tim Federle on Directing an Adaptation of His Own Book

    ‘Better Nate Than Ever’s Tim Federle on Directing an Adaptation of His Own Book

    Tim Federle wrote the book Better Nate Than Ever back in 2013, but now got the chance to not only write the script for the Disney+ adaptation but even get to sit in the director’s chair. So, the director got a chance to share his enthusiasm for taking on this new role during the press junket, and especially how where he is now also strongly echoes the message of his film.

    It’s a dream come true. I mean, my background was as a theater kid from Pittsburgh, who dreamed of getting out of my hometown and dancing on Broadway. I never really dreamed of turning it into a movie, and I think the amazing thing about […] growing up is it never stops happening if you surround yourself with people who allow you to dream.

    Tim Federle

    Federle has been busy and is no stranger to working with Disney+, as he also was an executive producer and writer on the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which has a third season on the horizon. He also co-wrote the Blue Sky Studios’ film Ferdinand back in 2017. So, the author has been quite busy, and with the chance to sit in the director’s chair and the potential success of Better Nate Than Ever, he hopefully gets a chance to also the sequel Five, Six, Seven Nate! life.

  • ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    If you want to remain spoiler-free for Morbius then only continue at your own risk.

    We’ve all been questioning why director Daniel Espinosa is spoiling most of the film’s major plot points a week ahead of Morbius‘ release. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he has pretty much confirmed that the trailer’s teased appearance of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture is indeed the same version we saw in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only that, but he also pretty much confirmed that the character is recruiting people to join a team. CinemaBlend instantly made the Sinister Six connection, but while he won’t name them directly he does hint that this is what Sony is setting up.

    It’s a bit head-scratching that Vulture is the one recruiting people. We don’t know if he still has the memory that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, or even why he’s in a different universe. Plus, he seemed to have no ill will towards the kid when he was confronted if he knows his identity. So, why would he gather a team of villains to take on Spider-Man, especially if he’s in a different universe where it isn’t even the version that he met.

    The director teased that they have a different Spider-Man already roaming in this universe, and the logo of Daily Bugle does seemingly hint at it potentially being Tobey Maguire. But the trailer also included references to the Oscorp we saw in Andrew Garfield, which also seems like a possible option. We’ll have to see if Sony might reveal it at some point, but with their current strategy they might just flat-out announce it.

    Source: Twitter

  • Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    To this day, the fact that Disney and Square Enix worked together on a game that combined both worlds into one with Kingdom Hearts remains one of those things that seem like pipedreams. Somehow, we’ve got three main titles and countless spinoffs. And in a surprising twist, it seems that Disney is starting to include references to the project, as eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Mickey Mouse’s Kingdom Key D was included in a brief sequence in the new Disney+ special The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse.

    The fact it appears while they are busy spring cleaning is a hilarious idea, as it seems that his time with the Keyblade was in the past. IThe brief tease also includes Yen Sid’s famous hat that he briefly borrowed, a character that also appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series. The inclusion is a great tease, as there have also been quite a few rumors that Disney+ was developing a series based on the franchise. We’ve sadly never heard much on it and it seemingly has vanished since.

    It would be fun to see Sora appear in one of these specials, as the art style would offer a very creative take on the character. Plus, it would just be surreal to actually see them interact outside of the games. Here’s hoping that the appearance is also a tease that we may get some hints on the project as we are currently in the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

    source: Disney+ via Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    The director of Morbius talks about major spoilers ahead of the film’s release. If you want to remain spoiler-free, only continue at your own risk.

    We just published the piece that the director of Morbius, Daniel Espinosa, confirmed that the film isn’t part of the MCU and is part of the same Venomverse we were introduced to in the 2018 film. Yet, it seems that that doesn’t mean we’ll get a crossover between the two franchises, as the director seems to imply that Michael Keaton‘s return as Vulture in the trailers is indeed the version we were introduced to in the MCU. He goes out of his way to confirm that it is indeed the one from Spider-Man: Homecoming and even gives away how he ends up in the film.

    So, it seems that No Way Home sent various heroes to other dimensions and accidentally also teleported Vulture in the process. Yet, that makes no real sense as the film was all about sending people back to their respective universes based on the fact that they knew Spider-Man is Peter Parker. It almost would imply that Vulture was already from a different dimension from the get-go, but that was never part of his story when we first meet him.

    In a way, it seems like Sony wanted an excuse to have the character return and used the loophole surrounding the spell to explain why he’s part of Sony’s universe. We might expect them to pick and choose whoever landed in whatever universe so they can build whatever they are trying to attempt, but the fact they reveal it ahead of the release makes no real sense. Perhaps they have a trick up their sleeve once the film hits theaters, or they are banking on that connection selling the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    While there’s still sometime before Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff film Morbius releases in theaters, it seems the director is quite open to spoiling quite a few elements from the film. CinemaBlend has shared a Twitter thread with some curious details about the film from director Daniel Espinosa. With the many discussions surrounding the film’s continuity, most notably due to how many Easter eggs were added into the initial trailers from across all of Spidey’s multiverse, the director has confirmed that it is part of Venom’s universe and not the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Sony has been quite actively teasing that all their projects take place in the MCU, but with Marvel Studios actively talking around the topic it never got confirmed. That was until Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed that Venom is part of the greater multiverse. He also confirmed that the universe they inhabit has its own Spider-Man, but would not give away which one that is. He only highlighted that “It is my understanding that audiences will discover the answer soon.” So, we might find out once the film either hits theaters or get an announcement from Sony as they try to build their own universe.

    The bizarre part is that we did see Michael Keaton‘s Vulture make an appearance in the trailers, which makes you wonder if he is just a Variant that’s exactly the same. If they have their own Spider-Man, there’s likely a chance that they’d want to either nab Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, as their return has been welcomed with quite a lot of fanfare. Just introducing another new actor in the role may be a bit chaotic.

    Source: Twitter