Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • REPORT: Ubisoft’s New Open-World ‘Star Wars’ Game Eyeing 2024 Release

    REPORT: Ubisoft’s New Open-World ‘Star Wars’ Game Eyeing 2024 Release

    The Summer of Gaming has truly arrived, as we are getting an onslaught of rumors, reports, and whatever the Internet can imagine. The latest story is now Star Wars related. Not just that, but it’s all about Ubisoft’s first foray into the science-fiction franchise. We’ve long heard the rumor of an open-world game being in development by Massive Entertainment. It was first mentioned back in January 2021 and it seems we might finally see more of it soon.

    While an early 2024 release doesn’t mean we should expect it in the upcoming PlayStation Showcase or Xbox Showcase, it does mean that they might be revving up marketing for the latest entry sooner rather than later. Supposedly, the game is eyeing a March 2024 release as “another large game” would release alongside Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Skull and Bones, as well as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

    So far, we still have no clue what exactly the game will be about. There has been a lot of hope that the franchise moves away from the Jedi for a bit and focuses a bit more on the life of a bounty hunter. Getting the chance to play a Mandalorian would be fitting for those that still mourn what could’ve been Star Wars 1313 if it wasn’t canceled back in the day. Plus, The Mandalorian proved just how popular the race is and how fitting they’d be for a game adaptation.

    Source: Kotaku

  • Charlize Theron Still Has Yet to Hear Back from Marvel Studios

    Charlize Theron Still Has Yet to Hear Back from Marvel Studios

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened last year to a lot of fanfare box office-wise. While some may have not jelled completely with its horror elements, the film still had a lot to offer in building the future of the Multiverse Saga. We were introduced to what happens when universes collide and also get a tease of how other versions of the Avengers function.

    The biggest reveal was the arrival of Clea, played by Charlize Theron, at the end of the film. She was part of the first post-credit sequence that sadly undermined the third eye reveal just seconds later, but still gave us a hint at what the future has in store with a major actress joining the franchise. Yet, it seems Marvel Studios has yet to get in contact with the actress as she revealed during Jimmy Kimmel Live.

    I don’t. No, I haven’t gotten a call. I’ve not gotten a– Is that bad? Is that bad? Is that bad? No, I’m not lying… I haven’t gotten a call. Is that bad?

    Charlize Theron

    It’s not too surprising given that non of the upcoming projects really require a character like Clea in their stories. We’re taking a bit of a break from the sci-fi-heavy direction the franchise took with more “grounded” stories like Secret Invasion, Thunderbolts, and the new Captain America film. So, we might have to wait a bit until we see her return alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as they set out to correct the multiverse.

    Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live! via The Direct

  • RUMOR: New ‘Persona 5’ Spinoff In Development for 2024 Release

    RUMOR: New ‘Persona 5’ Spinoff In Development for 2024 Release

    Is it raining Persona rumors today? Alongside the recent rumor in regards to Persona 6 eyeing a PlayStation-exclusive release sometime in late 2024, there’s a bit more meat on the bone of this rumor. A video by YouTube Nate the Hate, which has now also been shared on various platforms, has given a tease of what’s to potentially come from Atlus in the coming years.

    While the expected Persona 3 Remake and its Xbox Showcase inclusion was mentioned alongside Persona 6, there’s one part of this story that has a few question marks on just how much Atlus has been working on behind the scenes. Supposedly, they have also been busy on another Persona 5 spinoff, which may see a release in 2024.

    Now, it remains a rumor and there’s already the mobile spinoff in development titled Persona 5: Phantom X, but supposedly this is a separate game that is in some form of development. It’s unclear what type of spinoff this is, as they could go down the Arena route to have characters from the last three games battle each other as they did with Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax.

    Of course, it might also just be Phantom X that is being referenced but that only recently was in an Alpha phase. Plus, it’s not confirmed for a release outside of China at the moment. So, we’ll have to see what exactly this will entail and how it might tie into the original franchise. Persona 5 Strikers is a direct sequel to the original Persona 5 while Persona 5 Royal is an extended remaster of that version that hasn’t received a direct sequel by now. äso, who knows if the P5-verse is about to get even more confusing.

    Source: Resetera, Gaming Deputy, YouTube

  • RUMOR: ‘Persona 6’ Eyeing Late 2024 Release, Next-Gen Only

    RUMOR: ‘Persona 6’ Eyeing Late 2024 Release, Next-Gen Only

    The rumor mill surrounding Persona has been quite interesting, as there’s a variety of stories making the rounds. We’ve long been waiting for an announcement for the next mainline iteration of Persona, Persona 6, which has been quite absent. Even the 25th anniversary was surprisingly calm about the future of the franchise but there have been a variety of rumors making the rounds as of late in regards to the next numbered entry and a remake of Persona 3, which just recently got a remaster.

    Now, it seems that Reseterra has become the source for any Persona rumor nowadays. It’s a surprisingly very selective environment that normally only allows things in that may have some truth to them. The latest comes by sharing a video of Nate the Hate, who has shared quite a few things in the past, and seemingly may have given us a tease of what’s to come.

    Besides the already existing Persona 3 Remake rumor of appearing at the Xbox Showcase, he also seemingly stated that Persona 6 is going to be a PlayStation 5 exclusive moving forward. Atlus is seemingly embracing the next-gen console and it makes sense given the franchise generally has been a standard part of Sony’s line-up. Though, they state it might just be a limited release similar to Final Fantasy VII Remake, as we theorized with the P3 Remake rumors recently.

    That’s not all, as he also seemingly states that they are eyeing a late 2024 release for the game. So, the set-up would be for the remake to hit multiple consoles sometime this year on all consoles but using Xbox as its main marketing source similar to the reveal of the previous remasters. It’s to highlight the step forward for the franchise and likely a hint that they will keep spinoffs or other adaptations for multiple console releases while the mainline series gets the PlayStation exclusivity.

    Source: The Gamer, YouTube, Resetera

  • ‘Fast X’ Revs Up Massive $319M Worldwide But Slows Down Domestically

    ‘Fast X’ Revs Up Massive $319M Worldwide But Slows Down Domestically

    It looks like Fast X is still making a splash internationally, as while it didn’t beat the previous entry domestically, it has revved up quite a bit of momentum at the global box office. It highlights that some franchises may face their own slowdown but that isn’t always the case for every single market, especially with how some viewed the international development in Eastern markets for MArvel Studios’ more sci-fi-oriented filmmaking in the last few years.

    Still, Fast X has pulled in $318.9M worldwide, which is a good start even if it only pulled in $67.5M domestically. The international bow makes it the second largest release of the year with The Super Mario Bros. Movie still holding on to the top spot at $377M. Though, it is the third-highest opening for a Fast and Furious film. Still, it had the biggest international opening of any film so far.

    The film actually had an impressive opening in China at $78.3M, which after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also surprised might be a hopeful sign that the market is warming up to external films again. Though domestically, the film received a B+ CinemaScore, which commonly hints at a more positive but mixed reception and it is a lower opening than F9 during the pandemic.

    There is, however, one major issue this film is going to face and that is its hefty production budget. While during the pandemic many film budgets have spiraled out of control with the old $200M now hovering around $250M, Fast X has a bit of a bigger challenge ahead. Even with a massive opening this year, the film has to make quite a bit of cash due to costing $340M.

    That means, the film would have to make at least $640M just to cover its production budget and potentially around $850M to be considered profitable. while its international legs could be a factor, it’s still a long way to know if this film was worth its investment. To put it in perspective, the film costs more than Avengers: Infinity War and 10M less than Avatar: The Way of Water. So, the second weekend will be vital to see how far the franchise’s engine truly will run.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap via The Direct

  • ‘Fast X’ Heading for a Soft $66M Opening Weekend with a B+ CinemaScore

    ‘Fast X’ Heading for a Soft $66M Opening Weekend with a B+ CinemaScore

    It’s looking more and more like blockbuster fatigue is showing its fangs, as even the latest entry of the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast X, is kicking off its domestic run softly. Louis Leterrier is directing the latest entry in the franchise that came in with a soft B+, which means the action hit is getting some mixed reviews from audiences. It’s the same grade that F9 got previously during the pandemic but it’ll be curious to keep an eye on what this means for its box office.

    The film took in $27.5M and is currently 8% behind F9. With a B+ score, it seems like the film is likely going to roll out around $66M over the weekend. That of course isn’t great with Vin Diesel recently trying to promote that he’s decided they’ll spin out a trilogy out of Fast X, which originally was setting up the final entry to the franchise. It’s hard to say if the two-year wait and the overall soft embrace of the previous entry may have played a key factor in its box office.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1659788311685128192

    Outside of Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, big releases have been struggling a bit this year. The latter is also showing another stronghold with a 46% drop even going up against this direct competition from Universal. Mid-budget investments have performed better than expected in April as people were preparing for the summer, but perhaps we’re about to face an average 100M opening moving forward with the franchise going above or below depending on the marketing push behind, as even former franchise giant, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is only projecting around a $40M opening weekend.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ Leak Confirms Heroic and Bloody Additions

    ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ Leak Confirms Heroic and Bloody Additions

    Mortal Kombat 1 dropped its first trailer in style with a lot of fanfare. It already has many wondering who else might join the roster of the September release, and it seems that Amazon Italy may have accidentally leaked who will be part of the first Kombat Pack. It seems that the recent rumors are true and we’re getting some bloody good heroic additions for this R-rated game that has seen horror icons and 90s stars.

    According to Amazon Italy, Mortal Kombat 1’s Kombat Pack 1 (say that ten times) will include some familiar characters from the franchise’s past. The list includes Quan Chi, Ermac, and Kenshin’s son Takeda. While Takeda is a curious addition given the reboot technically would bring back Kenshin first rather than his son given the timeline, that isn’t the thing that likely had everyone’s eyes on it.

    The game will continue the tradition of including third-party characters and it seems they are going in a heroic direction this time around. Given the rise in R-rated superhero offerings, it’s not a surprise but the additions are quite interesting. We have Invincible’s Omni Man, DC’s Peacemaker, and The Boys‘ Homelander included in the list.

    Homelander was a fan-favorite addition given his unhinged behavior in the Amazon series. Ironically, the inclusion of Omni Man also adds fuel to the fire of finally getting to see these two Superman-inspired characters to prove which one is more powerful. Though, we don’t know which version of Homelander is going to be brought to the game, as they could either go with the comic design or Antony Starr’s version. They did bring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to life in Mortal Kombat 11. So, anything is possible if they have the rights.

    Source: GameSpot

  • ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel Finds its Jade in ‘You’ Star

    ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel Finds its Jade in ‘You’ Star

    Simon McQuoid is back in the director’s chair for the Mortal Kombat sequel. The film will pick up where the last one ended, as the team heads out towards the actual tournament that wasn’t really touched upon in the first film. While we recently heard Karl Urban has been in final negotiations to play the role of Johnny Cage, it seems one more iconic character is set to return.

    The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled that Tati Gabrielle, who appeared in You and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has joined the sequel to the 2021 streaming hit. She’ll take on the role of Jade, who is the bodyguard of Princess Kitana in the original gaming series.

    For now, Jessica McNamee and Josh Lawson are expected to reprise their roles from the original. It’s uncertain who else might join as of now and what direction the story might take. It’ll likely take some cues from Mortal Kombat 2 and 3 given how much ground they will try to cover with this storyline.

    For now, we can only speculate as there has also been no mention of Hiroyuki Sanada returning as the iconic Scorpion. His bout with Sub-Zero was the highlight of the first film and there’s still a lot more story left to tell going into a sequel. Of course, he’s not technically the “main” character but was a big draw to many fans even with the gaming franchise. He was the highlight of the poster so it’ll be interesting to see if they try not to be too dependent on him.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Resident Evil’ Actor Joins Live-Action ‘One Piece’ as Don Krieg

    ‘Resident Evil’ Actor Joins Live-Action ‘One Piece’ as Don Krieg

    Probably among the biggest missing pieces in the East Blue Saga was Don Krieg. The main antagonist during the Baratie arc was surprisingly absent in most of the cast announcements for the live-action One Piece series heading to Netflix sometime this year. After a long wait, it seems that he has finally been uncovered as Resident Evil and Raised by Wolves actor Milton Schorr is playing the iconic admiral of the Krieg Pirates, as uncovered first by @OP_Netflix_Fan and the One Piece Live Action discord.

    Krieg was among the many iconic villains that left quite an impression in the East Blue saga, especially with him being the first one to hint at the dangers of the Grand Line, Luffy’s main goal in reaching by the end of the saga. He also sets up a showcase of just how dangerous the world can be and that you can’t always trust everyone you come across.

    The only major member of his team missing is Gin, who plays a vital role in introducing Sanji’s main character arc. We might see his casting finally get confirmed at a later date, as most of these castings aren’t from Netflix directly but rather from the actors confirming their appearances through their personal CVs. So, who knows if they even planned to announce anyone else in the near future or just jump straight into the trailer and poster.

    Source: ArtistsOne

  • New Netflix Exhibition Shows Off Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Props

    New Netflix Exhibition Shows Off Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Props

    It’s feeling more and more like a trailer is on the horizon. Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece has been teased since the beginning of the year with some beautiful posters, which only give us a glimpse of the Straw Hat crew. We did luckily see what the Going Merry looks like in live-action. It wasn’t until earlier this month on Monkey D. Luffy’s birthday that we finally got a letter from Oda teasing the live-action adaptation. Now, it seems that an exhibition in Harajuku named “Only on Netflix” is being held that shares some of the props from production.

    So far, it seems there are only two props being showcased. One is the iconic Straw Hat from Luffy, which seems quite close to the one we saw in the poster. While some have pointed out that it doesn’t seem to be made of straw, there’s a wide variety of materials that they may have used and there’s always a difference in how they make use of these props for when they film it. The other prop might be familiar to readers of the manga: it’s Luffy’s first hand-drawn design of his Jolly Roger.

    Of course, Usopp would go on to make one that fits the crew much better, but it’s a very one-to-one adaptation of what it looked like in the manga. So, we can expect a lot of different designs that might call back to what we saw in Eiichiro Oda’s original work. Here’s hoping we also get the infamous Nami Mermaid drawing that Luffy does. With TUDUM once again taking place in Brazil, they may carry over these props there but sadly it seems they only shared these two. Who knows if more will be showcased there?

    Source: One Piece, Twitter