Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’, ‘Luke Cage’ and More Will Remain Unedited on Disney+, Even in the US

    RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’, ‘Luke Cage’ and More Will Remain Unedited on Disney+, Even in the US

    Netflix’s Marvel series, which includes Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and more, are only a few days away from leaving the streaming platform to find a new home. Just earlier today, we’ve learned that the new home would end up being Disney+ after all. What has any confusion is that the announcement is purely through Canada, which offers the Star branding for mature content. Well, a new report by That Hashtag Show hints that there’s a chance that not only will they also release in the US version but also unedited.

    Disney has made some bizarre choices by editing and censoring some of its films. Yet, it seems that they might luckily leave these projects untouched, something even the showrunner of Luke Cage, Cheo Hodari Coker, feared in a recent Twitter thread discussing the history of the project before it leaves Netflix. The US version will release around the same time as the announced March 16th date. So, violence and language will remain the same.

    The way Disney+ will handle these more mature projects is through the new Parental Guidance content warning. It may also open up the path for other projects like Deadpool or Logan finding their way to the regular Disney+. There is currently no word if we should expect these projects to retain their “Marvel” logo and end up alongside other Marvel TV projects, or with the recent appearances of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. We’ll have to wait a few more weeks until we find out.

    Source: That Hashtag Show

  • Marvel Studios Wanted to Introduce America Chavez into the MCU “For a Long Time”

    Marvel Studios Wanted to Introduce America Chavez into the MCU “For a Long Time”

    D23 has just dropped its Spring 2022 issue and it offered some updates on Marvel Studios’ upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film will introduce the world to Xocithl Gomez‘s take on America Chavez, an interdimensional hopping teenager. Producer Richie Palmer revealed that they’ve actually been hoping to introduce the character for some time now.

    America is someone we’ve been trying to get into the MCU for a long time. This felt like the best place to do it, because ‘Multiverse’ is in the title and her powers specifically have to do with the Multiverse – her powers being that she can punch open doorways to other universes. That’s something we haven’t seen in our movies, a character who can actually walk from one universe to another. That’s maddening in itself for characters such as Doctor Strange and Wong, whose jobs are to protect those barriers.

    Richie Palmer

    The upcoming multiverse-focused storyline is the perfect gateway into the franchise. Plus, Strange and Wong realizing someone can just punch their way through realities are certainly going to bring some great banter between the three. D23’s issue also confirms that their first meeting is during the battle with Gargantos, which was teased during the first two trailers. So, she might join the fray rather early in the upcoming film. If she’s been on Marvel Studios mind for som time, it does make you wonder what the future has in store for her.

    Source: D23 via The Direct

  • BREAKING: Netflix’s Marvel Show Heading to Disney+ in March

    BREAKING: Netflix’s Marvel Show Heading to Disney+ in March

    We’ve been waiting for any sign of what the future has in store for Netflix’s Marvel series. Without a warning, Netflix suddenly included the information that the shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and more will leave the service by the end of February. Well, it seems we finally got an update, as an e-mail is making the rounds, as shared by @shayhbaz, where it’s revealed that the shows are heading to Disney+ on March 16th.

    It’s quite the surprising reveal without much fanfare given how iconic these franchises are. So far, the e-mail has only been sent to Canadian outlets, which could open up the possibility of them landing on Diseny+ through the Star branding, which is currently absent in the United States. At this point, no official word has come down from Disney about their U.S. plans. Still, it would make sense that they’d find their permanent home on the Marvel-filled library of the streamer. Hopefully, they won’t start censoring elements of these stories to fit the branding image, but with Moon Knight on the horizon, they may consider finally aging up their main demographic moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’: Each Episode’s Writers Revealed in New Listing

    ‘Moon Knight’: Each Episode’s Writers Revealed in New Listing

    Only a little over a month and we’ll finally get the next Disney+ series from Marvel Studios. After Hawkeye left us with some holiday cheer. we’re going to enter what may be the company’s darkest story so far. Moon Knight explores the story of Steven Grant, who comes to realize he might have a dark secret that not even he is aware of. We’ve known for some time that Jeremy Slater was taking on the role of showrunner, but a new listing on the Writers Guild of America West has revealed the writer team and what episodes they are tackling.

    • Episode 1 – Jeremy Slater
    • Episode 2 – Michael Kastelein
    • Episode 3 – Beau DeMayo and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada
    • Episode 4 – Alex Meenehan and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada
    • Episode 5 – Rebecca Kirsch and Matthew Horton
    • Episode 6 – Jeremy Slater and Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada (based on a story by Danielle Iman & Jeremy Slater)

    There are some interesting names included in this list, such as Kastelein, who recently worked on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. DeMayo is well-known for his work on The Originals and some episodes of The Witcher. He’s also involved with the upcoming X-Men ’97 revival series. Pirzada recently worked on Roswell, New Mexico, and wrote some episodes of Person of Interest. Peter Cameron is also a Marvel veteran, as he worked as an executive story editor for WandaVision. Meenehan worked as a story editor on Bosch, while Rebecca Kirsch had a hand in series like The Exorcist and 2013’s Dracula. It’s quite a diverse team of writers that offer some unique perspectives and it’ll be interesting to see how this project comes together.

    Source: Writers Guild of America West

  • ‘Star Trek’ Cast Was Not Aware of the Fourth ‘Star Trek’ Film

    ‘Star Trek’ Cast Was Not Aware of the Fourth ‘Star Trek’ Film

    We were all excited when it was announced that the Kelvin timeline would continue with the upcoming fourth installment of the Star Trek franchise. Paramount was celebrating its rebranding in style with a batch of announcements during its investor day, which included the confirmation that the original cast is in talks to return. Well, it turns out that they may have fibbed a little, as in a new piece by The Hollywood Reporter we learn that the cast had no clue. Most of the USS Enterprise actors’ rep teams had not heard of an announcement for a fourth entry and that there were even talks for them to join.

    What makes this such a surprise is that the film is already eyeing a production start by the end of the year, which puts Paramount in a rather uncomfortable place to negotiate if they are trying to hit their theatrical release on December 22nd. They do reveal that the first negotiations will start with Chris Pine, as he’s the “lynchpin to the project.” The script isn’t even finalized and there’s no word on an actual green light or budget. It seems that they dropped their leverage to court Wall Steet investors. We’ll see if this hurts them in the long-term due to how giving up this leverage may inflate the film’s overall budget.

    It’s certainly a power move by Paramount to try and prioritize Wall Street investors over the talent for its film. They’ve been using the franchise to further develop Paramount+, as they try to make use of their existing IPs to compete with Netflix and Disney+. Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks have been instrumental in their strategy with more spinoffs already in development. So, it would seem strange that they’d not prioritize these negotiations in advance, but we’ll see what it might mean for the films moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Aaron Pierre Joins Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’ in Major Role

    Aaron Pierre Joins Mahershala Ali’s ‘Blade’ in Major Role

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on Mahershala Ali‘s upcoming Blade film, as Marvel Studios reintroduces the iconic Vampire Hunter. The last we heard was that Delroy Lindo has joined the project, which will be directed by Bassam Tariq. The news has dropped that Aaron Pierre is set to co-star in the upcoming film. Sadly, there is no information on who he might end up playing in the film, but it is hinted at a major role for the project.

    Blade, also known as Eric Brooks, was originally just a supporting character created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, but eventually became a mainstay in Marvel’s supernatural corner. Wesley Snipes was the first to bring the character into live-action in a film that would define superhero cinema and especially Marvel’s tenure. Considering the strong PG-13 focus of modern-day superhero cinema, it’s funny to think the R-rated project started it all.

    There’s a chance that this project may be Marvel Studios’ darkest story with the introduction of vampires. The Krypton star could be taking on an antagonistic role and will face off against Ali‘s take on Blade. Pierre has also recently appeared in The Underground Railroad and has some stage experience with Othello in 2018 and King Hedley II. in 2019. He made his film debut in M. Night Shyamalan‘s Old. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table and if we find out his role in the near future.

    Source: Deadline

  • First Look at A24’s ‘Hazbin Hotel’ Animated Series Released

    First Look at A24’s ‘Hazbin Hotel’ Animated Series Released

    Vivienne Medrano, who some might know better as VivziePop, has been hard at work on her various animated series. She’s been independently working with a team to bring the series titled Helluva Boss to life on YouTube, which has been welcomed with open arms by fans. That is not all, as some time ago, the famous indie production studio A24 also picked up her other pilot project, Hazbin Hotel, as a direct series. The story focuses on Charlie Morningstar, the princess of hell – yes, that hell – as she tries to reform people through her hotel. The long-dormant Twitter account started sharing some pictures from the series, such as our first look at Charlie’s new design for the series.

    That’s not all, as a small teaser of the titular hotel has also been shared, which includes some familiar visuals such as the blimp that was featured heavily in the pilot episode. We’ll see if the various additions to the hotel might tease the many tenants of the hotel and the wacky adventures that might result from it.

    The “On Air” sign definitely teases the return of Alastor, the Radio Demon. It’s unclear if they might change some aspects from the pilot, which isn’t uncommon for these adaptations. There’s a good chance most of the cast will return, but we might pick up where the pilot left off and just jump straight into the daily life of the hotel. With the “coming soon” tease, we hopefully won’t have to wait long for our first look at the series.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ BTS Book Offers Insight Into Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy’s Ongoing Feud

    New ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ BTS Book Offers Insight Into Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy’s Ongoing Feud

    Vanity Fair has shared a look into Kyle Buchanan‘s new book Blood, Sweat & Chrome, which explores the troubled production behind Mad Max: Fury Road. There’s a lot we don’t find out about until many years later when people start discussing the ins and outs of working with different talent and the troubles they face. The new book on Fury Road revealed that there was an ongoing war between Charlize Theron, who played Furiosa, and Tom Hardy, who took on the role of the titular Max. We’ve long wondered what may have happened to a potential sequel, but it looks like working on the film wasn’t a lot of fun for everyone involved.

    In the interviews, it seems that there was quite a bit of tension between the two. Hardy gets described as “very provocative” that didn’t mix well with Theron‘s general approach. The animosity already was there during pre-production which carried over into the actual shooting of the film, where it even hit a boiling point even if they believe it may have added to the overall experience that fit the film’s core narrative. As director George Miller pointed out:

    The story is all about self-preservation: If it’s an advantage to you to kill another character, then you should do it and you don’t think twice about it. I think that crept into the actors.

    George Miller

    The excerpt of the book includes one specific storyline when Theron arrived on set in time and was ready to shoot, but Hardy was nowhere to be seen. She arrived on set and got into the War Rig waiting for him. She was so annoyed by his behavior, she actually spent around three hours, sitting in the vehicle with make-up and in full costume before he took his time to show up on set. That day, it seems it led to a full confrontation as she cussed him out for his behavior. She even highlighted that she didn’t “feel safe” on set.

    It’s very fascinating to learn just how different these two actors were and how this project ended up forcing both into a situation where their worlds seemingly collided. While the film has become a cult classic, it might not be easy to look at it the same way as before knowing just how much animosity was hiding behind the scenes. Yet, as Miller pointed it, it may have ironically added a bizarre heightened reality to the experience.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • Ian McDiarmid Teases Potential Return of Emperor Palpatine in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Ian McDiarmid Teases Potential Return of Emperor Palpatine in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Now that The Book of Boba Fett came to an end, all eyes are already on Obi-Wan Kenobi to continue the momentum and offer us more from the Star Wars universe. We already know that Ewan McGregor‘s Obi-Wan will once again face off against Darth Vader with Hayden Christensen taking on the role again. The best part is he’s even set to return in Ahsoka. Yet, it looks like he’s not the only veteran who could be making a return in the upcoming film.

    Reddit’s master sleuth u/drewton found a Weekend Extra article from last September, where Hugh Montgomery got a chance to interview the former Emperor Palpatine, Ian McDiarmid. In it, he seemingly teased that there might be a chance that he could also make a return in some capacity. He calls out Obi-Wan Kenobi explicitly to hint at a potential return in the iconic role, while also taking a jab at his encounter with Rey.

    I think I have to accept that, thanks to my ungrateful granddaughter, my annihilation was finally final. [But] Of course, [Darth] Vader is back in the new [Obi-Wan Kenobi] television series, so I suppose it’s not impossible that one day his mentor might be discovered once again skulking in the shadows

    Ian McDiarmid

    As the story takes place before A New Hope, it would make sense for the Emperor to make his return. We haven’t gotten a chance to explore his role after taking over and if Vader is just around the corner, he’s probably not too far off. If he makes a return, they hopefully focus on his relationship with Vader, who just recently became the machine he is today. Plus, we may get to explore the inner turmoil he may have to do the bidding of the man that pushed him to the dark side.

    Source: Weekend Extra via Reddit

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game Did Not Meet Square-Enix’s Sales Expectations

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Game Did Not Meet Square-Enix’s Sales Expectations

    Well, this story sounds familiar. Square-Enix has revealed in its earnings report that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montréal has fallen short of its sales expectations. Some might recall, there was a similar issue with the launch of Marvel’s Avengers back in 2019. There’s a curious trend with Square’s Western produced releases facing some curious sales issues, especially if you look back to the Tomb Raider franchise that is now under their Western production houses.

    Also, similar to with Avengers back in the day, they are positive that the game will manage to make up for its low early sales at a later point. IT’s only drawback is that it isn’t a Games-as-a-Service model, which helped support Crystal Dynamic’s Marvel venture to continue growing since its initial launch. The report, as shared by VG Chartz is as followed:

    The HD Games sub-segment launched Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in Q3. Despite strong reviews, the game’s sales on launch undershot our initial expectations. However, sales initiatives that we kicked off in November 2021 and continued into the new year have resulted in sales growth, and we intend to work to continue to expand sales to make up for the title’s slow start.

    Sadly, it really seems like Square-Enix has a problem marketing its projects effectively, especially when it comes to their Western productions. They are still synonymous with Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and so much more. Yet, one of the biggest brands in the world is struggling under their umbrella while Insomniac’s games seem to strive. Of course, Spider-Man is a very different beast from a marketing standpoint but it is still curious. There’s also the issue that Square constantly overpredicts its sales, as in 2013 alone three of their Western productions sold far below their expectations. We’ll see if we hear more and get an announcement on a potential sequel in the near future.

    Source: VG Chartz, EuroGamer