Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Michael Giacchino Working on ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Next

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Michael Giacchino Working on ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Next

    Michael Giacchino has built up quite a reputation within the industry as the go-to composer for superhero projects. He’s just recently finished up his work with Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman. It’s his third Spider-Man entry of the MCU after working on Coco, Jurassic World, Star Trek Beyond, Doctor Strange, and so many more. He’s come a long way since he put his name on the map with the Lost series. It looks like he’s already eyed his next project, as he’s confirmed he’ll tackle Thor: Love and Thunder next on Twitter.

    Taika Waititi is continuing his work he started with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, where Thor was cast out by his own sister and meets up with an old ally. The upcoming sequel will build where his story arc ended up in Avengers: Endgame, as he sets out alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy to find his place in the world. It’s surprising that Giacchino is taking over the composer role this time around, as Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame worked on the last entries’ soundtrack. He added a unique audio layer to what you’d expect from a Norse god. So, we’ll see if he builds upon what came before, or Waititi decided to give each entry a new visual style to make it stand out. My personal hope would be to fully commit to the Norse themes and make Love and Thunder stand out from the rest.

    Source: Twitter

  • Latest ‘Hawkeye’ Offers New Footage of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova

    Latest ‘Hawkeye’ Offers New Footage of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova

    The fourth episode of Hawkeye has finally dropped and offered our first look at Florence Pugh‘s return as Yelena Belova. She takes on our favorite archer, building on the post-credit sequence from Black Widow. Yet, we only got a brief meeting between the two and we don’t know what exactly her role will be in the upcoming final two episodes. Luckily, the latest teaser trailer for the Disney+ series offers a tease of what’s to come with her character.

    While the young Black Widow points out she is still going to kill Clint Barton, we see her in civilian clothes, which might build on the moment teased between her and Kate. There’s a parallel between the “shot not taken” that Clint talked about in the episode and the same done by Kate before Yelena jumped off the building.

    The two develop an unlikely friendship not only opens up some fun ideas for future entries but also builds on the parallels that the series is set up between her and her unwilling mentor. We’ll see how she’ll tie into the story and push Clint to his limits, as she might become an unlikely ally at one point in the story.

    Source: Twitter

  • New Look at Pablo Schreiber’s Master Chief in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Series

    New Look at Pablo Schreiber’s Master Chief in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Series

    Halo has been going through quite a revival, as not only has the Halo: Infinite multiplayer been welcomed with open arms but its campaign was added recently. Entertainment Weekly used the opportunity to also share a new look at Pablo Schreiber‘s upcoming take of the franchise’s protagonist, Master Chief. The production was hit hard by the pandemic, as they had to take a six-month hiatus during its filming in Budapest. Luckily, after a long wait, we’ll finally see what a live-action take on the franchise might look like and Master Chief’s design looks quite fateful to the games.

    HALO

    The actor has described the role as “a herculean task” and what it meant to bring the character to life for the now Paramount+ original series. It’s planned to finally release later this year. In a recent interview he highlighted the weight that was on their shoulders for tackling this project:

    It’s a huge job, from setting the tone on set down to the grueling task of waking up at the crack of dawn to work out, then go to shoot, and go home to work out some more. Nothing about it is easy, and I wouldn’t want it to be.

    He promises that the series will “crack the veneer” to bring the iconic video game franchise to life, especially with how most adaptations face some issues in translating into other mediums. It’s an exciting prospect and here’s hoping it can live up to the weight of the original.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next Roadmap to Arrive Early 2022

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Next Roadmap to Arrive Early 2022

    The latest content drop has arrived for Marvel’s Avengers, which includes the game’s first raid, Spider-Man as a playable character for PlayStation consoles, a complete rework of gear and cosmetics. While all of it was dropped at once, the game usually maps out future content throughout multiple months. The first time we got one was the build-up to Black Panther’s initial release back in August. So, it was a bit underwhelming but it’s still an impressive update. Now, the eyes were all on the next entry and it seems we’ll have to wait a little longer.

    As revealed in the latest War Table blog entry, we won’t get the roadmap before the holidays. It looks like the release won’t be until early 2022, but there’s no definite date confirmed. The first one was released around March, around the same time Hawkeye was added to the game. We’ll see if the wait is around the same, but here’s hoping it might be an earlier kick-off to 2022. Here’s the full quote:

    After a lot of hard work to give you the Discordant Sound Raid, and Spider-Man for PlayStation players, the Crystal Dynamics team is preparing for the holiday break. We will still be tackling bugs and issues while we also prepare for next year for the remainder of the month. Keep an eye out in early 2022 for the next roadmap!

    They’ve also announced that the Red Room Takeover event is making a return, which is kind of perfect timing. We’ll see what the future has in store for the game, as many rumors are already pointing to who might potentially join the game and how they might expand the game based on learnings from this year. Plus, the new rework was teased as the beginning of a lot more, which is an exciting prospect.

    Source: Play Avengers

  • Alfred Molina Loved the Freedom CGI Gave Him in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Alfred Molina Loved the Freedom CGI Gave Him in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Spider-Man: No Way Home will finally see the return of Doc Ock to the silver screen. Even better, Alfred Molina will return as the character, which he last played in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Of course, modern technology offers new ways for him to bring the character to life, and his mechanical tentacles are no longer brought to life through puppeteering but rather CGI. Of course, it has raised some people’s eyebrows on the choice, but it seems Molina was quite happy with the new direction.

    In the latest episode of Hot Ones, Tom Holland was interviewed about the upcoming film and he offered some insight into how excited he was to work alongside the Spider-Man veteran in the new film. Not just that, he even offered some insight into how they brought the iconic mechanical limbs to life in the series, especially in comparison to 2004.

    His robotic arms were puppets. They were real tangible things and they’d have a guy on each one and they would puppeteer them while he was performing. So, he had to work in tandem with the other four guys. On this film, obviously, technology has advanced. CGI is so prevalent in these films. So, it was amazing seeing him have a bit more freedom on set with the way he could move without having to rely on other people.

    Tom Holland

    Holland even offered a little insight into how they made it look like he was using the limbs to walk. He goes on to highlight that the actor had a lot of fun with the new set-up, especially as it would swing him around.

    We have this thing called da toothpick rig, which is like a long bar, almost like a crane, with a platform on one end and weights on the other. And, they’d put him on that crane so they can move him around so that it looks like the arms are carrying him. And he loved it. Like, he absolutely loved it.

    Tom Holland

    He also goes on to share that Molina would even get dragged off in the middle of a conversation while being attached to the toothpick rig. It sounds like they had a lot of fun during production and it’s great to see the actor embrace the new technology, especially as it probably made it easier for him to tackle action sequences even with his age. It’ll be interesting to see the final product come to life once the film is finally released next year.

    Source: YouTube

  • Disney Shares First Look at Animated Film ‘Strange World’, Eyeing Thanksgiving 2022 Release

    Disney Shares First Look at Animated Film ‘Strange World’, Eyeing Thanksgiving 2022 Release

    Who knows how many projects Disney is working on. As it’s uncertain if we get a new Investors Day this year, the House of Mouse is looking for new ways to share first looks at upcoming projects. So, Disney took to social media to unveil next year’s animated project, Strange World. The film will be directed by Don Hall alongside Qui Nguyen, who also wrote its script. It’s eyeing a Thanksgiving release in 2022. Not only did they unveil their logo but also offered a first look at the fantastic world we can expect from their latest project where our heroes “journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land.”

    Don Hall is famous for his work on Big Hero 6 and Raya and the Last Dragon, where he worked alongside Qui Nguyen. The story is inspired by the popular pulp magazines that was made on wood pulp paper, which is the reason for its naming. The film’s logo also takes inspirations from those designs and it means we can expect a fun sci-fi adventure. Hall shares his love for the genre and what inspired him to tackle the project.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Director Shares Why Marvel Studios Now Includes Multiple Directors in their Disney+ Productions

    ‘Hawkeye’ Director Shares Why Marvel Studios Now Includes Multiple Directors in their Disney+ Productions

    Marvel Studios had quite a unique approach to their long-form storytelling early on. The initial Disney+ series, WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, relied on a single director to bring the unified vision to life. Yet, the latest entry, Hawkeye, has taken a very different approach. The last two episodes moved from Rhys Thomas’ direction style to that of the director duo Bert and Bertie. It highlights that Marvel Studios is still learning how they bring their shows to life and it paid off so far.

    In an interview with ComicBook.com, director Bertie of the duo offered some insight on what might’ve inspired the production studio to take that very approach. The third episode includes a one-shot that kicks off one of the series’ longest action sequences. Kate and Clint drive off from the Tracksuit Mafia while shooting them down with the help of trick arrows. Even the latest ended on a rooftop showdown and it seems the prep work needed for action is one of the leading reasons they’ve started moving on from the one-director concept.

    We can only imagine that that was a choice based on wanting to make sure that every episode had a lot of attention on it. It’s such a huge universe, and when you’re doing these action sequences, there’s so much prep that goes in that…by being a team with [director Rhys Thomas], as we were, to kind of create and craft the whole thing with [producers Trinh Tran and Kevin Feige] and a whole team, but then to be able to concentrate on our individual episodes, it was actually a way of ensuring that each episode had its own stamp and its own arc and its own bigness, if you like.

    Bertie

    It wouldn’t be too surprising to see this standardized throughout future entries, as it allows each creative team to tackle projects how they see fit. Not every director has experience with action sequences and can set their focus on dramatic storylines. Loki had some great depth and character work but was a bit lacking in its action, as the Asgardian seems to struggle with everyday people. So, we’ll see what it might mean for future entries in the franchise.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Lucasfilm Eyeing Amandla Stenberg to Lead Disney+’s ‘The Acolyte’

    Lucasfilm Eyeing Amandla Stenberg to Lead Disney+’s ‘The Acolyte’

    We’ve been hearing quite a bit more from Star Wars‘ upcoming Disney+ series, especially their The Mandalorian spinoff, Ahsoka. Well, it looks like a bit more has been happening with their other project, The Acolyte. We know very little about this upcoming project outside of the fact it is eyeing an early 2022 production start. There have been a few rumors surrounding the project led by Leslye Headland. Luckily, The Illuminerdi might have gotten their hands on something interesting.

    According to them, Lucasfilm has already set its eyes on its potential leading star. For a while, they’ve been focused on hiring a woman of color in their late teens. It seems that they might have decided that The Hunger Games‘ Amandla Stenberg would be perfect for the role. Stenberg, who identifies as non-binary, has gone on to star in The Hate U Give, Where Hands Touch, and they recently appeared in Dear Evan Hansen.

    UPDATE: Variety has confirmed Stenberg is in talks to star in The Acolyte. Per the outlet, details regarding their role are not known.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • REVIEW: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ 1×09 “Blue Crow Waltz”

    REVIEW: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ 1×09 “Blue Crow Waltz”

    What is it with Western shows and their pre-season finale flashback episodes? It’s a funny trend that continues in Cowboy Bebop. Yet, in a way, the timing is perfect as Spike’s fight with LeFou knocked him out land Vicious unleashed his wrath. So, once again we move away from the trio that is supposedly at the forefront of the series and explore Spike’s time as Fearless and what lead to his new identity. Is it worth the detour, or are we just treading water until the show comes to an end?

    COWBOY BEBOP Recap: (S01E09) Blue Crow Waltz

    John Cho carries the show once again, but Alex Hassell does continue to have some fun with the role this time around. It feels like we get more of the unhinged version at times that we were given a glimpse of during the last episode. It does add a lot of weight to this interpretation of Vicious, who is described as mostly unhinged and childish. It’s definitely the character we’ve seen in the past episodes, but it does seem like a more cliché approach given how little he changes across the season’s runtime.

    Julia also gets more character development, as we find out how exactly she met our two Syndicate members. I’ll be honest, the romance feels a bit rushed here, especially when you consider how strong it was in “Binary Two-Step.” Elena Satine gives a good performance but having to know how she became a singer didn’t seem like a necessary addition to this story. Her introduction through the song may have been more efficient as it adds a layer of mystique to her that is gone, especially given what happens in the finale.

    Do Julia and Spike End Up Together in Cowboy Bebop?

    The strength of the episode, however, lies in Fearless’ storyline. We finally find out what the references for what he blames himself for were all about. It’s a strong moment that punctuates a well-done action sequence, but it adds one point of confusion. He has his affair with Julia, who Vicious is dating at the time, but also goes out of his way to save his “best friend.” While I get why he wants to leave the Syndicate and it’s a rushed action out of love, it still seems like the build-up to that moment was a bit, lacking. That’s kind of the drawback of telling this entire story in an episode, just in time to highlight the eventual meeting of everyone involved in the finale.

    While a lot happens in this episode, it feels like there’s not that much to talk about. We mostly get some clarifications on some smaller elements that were built up, but it felt like it could’ve been also scattered through flashbacks by Spike. I liked the idea to use the new storytelling structure to build up the mystery of our protagonist’s time with the evil corporation, but it’s not the strongest landing. Most revelation or story elements were already hinted at, which makes most of the “bigger revelations” less impactful s they could’ve been. It’s a competently made episode with some strong moments but a bit forgettable overall. Here’s hoping the finale can continue where episode eight left us off on.

  • Spider-Man Was Going to Face Off Against Kraven in ‘No Way Home’ At One Point

    Spider-Man Was Going to Face Off Against Kraven in ‘No Way Home’ At One Point

    We’ve all been wondering what exactly happened to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Early on, it seemed like the film was heading in a very specific direction, but it seemingly took a different route at one point in development. Our very own Charles Murphy shared some tidbits he heard on the project, such as Joel Kinnaman being considered for a role that might’ve ended up being Kraven the Hunter. Suddenly, the multiverse opened up and we got a very different film and some doubt was cast on the original vision.

    Luckily, Tom Holland confirmed that the Kraven storyline was their original plan for No Way Home. While he doesn’t give away any exact information, in the hopes that they might revisit the concept in a sequel, it does feel like a relief to finally get a confirmation on what the vision was for this film. Yet, the interesting aspect was that this version was their Plan B, as “things weren’t working out” at the time. His full quote states that:

    For a long time, there was going to be a Kraven movie that was going to be the third movie because things weren’t working out and all sorts of different stuff. Jon pitched me this Kraven movie, which actually was really cool. I don’t want to talk about it in case that movie ends up happening down the line, but it was fun.

    Tom Holland

    There was even a time that the Spider-Slayers would’ve had a role of some kind in one version of the film’s draft. It’s not uncommon for things to change, and it seems that the many contractual goals they’ve set were able to come together to bring us the multiversal film we’re getting next week. So, we’ll see if he might still get a chance to face off against Kraven in a sequel, as Kraven’s Last Hunt would make for an amazing film.

    Source: Collider