Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • EXCLUSIVE: Charise Castro Smith Talks About The Initial Pitch for ‘Encanto’

    EXCLUSIVE: Charise Castro Smith Talks About The Initial Pitch for ‘Encanto’

    Disney’s latest film, Encanto, is nearing its release as we explore the story of a Colombian family with unique powers. Among them is Stephanie Beatriz‘s Mirabel Madrigal, who is the only member of her family without any actual magical powers. Once things start going wrong, she sets out on a journey to find out what is happening to her family. The film’s writer duo, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith, get to explore the meaning of family and what it means to be normal among special.

    Our very own Hunter Radesi had the chance to sit down with the creative team to discuss how they approached this project and especially how it was for Charise Castro Smith to tackle her first project. She went on to share how she ended up joining the project and that it was directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard that pitched her the initial idea.

    My background is really as a playwright. I worked in a lot of TV and my agents had sent a play of mine to Disney Animations. I thought I was meeting with them in general and it turns out I was not. I was meeting with Jared [Bush] and Byron [Howard] about this movie, they were looking for a writer. As soon as they explained to me this concept, this idea they had, about a magical house and a family where everyone had powers except for this one girl and the movie is about her, I was like: ‘I am sold. I am on board’ and I haven’t looked back since.

    Charise Castro Smith

    It must’ve been quite the shock when she sat down with the directors of Zootopia, Tangled, and Moana to discuss a potential project. We’ve learned back in 2016 that the initial pitch was made to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote music for the film, and Byron Howard just as they were promoting Moana at the time. It’s great to see it bear fruit after all this time.

    Encanto release on Nov. 24th. It is directed by Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith. The film boosts an impressive cast that includes Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, Wilmer Valderrama, Diane Guerrero, Rhenzy Feliz, Carolina Gaitán and John Leguizamo.

    Source: Vulture

  • Jamie Dornan In Talks With Marvel Studios for a Hero Role

    Jamie Dornan In Talks With Marvel Studios for a Hero Role

    Marvel Studios has attracted some talented people throughout the years. They still tackle their franchises by introducing fresh talent from the industry, especially to those that are interested in wearing a cape one day. It seems like they may have already set their eyes on the next addition in the form of actor and musical James Dornan. The actor has appeared in countless projects with his next big project, Belfast, on the horizon. During an interview with New York Times, he revealed that he’s already in talks with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige about potentially donning a cape in a future project. He added the following regarding his ambition moving forward and how becoming a parent also helped push him.

    I’m more ambitious than I’ve ever let on before. It’s like a necessity to deliver and provide, very caveman-esque: I must succeed for these precious little people. Also, since my dad died, it’s lit this extra fire within me, this extra burner of wanting to succeed. […] But for some reason, since he’s gone, I have a weird thing of wanting to prove something to myself, to prove some sort of succession that is impressive.” And now that he’s channeled his own father, shouldn’t some other heroes be on the table?”

    Jamie Dornan

    Dornan might be most famously known for his role as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise opposite of Dakota Johnson. The actor has appeared in more varied projects since, such as 2018’s action-adventure Robin Hood alongside Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx. He even voiced a character in last year’s Trolls World Tour release before tackling another romantic comedy with Wild Mountain Thyme. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of role he might tackle, as the current projects we know about actively casting would be Fantastic Four.

    Source: New York Times

  • UPDATE: Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Arrives in South Africa

    UPDATE: Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Arrives in South Africa

    UPDATE: We got the confirmation that the cast is indeed in South Africa, as a follow-up post by Skylar features most of the cast and a nice nod to Zoro’s habit of getting lost, as he added a comment that he needs someone to pick him up:

    It’s been around a week that we finally found out who will be playing the Straw Hat pirates in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular manga series One Piece. Ever since the announcement, the cast has been enthusiastic about sharing their excitement about tackling these iconic characters. Emily Rudd and Jacob Romero Gibson have even changed their Instagram accounts to the characters they’re about to play The future Pirate King actor, Iñaki Godoy, shared his prep work while Taz Skylar showed off his kicking skills to tease Sanji’s fighting technique in the upcoming series.

    Speaking of, it seems like the cast is slowly heading down to the shooting location in South Africa, as Skylar has shared a rather curious photo in his Instagram stories where he has tagged Rudd, Iñaki, and Gibson. He was recently sharing his travel, which many theorized might’ve been to South Africa but he has finally confirmed the location in another story post. As such, it seems that most of the cast might already be in Cape Town preparing for the shoot.

    Does that mean they are already starting production? Not likely, actors fly to shooting locations some time in advance to acclimate to the new environment. Zoro actor Mackenyu is also not included in the list and might join them at a later point, or he’s already in character and got lost on the way. The touch of the actor who plays Sanji going shopping and preparing dinner for the rest of the team is a great touch by Skylar. In September, the production team was already sighted down there getting things ready. So, we might still have to wait a bit before we get an official production start, but Netflix might announce that moment on Twitter.

    Source: Instagram

  • Warner Bros. Teasing the Announcement for their ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Clone

    Warner Bros. Teasing the Announcement for their ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Clone

    For some time now, we have gotten a tease for a potentially free-to-play fighting game featuring the vast characters from Warner Bros. library of intellectual properties. The Super Smash Bros. clone will supposedly be titled Multiversus, which will feature Rick, Shaggy, Batman, Gandalf, and many more according to a leaked roster. Well, it seems that the announcement might be imminent, as the official Looney Tunes Twitter account has teased that Bugs Bunny has vanished and tagged @wbgames suspiciously.

    It looks like they aren’t the only ones trying to find their missing character, as shortly after Tom & Jerry has also highlighted their absence.

    At this rate, it is safe to say that the announcement is probably coming by the end of the day, or at least before the week comes to an end. We’ll likely see other Twitter accounts like the DC account teasing their absence. It’s a clever way to set up the game’s roster. There are still many questions surrounding the project, as a F2P model would hint at micro-transactions being involved, purchasing future DLC characters, or how exactly it might play.

    It’s described as a Super Smash Bros. clone and the timing is perfect as the most recent release ended its recent support with the addition of Kingdom Heart‘s Sora. Here’s hoping that they have some fun with the official teaser. They have quite a lot of their characters as costumes in theme parks. So, it would be quite fun to see them duke it out in tribute to the original Super Smash Bros. trailer where people in costumes beat each other up.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter

  • Leaked ‘The Last of Us’ Set Video Offers New Look at Gabriel Luna

    Leaked ‘The Last of Us’ Set Video Offers New Look at Gabriel Luna

    HBO might have to invest in better security, as we’re getting quite a good look at what is being filmed at The Last Of Us‘ Jackson City set. We just recently got some photos of Pedro Pascal on the set of the series production, which hinted at them integrating some elements from the second game entry. Well, not even a day afterward we got one more set video that offers a new look at Gabriel Luna’s take on Tommy. As we theorized, they probably are in this town to meet up with Joel’s estranged brother and these new set videos confirmed the suspicion.

    https://twitter.com/thelastofusnews/status/1461132737591619589?s=21

    Luna is rocking quite the mustache in this sequence and it looks like he is guiding Joel and Ellie through the town. The jacket is quite similar to the one he had on in The Last of Us 2, which seems to be what this entire segment will primarily be inspired by. They could be using this time to set up their visit ahead of a potential second season. Plus, the continuity is a nice touch with them already integrating elements from the second game. We don’t know if they might explore a unique angle with the story in the future, or if they’ll stick as close as they can to the original game.

    We did get a brief tease of the brothers before the time skip from Gabriel Luna, which hinted at the fact we’ll relieve the events when the fungal infection spread across the world. Times have passed and the world technically came to a somewhat abrupt end. It’ll be interesting to see if the dynamic between Tommy and Joel also remains the same from the game’s, or they might dive deeper into it. It’s the advantage of a series adaptation, as they can offer a closer look into what drove these two apart.

    Source. Twitter

  • US ‘Train to Busan’ Remake Heading to New York

    US ‘Train to Busan’ Remake Heading to New York

    The US loves taking successful franchises from overseas and bringing them to life with local talents. So, when the South Korean horror film Train to Busan became quite the international hit, it didn’t take long for a potential US remake to get greenlit. It also seems like the simplest concept to bring to life in other countries, as it explores a high-speed train heading from Seoul to, you guessed it, Busan. Suddenly, a zombie apocalypse breaks out and the passengers are just trying to survive the events. It looks like the Western adaptation will be titled Last Train to New York.

    Gary Dauberman is working on the script with New Line, Atomic Monster, and Gaumont producing the US adaptation. Indonesian director Timo Tjahajanto will tackle the project. The news came hidden away in the announcement that Tjahajanto will also be directing a remake of Steven Seagal‘s popular action film Under Siege for Warner Bros.

    The concept is quite easy to adapt, and they could’ve done it at any location. New York seems like the easiest choice due to how recognizable the location is and the city might be a great final location to face the zombie horde. Eternals fans might also be interested to know that Train to Busan is what put Ma Dong-seok on the international map. So, here’s hoping he might have a role in the US remake.

    Source: Deadline

  • Den Den Murphy Episode 5 – Live-Action Cast and Chapter 1031

    Den Den Murphy Episode 5 – Live-Action Cast and Chapter 1031

    Finally, the live-action cast has arrived and you know Suki and Joe are going to talk about it. Not just that, they also jump right into the latest chapter release, 1031, and Sanji’s big redemption arc.

  • How the ‘Earth-X’ Writer Helped Create ‘Eternals’ 20+ Years Ago

    How the ‘Earth-X’ Writer Helped Create ‘Eternals’ 20+ Years Ago

    Jim Krueger has built up quite a legacy in the comic industry, most notably with his work on the Earth X trilogy alongside Alex Ross. It explored a dystopian take on the Marvel universe, where that version of Earth is implanted with a Celestial egg. Now, watchers of the recent MCU film Eternals might remember that very plotline being a central element of the recent release.

    In a recent interview with Bleeding Cool, the creator of Earth X revealed that he may have planted a seed of his own in the head of Kevin Feige almost 20 years ago. Krueger shared that he discussed the potential of this concept working with the Eternals all the way when his comic was just released in paperback.

    Well, what’s funny, is that I first met Kevin Fiege years ago, after the first trade paperback of Earth X had come out. We sat down a number of times and Kevin shared his love for Earth X. He also shared that it was at a time when many of the Marvel heroes, including X-Men, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. At the time, Kevin told me how much he wanted to make Earth X. And I told him that I thought he could do it with the Eternals. Talk about seeds being planted. It didn’t take hundreds of thousands of years like a Celestial, but it took almost 25.

    Jim Krueger

    It’s always crazy to look back at conversations or ideas that take years to actually grow into something. Marvel Studios’ growth alone into the studio that it is today would make it a reality that Eternals is the fourth-highest opening film of the year and that during a pandemic. Earth X is a very obvious inspiration for the film and to think that Kevin Feige and Jim Krueger first planted the idea so long ago.

    Source: Bleeding Cool

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Trailer Reveals the Origin of Doc Ock’s Stark Tech Upgrade

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Trailer Reveals the Origin of Doc Ock’s Stark Tech Upgrade

    The latest Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer has finally arrived. It offered a clearer look at the returning villains from across the multiverse that’ll make the life of Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker a living hell. Alfred Molina‘s Doc Ock took most of the focus in the earlier promotion and we even had a tease that he might get an upgrade to his iconic arms at some point. Well, the latest trailer may have given us a clear insight into how he got his hands on it and it’s actually been in our voice the entire time.

    When we first saw the upgrade, its red and golden lighting made everyone make the connection to Tony Stark’s Iron Man. So, we thought that perhaps he stole technology from Stark Technologies, but the answer may have been simpler than we assumed. It actually was in our face the entire time since the first trailer’s release. When Peter faces off against Doc Ock, he is wearing his Iron Spider suit from Avengers: Infinity War.

    In a brief sequence, we see the suit’s nanotech reveal his face. It turns out the reasoning is simple, part of his chest piece was ripped out. So, just like with Iron Man’s suit, it had to adapt, or else he would’ve broken more than just a few ribs. There’s also a great detail of his tie also hanging out as we know he was wearing a suit before he put on the armor.

    The way it also spreads in the trailer hints at the fact that it is the same nano-technology. It’s unclear how exactly he manages to take over the technology so the suit adapts to him, but we get a hint that his arms have regained their sentience. So, they might’ve “hacked” into the suit and managed to steal some elements while Peter was wrapped by his arms, which we saw in some of the promotional material. It’ll be interesting to see how his upgrade might tie into the film’s overarching narrative.

    Source: YouTube

  • Tom Holland Open to Pass the Torch in a Miles Morales Film After ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Tom Holland Open to Pass the Torch in a Miles Morales Film After ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Actor Tom Holland has been quite vocal about playing the role of Spider-Man for as long as he can. He’s already been playing the character for six years across three solo films and other franchises, such as Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Not every actor can play a character forever but it seemed like he was certainly open to it. In an interview with GQ, he seemed to have opened up on his future in the role and passed the torch after Spider-Man: No Way Home to someone playing Miles Morales at one point in the MCU’s future.

    Maybe it is time for me to move on. Maybe what’s best for Spider-Man is that they do a Miles Morales film. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life. If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong

    The statement is a bit ironic if you consider that Tobey Maguire played the character in Spider-Man 3 when he was around 31 years old and Andrew Garfield was 30 during the production of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2013. So, it’s not too uncommon someone played the character in their 30s. Especially with their rumored return in the upcoming film, perhaps he’s also taking a little jab at the actors for fun.

    Still, the potential of Miles Morales taking over the role of Spider-Man isn’t unreasonable. He was briefly teased in a past film, but it would be hasty to rush out a production right after No Way Home. It would be great to take the route from the Insomniac games, as Spidey takes on the mentor role and passes on everything he learned rather than just a quick farewell. We’ll see what they might have planned for the character once the third entry finally releases.

    Source: GQ