Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    It’s crazy to think that the current version of Spider-Man on the silver screen came from a conversation between Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal. A discussion that ended with a sandwich being flung his way led to a brand new trilogy that’s about to break open the cinematic multiverse as we know it. The return of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and potentially more iconic faces from the franchise’s long history to appear. So, it’s not a surprise for director Jon Watts to compare it to the recent franchise juggernaut of the MCU, Avengers: Endgame.

    We’re definitely trying to be ambitious. It’s ‘Spider-Man: Endgame’,” he says, laughing, but seemingly not joking. Part of that ambition?

    Jon Watts

    In the same interview, Tom Holland also shared his excitement when he initially made the pitch for the upcoming third entry to include actors from former Spider-Man films. In a way, he believed it was only a joke reference and that it would never happen or get pulled off.

    When I was first pitched the idea, I was like, ‘Wow, that would be awesome if we could pull it off’. But there’s just no way it’s going to work. You’re just not going to be able to get everyone to do what they need to do. It’s just not going to happen.’ But it did happen. And it’s crazy.

    Tom Holland

    It’s certainly insane to think we’re about to enter the multiverse in a big way. With Sony announcing two new Marvel films for 2023, it makes you wonder if they’ll build upon whatever No Way Home sets up. Venom: Let There Be Carnage did tease a potential connection and it might just be the beginning for Holland‘s Spider-Man into the vast multiverse.

    Source: Empire

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    Ever since the rumors started, it seemed like a crazy idea that Spider-Man would face off against villains from past film franchises. Yet, once the trailer dropped, it all changed. We got various teases throughout the trailer until the final confirmation that Alfred Molina will indeed return as Doctor Octopus. We only briefly saw him at the tail end of the trailer, as he greets Peter. Sadly, the trailer ends there as Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker equips the Iron Spider. Our wait for more has finally come to an end, as Empire shared new exclusive images with one featuring Spidey running away from his new nemesis, who is about to throw a car at him.

    The chosen image is certainly a curious one given how blurry it is. It certainly looks like Spidey knows that he might not have a chance against Doc Ock, but there’s a fun idea of both using their expendable limbs against each other. Yet, he’s using the most advanced version of his suit and is seemingly running away from his new enemy. Perhaps he realizes what he has unleashed and is trying to figure out a way to take him down. To his dismay, this version of Doc Ock already faced off against a Spider-Man and might know his tricks.

    We luckily also got a second image teasing Parker’s suit from Far From Home, which might become a stable design throughout the film. The Empire cover did tease a combination of both designs that he’ll wear at some point in the story. There’s also the black-gold suit that was teased through merchandise and briefly in the first trailer. It’s going to be interesting to see how he’ll juggle all these villains and different costumes throughout the potentially 150-minute long film.

    Source: Empire

  • Hayden Christensen to Reprise Role as Darth Vader in ‘Ahsoka’

    Hayden Christensen to Reprise Role as Darth Vader in ‘Ahsoka’

    We’ve been long waiting for an official casting for the upcoming The Mandalorian focused on Ahsoka Tano. Luckily, one has arrived and it’s quite the big announcement. The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that Hayden Christensen is returning as Anakin Skywalker, or rather as Darth Vader, in the upcoming Disney+ series. It’s his second return in the role, as he’ll also star in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

    Dave Filoni is writing the series with Jon Favreau acting as a producer. Plot details remain under lock and key, but Christensen’s inclusion is a curious addition. The series supposedly takes place after Ahsoka meets with Din Djarin in The Mandalorian. Why is this relevant? Well, that was after the fall of the Empire and Darth Vader’s death as the New Republic started to form. There’s a chance he might make an appearance as a Force Ghost or even in flashbacks.

    It’s great seeing the actor returning in the role beyond just Obi-Wan Kenobi. There’s a good chance that the welcoming experience might’ve convinced him to give the franchise another chance as it continues to expand on Disney+. There’s still a lot of potential on resisting Darth Vader’s story, especially if they take inspiration from 2020’s comic run on the character. We’ll see if there’s more Star Wars in his future.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: Nathan Hurd May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: Nathan Hurd May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’

    We’ve been anxiously keeping an eye on Disney+ Day, as it’ll offer our first look into the future of Marvel Studios’ venture into streaming beyond Hawkeye. Ms. Marvel faced quite a few delays and we’re still waiting for an announcement regarding the other announced series. Among them is She-Hulk, a series that might have a much larger role moving forward in the MCU. Casting-wise, the last we heard was Arrow‘s Josh Segarra joining the series back in July. Luckily, a new Instagram post and IMDb might help us connect one additional character.

    We’ve heard for some time that She-Hulk would mainly act as a legal comedy. It makes sense given her perchance of breaking the fourth wall in the comics, which was also confirmed for the series. So, the addition of comedians to add their flair seems like the logical next step. So, when comedian Nathan Hurd posted an Instagram with the caption “You wouldn’t like me if I’m angry” with green lighting it seems like a fun reference to the Hulk.

    At first glance, it seems like the comedian/actor was having fun. Yet, there’s a curious listing on IMDb that might add more to this post. If you look at the stunt casting for She-Hulk, you’ll notice that the stunt actor A.J. Gagliardi is listed as Nathan Hurd‘s stunt double.

    As such, we can assume that Hurd has a role in the upcoming series and he’s teasing it on his Instagram. He’s also not unfamiliar with acting in a Marvel series, as he also had a role as the Monk in Legion. The interesting aspect is that he has a stunt double to begin with, which might be a hint he’ll appear in an action sequence of some kind. Perhaps he is part of the rumored Wrecking Crew. We’ll see if we might get a glimpse at him in the Disney+ series first trailer.

    Source: Twitter, IMDb, IMDb (Hurd)

  • RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Runtime Potentially Shorter Than ‘Eternals’

    RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Runtime Potentially Shorter Than ‘Eternals’

    There’s been much discussion surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home. We have no idea when we can expect the next trailer, as we inch closer to its December release. With all the various leaked and rumored characters, it seemed like the film might give Avengers: Endgame a run for its money. So, it seemed like the perfect fit for a three-hour entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even the upcoming Eternals film passed Avengers: Infinity War‘s runtime. A new tweet by well-known scooper Daniel Richtman‘s second account may give us a clearer indication.

    He started with a tweet that simply included “30:2” before later revealing it was about a potential runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes. So, it’ll total around 150 minutes. As such, it’ll have a similar length to films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War. In comparison to previous Spider-Man entries, Homecoming ran for 133 minutes while Far From Home was 129 minutes.

    Marvel Studios has been playing around with longer runtimes for its films, especially as they started to explore larger concepts. It’s no longer origin stories or the focus on singular heroes. Instead, they’ve started adding more crossovers between characters to further interconnect the ever-expanding MCU. Doctor Strange seemingly has a larger role in the film and has a guiding role for the young Peter Parker. The longer runtimes are starting to make sense given their approach to the MCU films in the future.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Eternals’ Approach to Ikaris Eyebeams is in Tribute To DC’s Superman

    ‘Eternals’ Approach to Ikaris Eyebeams is in Tribute To DC’s Superman

    Ever since they announced that Eternals was heading to the silver screen, we’ve wondered how they’d adapt these iconic characters. While they aren’t the most famous among Marvel’s long list of heroes, they did have some similar designs. Among them is Richard Madden‘s Ikaris, whose core ability to shoot lasers from his eyes is awfully similar to that of DC icon, Superman.

    Some of us thought they might shy away from the ability but a teaser revealed they still kept it in. Not just that, there’s even a cheeky reference to someone claiming they saw him with a cape. There’s also the way they designed his lasers that are similar to recent appearances of the character. Well, it looks like that was an intentional node to the iconic DC hero, as director Chloé Zhao reveals in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com.

    I take some responsibility for that. I think we’re in the business of telling stories about mythology, and Superman, for example, comes from origin of mythology. In many different cultures, there’s a form of Superman. And the people that created Superman and the brilliant filmmakers [who] brought Superman to screen, their movies are basically, in my opinion, doing a modern interpretation of that mythology

    Chloé Zhao

    A week ago, producer Nate Moore did highlight that there are many similarities, but the basis of his “eyebeams” is the same cosmic energy we’ve seen from the other Eternals members. So, while they play on familiar elements, it’s still given a unique spin. Zhao joked that she sees no reason why they can’t pay tribute to others, which is true.

    There have been numerous callbacks to DC in Marvel comics over the years. So, there’s no reason the films can’t do something similar. Plus, both comic companies share heroes with a variety of similar power sets. So, a comparison will be unavoidable at some point.

    Source: ComicBook.com, ScreenRant

  • ‘Eternals’ Chloé Zhao Talked to Marvel Studios on Avoiding LGBTQ+ Censorship

    ‘Eternals’ Chloé Zhao Talked to Marvel Studios on Avoiding LGBTQ+ Censorship

    It hasn’t been an easy rode to LGBTQ+ representation in cinema. While the United States has made big strides, there are international markets that still tend to cut out these scenes. To still bank on the box office, films tend to get censored in the process. The same worry has hit Marvel Studio’s upcoming Eternals film, which features the franchise’s first LGTBQ couple on screen.

    In an interview with IndieWire, director Chloé Zhao was asked about the potential censorship of her film. She shared that she and Marvel Studios were actively working on avoiding any censorship. Especially as she highlights how vital Phastos’ family is to the core of his character. She gave a hopeful “fingers crossed” that they might be able to avoid it.

    I do believe discussions were had and there’s a big desire from Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut. Fingers crossed

    Chloé Zhao

    One factor still hanging over the film is that a release in China is still a big question mark, where these adaptations are commonplace. If they want to avoid censorship, the film will likely not release in those specific markets. In the interview, she also highlights how Phastos’ lover and child anchor the Eternal and give him a reason to fight. How they also took their time to ensure that they can also give these characters an intimate moment on screen.

    Source: IndieWire

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Empire Cover Offers a Closer Look at a New Suit

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Empire Cover Offers a Closer Look at a New Suit

    Over time, it’s incredible how many rumored characters and storylines are potentially included in Spider-Man: No Way Home. As such, there’s been a lot of uncertainty on what we can truly expect from the film. The only real confirmations we got were the various suits he’ll wear in the upcoming film. It wasn’t until the trailer dropped that we at least got the tease of Green Goblin and Alfred Molina‘s return as Doc Ock. The promotion has been silent ever since. At least, that was until now.

    Empire has unveiled a new cover featuring the wallcrawler alongside Ock’s mechanical tentacles and the pumpkin bombs from Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man film. In it, we also get a good look at one of Spidey’s new costumes that got teased through the merchandise release. It’s not the Black-Gold suit or even the returning Iron Spider costume, but the one that seems like a natural combination of the latter with his base suit from Far From Home.

    It’s quite the stylish design and the way they added What If…?’s reflection effect to bring the multiverse to life is a nice touch. We also get a small nod to the magical webbing that was teased with the reveal of the black-gold suit is a nice addition. Of course, the Empire magazine is also the tease of more coverage in the near future as well as a potential second trailer. It’s still crazy we’re waiting for a poster.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Dune’ Spicing Up the Domestic Box Office With Potential $30M+ Opening

    ‘Dune’ Spicing Up the Domestic Box Office With Potential $30M+ Opening

    We’ve been waiting for Dune‘s arrival in domestic cinemas for quite some time. It already had a great start internationally with around $36.8M in its opening weekend across 24 markets in September. Now, we finally got a clearer picture for its domestic debut, as it garnered around $5.1M in its Thursday previews. Denis Villeneuve‘s latest film was also made available through HBO Max, which might give it a good audience boost. The numbers are looking good, as it drove 30% of Thursday’s box office, especially in Imax cinemas. It makes sense, as it was one of the big selling points of the film and ended up making up $1.5M of its total preview income.

    As of now, the box office seems likely for a $30M+ opening, but Warner Bros. is keeping their prediction at around $30M to be safe. Its Imax performance is certainly a showcase of the film’s marketing and selling the “cinematic experience,” but the question remains if it can keep the momentum going into the weekend. HBO Max availability has hurt films Saturday’s at times, but only time will tell for now.

    Villeneuve’s films haven’t always garnered box office attention but were still very popular with critics and audiences. As The Hollywood Reporter highlights, the biggest challenge lies in the franchise’s older draw. Even No Time to Die suffered a bit over the weekend due to the original novels’ older audience. It’s going to be exciting to follow its development.

    Source: Deadline, Forbes, Hollywood Reporter

  • Kevin Feige’s ‘Spider-Man’ Pitch Involved a Sandwich Flying His Way

    Kevin Feige’s ‘Spider-Man’ Pitch Involved a Sandwich Flying His Way

    We’ve always wondered how the discussion came to be that Marvel Studios and Sony would work on a Spider-Man remake. The moment the announcement dropped, it was a huge surprise for everyone when the world found out that they’d bring the character back into the MCU. Luckily, the new book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe offered some insight into how that conversation happened.

    It started off as a pitch for The Amazing Spider-Man 3 from producer Amy Pascal to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. She wanted his input on the project, as he had done on the second entry long ago as revealed by the infamous Sony leaks. After he shot the pitch, he highlighted it was just a repeat of what has come before. He then went on to make the pitch about them cooperating on the next project with Marvel Studios taking on the production side of things, similar to DC and Christopher Nolan‘s deal. Pascal shared her feelings on the inquiry in the book.

    At first, I was super resentful,” she admits. ‘I think I started crying and threw him out of my office, or threw a sandwich at him – I’m not sure which.’ Then she started to think it through. ‘By the fifth [Spider-Man] movie, we weren’t giving them anything new. And I have to be honest about it, we were trying so hard to be different, we even went into places to be different that we shouldn’t have. We weren’t fresh anymore.’

    It turns out though that their love for the character was what inspired them to give the idea a try. It didn’t take long for her to get back to him and figure out what exactly was brewing in his mind. Even recalling his time working on Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man.

    Pascal called Feige back the next day after their lunch. The concept of a collaboration between Sony and Marvel Studios had not left her mind. After hearing his specific thoughts on what to do with Spider-Man in the MCU, she admits, ‘The idea of putting him up against a world where everybody had everything and he had nothing was a whole new way of telling his story. I thought, ‘Goddamn, that guy’s smart.

    This call would end up changing the filming landscape in a big way, as Tom Holland would take on the mantle and appear in Captain America: Civil War. Crazy to think that a meeting with a sandwich getting thrown in a room would eventually turn into one of the franchise’s cornerstone moves, as Spider-Man became an important cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: The Story of Marvel Studios via The Direct