Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • New ‘The Batman’ LEGO Teases Batcave and a New Alter-Ego

    New ‘The Batman’ LEGO Teases Batcave and a New Alter-Ego

    DC FanDome is just around the corner and will finally give us a brand new look at the upcoming The Batman film. Matt Reeve’s new take on the Caped Crusader has garnered quite a bit of attention when the first trailer dropped last year. Once the pandemic calmed down, Reeve‘s and his team returned to bring the latest incarnation of the character to life. It’s been quiet since, but luckily to tie us until FanDome, LEGO provided us with some new products.

    There are four sets revealed. Two of them are focused on chasing down Selina Kyle and the Penguin. We even get a Lego Technic version of the new Batmobile, which is going to be popular with collectors. Yet, the one piece that truly sticks out is the “Batcave: The Riddler Face-off” kit. As the name implies it highlights the Batcave as its main location. What stands out is that it confirms it’s part of a train station with Wayne’s name attached. They may have changed up their origin story and moved it away from Wayne Manor. That’s not all, as it also includes a rather curious detail of Bruce Wayne also going by a different alter-ego, Drifter.

    Image

    LEGO sets commonly don’t represent the films. Otherwise, we would’ve had a pretty cool fight between Iron Man and Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin. Still, it offers a glimpse into the upcoming film. A detail like Bruce Wayne being called the Drifter does hint that he isn’t always running around in cape and cowl. Perhaps it’s a new identity that he takes when he’s on patrol before grabbing his Batsuit to take on more dangerous foes.

    We’re in Year 2 of his career. So, it’s a curious addition. The Riddler also seems to have a unique design in this compared to the first trailer. It’s likely they made it a bit more child-friendly, but this set doesn’t confirm if he’ll actually enter the Batcave at any point in the story. It’s a great little glimpse and we hope to get the second trailer at FanDome.

    Source: ComicBook, Twitter

  • ‘No Time To Die’ Premieres With $6.8M, Now Eyeing $84M Domestic Weekend

    ‘No Time To Die’ Premieres With $6.8M, Now Eyeing $84M Domestic Weekend

    There have been some surprise numbers coming out of the box office in the last few months. There has been quite a bit of uncertainty due to the Delta Variant spreading across the world, but the domestic box office has slowly recovered through theater-only releases beating expectations. Venom: Let There Be Carnage even managed to take the top spot in the box office beating out both Black Widow and Shang-Chi. Now, it seems the last Daniel-Craig-led James Bond film is on track to outperform its previous franchise entries.

    Thursday preview numbers are in and the film that once was going to release in April 2020 has garnered around $6.3M. Yes, it’s behind the Venom sequel’s $11.6M and Shang-Chi‘s $8.8M, but it’s a new best for the franchise. This is primarily due to the target audience of the franchise skewing older. It beat out the last entry, Spectre, which opened to around $5.25M and ended up earning $70M in its domestic launch. So, there’s a good chance the film will end up at around $84M once the weekend is over.

    Now, these numbers are quite different from the previous report. CNBC predicted that the film would become 2021’s first $100M domestic opening. While it’s looking good that the film will pass $150M worldwide, it’s still an impressive start for the franchise. F9 had a strong showing in its Thursday previews but ended with $70M when it was released. So, it’ll be interesting to see where exactly this latest entry ends up.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘The Flash’s Sound Mixer Confirms Production Wrapped on DC Movie

    ‘The Flash’s Sound Mixer Confirms Production Wrapped on DC Movie

    The DCEU is expanding and will enter the multiverse with the upcoming film centered around Ezra Miller‘s Barry Allen. The film will reintroduce Michael Keaton as Batman, who will work alongside the young hero. In June, we got some set photos from the production that offered our first look at an older Bruce Wayne from another universe. Of course, he’s not the only Batman, as Ben Affleck is also set to return in the iconic role.

    Just the other day, he shared his enthusiasm for working on the film and it seems they’re already winding down production. Colin Nicolson, a production sound mixer for the upcoming DC film, shared a post on Instagram confirming they’re wrapping up after 124 days of production. In it, he is standing proudly alongside his sound team for the film.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxAaMQqX9y/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

    DC FanDome isn’t far and we might get a preview of the film to tie us over until its release in November of next year. It’s too early to get a full trailer, but the pandemic has changed things but any glimpse might say a lot about what the film has to offer. The multiverse is no easy feat and we’ll see if there are many more Batmen heading our way once the film releases. As they wrapped production, they’ll enter the post-production phase before figuring out some details to enter reshoots. Here’s hoping we get a glimpse at the film’s many universes and why Allen decided to enter it in the first place.

    Source: Instagram, IMDb

  • 3 More Potential Disney+ Spinoffs for Marvel Studios to Expand the MCU

    3 More Potential Disney+ Spinoffs for Marvel Studios to Expand the MCU

    The big announcement has come today that WandaVision is getting a spinoff that’ll focus on Agatha Harkness. It’s not the first show to spin out of an existing Marvel Studios property on the streaming service. Our first announcement came in the form of Echo long before Hawkeye even got a release date. The fact that a villain is getting her series opens up many possibilities moving forward, as it means anything goes. So, it’s the perfect time to explore other potential Disney+ series that could spin-off from past projects.

    Taskmaster Protocol

    black widow taskmaster future

    Black Widow explored a rather unique take on the character of Taskmaster but still kept a small glimpse to further explore the character in the future. The fact it was referenced as a “Protocol” in the film left a lot of opportunities to further expand the concept without necessarily requiring the return of Antonia. We did play around with the idea of them exploring Tony Masters as someone who takes over the program. No matter what direction they take, there’s a lot of potentials to expand the concept through a Disney+ series. Each episode introduces a new threat that forces our protagonists to adapt and learn. Yet, each action comes at a price, as their memory starts to fade.

    Goose Stories

    Captain Marvel“: Das Geheimnis von Goose · KINO.de

    Halloween is around the corner. We might get a special next year focused on Werewolf by Night. Yet, I would also love to see the return of our favorite Flerken. Captain Marvel’s Goose hasn’t appeared in the franchise since his introduction in 2019. While looking like an innocent cat, he’s an interdimensional pocket with Lovecraft-inspired tentacles ready to snap up its foes at any time. He deserves a Disney+ series that twists our understanding of what a Marvel story is. We find out he’s been living a normal life with a family in the United States. Little do they know, their connection to SHIELD makes them easy targets for some dangerous forces. Yet, they had a small little cat keeping them safe. Each episode could be a parody or tribute to a horror franchise. To give an example, they could explore a house invasion story, but they have no idea they’re about to face a very dangerous being.

    Ten Rings

    The Real Reason Why The Ten Rings Logo Is Changing In Shang-Chi

    This spinoff idea seems the most obvious, as the end of Shang-Chi very openly hinted that the new generation of this organization will make a return. Meng’er Zhang‘s Xu Xialing took over her father’s base and added a new spin to the organization. The implications seem to hint at her fighting ring organization has combined with the world-dominating terrorist organization. The fact that the film’s post-credit sequence highlights that this organization will return highlights that they have a plan for them. So, the best approach would be to adapt it to Disney+. Not only does Xialing deserve time in the spotlight, but we could also see a new empire get founded. We can explore her dealings in the underworld that hints at other famous Marvel evils making a comeback. She may offer a closer window into a world we had no idea existed out there.

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ New Paid Consumables Draws Controversy

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ New Paid Consumables Draws Controversy

    It’s been rather quiet when it comes to Square-Enix’s gamble that was Marvel’s Avengers. We had a roadmap showcase that only confirmed one piece of content arriving this year alongside the long-teased Spider-Man. The developers have made quite a bit of fuss about their first attempt at a raid but the uncertainty surrounding its release and general lack of insight on the rework has left fans wanting more. The only real ongoing update surrounded the game’s paid marketplace and the latest may have left a sour taste with players.

    It’s gone through a rocky road ever since its launch. There have been many questionable decisions throughout its development, but the release of Black Panther and Hawkeye as free playable characters were quite some highs. Marvel’s Avengers‘ latest move to add payable consumables was hinted at once it got its subsection last week. Still, the sparse marketplace being taken over by them without any warning hasn’t been met with open arms.

    https://twitter.com/PlayAvenger/status/1446158854014840837

    In their latest blog, they included a mention of the various payable consumables, as they moved away from their promise these would remain as free additions. The timing of pushing them alongside the Xbox Game Pass seems deliberate as new players joined it after a Quad XP event this weekend. It seems that it’s overall a bad day for Looter games, as Destiny 2 has also announced that its paid DLC Forsaken will get archived for the upcoming The Witch Queen expansion. So, even if you invested money into acquiring it, it won’t be available moving forward. There are general expectations with these games and content draught adds to that very tension.

    Source: Twitter, Play Avengers, Forbes, Kotaku, ScreenRant

  • Sam Hargrave and Jake Gyllenhaal Adapting Rob Liefeld’s ‘Prophet’

    Sam Hargrave and Jake Gyllenhaal Adapting Rob Liefeld’s ‘Prophet’

    It looks like the Extraction director has found his next project. Hollywood Reporter has unveiled that Sam Hargrave is teaming up with Jake Gyllenhaal to adapt Rob Liefeld‘s comic Prophet. The period comic book adaptation is in development for Studio 8 with Gyllenhaal set to take the role of John Prophet. The adaptation will be written by Marc Guggenheim, who has worked on The CW’s Arrowverse projects. He’ll bring the story to life about a man, who volunteered to get experimented on by German scientists during World War 2. He gets buried for 20 years before waking up to a new world, KGB agents hunting him down and his daughter resenting him. Studio 8 CEO Jeff Robinov gave the following statement:

    It’s been a goal of ours to work with Jake and Sam for quite some time, so we’re very excited to finally be collaborating with them on this unique, action-packed genre film. I’m looking forward to seeing what they envision for bringing this story to life — a story we’re sure will stand out in the comic book world as a powerful, emotionally charged, and visually distinctive film

    Jeff Robinov

    It’s quite an interesting choice to adapt, but it’s an interesting concept to explore. Of course, they’ll likely take quite a few liberties with this adaption. It’s not a well-known comic series, which gives them some freedom to tackle it in creative ways. We’ll see how far the project develops and if they lean into the more out-there concepts from the original comic series.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Spider-Man’ Writer Zeb Wells Joins ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    ‘Spider-Man’ Writer Zeb Wells Joins ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    It’s not uncommon for some information to somehow get missed. There’s a lot of information that finds its way online, but sometimes it’s hidden in the most surprising of places. It looks like Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells confirmed his involvement with the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ series. The tidbit is hidden away in the editorial section of The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #75.

    In it, he highlights that Wells, who has experience working in animation such as SuperMansion and Robot Chicken, is part of the writer’s room for the upcoming Disney+ series. It doesn’t highlight which role specifically he had, but his experience with parody series may have played a factor in how they approached She-Hulk‘s habits of breaking the fourth wall.

    Cody Ziglar’s participation here is Zeb’s fault. Cody and Zeb worked together in the writers’ room of the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ She-Hulk show, and Zeb told me Cody was the real deal.

    Avid fans have sharp eyes and always keep a lookout for any information on upcoming projects. It’s also curious they are able to discuss it freely without any prior announcements by Marvel directly. Perhaps they didn’t write episodes but acted as consultants on the project. It makes you wonder if other previous editorials included small teases of projects writers were involved with. Either way, it’s great to see Wells have a role in developing the Disney+ series. perhaps we’ll see more Marvel comic writers involved with these projects moving forward.

    Source: The Direct, Marvel

  • ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ May Not Feature Judy Greer

    ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ May Not Feature Judy Greer

    When Marvel Studios announced the third entry of the Ant-Man and the Wasp franchise, we assumed it would see the return of the original cast. Yet, the moment Kang the Conqueror joined as its main antagonist, it changed everything. It opened up the question if minor characters would get included or if the story takes a very unique direction moving forward. Well, Judy Greer, who plays Scott Lang’s ex-wife, confirmed she isn’t involved with the film.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, she shared her excitement to potentially join Quantumania. She hasn’t been contacted to join the production, which normally you would assume they’d make any dealings ahead of the production start. There’s always a chance they might invite her to film scenes at a later time.

    I haven’t been told anything so I guess I’m not in it. I’m actually not, I’m terrible at [keeping secrets]. I always tell people like, ‘Just don’t tell me if you don’t want me to tell everyone.’ No one has contacted me and feel free to print that, that I’m very available and very willing to go.

    Judy Greer

    The recasting of Cassie Lang is still a big mystery. Kathryn Newton is taking over the role of Emma Fuhrmann, who tackled the role in Avengers: Endgame. If her change is integral to the plot, they might want to also have her mother react to her daughter looking quite different. Of course, there’s still the chance the recasting won’t tie into the story, but it would make for a curious connection to the multiverse.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • First Official Look at ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Autobots and Decepticons

    First Official Look at ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Autobots and Decepticons

    In July, we got our first glimpse at Bumblebee and Optimus Prime from the set of Transformers: Rise of the Beast. It was only a leak at the time, but Steven Caple Jr. has taken to Instagram to give us our first look at the team of Autobots and what may be this film’s Decepticons. We heard that they’ll be joined by Predacons and Terrorcons with Ron Perlman voicing Optimus Primal, but they commonly have animal-inspired base forms.

    The image only shares their car forms, but they still offer a good glimpse at the designs they are going for. Bumblebee has seemingly gone through another redesign. It also doesn’t fully match the set photos that we saw, which might hint at him going through another change. The bike does hint at the inclusion of Arcee potentially in the film.

    We still haven’t gotten a confirmation of which members of each team will be represented. It does seem like they are focusing on a more grounded story as the showcased Transformers are mainly car-based this time around. There’s always the chance they simply aren’t included in these set photos. There are very likely quite a few mystery additions that Caple Jr. is keeping from fans and this might simply be scratching the surface of what is heading our way once it hits theatres.

    Source: Instagram

  • Wentworth Miller to Return in ‘Legends of Tomorrow’s 100th Episode

    Wentworth Miller to Return in ‘Legends of Tomorrow’s 100th Episode

    Looks like DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has found a special guest to celebrate its 100th episode. Wentworth Miller will reprise his role as Leonard Snart, or better known as the Flash villain Captain Cold. It’s set to air on October 27th as Caity Lotz revisits the past seasons through the eyes of the A.I. Gideon. Executive producer Phil Klemmer talked to TVLine and confirmed his appearance.

    Not just that, he also hinted that he’ll get joined by some other familiar faces on the way. While they prepare for a new generation of unlikely heroes, Klemmer teased that we’ll get one last hurrah with some familiar faces in the 100th episode.

    We also wanted to give a chance for the newest generation of Legends, the Astras and Spooners of the team, to meet up with some of the original gang.

    Phil Klemmer

    Of course, Klemmer didn’t go into detail or tease further additions. We still have some time until it airs, which could give them more time to tease returning actors. Brandon Routh will have a role in the upcoming The Flash crossover event. So, he may have filmed a few scenes for this series as well. Perhaps we also get one last moment with Martin Stein or Rip Hunter, who both heroically sacrificed their lives at one point in the series.

    Source: TV Line