Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Chloé Zhao Might Be Eyeing a ‘Star Wars’ Project After ‘Eternals’

    Chloé Zhao Might Be Eyeing a ‘Star Wars’ Project After ‘Eternals’

    All eyes are now on Eternals, which may reinvent the way we look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its future. Chloé Zhao lends her unique artistic approach to a story that looks at the past and future. It also raises the question of what project she might tackle afterward. After an Oscar-win with Nomadland and an entry in the biggest franchise in the world, it seems the world is now her oyster. Luckily, in the latest edition of Empire Magazine, she may have given us a hint that talks are already underway for her to visit a galaxy far far away.

    In the latest issue, they take a closer look at the upcoming Eternals films. Al Horner got the chance to ask her a few questions, which led to her referencing the Star Wars franchise quite frequently. So, he took the natural next step and inquired if she might potentially be tackling a project within that galaxy. While technically denying her answer, she may have given away that something is happening behind the curtains.

    Hmmmm. I have to tread very carefully with what I say here. [laughs] Yes. Let’s just say, it’s a world I have so much reverence for because it was such an important part of my life. [laugh]Chloé Zhao

    Zhao‘s visual and directing style would add something special to the Lucasfilm franchise. Plus, Eternals is technically a space-based storyline. So, she already has some experience in that department. The only question is what type of story she might tackle. It would almost seem like the perfect chance to take a closer look at the time when the Jedi were at their peak. Of course, her perchance to explore the early days of a universe, she could also be the perfect candidate to uncover the origins of the Jedi Order and its counterpart, the Sith. Whatever she may end up tackling, here’s hoping her involvement is confirmed soon.

    Source: Empire via Twitter

  • REPORT: ‘The Mandalorian’s Season 3 May Have Already Started Production

    REPORT: ‘The Mandalorian’s Season 3 May Have Already Started Production

    Just recently, we finally got the first poster for this year’s The Book of Boba Fett. The first spinoff of The Mandalorian, which kicked off Disney’s new streaming venture. Its placement did also push back the third season of the Pedro Pascal-led series. There have been various reports regarding its potential production start, but never an official word. At one point, it seemed to be eyeing a late 2021 start so that it can hit its 2022 release.

    At one point, even Carl Weathers confirmed it would kick off in September, but there hasn’t been a word since. Luckily, it seems Bespin Bulletin might be able to confirm they’ve already started a week ago. In their latest tweet, they’ve shared a small production update and confirmed Pedro Pascal, who is currently busy filming The Last of Us for HBO, hasn’t been on set yet.

    It’s interesting that they might end up filming at a train yard in October. A public filming spot could lead to set photos finding their way online confirming the production. While it’s not too surprising that Pascal isn’t involved with production just yet, as they’ve filmed big pieces from previous seasons without him, here’s hoping he does join production at some point. The end of the last season hinted that he may take off his mask more often, but who knows if it was just a special moment for Grogu. We cannot wait to see how they might mix things up with the upcoming season.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘House of the Dragon’ Set Photo Leaks Online

    New ‘House of the Dragon’ Set Photo Leaks Online

    It looks like a brand new image from the set of Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon has found its way online. The last time we saw anything from the series, it was our first look at Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy. The Twitter page @HOTDBr shared a new look at the set, which doesn’t show any of the announced cast directly, especially with the recently expanded cast, but it does highlight our visit back to the time when the Targaryen ruled, which takes place 300 years before the events of the original series.

    It’s great to see more of the Targaryen. Sadly, we still don’t have a single tease of when and where dragons will come into play for the story. It’s only natural we’ll see more of them hanging around now that we’re visiting a time where the dragon riders were a common appearance. It’s curious how much budget this series got. Amazon has confirmed their The Lord of the Rings series will have a massive budget of $465M, making it the most expensive season ever produced.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Predictions Eyeing $40M to $60M+ Domestic Opening

    ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Predictions Eyeing $40M to $60M+ Domestic Opening

    The signs are getting better and better for the box office’s revival. After Shang-Chi dominated and James Bond‘s next film No Time to Die eyeing a great $90M international start, things are looking up for the industry. Now, early predictions are also hinting at some good numbers for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It’s currently eyeing between $40M to $60M+ over the course of three days at 4,200 locations. These are great numbers

    Deadline also shared that the fan screenings were filmed to the brim this Monday, which adds some hope that it’ll surpass the higher end of its predictions. Shang-Chi originally was hovering around a $50M+ prediction before it managed to beat expectations. Let There Be Carnage is a theater-only release and that has proven quite successful. Even if the lowest predictions are closer to A Quiet Place 2‘s box office, it’s still showing a positive development within the market.

    The original Venom opened to the best domestic opening in October with $80.2M. While it was trumped by Joker a year later, it still was an impressive feat by the Spider-Man spinoff without the wallcrawler involved. It’s going up against The Addams Family 2 and The Many Saints of Newark, which will both have digital alternatives. The only question remains if Sony will be happy, even considering the current pandemic, with the sequel performing less than its first entry, especially with its initial Rotten Tomatoes rating by critics. Though, fans did quite enjoy it as it stands at 81% audience score. So, it might all depend on critic reactions and word-of-mouth to push the sequel.

    Source: Deadline, Rotten Tomatoes

  • Lee Majdoub to Return as Dr. Stone in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Sequel

    Lee Majdoub to Return as Dr. Stone in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Sequel

    Ever since the Sonic the Hedgehog sequel announced that Idris Elba would voice Knuckles, we haven’t heard much about the project. It’ll return to the little town of Green Hills, as Sonic tries to live a normal life with the Wachowskis. Yet, as the post-credit sequence of the first film teased, he’ll get wrapped up in more chaos from his former life. Of course, there’s also the disappearance of Dr. Robotnik into a mushroom dimension and his potential return. Luckily, it seems someone will be keeping his seat warm until his eventual return, as Lee Majdoub will officially return as Dr. Stone.

    His return does signal the potential appearance of Robotnik in the sequel. Jim Carrey‘s performance was a highlight of the first film, especially his dynamic with his assistant. The touch of using National Coffee Day to reference Robotnik’s love for his latte with steamed Austrian goatmilk. They made a great duo and there’s a lot of potentials to explore the vacuum left behind by the manic genius.

    They did work with the government in the first film. Perhaps his involvement could lead to the creation of GUN, which has also been teased some time ago. Robotnik’s drones might be useful in the right hands, and with the existence of little creatures running fast enough to create a sonic boom, they’d prepare for anything. It’s also a great way to integrate elements from Sonic Adventures 2 to expand the film’s adaptation of the character.

    Source: Twitter

  • Disney+ Planning to Release 10+ ‘Star Wars’ Series in the Next Few Years

    Disney+ Planning to Release 10+ ‘Star Wars’ Series in the Next Few Years

    After a long wait, we finally got a poster and release date for Star Wars‘ next Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett. It’s been a while since we visited The Mandalorian‘s part of the galaxy far far away, but luckily it won’t take much longer. There’s still some uncertainty about when we can expect the third season featuring Din Djarin, but it looks like the streaming service and the House of Mouse has big plans for the franchise. In a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, they’ve shared that Disney is currently eyeing 11 Star Wars series to release in the upcoming years.

    They haven’t specified if this also includes repeat seasons, which are only confirmed for The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch. If these are excluded, we are currently only aware of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, Andor, Lando, A Droid Story, and Acolyte. If the Boba Fett-centric story isn’t included in the list, there are five unannounced series heading to Disney+. Disney+ Day won’t feature a showcase of their future projects, but we may get a few teases of the already announced projects.

    So, we’ll likely get future announcements if Disney holds another Investor’s Day this December. Keep in mind, this also doesn’t include potential films or specials as they use the wording “series” specifically. It’s great to see how much potential Disney sees in their streaming service, as they continue to expand. Hopefully, we’ll get a clearer picture of what their future releases entail as we enter 2022.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Taking a Closer Look at ‘Squid Games’ Manga Inspirations

    Taking a Closer Look at ‘Squid Games’ Manga Inspirations

    Netflix may have found its next big hit, as the South Korean drama known as Squid Game introduces us to a rather dark and twisted look at classic children’s games. Whoever wins six games will garner the massive cash price to pay off their debt. Yet, it makes you question how much worth your life truly has in such a dark and twisted game. Its unique visuals and dark twist on childhood games put it on the map. As it’s Netflix’s new rising star, it’s the perfect time to explore the stories that inspired it.

    Squid Game": Neue Netflix-Serie schreckt vor keiner Grausamkeit zurück | STERN.de

    The script by Hwang Dong-hyu was first written back in 2008 before he scrapped it for some time. He shared that he was inspired by the mangas Liar Game by Shinobu Kaitani, and Nobuyuki Fukumoto‘s Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji (Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji). They center around a similar storyline where unsuspecting people are brought into dangerous games to pay their debts. The former even got a South Korean TV series back in 2014. Kaiji was so popular it expanded into five additional series that offers a dark glimpse into the world of gambling.

    While the name and games are inspired by the Korean children’s game by the same name, there was some controversy due to the similarity to one rather specific manga by Muneyuki Kaneshiro titled As the Gods Will (Kami-sama no Iu Tōri). In this series, high schools are suddenly infiltrated by Daruma dolls that force students to play the game. If they fail to stay by the rules, they end up dying. The worst part, it isn’t just one game. In 2014, it was adapted into a live-action film, which has been brought up in comparison by critics.

    AS THE GODS WILL ENDING EXPLAINED IN HINDI - YouTube

    Yes, the concept of a children’s game leading to death is quite similar but the basis is different. As the Gods Will doesn’t give its players anything to win, they are simply unwilling pawns in a game of death. In reality, all these series have one shared origin in the Japanese novel Battle Royale by author Koushin Takami. It explores a fictional world where high schoolers are forced to kill each other on an island for the amusement of a fascist government. It famously got adapted into a film in 2000 that inspired many similar stories. Dong-hyu‘s tale of desperation isn’t a new concept but builds upon almost two decades of storytelling while adding a unique twist on the concept.

    Source: Chosun, Insight

  • Ravencraft Could Offer Enough Villains for Future ‘Venom’ Sequels

    Ravencraft Could Offer Enough Villains for Future ‘Venom’ Sequels

    The upcoming Venom sequel will introduce the world to his most iconic offspring, Carnage. Even as the franchise has not connected to Spider-Man, it is trying to build up its universe and rules. Of course, throwing out one of the biggest characters from the symbiote family in the second film seems like Sony is already showing their hand too early. Yet, director Andy Serkis believes that there’s enough to play around with for sequels. In an interview with ScreenRant, he teases that we might have just scratched the surface for potential villains.

    But I think there’s real mileage in some of the other supervillains that reside in Ravencroft. There’s such fertile ground to be uncovered there. That would be the sandbox I’d be really interested in playing. Who’s lurking in there that could break out?

    Andy Serkis

    It’s certainly curious and might be a good sign that the film’s hiding some Easter eggs once we enter Ravencroft. Trailers did show Carnage’s escape, which might be how some of these bad guys find their way onto the streets. So, Let There Be Carnage may also kickstart the franchise and introduce a variety of thugs for our favorite symbiote to take on. If they start connecting the universes, it would be interesting to see if they would also introduce a new host for Venom. Imagine Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock losing him to a character like Mac Gargan. They have built up their relationship quite a bit and seeing a fallout between them, only for Venom to realize how good he had it would make for some fun drama. Plus, they’d not rely too much on a symbiote vs. symbiote format for these films.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • ‘Spider-Man 2’ to be Insomniac’s ‘Empire Strikes Back’

    ‘Spider-Man 2’ to be Insomniac’s ‘Empire Strikes Back’

    After a long wait, the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man game finally got its first trailer. Not only that, we even got a good look at the long-teased antagonist, Venom. Of course, his inclusion raises a lot of questions about what we can expect from the sequel. Luckily, Vice President of Marvel Games, Bill Roseman, teased that the sequel might be a darker story from the previous entry. In the latest podcast entry of This Week in Marvel, he briefly touched upon the upcoming sequel and compared it to the original Star Wars trilogy.

    If the first Spider-Man game was Star Wars, Spider-Man 2 is [our] Empire Strikes Back.

    It’s certainly a tall order to compare it to The Empire Strikes Back. The sequel became the modern standard for what any franchise tries to accomplish. Not only does it continue the story, but it pushes our heroes to a brand new breaking point. There’s no true hope that it’ll end on a positive note. So, who knows what the future has in store for Miles Morales and Peter Parker as they face off against Venom.

    It’s crazy to think that the sequel would be even darker than the first. Peter had to make the most depressing decision he ever had at the end of that game, which might be the toughest sacrifice we’ve ever seen a version of this hero make. The game showcased who is the host for the Venom symbiote, which also makes his inclusion quite a personal story once he realizes who it is.

    Source: This Week in Marvel

  • Meet the Skrulls: An Unlikely Family Dramedy in the MCU

    Meet the Skrulls: An Unlikely Family Dramedy in the MCU

    The upcoming Secret Invasion series on Disney+ will explore the invasion by the Skrulls. We got our first introduction to the alien species during Captain Marvel, and they’ll take center stage once more in the upcoming Secret Invasion series. We’ve recently shared details that Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos won’t be the only Skrull, and some don’t share his more peaceful mindset. So, we’re going to witness an invasion by the shape-shifting aliens soon, and potentially even beyond the Disney+ series. As such, it opens up the path to explore the life of Skrulls hiding amongst modern suburbia. So, the perfect sequel series would be an adaptation of the 2019 Meet the Skrulls.

    The comic series explored the life of the Warner family. They’ve lived a suburban life on Earth. Well, if you ignore the fact that they are Skrulls preparing Earth for an invasion. Robbie Thompson and Niko Henrichon brought a simple concept to life that took a look at aliens trying to fit in with humanity while keeping to accomplish their mission. Marvel Studios is no stranger to exploring a strange suburbia life with their first Disney+ venture of WandaVision. Yet, it explored a sitcom version of that kind of life, and now it’s time for Marvel Studios to embrace it.

    Meet the Skrulls #1 - Stories For Nerds

    Skrulls living in the suburbs while following their mission might seem simple, but it could also help flesh out the MCU. Why not have the parents work at Stark Industries or the WHIH news. That way, we can see the world that the bigger projects don’t normally share with us. This Disney+ series isn’t like Solar Opposites, where they are living as aliens in plain sight, but rather a group of Skrulls, who are paranoid of getting caught. It opens up to some comedic moments of them misunderstanding things, trying too hard to hide, or even letting loose at a party. Especially giving us insight into teenage Skrulls adjusting to life could bring out some dangerous situations.

    Of course, there’s also the drama of it taking place post-Secret Invasion. The world is aware of their presence and is on the hunt for the last splinter cells. So, the build-up to seeing what S.H.I.E.L.D.’s existence means to them. At one point, they are uncovered and have to survive an infiltration of their home. In a way humanizing the alien species that simply believed in their mission was for a good cause. Not only would we get a look from a more grounded perspective in the MCU, but also fully understand the motivation of the aliens. Perhaps they didn’t know they were just pawns but believing in something to keep their race alive. Can you truly trust everything you see and know?