Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Revives the International Box Office With Massive Opening Weekend

    ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Revives the International Box Office With Massive Opening Weekend

    We’ve all been keeping a close eye on the international Box Office. Numbers have been down quite a bit since the pandemic hit. It was clear that it wouldn’t change overnight. Studios were looking towards streaming as an alternative to avoid overflooding the market whenever it would heal. Plus, it was uncertain when one could even talk about “normalcy” in the cinema market ever again. Black Widow seemed like the film that would help guide the Box Office back, but Disney decided to give it a simultaneous release on Disney+ and in theaters. It even got postponed. So, the hope lied with the upcoming release of Godzilla vs. Kong to get the ball rolling.

    Well, it finally happened. After various films barely made a dent, the latest entry in Legendary’s Monsterverse has surpassed expectations. The film debut with around $121.8M in 38 overseas markets over the weekend. China was the strongest gainer here with $70.34M. It had the largest opening for a Hollywood title since the pandemic started with $21.5M. On top of that, it also managed to top 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters opening Box Office in China, which was at an unadjusted $66M. It is even tracking ahead of the film by 11% on par with Kong: Skull Island‘s opening.

    Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway has also seen some stronger legs in Australia before the Easter holiday. Deadline believes the film might have long legs, which is also very likely for the latest adaptation of the battle between a giant lizard and ape. Hopefully, it is a good sign we’ll have plenty more Western adaptations of Kong and Godzilla in the future. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has struggled a bit fearing for the franchise’s end, but now it may just be a new beginning.

    Source: Deadline

  • Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Static Shock’ Adds Writer Randy McKinnon

    Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Static Shock’ Adds Writer Randy McKinnon

    It has already been five months since it was revealed that Michael B. Jordan is developing a live-action adaptation of Static Shock. We got our first hint at its development during DC FanDome, but it wasn’t until a few months later that Jordan and Reginal Hudlin announced they were producing the film. The Milestone character will be produced by Outlier Society, which is one of Warner Bros.’s production companies. In a quick Heat Vision newsletter, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the film has now added Randy McKinnon to write the script.

    It is actually McKinnon‘s second time working with Hudlin, as they were both involved with the development of Disney+’s true-life drama Safety. Static Shock may also be the beginning of many stories centered on black superheroes, as Jordan did point out in the initial reveal that this is just the initial step to give voices to those that are unheard. It’s a great commitment and Static Shock is quite a popular character due to his 2000’s animated series. There is a good chance we’ll also see many other Milestone characters make their live-action debut in the future.

    It’ll be interesting to see how they bring this character to life on the silver screen and what focus they will set. It seems likely that they might focus on the character balancing his private and superhero life, as he commonly is portrayed as a teenager. the character also made an appearance in Young Justice, where he became a member of the Outsiders. Whatever direction they decide to go, we can’t wait to see it once cinemas open again.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offered Update on ‘Black Widow’-Tie In Event

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offered Update on ‘Black Widow’-Tie In Event

    It’s the first week since Marvel’s Avengers Clint Barton DLC was released, and we finally got another developer stream. This time around, it was a shorter stream with a stronger focus on tackling the bugs that plagued the game since the latest patch. So, they wanted to address them head-on in their initiative to be more transparent. It was also uncertain if the Black Widow-themed event would keep its Spring release due to the film’s release delay. Luckily, they approached it directly in the stream.

    • Black Widow’s Red Room Takeover will not get postponed. They teased some great rewards for the event, which included animated nameplates.
    • Crystal Dynamics hinted at a team-look for the Avengers in the next marketplace update. It will fix a loot issue, the PS5 trophy transfer glitch, and a progressing issue in the Reassemble campaign (Golden Acres).
    • Hawkeye’s recovery arrow glitch is still getting looked at, but they are making good progress on it.
    • We will likely see a new patch (1.5.1) next week that addresses various bugs.
    • They clarified that sometimes fixes are finished, but can only get released with specific updates, such as King Hulk’s hair.
    • Originally, the loot from Elite Villain Sectors was going to be made available in other modes. The latest fix accidentally went live before they could adjust it. Cargo robots and the Flashback missions

     

    How To Save Marvel's Avengers, A Game That Deserves A Second Chance

     

    • CD wants to hear from the community what they hope to see from the Patrol Mode. They uploaded a Reddit thread where players can drop their wishes for the new mission type, which you can check out by clicking here.
    • They teased that multiple Omega-Level Threats will get dropped once the issue has been fixed. So, we expect to see their evolution once they are made available.
    • Crossplay is getting looked at, but it isn’t an easy thing to develop. They will offer insight once they figure out a way to approach it.
    • OLT villains can potentially get a Villain Sector. So, there is no rule set here by the developers.
    • Cargo Bots will not drop exotic gear but unique gear sets.
    • They teased some modifications and updates for the War Table.

    The half-hour stream still had plenty of info. We got a brief tease for the upcoming event, but nothing juicy to discuss now. It still seems very plausible that the Tachyon Anomaly will get released in April. So, hopefully, we get some more details on that in the next week or so. It is fantastic that the Red Room Takeover is not getting delayed even if Black Widow won’t release until July. We’ve seen inspired outfits release last year, so it’s not too surprising they aren’t affected by it. Here’s looking forward to what the next developer stream might have in store for us.

    Source: Twitch

  • ‘Charm City King’s Angel Manuel Soto Directing a ‘Transformers’ Film

    ‘Charm City King’s Angel Manuel Soto Directing a ‘Transformers’ Film

    It is time to roll out more Transformer‘s films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures has signed up a blind script commitment for a new entry in the popular Hasbro franchise. The showrunner of Netflix’s The Defenders series, Marco Ramirez, has been signed on for the project. It will be directed by Charm City Kings‘ director, Angel Manuel Soto. Their report also states that this will not be part of the mainline universe, which originally started in 2007. Its seventh entry is still in development by Creed II‘s Stephen Caple Jr.

    So far, the franchise consisted of five Michael Bay films and Travis Knight‘s Bumblebee spin-off. Caple Jr.’s film is still kept under wraps, but Illumerdi was able to uncover some details on the film’s development. It is being produced under the working title Beast Alliance, which explores our favorite Autobots time transforming into more animalistic designs, such as the Beast Wars series.

    There are no details on Angel‘s film, as it is in early development. There is no producer attached, but Lorenzo di Bonaventura is expected to return. Paramount has been eager to turn Transformers into an ever-expanding franchise like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They might also be looking into developing a spin-off series that could air on their newly rebooted streaming service, Paramount+. They also are showing their choice

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Confirms Sylvester Stallone as King Shark

    ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Confirms Sylvester Stallone as King Shark

    There has been an ongoing debate about who might be voicing King Shark in James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad. At one point, it was revealed that Taika Waititi had joined the cast. After his performance as Korg in Thor: Ragnarok, he seemed like the perfect person to voice the loveable human shark. Suddenly, Silvester Stallone was confirmed to appear in the film, which made us wonder if he might also be the one voicing the character. Finally, the latest trailer released and King Shark actually has a speaking part. It confirmed that Stallone is indeed the one taking on the loveable maneater’s voice:

     

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1375481778064957440

    He even confirmed it on Instagram shortly after the trailer dropped:

    Overall, the trailer looks like a lot of fun that perfectly blends James Gunn‘s humor with comic book insanity. Just like Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Groot, King Shark will certailny become a fan-favorite once the film releases. Their interpretation of the character is also a departure from the comics. Yes, he was a bloodthirsty shark in the comics, but he’s shown to be quite intelligent. The character already had his live-action debut on The Flash, where they changed his origin. He was a regular man that transformed into a half-man, half-shark, unlike in the comics, where he is the son of a shark god. It’s an interesting departure and will certailny add some humorous yet gory moments throughout the film’s runtime.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram (Stallone)

  • ‘Mortal Kombat’: First Look at Nitara Revealed

    ‘Mortal Kombat’: First Look at Nitara Revealed

    We’ve been anxiously awaiting the next attempt at a live-action adaptation of Mortal Kombat. The franchise found its footing on the silver screen in 1995. As technology wasn’t as advanced at the time, they focused on specific characters that wouldn’t be easy to adapt. Plus, the roster has only grown since then, as the game franchise is already on its eleventh incarnation. When they started advertising the film, we got a slew of character posters that revealed the massive roster. Yet, eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the trailers were hiding some secrets. It wasn’t until later that we got our first look at Cabal. Well, it seems one more classic fighter is joining the upcoming film, as Greg Russo has revealed our first look at Nitara:

    The character made her debut in 2002’s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. She is a vampire that preys on the life of others, similar to Shang Tsung. Unlike him, she requires blood rather than soul energy. It looks like her live-action design will keep the iconic wings, but her body seems covered in something. There is a chance that she might be able to transform. So, we’ve only gotten a glimpse at her true form. Hopefully, she’ll still stick to her gothic design from the games, or at least they pay tribute to it. The character is neutral and doesn’t serve anyone. It’ll be interesting to see how large a role she might have, but if they didn’t even give her an official announcement, she might be one of the many Fatality victims throughout the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Gameplay for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Released

    First Gameplay for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Released

    Lord of the Rings is slowly making its grand return. Amazon is still hard at work at developing a brand new series that takes place in J.R.R. Tolkiens’ fantasy world. We’ve seen the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-Earth games offered an action-packed take on the franchise. I loved the introduction of the Nemesis system, which added a wild factor to every time you wished to explore the various regions. Now, the franchise is expanding with a new game that focuses on the iconic character Gollum. It has been seven months since the first teaser trailer released and after a long wait, they finally unveiled the first gameplay trailer, which you can check out right here:

     

     

    It makes sense a Gollum-focused story would lend itself to a stealth game style. The trailer offers a small glimpse at the different locations you’ll be visiting throughout your time playing the game. It certailny looks like the game might be puzzle-focused and a bit linear as you try to survive in a world filled with blood-thirsty Orcs. It is disappointing that they only really offer small glimpses of the actual gameplay, but it still looks promising. We will get to visit a time before Gollum runs into the Hobbits.

    They also seem to be teasing Sauron at the end. Hopefully, they might play around with his obsession with the ring, as it torments the player during the story to add some tense moments. We don’t know if this will tie into the 2001 films or the original novels. They might also set it within an alternative timeline, like the Middle-Earth games. Either way, the trailer looks promising, and can’t wait to dive back into this fantastical world.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’: Legendary Reveals First Full Look at Mecha Godzilla

    ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’: Legendary Reveals First Full Look at Mecha Godzilla

    There is a curious thing about leaks in the modern age. At some point, the studio gives up fighting it and accepts that it is out there. Well, HBO Max and Warner Bros. have been facing something similar with the leak of Mecha Godzilla making an appearance in the upcoming film Godzilla vs. Kong. It got briefly teased in a few frames in the first trailer, and everyone noticed it. Images of toys started leaking online. So, people were getting a good look at the design of the mechanized Titan. Instead of fighting, they just accepted that the news is out there and decided to cash in on it. So, they released a tweet that includes merchandise that showcases the man-made Titan:

    It certainly matches the toy leaks that we’ve seen in the past. We still don’t know how exactly he will fit into the story. He may get created by humanity in response to Godzilla’s rampage. We know that Kong is brought to the mainland to defeat him. It may be a response for the team avoiding the activation of Mecha Godzilla. He could also end up being the reason that the once world-protecting giant ends up destroying the world. He might have a considerable role, and it will be interesting to see how they integrate this new rendition of the character. His design is sleeker than past iterations. We can expect a lot more maneuverability from this version rather than relying mainly on missiles like the classics. It’s a great design, and we cannot wait to see it in action once the film releases next week.

     

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Leak Offers Closer Look at Sam Wilson’s Captain America Suit

    ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’: Leak Offers Closer Look at Sam Wilson’s Captain America Suit

    It looks like a recent leak may have given us another look at what may end up being Sam Wilson’s Captain America uniform. The first episode has left it open if Wilson would ever take on the role, but it still seems likely that his journey throughout Falcon and the Winter Soldier will eventually lead to him accepting it. So, we’ve been wondering what his new suit might look like ever since he was given the shield by Steve in Avengers: Endgame. Well, it looks like The Direct noticed an international listing on Tmall retail which gave us a close look at his new outfit. Sam will definitely combine the iconic look from Steve with his Falcon uniform.

     

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

    The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

    This leak might be the closest look we ever got at a design long before it was officially shown. The details look great, as we can clearly see the red, white, and blue throughout his design. I love how his design focuses more on the white in contrast to Steve’s blue-dominated uniform. It is a perfect mixture of his current uniform on the Disney+ show and what we are used to with Captain America. I am excited to see how he gets this uniform. It wouldn’t be too surprising that something was prepared by Stark tech after they referenced his Falcon suit’s hardware in the premiere episode. We still don’t know how he gets the shield back and how it might get included in the show, so it’ll be exciting to keep an eye out for the next episodes.

    Source: Tmall via The Direct

  • Disney Unveils Its Disney+ Releases for ‘Cruella’ and ‘Luca’

    Disney Unveils Its Disney+ Releases for ‘Cruella’ and ‘Luca’

    It looks like Disney is facing a long list of delays with the recent news that Black Widow won’t premiere in May. It has been pushed back into July taking over Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings’ spot, which will now release in September. Of course, this also affects the rest of Disney’s upcoming film slate, which has been pushed back into the second half of the year. There is one exception, as Emma Stone‘s Cruella is sticking to its May 28th release date. It will also become a Disney+ Premier Access offering while also airing in theaters.

    That isn’t all, as Pixar’s upcoming film Luca will be available on Disney+. Strangely, the second Pixar entry is getting this treatment by being made available directly without any Premier Access offering. There are plenty of other delays, such as Ryan Reynolds‘ Free Guy releasing in August, The King’s Man being pushed into late December while Deep Water and Death on the Nile being pushed into 2022.

    Disney has been very keen on pushing Disney+, which has offered them some flexibility in the current pandemic-affected market. It is uncertain if the other releases mentioned above may face a similar fate, but anything can change. It was already a major surprise to see Black Widow get a simultaneous release, as Disney has been very focused on ensuring its theatrical release. They have pushed out this decision for quite some time, which is also the reason why it had to be delayed. They want to advertise it far in advance to ensure they can get people informed it will be available through both sources. It’s going to be an interesting year moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes