Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • Disney May Sell Hulu to Regain Hulk and Namor Film Rights

    Disney May Sell Hulu to Regain Hulk and Namor Film Rights

    In the world of IPs and rights, you never know what might happen. Marvel Studios is still trying to regain the rights that Marvel Comics once sold to external partners all the way in the past to ensure they wouldn’t go bankrupt. While Sony is not likely to ever let go of Spider-Man, it does seem like there are two characters they might finally regain the film rights to according to a Wall Street analyst, Jason Bazinet, who has a “Buy” on Disney shares and offered some predictions on where he sees the company’s future.

    One of the biggest questions always was: will Disney hold on to Hulu? The streaming service did push its overall subscriber numbers but existed as a direct competitor to their in-house produced streaming service Disney+. They also don’t fully own it with a 67% stake being the only reason they have as much control over r the service as they do. Bazinet though believes going by the latest fiscal quarter, they’ll likely sell the service.

    Following fiscal 1Q23 results, we believe the company is less interested in a mass market DTC offering. This raises the possibility that Disney may sell its Hulu stake.

    Jason Bazinet

    The share size was a result of their Fox deal that cost them a whopping $71.3B back in 2019. They technically have the right to buy out the remaining 33% from Comcast as of January 2024, but there’s no definite that they are obliged to definitely do so. Blazinet though believes that perhaps the sale of Hulu gives them some leverage to get their hands back on the distribution rights for the Marvel IPs of Hulk and Namor.

    While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure these distribution rights.

    Jason Bazinet

    Hulu can be found in 44% of U.S. online households and has a strong market share. Though if they do decide to purchase the remaining rights, they might just fuse the service similar to how the service is being treated internationally with the Star branding. As of now, the costs estimated for Hulu stand at somewhere between $19.8B and $27.5B. Though there have been rumors they might regain the rights by 2023 anyway. So, we’ll have to see what that might mean especially with rumors of a World War Hulk film making the rounds.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Nintendo Has Been Heavily Involved With ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie

    Nintendo Has Been Heavily Involved With ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie

    Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath took on the challenge of bringing one of gaming’s biggest mascots to the silver screen with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While it’s not the first full-length cinematic take on the character and the Mushroom Kingdom, it definitely is the closest we’ve ever gotten to the original gaming franchise. According to the directing duo of Teen Titans Go! fame, Nintendo was involved in every step along the way.

    From story to visual development to the animation, Nintendo has been with us every step of the way.

    Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath

    It’s no surprise given just how protective Nintendo is about its intellectual property, especially the one that pretty much put them on the map. Though, it does seem they are also using this film as a chance to tell his “origin tale” with some inspirations from Mario’s many iterations throughout the years. We get the Boston background from the 1993 film, a teaser with the theme song from the original The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

    It’s a bit of an origin tale. It’s the story of Mario becoming Super Mario.

    Aaron Horvath

    Though, they also wanted to have elements from the players that brought the character to life live in the animated adaptation. As such, they took that inspirational approach of Mario representing the player experience in how he will always succeed as long as you don’t give up.

    When you play the game, if you don’t give up, Mario will succeed. So we transferred that player experience from the game to a characteristic that [movie] Mario would have.

    Aaron Horvath

    It’s definitely a great little way of including the player in one way or another in the film. While we won’t have a chance to control the iconic character ourselves, perhaps we’ll get some cool outfits inspired by the movie for the net game entry, as we haven’t had an announcement since Super Mario Odyssey in 2017

    Source: Total Film

  • ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Directors Reveal Why Chris Pratt was Cast

    ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Directors Reveal Why Chris Pratt was Cast

    Super Mario Bros. Movie hasn’t truly been surrounded by controversy. When we got our first look, the film looked extremely faithful to the original gaming franchise and Nintendo is heavily involved to ensure it’s true to the original. Yet, there was one aspect that had many scratching their head and that was Chris Pratt‘s casting as the main hero.

    What did add to the insanity was that Pratt was also cast as the voice of Garfield, which led to an ongoing meme of him voicing every character in pretty much any animated project. Yet, director Aaron Horvath shares that what sold them on him in the role was that “he’s really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart.”

    For us, it made total sense. He’s really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a ton of heart. For the way that Mario is characterised in our film, he’s perfect for it.

    Aaron Horvath

    Some might argue that he’s long grown out of that type of role, but Guardians of the Galaxy did shape Chris Pratt‘s career and the type of characters he’d end up playing. Now, he’s seemingly become the go-to for that typecasting, though he has also shared his love for the franchise during one of the Nintendo Direct’s promoting the film.

    The first trailer did get some criticism for not really showing off Pratt‘s take on the Italian plumber from Boston, but we’ve rarely heard him speak more than a singular line at a time. So, perhaps with more time, we’ll truly see how he brings his iconic accent to life.

    Source: GamesRadar

  • ‘Captain America 4’s Anthony Mackie Shares Marvel Studios’ Extreme Security Measures

    ‘Captain America 4’s Anthony Mackie Shares Marvel Studios’ Extreme Security Measures

    Marvel Studios was once quite famous for bein the most tight-lipped studio in the market. Yet, given their popularity, they’ve also become popular victims to a variety of leakers that not just share minor details on the various films but even let entire storylines find their way online. It’s definitely a frustrating experience as rumors from the earliest stages of the production lead to false expectations based on various rumors.

    Of course, the pandemic saw some of the biggest leaks due to just how long these projects needed to find their way to theaters. So, it’s not too surprising that they are taking much harsher directions to avoid anyone leaking something. Even its titular stars aren’t safe from it, as Anthony Mackie revealed the process of how many steps there are to read his script for Captain America: New World Order.

    Like, today. I literally, I’ll show you the email. I got my script today. Haven’t read it. Haven’t opened it. I haven’t got my passcode to the website that let’s you get to the website. We literally get a passcode to a website that gives us a location to meet the person to sign, to sit with a computer, and read our script.

    Anthony Mackie

    It must be awkward having someone sit there in a corner just waiting for you to finish reading. Mackie, in his usual charm, jokingly shares what the experience is like with this intern supervisor.

    They don’t trust nobody. And it’s always like some 21-year-old intern and he just hates you. You know, he’s sitting there eating Cheetos and he’s like, ‘Read faster,’ you know? And I’m like, ‘I’m dyslexic.’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t care.’ Like it’s, oh, it’s a whole thing

    Anthony Mackie

    Who knows how far they’ve also gone to ensure nothing leaks from the productions moving forward. There were hints that they also restructured their internal approach to test screenings, which some have criticized but showcases just how much the current rumor mill culture also restricts the way these production studios can work.

    Source: Kelly Clarkson Show via The Direct

  • New Funko May Have Unveiled an MCU Original Hero Kahhori for ‘What If…?’ Season 2

    New Funko May Have Unveiled an MCU Original Hero Kahhori for ‘What If…?’ Season 2

    Marvel Studios has mainly focused on adapting existing characters from the choices; sometimes even twisting some familiar faces in new ways like the Scarlet Scarab in Moon Knight. Yet, a new Funko leak may have unveiled a brand new character that could be a Marvel Cinematic Universe exclusive character.

    Instagram user lasvegasfunkoholics has shared a Funko Soda that includes a character named Kahhori. Now, this character seemingly has no connection to an existing one in the comics and seemingly will appear in the upcoming second season of What If…?‘s second season given that another leaked Funko Soda includes Zombie Iron Man and the logo is included.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CpQJnIFp7Uy/

    There are also Soda Funko’s for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as they are seemingly rolling out quite a few MCU-centric Soda Funkos. There will be some confusion of who Kahhori is and if she might also have a role in live-action. There’s also the chance that she might appear in The Marvels or potentially one of the Disney+ shows set to release this year, Secret Invasion and Loki‘s second season.

    Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige has always been open to potentially introducing brand new characters original to the franchise. Agent Coulson may not have been a hero but Clark Gregg‘s iconic character went on to become a fan-favorite and was also even introduced into the comics even before he got his own spinoff series Agents of SHIELD. So, we’ll have to keep an eye out for where Kahhori might appear.

    Source: Instagram, The Direct

  • ‘Creed 3’ Heading for Franchise’s Best Opening

    ‘Creed 3’ Heading for Franchise’s Best Opening

    Michael B. Jordan is set to make his directorial debut in style, as Creed III is heading to theaters this weekend. To no one’s surprise, the film is set to take the weekend with a strong $36M, though with good word-of-mouth it could even go beyond $40M. As such, it’ll likely dethrone Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which beat out a cocaine-fueled bear last weekend.

    It should be noted that this would mark the best opening for the Creed trilogy, as the first opened at $29.6M and its sequel at around $35.5M. The MGM release is also the most expensive film at $75M, so it’ll definitely be interesting to see how far the film goes. It has a good chance to grow to beat the last film’s $214M domestic run. It also marks another big win for Jonathan Majors, who just appeared in Quantumania.

    The Ant-Man threequel is expected to hold on to the second spot with around $16M to $19M, but given its massive drop in the second weekend, for now predictions are more on the pessimistic side due tot he B CinemaScore and PostTrack rating. Though, the film is now performing more like an Ant-Man film than an Avengers-style release that could still give it a bit more momentum for the next few weeks before its biggest direct competition releases in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

    Guy Ritchie‘s Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is also heading to theaters but is currently only on track for around $5M though it’s unclear if it’ll go higher given it received a more mixed critical reception. We also have Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba: To the Swordsmith Village heading for a strong $7.5M over the weekend. Cocaine Bear and Jesus Revolution are also expected to have decent holds to round out the weekend. Expectations are they’ll hold on to $10M and $8M respectively.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Hellraiser’ Star Joins CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    ‘Hellraiser’ Star Joins CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’

    DC Studios has been busy reshuffling its future franchise to focus on projects that’ll crossover in multiple ways to establish one unified DC Cinematic Universe. Yet, there are still a few projects too far into development that is still going to see the light of day. We all expected The Flash and the Aquaman sequel to release in theaters, but many were surprised that Gotham Knights was given a series order after all on the CW.

    Even going by the first trailer, the project seemed like a far cry from what makes a Batman series what it is. Plus, CW was currently undergoing its own major management shift that’ll reshape the broadcaster’s future endeavors, as they seemingly move away from their usual release schedule. Still, Gotham Knights endured and it looks like we’ll see Hellraiser star Doug Bradley join the production in an iconic DC role.

    While he’s not one of the biggest of Batman’s Rogue’s gallery, Joe Chill definitely left the biggest impression given he was the one that killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. He’ll be featured in the upcoming sixth episode, as he is scheduled to be executed after sitting on death row for fifty years. Yet, it seems Gotham’s “Patron Saint of Bad Guys” won’t let his secret die with him. Series co-creators Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, and Natalie Abrams had the following statement to share on his casting.

    When casting the iconic role of Joe Chill, arguably the man who created Batman, there was only one name we considered – Doug Bradley. We needed an actor with the kind of gravitas that would do justice to such a seminal character in DC Comics canon. And who better to embody the role of the classic Gotham fiend than the man whose legendary portrayal of another classic fiend – Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise — continues to terrify generations of horror fans?

    Bradley definitely knows how to leave an impression with his performance, though it does seem like their take on Chill might be quite different from the man we’ve seen many times throughout cinematic Batman history. We’ve seen many variations of the character, one even ending up as Joker himself in Tim Burton‘s original Batman film. So, we’ll see what Gotham Knights has in store for us.

    Source: Variety

  • Fantastic Four and Blade May not Appear in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    Fantastic Four and Blade May not Appear in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    With every Avengers movie, it becomes a big question of who we might see take on a major role in the project. Throughout the last three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was easy to follow the main cast that’ll appear in these films but as the franchise continues to grow, there are many more opportunities to see some new familiar faces.

    Many are excited about the prospects of their favorite characters having a major role in an Avengers film, especially with the more diverse offerings with Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, Spider-Man, and many more. We also have the upcoming new additions of Blade and the long-awaited Fantastic Four, though it seems that they may not have a role in the next Avengers film, The Kang Dynasty.

    In an interview with Gizmodo, Jeff Loveness revealed that he’s hard at work on The Kang Dynasty and is seemingly actively trying not to have any of the other projects shape his work in some way. As such, he hints that he’ll “probably not even” include the Fantastic Four or Blade in the upcoming Avengers sequel.

    But much like when I took on this Ant-Man job, I can’t really focus on that outside stuff. I have just got to lay down the bones of a good story, hopefully, and find the characters that I want to tell [it]. And then it becomes a game of ping pong with the other people. Like whoever comes on and does Fantastic Four or Blade or—I’m probably not even using those characters, you know—but it all informs itself. And so, you just keep an ear open if [someone says], “Hey, if Blade wants to jump in, go for it, man.” But it’s up to me to focus on my movie and, you know, work with [Michael] Waldron a little bit on his thing to make sure it all kind of makes sense. But I think the second you start looking at the 25 other movies coming out, you get a little lost in the sauce.

    Jeff Loveness

    He does keep the door open and who knows if Marvel Studios might consider some rewrites from Avengers veterans to help find the balance between the various crossovers. Still, it’s great that Loveness stands by his approach to creating a singular story which he also highlighted for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While it didn’t get the reception as hoped, it still shows he just loves telling a good story.

    Source: Gizmodo

  • HBO Max’s ‘Dune’ Spinoff Falling Apart as Director and Star Exit

    HBO Max’s ‘Dune’ Spinoff Falling Apart as Director and Star Exit

    It’s not Dune yet but the upcoming spinoff Dune: The Sisterhood is facing quite some production troubles. It started production back in November but has gone through quite the creative shift that is definitely going to end up pricey for HBO Max. Chernobyl‘s Johan Reenck has seemingly left the project, as he was set to direct the first two episodes. Production has been put on hold but this also lead to one of its leads, Shirley Henderson, leaving the project as well.

    Henderson was set to play Tula Harkonnen, who is currently being recast. That isn’t all, as this news comes just as co-showrunner and pilot scribe Diane Ademu-John has also stepped down. Now, Alison Schapker is the sole showrunner for the project spearheaded by Legendary productions. An HBO Max spokesperson had the following to say:

    As Dune: The Sisterhood (wt) has entered a pre-scheduled hiatus, there are some creative changes being made to the production in an effort to create the best series possible and stay true to the source material. Johan Renck has completed his work on the series and a new director will be brought on; through mutual agreement, Johan is moving on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Shirley Henderson will be exiting the series and will no longer be playing Tula Harkonnen.

    It seems the showrunner change put a lot of pressure on Schapker, which led to major rewrites as the series was starting production in Budapest. It also seems the director Renck‘s more “auteur” approach wasn’t quite coming together with the vision of the series and was moving too far away from Denis Villeneuve‘s film. As of now, there’s no word if they’ll even use any of the footage he filmed or reshoot the entire thing.

    At the moment, there’s no clear indicator of if the current hiatus was planned or not. Some believe it was always meant to pause during the winter months while others hint it may have been pushed back by seven months to rework the entire series and find a new director. Henderson leaving is also unclear at the moment but it seems her schedule was one of the reasons that she had to leave.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Shazam’ Director Teases More is Possible in James Gunn’s New DCU

    ‘Shazam’ Director Teases More is Possible in James Gunn’s New DCU

    The moment James Gunn showcased his new DC slate for the newly founded DC Studios, many expected the current run of DC-based characters to be ending their run. No one knows if Ezra Miller will return after The Flash, especially with all the drama surrounding his public actions. Dwayne Johnson‘s JSA-focused mini-cinematic universe is definitely out after the chaos that was Black Adam. Yet, we now stand at a curious crossroads where many are wondering if they should even check out the latest DC entry.

    Of course, it’s always good to support a film no matter if it’s part of some bigger plan or not. And, for those specifically uncertain about Shazam’s future in the newly founded DCU, director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that he’s already had talks internally in regards to the franchise’s future and there’s actively no reason that they couldn’t make more films. Well, only if no one ends up watching the film.

    https://twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1630409449860141058

    The only thing potentially hurting Shazam! Fury of the Gods is that it seemingly is not getting any real marketing push from Warner Bros. and is projected to open to a soft $40M. That is a far cry from the first film’s release and it’s unclear if it truly is just the lack of promotion or also the sour taste left by the Black Adam fallout. There’s a chance with raving reviews that it builds up more momentum and could go beyond the soft opening expectations but the question is if it’ll end up turning a profit, especially if DC Studios sees potential in at least a third entry.

    Source: Twitter