Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Spin-Off ‘Furiosa’ Casts Anya Taylor-Joy in Titular Role

    ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Spin-Off ‘Furiosa’ Casts Anya Taylor-Joy in Titular Role

    Mad Max: Fury Road was a personal favorite when it was released in 2015. The film revived an iconic franchise with a completely new cast, as Tom Hardy took over the role of Max. It also introduced the world to an amazing character known as Imperator Furiosa, who was played by Charlize Theron. We were all hoping for a continuation of the film, but director George Miller has been busy with his upcoming project Three Thousand Years of Longing. Still, it didn’t mean that the Mad Max world is not going to see a new entry, as the spin-off focusing on a younger Furiosa has now gathered a star-studded cast.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anya Taylor-Joy will take over the staring role that Theron made so iconic. The cast also includes Chris Hemsworth and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Here is the kicker, the film has not received the green light. Their plan seems to use this casting as a showcase that the project is worth investing in. Fury Road wasn’t a massive financial hit, so the studio might be uncertain if it is worth the investment. Miller will return as director, co-write and produce the film alongside Doug Mitchell. 

    The film is to be in “advanced development” which doesn’t mean we will see the film anytime soon. Right now, they seem to focus on getting the confirmation so, they can enter pre-production officially. This development matches Fury Road‘s development hell, as the pre-production of that project started back in 1997. The cast is fantastic, so hopefully, we will see Furiosa pick up the pace in the coming months, as we cannot wait to re-explore the apocalyptic wasteland.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

  • RUMOR: ‘Black Adam’ to Feature Eclipso

    RUMOR: ‘Black Adam’ to Feature Eclipso

    DC FanDome gave us some major reveals. Yet, somehow Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam stood out the most. They gave him an entirely unique set design that matches the tone of the upcoming film. We saw animated artwork showcasing the character’s origin and even the tease of the Justice Society of America. It was a great time to be a fan of the famous DC character. They even seem to be sticking closely to the comic roots, as we will explore Black Adam’s life before he would gain his powers. At one point, he will be imprisoned for his actions in what seems to be an alternative dimension. Well, it looks like The Direct may have gotten their hands on some interesting info regarding that backstory.

    According to their sources, Black Adam will include the comic character Eclipso. The character is closely tied as a recurring antagonist of the Justice Society of America. His soul is bound to the Heart of Darkness, which was featured in the teaser video. One can see it floating next to Teth in a short sequence. So, there is a good chance that Eclipso will act as the antagonist of the film with the JSA’s introduction and be the reason he escapes his prison. So far, we don’t know who will be the main antagonist throughout the film. Black Adam will most likely be an anti-villain, so perhaps he will be used by Eclipso in exchange for freeing him. It could make for some interesting drama as he realizes the people he is fighting aren’t actually his enemies.

    Source: The Direct

  • Black Panther May Have Been ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First DLC Character

    Black Panther May Have Been ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ First DLC Character

    Marvel’s Avengers players are starving for content. So far, we only got the Mega Hive as post-launch addition with more on the way. Just recently, the community manager took to Reddit to share that they are taking current concerns seriously. It was a necessary touch to give players some reassurance. They did confirm we would receive a confirmation for the timings by next week. To build up to that moment, I’ve been rewatching old War Table videos. My goal was to get a feeling for what the plans may have been for the game. As such, I just felt like playing around with a theory as we wait for the official reveal of future content by the developer Crystal Dynamics.

    The game’s release kicked off with quite a few bugs, so a delay is part of the course in the Games-as-a-Service model. Yet, we wouldn’t get our first real addition until the end of October with Kate Bishop. The reveal trailer at the time included a brief tribute to Chadwick Boseman with the info that Black Panther would not be included as originally planned. I started wondering when they planned to reveal him, as we haven’t heard anything about the character in over a month. I was rewatching the War Table that gave us our first DLC reveal, and something caught my eye while going through the initial reveal for Hawkeye. His symbol was the second among the four.

    Every Avenger has a unique symbol in the game, which is used in the character select menu. It seemed like initially, they were planning to reveal four characters at one point. Optimistically speaking, maybe they planned on four DLC characters for 2020. There is no confirmation for that, but it could’ve been a monthly release once the game was made available. Still, what we are focusing on is the placement of Hawkeye’s symbol.

    This visual would confirm he was always going to be the second addition. A month later, we learned Kate Bishop would be our first official post-launch character. As mentioned previously, Black Panther seemed to have a larger role in that War Table’s reveal until he was delayed. Both Bishop and Hawkeye’s operations are confirmed as a double feature so he may have been the third DLC character. Yet, something doesn’t quite add up once you take a closer look at later showcases of the video. If you rewatch the brief tease of Bishop’s operation, you’ll notice a similarity between hers and Clint Barton’s. The unique symbol is identical to the one we saw during Hawkeye’s reveal.

    The initial reveal video showed something more akin to the Fraction comic’s bullseye logo. Even early leaks seemed to reveal a unique logo for potential echo characters like War Machine. So, it would’ve made sense for her bullseye visual to be Kate Bishop’s unique design. Even if the Hawkeye stories are a double-feature, why give characters one-of-a-kind visuals if they aren’t the operations? In reality, we never actually saw her symbol transition into an in-game design. It was just a visual flair during the video to call back to the comics. It also opens up the question of how character selection would include both characters. Crystal Dynamics might be giving you the option to chose Hawkeye with an additional choice between the variations. If this is the case, why is Hawkeye’s symbol the second one if both characters share it in-game?

    It seemed that Black Panther was going to be an aspect of the first character reveal. At one point, he may have been the first DLC in the game. It may also explain why Kate’s DLC release is delayed until the end of October. There is also the addition of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Substation Zero operation will lead to Kate’s storyline. It will introduce us to the Tachyon Rifts that will play an important role in the Avengers Initiative campaign. So, if Black Panther was going to be the first released, his story may have built up towards these rifts. The delay also could mean that some parts of the story had to be rewritten or adapted, which added to the current content delays.

    Keep in mind, this is nothing more than a theory but it is an interesting one with the information that was originally given by the developers. In some way, maybe the lack of a release date for Kate Bishop may also be caused by the upcoming Disney+ show. Marvel Studios confirmed her inclusion in Hawkeye, so they were forced to wait for the official reveal of the actress to build upon that hype. The synergy between Marvel’s ventures is great for the shows but may have also added to the issues that plagued the game’s release. No matter what may have been the reason, it is interesting how these things come together.

    Source: Reddit, YouTube

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Rick Mason?

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Rick Mason?

    As Marvel Studios has once again postponed Black Widow‘s release, it gives us some time to brush up on our comic history. The film will focus on Natasha Romanoff’s history with the Red Room. It is a top-secret Soviet institute that turned young women into elite assassins. Of course, Natasha was once a member before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at an unknown point. The upcoming film will dive deep into the various characters from her past who all may have deep ties with the secret organization. So, let’s use this opportunity to dive deep into the various characters in 400 words or less.

    Rick Mason is a mercenary who specialized in non-lethal combat against superhumans. His father was the criminal inventor Phineas Mason, who is better known as the Tinkerer. He was briefly part of S.H.I.E.L.D., MI-6, and even the Russian intelligence. Mason’s freelance work is under the codename The Agent, where he works for the highest bidder. We first got introduced to the character in Marvel Graphic Novel #57 back in 1990. Since, he was hired to kill a CIA mole, take on renegade China agents, and even took out a quintet of powered mercenaries. Mason even took on The Corporation as his father was forced to work for them. This job led to him fighting alongside Luke Cage and another agent, Dakota North, who was sent by his own father to take down the organization. In reality, he sent them to save his son.

    The character will have a role in the upcoming Black Widow film, who seems to have a romantic interest in her. He will be played by O-T Fagbenle and is currently the frontrunner to be Taskmaster’s secret identity. Mason might be the furthest departure from the comics. We saw the Tinkerer in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so he won’t be his son in this incarnation. He was mentioned as an agent, who has some history as part of S.H.I.E.L.D., which would fit the depiction of Taskmaster in various media. He was a member of the spy organization in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series and the recently released Marvel’s Avengers. There is also a good chance that these loose connections are a red herring to keep us guessing on who the iconic villain may turn out to be. He hasn’t been featured in trailers so far, so anything is possible.

  • Robert Pattinson’s Returns to ‘The Batman’ Set in BTS Photos

    Robert Pattinson’s Returns to ‘The Batman’ Set in BTS Photos

    The Batman was one of the first series to enter production after the pandemic has calmed down. It took some time but it seemed we were slowly returning to normalcy. We all knew there would always be the risk that the production set could be hit at any time. Suddenly, the news dropped that Robert Pattinson had been tested positive and the production shut down. Now, a month later we heard rumblings of the production slowly returning to normal. Now, we got our first look at the set that also includes the confirmation that Pattinson has returned to the set. The Daily Mail shared some photos from Liverpool’s George’s Hall. They confirmed that it will be used as Gotham’s City Hall, as a sign was sighted outside of the building.

    It is great to see that he is healthy again. It seems like they are filming a sequence we’ve already seen a part of from the first trailer that was released during DC FanDome. Pattison‘s suit seems to closely match what we’ve seen in that scene, especially the black tie. The scene they are filming seems to take place during the funeral scene where a man drives a car into the building. Gotham P.D. is on stand-by outside to keep the place safe. So, this could take place after the bomb threat, so that they can hold a public funeral. It could also be before the events from the trailer, as they might be making sure whoever killed him won’t strike again. If that is the case, they did not do a good job going by what follows in the film’s first trailer.

    There are also set photos from Twitter user @yassinfinite that may give us our first look at Riddler’s goons in the film. The dead giveaawy is the big question mark on their back.

    https://twitter.com/yassinfinite/status/1315602476570157056

    The set photos also give us a first look at Bruce’s vintage ride. The Daily Mail calls it a Batmobile, but it just seems like the car he uses for his day persona. In the past, we’ve seen Batman drive a lot of fancy modern vehicles, so this car highlights the gothic nature of this incarnation. Moreover, it may also be a tribute to the 60s vehicle as a nice Easter Egg for the film. I love the visual approach they are taking with this film. The film sadly was delayed, but it gives them enough time to shoot the footage they need without the worries of constant delays. We hope that everyone on set remains healthy and safe in these troubling times.

     

    Source: Daily Mail, Twitter

  • ‘WandaVision’ BTS Images Could Tease a Musical Number

    ‘WandaVision’ BTS Images Could Tease a Musical Number

    The first Disney+ show to finally be released will be WandaVision. There sadly is still no official release date. A recent datamine may have revealed that it is heading towards a Thanksgiving release, or at least in December. The show is still in production, as they still have some episodes to shoot after production was halted during the pandemic. Now, some pictures were released by @eobrmidias that give us a good look at the cast getting ready for an upcoming shot. The first set of pictures features Elizabeth Olsen in a rather interesting outfit.

    https://twitter.com/eobrmidias/status/1314962819448741889

    There are also pictures featuring the rest of the cast Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, and Paul Bettany.

    https://twitter.com/eobrmidias/status/1314971754792660992

    Paul Bettany seems to be wearing a suit of some kind. This is just a theory, but it looks like Wanda may be part of some show or dance number. At first, her outfit seemed like a colorful swimsuit but her stockings would hint at this being an outfit for a show. The only confusion would be Parris and Hahn‘s outfits. If this is from the same day on set, their costumes are very varied that wouldn’t make sense in the same scene. It could be that while they are talking, Wanda and Vision break out into a musical number. Many shows have included musical episodes like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How I Met Your Mother, Community, and many more. The sitcom inspiration opens up so many possibilities so it wouldn’t be unlikely. It would be very interesting if they break out in song while the warped reality breaks apart around them.

    There might be one more picture from the set back in February that could give it away. In the backlots for both Loki and WandaVision, a huge tent was seen before they had to shut down. It looked like a circus tent, which could mean that Wanda is wearing an outfit for a trapeze artist. Bettany‘s smoking could mean he is the circus director. It only opens up the question why they are in these roles to begin with.

    It will be interesting to see how this comes together. They may be wrapping up production so they can get the effects to work done before the show launches. Aa they are still filming, this could be the reason that no specific date has been set so they don’t run into an early deadline. Here’s hoping we get some kind of reveal soon.

    Source: Twitter, Instagram

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Yelena Belova?

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Yelena Belova?

    As Marvel Studios has once again postponed Black Widow‘s release, it gives us some time to brush up on our comic history. The film will focus on Natasha Romanoff’s history with the Red Room. It is a top-secret Soviet institute that turned young women into elite assassins. Of course, Natasha was once a member before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at an unknown point. The upcoming film will dive deep into the various characters from her past who all may have deep ties with the secret organization. So, let’s use this opportunity to dive deep into the various characters in 400 words or less.

    Yelena is the youngest addition to the comics. She appeared in 1999’s Inhumans Vol. 2 #5. You read that right, she made her debut while Earth and Attilan were at war with each other. She also trained in the Red Room Academy, where she even believes she surpassed Natasha Romanoff. When we first meet her, she is sent to deliver a device that could help Attilan win the invasion. She ended up failing her mission against her bittered rival but learned a valuable lesson. At one point, she was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and swapped faces with Nathasha’s. Of course, she was not too happy with this and left the spy life behind her. She made a career as a lingerie model before being dragged back into her old life when she gets wrapped up in the export of stolen medical supplies. She would turn back to her original life which would lead to many confrontations with the Avengers. She would later take on the Black Widow mantle and temporarily join the Thunderbolts.

    Marvel Studios managed to get Florence Pugh in the role of Yelena for Black Widow. There were teases that Natasha would potentially pass on the mantle to her before facing her fate in Avengers: Endgame. In the family dynamic teased through the trailers, she is the younger sister. She is very independent and quite confident in her ability. Of course, she was also trained in the Red Room and seems to know quite a bit about Taskmaster. We also get glimpses of her going through a procedure that could pull her towards the evil side. Pugh is a fantastic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who hopefully will be around for more future projects.

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Melina Vostokoff?

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Black Widow’: Who is Melina Vostokoff?

    As Marvel Studios has once again postponed Black Widow‘s release, it gives us some time to brush up on our comic history. The film will focus on Natasha Romanoff’s history with the Red Room. It is a top-secret Soviet institute that turned young women into elite assassins. Of course, Natasha was once a member before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at an unknown point. The upcoming film will dive deep into the various characters from her past who all may have deep ties with the secret organization. So, let’s use this opportunity to dive deep into the various characters in 400 words or less.

    Melina Vostokoff is more famous as the assassin Iron Maiden. She made her initial appearance in Marvel Fanfare #11 in 1983. Her name is due to her flexible metal costume that covers her entire body. She was a Russian agent who lived in the shadow of Black Widow during her time working for the government. At one point, she broke off from Russia to work as a freelancer. In one mission, she had the chance to assassinate her once hated rival. She worked alongside others but was the only one able to keep with Natasha only to get interrupted by a S.H.I.E.L.D. team. She would often return to take on the Avengers multiple times. At one point, she joined the female super-criminal army Femizons. Melina also was captured by Thunderbolt’s Joystick during the Superhuman Registration Act.

    Rachel Weisz will portray the character in the upcoming Black Widow film. This version of the character will have close ties to the Red Room. She acts as a mother-figure to Natasha alongside David Harbour‘s Alexei Shostakov. It is unsure what her role in the story would be. The character’s villainous nature could point to her betraying the family at some point in the story. It sadly would be a rather dramatic turn given how much Natasha seems to be focusing on reuniting them. There could also be ties to Taskmaster, who currently has taken over control of the Red Room. Sadly, we won’t see her iconic Iron Maid outfit, but maybe they’ll add a tribute to her comic design.

  • ‘FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Pictures Tease a Globetrotting Adventure

    ‘FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Pictures Tease a Globetrotting Adventure

    Falcon and the Winter Soldier is still filming in Prague, and we’ve been anxiously waiting for some kind of sign of life from the project. It is crazy to think it originally was going to air back in August. Now, they are still trying to wrap up the shots that were missing since the Disney+ series was halted earlier in the year. We still know very little about the team behind the productions or any details on where this series will take us. The first teaser trailer did tease a global adventure. Luckily, a local site was nice enough to share some pictures from the set that confirm a part of the story will take place in Latvia. They also confirm that they are reusing locations from before the quarantine, so this might be trying to finish the sequence that got interrupted.

    The Instagram video also comes with a comment that confirms Anthony Mackie is present during filming.

    They do confirm that Prague will be used as a stand-in for two locations, the previously-mentioned Latvia and an unknown Middle Eastern location. The site brings up that Matthew J. Lloyd is acting as a cinematographer, but GWW once revealed P.J. Dillon in that role. Right now, we can’t confirm if this may end up being true. Lloyd has a history with Marvel Studios, as he worked on Spider-Man: Far From Home. It is briefly mentioned in the comments of one Instagram picture but nothing is confirmed. So, our main focus will remain on the set pictures. As I live in Europe, I am glad to see our architecture and cities represented in these projects. It is an interesting choice to use Prague as a stand-in for a Middle Eastern country, but the first image above may be the one they are referencing. Falcon and the Winter Soldier has no release date as of now, so hopefully, we get a trailer in the coming months teasing this globetrotting adventure.

    Source: Fandíme Filmu, Instagram (Set), Instagram (Cinematographer), GWW

  • Marvel Studios ‘BLACK WIDOW’: Who is Red Guardian?

    Marvel Studios ‘BLACK WIDOW’: Who is Red Guardian?

    As Marvel Studios has once again postponed Black Widow‘s release, it gives us some time to brush up on our comic history. The film will focus on Natasha Romanoff’s history with the Red Room. It is a top-secret Soviet institute that turned young women into elite assassins. Of course, Natasha was once a member before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. at an unknown point. The upcoming film will dive deep into the various characters from her past who all may have deep ties with the secret organization. So, let’s use this opportunity to dive deep into the various characters in 400 words or less.

    It is easy to call Red Guardian a carbon copy of Captain America. It ironically is also the point of his character. The character first appeared in The Avengers #43. Roy Thomas and John Buscema created him as the Soviet’s answer to the iconic American hero. Alexi Alanovich Shostakov was a successful pilot that was presented as a hero by Soviet media. He ended up marrying the famous ballerina, Natasha Romanova. They both started working for the KGB as a result of his acclaims. He was enrolled in a secret mission that was kept top-secret. They told Natasha he had perished in an experimental rocket testing, which would be her inspiration to become the spy we all know and love. Alexi, however, was a changed man after his training. The now much crueler and ruthless person. In a conflict with the Red Chinese, the Russians used the opportunity to test out if their copy could keep up with the original. Many others would take on the mantle. In total, seven people held the Red Guardian title.

    Stranger Things‘ David Harbour will portray Alexei Shostakov’s version of the iconic hero. They have changed the roles this time around, as Alexei will act as a father figure rather than her former husband. By the time Natasha returns to Russia, he seems to have been trapped in a Gulag for some time. He also is highlighted as a flawed individual that is trying to get his makeshift family back together. We also get a look at him potentially having some abilities, so he might have the same serum that was used on Winter Soldier. It will be interesting if we explore his history to showcase the parallels between him and Steve Rogers.