Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • REPORT: ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series Adds ‘Arrowverse’ Writers and Former Lawyers

    REPORT: ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series Adds ‘Arrowverse’ Writers and Former Lawyers

    It looks like Marvel Studios is pushing forward quickly, as they are ramping up on one of their most ambitious Disney+ series yet. Daredevil: Born Again will be the longest Disney+ series with 18 episodes and their first attempt at living in the shadow of a previous adaptation with returning actors. Now, we may have a better idea of what they may have planned for the series with som newly revealed writers.

    Daredevil‘s Disney+ series may have added some former lawyers to its cast with David Feige, who was a public defender in New York City but also went on to work on series like Raising the Bar or The Firm. Former attorney Thomas Wong also joins after working on Bull and Michael Weatherly. Queens prosecutor Zachary Reiter has also joined, who worked with Feige on The Firm as well as on Law & Order: Organized Crime

    She-Hulk, Attorney at Law also relied on former lawyer Charles Soule to offer some insight into how to bring the legal comedy to life. That isn’t all, as the report also points to former Arrowverse writers having joined the production with Jill Blankenship and Grainne Godfree. Blankenship was a showrunner on Naomi but also worked on a variety of Arrow episodes while Godfree was involved with The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

    The addition of Arrow writers is definitely interesting, as this extensive writers’ room may hint at a very grounded and legal-heavy drama. It would match why the show has up to 18 episodes. They join showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who have the challenging task of bringing back the iconic franchise while adding their own spin to it.

    Source: Cosmic Circus via The Direct

  • RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    It feels like Five Nights at Freddy’s has been in development hell for quite some time. Now, they’re finally moving forward with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop working on the live-action adaptation. The biggest news came when the first casting announcement also finally dropped with Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson taking on leading roles for the project.

    Emma Tammi is in the directing chair and it looks like one more star has been found in a rather curious role for fans of the gaming franchise. You‘s Elizabeth Lail has seemingly joined the cast according to Daniel Richtman. For those that recently played the game Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, the character had a major role in the game and its lore.

    GeeksVibesNation also highlighted that the role of “Vanessa” is currently being cast with the description stating that she’s a “police officer who shows up during one of Mike’s work shifts.” What sticks out is that she has a “keen understanding of the dark history and inner workings of the restaurant.”

    She was a nightguard in the Security Brach game and it’s curious they changed her role, but there’s a chance the name is just a coincidence to get fans of the franchise theorizing. Still, there’s a good chance that creator Scott Cawthon is reusing elements from his various games to pick together a unique story that plays on similar themes. The only question we’re stuck with now: is Vanny also going to appear?

    Source: GeeksVibesNation, Patreon via Twitter

  • ‘Superman and Lois’ Adds ‘The Walking Dead’ Star as Lex Luthor

    ‘Superman and Lois’ Adds ‘The Walking Dead’ Star as Lex Luthor

    At this point, we may have more versions of Lex Luthor in the DC Extended Universe than almost any other character. Superman & Lois has still been going strong with its third season set to premiere later in March. Yet, it seems the first major casting news has finally arrived with the CW series having added Michael Cudlitz in the role of the iconic DC villain bent on taking down his superpowered archrival.

    The character description has hinted that Cudlitz‘s take on the iconic character will explore the duality of the character. By day, he’s a “visionary billionaire behind LexCorp” but the criminal underworld knows that he’s actually a “brutal psychopath.” It seems this version of the character has not been in the public for some time and has set his eyes on revenge towards Tyler Hoechlin‘s Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch‘s Lois Lane.

    Even the nice family life of the Clarks won’t be safe from his new take on Luthor, which seems to be leaning more into a darker place for the character. We’ve just recently got a new version of the character played by Titus Welliver in the fourth season of Titans back in November. The Arrowverse had Jon Cryer in the role, who gave his unique take in the role.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • RUMOR: ‘Captain America 4’ Adding Serpent Society Member Diamondback

    RUMOR: ‘Captain America 4’ Adding Serpent Society Member Diamondback

    The more rumors make the rounds, the wilder Captain America: New World Order is starting to sound. Anthony Mackie is set to reprise his role as Captain America from the Diseny+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to lead the new entry in the franchise. Now, a new rumor is making the rounds hinting at one new villainous addition to the film.

    According to insider Daniel Richtman, it seems that we’ll see a female villain join the cast. She’s rumored to be the character known as Diamondback, who is a prominent member of the Serpent Society; something @CanWeGetToast seems to also highlight. There is also a hint that the character may potentially be a love interest for Mackie‘s Sam Wilson.

    Serpent Society is a fitting addition to the film and would also make for a nice callback to the fact that Marvel Studios CEO once jokingly revealed the third entry of the franchise would include the villains before unveiling it was actually an adaptation of Civil War. The recent casting of Xosha Roquemore has also been highlighted as a potential casting for this very role.

    The addition of the Serpent Society could also fit nicely into the themes of a Sam Wilson-led project. Given their history, there’s a lot of potential in bringing them to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The inclusion of Diamondback may also hint at other members potentially appearing in the film, and perhaps they also have a connection to the returning Tim Blake Nelson, who is reprising his long-awaited role as the Leader.

    Source: Patreon via The Direct, Twitter

  • Alden Ehrenreich Teases a “Very Personal” ‘Ironheart’

    Alden Ehrenreich Teases a “Very Personal” ‘Ironheart’

    Marvel Studios is still hard at work on its upcoming Disney+ projects that are set to release in 2023. While they revealed their plans back during San Diego Comic-Con, a lot has changed since, and who knows when we can truly expect any of the series to drop. While we continue to wait on an update for Secret Invasion, which would be the next in line to release, it seems we’ll have a little update on Ironheart to tie us over.

    In a brief interview with Solo star Alden Ehrenreich, the actor got a chance to tease what it was like working on the Disney+ series. He doesn’t give away any details, as per usual, but he does hint that this story is “big” but still feels “very personal.

    Ironheart is big but also feels very personal. I really appreciate that about it. And it was fun, it was nice to go back and do a big one like that.

    Alden Ehrenreich

    From set leaks and rumors, we know that the series will tackle a very different kind of storyline, as the tech-based hero will face some rather magical enemies. So, there definitely might be a big-scale action if we’ll see young Riri Williams fly around in her latest suit of armor to take on enemies that have some dangerous abilities at their fingertips.

    There’s also the question of who exactly Ehrenreich might be playing and if he might be on the technological or magical side of this Disney+ series’ story. We might have to wait a little bit longer to find out, but perhaps he has a bigger role beyond just this series as well.

    Source: Twitter

  • Marvel Comics Writer Confirms Monica Rambeau’s Superhero Name in the MCU

    Marvel Comics Writer Confirms Monica Rambeau’s Superhero Name in the MCU

    There’s been a lot of discussion on what exactly the name will be for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on Monica Rambeau. We were first introduced to her during WandaVision played by Teyonah Parris. Surprisingly, she even received her iconic powers during her mission to save the town of Westview from the hands of a grieving Wanda Maximoff. Yet, this only left us with questions on what it might mean for her future in the MCU, as she’ll have a major role in the upcoming The Marvels film.

    In the comics, Monica Rambeau has gone by many different names as a hero. For some time she was Captain Marvel, but she was also better known as Spectrum for quite a long time. That name stuck for many years, but comic writer Eve L. Ewing got the chance to revisit the character in the comics in the comic Monica Rambeau: Photon. It surprised many that she seemingly went with another name and it seems there’s more to this than we at first expected.

    As part of the Black Comic Lords Live!, Ewing revealed that she did not choose the name Photon. She reacted to a question in regards to her being called Spectrum in the MCU to which she highlighted that she “did not choose for her to be called Photon in this comic.” Indirectly, this confirms that the character will likely adopt that name in the film adaptation, which would also match their usual attempts to at least keep a synergy between the latest comics and cinematic releases.

    Ewing does highlight that these divisions don’t usually coordinate but highlighting that she had no choice in the name pretty much gives away that this was something that was decided, especially as the decision on naming her Photon was very likely due to her upcoming appearance in The Marvels. We’re still a couple of months away, but perhaps we’ll officially hear her name spoken in the eventual trailer release for this film.

    Source: Black Comic Lords Live via Twitter

  • ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 5 Renewal in Doubt After New Post by DC Series Star

    ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 5 Renewal in Doubt After New Post by DC Series Star

    DC Studios is the new future of all projects under the DC Comics banner for Warner Bros. Discovery. We knew that there will be a selection of what projects currently in development remain canon to the ambitious goal of establishing a new DC Cinematic Universe under new leadership. Yet, this exciting new direction won’t come without some sad losses along the way. It was just unclear how much would remain and what won’t, but a recent Instagram story shared by actress Diane Guerrero may have shed a dark light on the future of Doom Patrol.

    The series followed a group of unlikely characters that would end up working together to solve whatever chaotic mess was heading their way. They weren’t really superheroes in the classic sense, but they definitely were a family worth following. There was hope that the series may still get a fifth season to wrap up any potential plotlines or get one last hurrah even as the DC universe is being reshuffled.

    Sadly, Guerrero posted an image in her Instagram stories with an image from Doom Patrol featuring her character Jane. While that isn’t unusual, the inclusion of the words “Goodbye my beloved” raises some concerns that they have already canceled the show and informed those involved with the production.

    There was some expectation that the current HBO Max shows would get canned, especially the live-action ones like Titans and Doom Patrol, but given their popularity could at least still get a final additional season. This post doesn’t confirm that the show is truly over, but it does seed some thoughts of concern about the series making an eventual return. Here’s hoping that an eventual positive update follows.

    Source: Instagram via The Direct

  • Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    Early ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Box Office Projections Eyeing Trilogy’s Best

    It’s become more and more difficult to truly project just how much money a film will make at the box office. Most of the 2020 holdovers were the only ones to beat early projects going into last year with Top Gun: Maverick and Minions: Rise of Gru. Still, Marvel films remained reliable box office performers even as they hit a sophomore slump, not too surprising with a franchise event like Avengers: Endgame that would normally wrap up any other franchise.

    Still, there are some early projects coming in on how their first Phase 5 entry may perform at the box office. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is only a few more weeks away for hitting theaters and early projects seem to have the film potentially earning between $96M to $131M in its opening weekend. with their usual performance of a strong drop in its second weekend, there’s a chance the film could end between $249M to $347M in its domestic run.

    With good word-of-mouth, the film may become the first $100M+ opener for the year and that’s in a strong February market. The film has the advantage of no real competition until Shazam: Fury of the Gods in March though Creed 3 has the potential to take the top spot in the domestic market. There’s also the Dungeons & Dragons film hitting theaters in late March.

    It should be noted for those ready to call this a potential bust for Marvel Studios, the film would still have the biggest domestic gross for any part of the Ant-Man franchise if it hits the lower end of the projections. Ant-Man managed to pull in $180M while its sequel had a slight boost to $216M. Plus, the last entry was five years ago and the main antagonist of the current Multiverse Saga might make it a “don’t miss” for fans that will check out the film early on.

    Also, its opening may double the initial opening weekend at the domestic box office, which was around $57M. It’s sequel opened to $75M, which makes this the potential biggest opener for the franchise. It’ll also have the biggest budget for an Ant-Man entry, which means the expectations are higher. The February release also opens up some questions on how it’ll perform but Marvel could still prove to be a reliable performer at the box office going into its fifth phase.

    Source: Box Office Pro

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Swims to Earn $2 Billion at the Worldwide Box Office

    ‘Avatar 2’ Swims to Earn $2 Billion at the Worldwide Box Office

    James Cameron is one-of-a-kind in how his films have a hold on the box office. After the groundbreaking success of his CG paradise with Avatar, he returns after a long hiatus to continue the franchise. All bets were off hoping for Avatar: The Way of Water to make as much money as it can at the box office, proving that there’s a lot more to get out of this film. Even Cameron was openly anxious about the risk going into the film’s release.

    Yet, now the film has managed to pass the $2 billion mark and now is only the sixth in film history to do so. It joins the ranks of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the last two Avengers films, and his own last two projects, Avatar and the Titanic. The film has seen a tremendous performance internationally and managed to pull in this accomplishment even with a subdued Chinese release.

    As of now, it’s expected to pass The Force Awakens and Infinity War at the box office, which would push it beyond $2.07B. The last Avatar film stands proudly at $2.9B while Avengers: Endgame is at $2.79B. It’s still unclear just how far Avatar: The Way of Water may go but there’s a chance it’ll pass Titanic‘s $2.19B.

    As of now, The Way of Water pulled in $598M domestically and $1.4B internationally. It’ll continue to dominate the box office until its first real competition arrives with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which is sure to leave its own imprint on the box office.

    Source: Variety

  • James Gunn Opens Up on Potential Recasting ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Actors for DC

    James Gunn Opens Up on Potential Recasting ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Actors for DC

    James Gunn is now the new co-CEO of DC Studios. After the franchise was coming apart at the seams with various dramas happening behind the scenes, there was hope that this would finally push the project forward. The long-established actor has also built up a network of actors he tends to work with on various projects, which has led to some concern that he’ll primarily rely on familiar characters.

    Luckily, Gunn has been no stranger to openly reacting to statements on Twitter to offer some insight into how he is approaching this daunting task. When people shared their concern about simply recasting Guardians of the Galaxy actors, Gunn pointed out that his true focus is to ensure that “the actor fits the role and they’re easy to work with” when he’ll cast someone new or familiar in the DC Studios project.

    It’s not surprising that a director would also want to bring on actors he has a past with to join a franchise he’s supervising. He’s worked with a variety of actors throughout his career and very likely has an idea of who might be perfect for a specific role. Plus, it’s not like he hasn’t already brought in new actors like with John Cena taking on the role of Peacemaker.

    There’s also the aspect that once they find directors to tackle the various projects they are working on. Once more creatives join the franchise, they’ll have more opinions exploring how their take on a classic DC character may require a different type of talent. So, once things truly take shape, we’ll get a better picture of what the future has in store.

    Source: Twitter