Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • ‘Koala Man’ Writers Working on Unannounced Project With Lucasfilm

    ‘Koala Man’ Writers Working on Unannounced Project With Lucasfilm

    Itā€™s always the stories that are hidden within stories that get our attention. In a new piece by Deadline, they reveal that writers of 20th Television Animationā€™s adult comedy series Koala Man have signed a multi-year contract with Disneyā€™s subsidiary and ABC Signature. Dan Herandez and Benji Samit are rising stars with their work on Kaola Man seemingly getting Disney interested in keeping them long-term. Yet, thereā€™s one more detail snuck away in the reveal.

    In the same article, they seemingly hint that the duo of Herandez and Samit are working on two unannounced projects. One is for Walt Disney Pictures without any further details about what it might be but the other raises an eyebrow. It seems they are also involved with Lucasfilm on a project, but no detail if this is a film or even a TV series.

    EVP of 20th Television Animationā€™s Marci Proietto and ABC Signatureā€™s Jonnie Davis had only praise for the duo and their work in a statement to the new contract.

    Dan and Benji are wildly talented writers with a truly unique sensibility and a hilarious voice. Ā We have been obsessed with their work for years and are very excited to continue our relationship in animation with them, and are thrilled to expand their development into live-action within our studio,ā€ said Marci Proietto, EVP of 20th Television Animation and Jonnie Davis, President of ABC Signature. Ā ā€œWe also canā€™t wait for viewers to dive into Koala Man, which is our first series with this incredible duo, launching on Hulu today.

    Itā€™s definitely an exciting move and showcases their excitement for working with the duo more. Whatever project they may be working on with Lucasfilm also teases a promising variety of projects that theyā€™ll get to work on. Hereā€™s hoping we might get to find out in the near future.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Details on Paramount+’s ‘Grease’ Prequel Series

    New Details on Paramount+’s ‘Grease’ Prequel Series

    Prequels and sequels to well-established franchises are all the rage once again. In a year where a sequel to Top Gun Maverick was among the biggest box office releases. Now, it seems another classic is making a return in the form of Grease with a new musical comedy titled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.

    The series will take place around four years before the original Grease in 1954, the heyday of rock ā€˜nā€™ roll. The series explores the story of four outcasts, who will spark a new direction for Rydell High. Creator Annabel Oakes shared the following on the series during a TCA panel.

    Our characters will get to experience from a different lens and how those experiences overlap with others with a marginalized identity. I think we have the opportunity to represent another struggle that overlaps with things weā€™re dealing with today like racism.

    Annabel Oakes

    The cast of the series includes Jackie Hoffman as Asst. Principal McGee, Marisa Davila playing Jane, Ari Nortartomaso as Cynthia, Shanel Bailey taking on the role of Hazel, Jane will be played by Marisa Davila, Tricia Fukahaara is Nancy, Madison Thompsonā€˜s Susan, Jason Schmidt as Buddy, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper taking on Wally, and Jonathan Nieves as Richie. Justin Tranter, who is known for his work with Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, and more, will write the seriesā€™ original new music. The first episode is directed by Made for Loveā€™s Althea Jones.

    Source: Deadline

  • Mike Colter Says ‘Luke Cage’s is “In the Rear View Mirror”

    Mike Colter Says ‘Luke Cage’s is “In the Rear View Mirror”

    The moment we saw Charlie Cox return as Daredevil, the floodgates were open on who else might also return in one form or another. So far, we only got Vincent Dā€™Onofrioā€˜s Kingpin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but weā€™re still waiting for any hint on what the future may have in store for the rest of The Defenders. So, anyone getting a chance to interview an actor that played one of the roles on the Netflix series will use the opportunity.

    ComicBook.com got the chance t interview Mike Colter if heā€™d be interested to return as Luke Cage. His story infamously was cut short just as he was hinted at potentially diving into the darker side of Harlem. It would be a great opportunity to soft reboot his character while also hinting at what those hints may have originally developed yet it seems heā€™s hung up the yellow shirt for now.

    I just try to stay in reasonable shape just because, but I donā€™t think about Luke Cage opportunities. Itā€™s one of those things where itā€™s in the rear view mirror at this point. If somehow I get a call, my dance card is kind of full. But if I get a call, something happens, great.

    Mike Colter

    He still keeps the door open a bit to potentially re-appear if something comes together, but it does seem like heā€™s got enough on his plate with the new film Plane, his work on the series Evil, and more. So, it might be quite difficult to even find the right time for him to join the ever-growing franchise.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ May Retroactively Revive ‘WandaVision’ Fan Theories

    ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ May Retroactively Revive ‘WandaVision’ Fan Theories

    WandaVision may have been one of the most theorized projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only was it Marvel Studiosā€™ first venture into Disney+ and long-form storytelling, but its bizarre premise left many wondering what exactly are they building up to. While we now know that weā€™re definitely in the Multiverse Saga, the introduction of Evan Peters as a fake Quicksilver in the MCU left some fans a bit frustrated; ignoring the reactions to the meta Bohner joke for long-time sitcom fans. Yet, the recent development on the first spinoff series, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, could be the spark to revive some old theories once again.

    Keep in mind, we still know very little about what exactly the Kathryn Hahn-led Disney+ show has planned, but some of its castings are quite promising. The original title of the series was House of Harkness and hinted at further exploring her family tree. Yet, the project was suddenly renamed to Coven of Chaos, which opens up the possibility of jumping deeper into the supernatural world that Agatha Harkness resides. We assumed that the show might move away from Westview, the setting of WandaVision, but more and more castings hint that the place may remain important.

    The recent announcement that Debra Jo Rupp, who is currently set to appear in the Netflix revival series That 90ā€™s Show, will join the cast of the spinoff. In WandaVision, she played Ms. Hart, someone who was trapped as part of Wandaā€™s hex over Westview. Yet, her return opens up a lot of questions on why exactly sheā€™d have a role again. She could appear in the story as a minor background character but why spend more time in Westview? Or, could she have a role in a different part of the story after all?

    One of the most popular theories early on was that Emma Caulfieldā€˜s Dottie was a witch just like Agatha. We knew that she was going to turn out to be the antagonist of the show, which led to us theorizing there must be more going on. Yet, Dottie never was connected with any story and simply ended up as a victim. The actress was one of the first returning actresses cast for the project. With Debra Jo Ruppā€˜s return as well, it almost feels like Agatha may have had a contingency plan after all.

    When we last saw her, Wanda hexed her into a role that she was playing throughout the Disney+ series. Yet, she wonā€™t likely be able to break free from her reality-altering powers so easily. Theoretically, she might be freed the moment Wanda is taken out during the event of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, or she has some help. It would be fun to find out in retrospect that Caufield and Ruppā€™s characters were part of the ruse this entire time. It not only adds depth to the events but also retroactively confirms many theories.

    We still have no news if Evan Peters might also return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ralph Bohner, but thereā€™s a lot of potentials to explore his character more. He was rumored to be the person that Randall Parkā€˜s Agent Woo references in the film being part of a witness protection program. Perhaps he was her Plan B and the reason that she stayed at his house, or he may even be further connected to the multiverse than we at first assumed. With new Mephisto rumors also circulating online, who knows just how many theories from WandaVision may make a return, or could even finally be confirmed once Agatha: Coven of Chaos releases on Disney+.

  • Paul Rudd Spotted Filming Some Additional Reshoots for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    Paul Rudd Spotted Filming Some Additional Reshoots for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    Reshoots have become quite common for any production, but it became quite normalized when Marvel Studios included it as part of their usual production cycle. While reshoots received a bad reputation over the years, most notably with projects like Justice League, itā€™s an important part of any filmmaker wanting to tighten up their film as much as possible ahead of its release.

    Of course, thereā€™s the trouble of including additional shots requiring CG work, which would cut it close before a film releases and adds a lot more pressure to those involved with that part of the process. Ever since COVID hit, that time window has gotten difficult to keep in check and also added more pressure to the industry.

    Yet, itā€™s interesting to note that Paul Rudd has seemingly been spotted by Twitter user @paulruddcom undertaking some reshoots for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Itā€™s notable given that the film is set to release just next month and they may be adding some more minor shots to the production. Heā€™s not in his Ant-Man suit and it seems connected to the opening hinted at in the filmā€™s trailer. So, they may just be adding some minor scenes as a pick up, which was also hinted at by Big Screen Leaks.

    For now, it shouldnā€™t be something to worry about and reshoots have also commonly taken some time up to the release. Hereā€™s just hoping that there arenā€™t many CG-intense sequences that had to be filmed putting more pressure on the artists bringing the vision of the Quantum Realm fully to life in the upcoming sequel. It should also be noted that most of the film was filmed on the Volume, which may elevate some of that pressure, but we know too little from the production to really know how much they are still working on at the moment.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter

  • ‘M3GAN’ Impresses With $30M+ at the Box Office, ‘Avatar 2’ Passes $500M Domestically

    ‘M3GAN’ Impresses With $30M+ at the Box Office, ‘Avatar 2’ Passes $500M Domestically

    M3GAN is a sure-fire hit, as the film has now even beaten its recent projections and is set to wrap up the weekend with $30.2M. Internationally it also pulled in $14.8M putting it at an impressive $45M for a PG-13 film. Itā€™s quite an increase from its initial $17M projection and a great win for Blumhouse, who made back the $12M production budget in just its opening weekend. Itā€™s also a good indicator of strong word-of-mouth that could carry it in the coming weeks even with Avatar: The Way of Water still dominating.

    Thereā€™s hope after all for January to potentially lose its death month status for most releases. Itā€™s the first movie to perform this well since 2012ā€™s Devil Inside, which had a slightly higher opening. Even during the pandemic, horror films have remained the most consistent performers and even pull in audiences throughout multiple weeks; making the discussion surrounding the definite showcase of the CinemaScore more and more difficult.

    Speaking of, The A CinemaScore film Avatar: The Way of Water had another strong fourth weekend, as it pulled in another $45M and has now made $516M in the United States. Most of its gross is internationally at $1.1B, but it seems likely that itā€™ll pass two billion in a week or at the latest in two. Most of the competition wonā€™t hit until February. These kinds of legs normally go to films with the coveted A+ rating, but James Cameron films just operate differently. Still, itā€™s an optimistic start to 2022 which has a much better balance in what films are set to release throughout the year.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’ Developers Promise a Faithful Revival But Tease One Major Overhaul

    ‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’ Developers Promise a Faithful Revival But Tease One Major Overhaul

    While there was a lot of excitement with the return of Silent Hill as a gaming franchise, there still were some reservations about some of the reveals. Most notably, Bloober Team hasnā€™t had the biggest track record with people that felt like most of their games oversold their promise of horror, and there were accusations of them mainly stealing most of their elements from others. So, them working on a remake of Silent Hill 2 had left many with some concerns.

    Luckily, it seems that Bloober Team wants to ensure that they are staying true to the original game; hoping to ease some concerns of modern elements taking away from the psychological horror that defined the franchise. DreadXP had the chance to sit down with Anna Jasińska who shared some insight into the upcoming adaptation.

    The idea of working on this project stalked us for many years, and in 2019, we received an invitation from Konami to participate in the Tokyo Games Show. To our delight, Konami asked us to prepare a concept for a remake of the original gameā€™s second installment in exchange for the opportunity of bringing the concept to life.

    Anna Jasińska

    She shared that their concept ā€œstole Konamiā€™s heartā€ and led to them getting the sign off on remaking Silent Hill 2. She goes on to highlight that they are ā€œbringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere backā€ and staying true to what made the original what it is today.

    We are focusing on bringing the distinct, visceral atmosphere back in the modernized SILENT HILL 2. Longtime fans shouldnā€™t worry about us ā€œmissing the pointā€ while weā€™re livening up the title. We faithfully stick to the traditional story canon while remaking the gameplay and updating the graphics from the ground up.

    Anna Jasińska

    Jasińska does point out that they are updating one element from the original and that is its combat system. We saw glimpses of a more modernized take on a third-person horror game but no distinction on how thatā€™ll be brought to life. Tank controls in the original added to the atmosphere and the clumsy combat was part of its charm, but certainly wouldnā€™t still work in a modern take.

    These are the reasons why Konami entrusted us with the remake in the first place. A big visible change is the adoption of an over-the-shoulder camera, which altered the perspective of a few iconic set pieces, but also meant an overhaul to the combat system. The latest technological achievements do wonder when it comes to making the visuals pop.

    Anna Jasińska

    Sadly, they wouldnā€™t go into any more details such as if theyā€™d adapt the infamous kitchen scene, but for now, it seems like the remake is in good hands. Weā€™re still waiting for a release date on the remake and a follow-up trailer showcasing the new combat system, but

    Source: DreadXP

  • ‘Deadpool’ Director Taking Over Additional Photography For Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’

    ‘Deadpool’ Director Taking Over Additional Photography For Eli Roth’s ‘Borderlands’

    Hereā€™s a curious story, as it seems that Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate director Tim Miller is joining the production of Borderlands. He will oversee the reshoots of the production as first reported by One Take News. They do go on to highlight that the original director Eli Roth is still involved with the project and has not been fired yet. It seems that his schedule has not lined up with that of the various actors required for the reshoots.

    As such, Tim Miller is simply joining the production with the blessing of Roth to supervise the reshoots necessary to finalize the project. He supposedly has also seen the rough cut of Borderlands. Eli Roth is currently busy working on the film Thanksgiving which was inspired by a mock trailer from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguezā€˜s Grindhouse film. So, those reading the headline expecting another version of what happened to the Justice League film can know that this isnā€™t a situation where studio interferences led to the director taking over.

    Still, we still have seen rather little of the Borderlands film. We got some teases here and there, but the film promises a star-studded cast that consists of Cate Blanchett, Edgar Ramirez, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, and more. If Miller has Rothā€™s blessing, it doesnā€™t seem like heā€™ll add anything to change the style that the director used to bring this iconic gaming franchise to life, but itā€™ll be interesting to see what parts they added through reshoots.

    Source: One Take News, Deadline

  • Nicolas Cage Has No Interest in Joining a ‘Star Wars’ Project

    Nicolas Cage Has No Interest in Joining a ‘Star Wars’ Project

    Weā€™re still anxiously awaiting any news on what Star Warsā€™ cinematic future looks like. To this day, thereā€™s still no word on if Damon Lindelofā€˜s project is moving forward, even with rumors circulating that the film is already starting casting a person-of-color lead. Thereā€™s also Patty Jenkinsā€™ Rogue Squadron project that was put on the back burner due to her commitment to Wonder Woman 3; a film that is ironically not going to happen now.

    As we theorize about what the future might look like for Lucasfilmā€™s cinematic universe, we have the confirmation that thereā€™s one actor we donā€™t have to consider in any project moving forward. In an interview with Kevin Polowy, the actor revealed that heā€™s ā€œa Trekkieā€ and has no interest in joining a Star Wars project.

    I think this is the first interview of the New Year, you might as well get something that no one knows. But thatā€™s a fact. I grew up watching Shatner, I thought Pine was terrific in the movies. I think the movies are outstanding.

    Nicolas Cage

    He goes on to highlight that heā€™s more about ā€œthe politicalā€ and ā€œsociological aspects of science fiction rather than jumping into a world that is more science-fantasy at times like Star Wars.

    I like the political, the sociologicalā€¦ To me, what science fiction is really all about and why itā€™s such an important genre is that is really where you can really say whatever you want, however you feel, you put it on a different planet, you put it in a different time or in the future and you can ā€“ without people just jumping on you. You can really express your thoughts like Orwell in the science fiction format and Star Trek really embraced that. I thought they got into some serious stuff.

    Nicolas Cage

    Of course, itā€™s a shame that weā€™ll never see his zany performance in a Star Wars project, it does open up a bigger interest in if he could finally star in something Star Trek-related. There are a variety of shows and even a new film in development.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct

  • ‘M3GAN’ Surprises and Dehtornes ‘Avatar 2’s Friday Box Office

    ‘M3GAN’ Surprises and Dehtornes ‘Avatar 2’s Friday Box Office

    M3GAN is a surprise hit as the film is currently overperforming. Initially expected to make around $20M, the film is currently en route toward $28M. If it keeps up the performance with the horror classic B CinemaScore, thereā€™s a chance it could even scratch the $30M. Of course, itā€™s not that easy with horror films that donā€™t leg out over the weekend, as they tend to have a stronger hold in the following weeks. It also doesnā€™t have any real competition so the film is definitely a success for Blumhouse.

    The big surprise, however, is that the film managed to dethrone Avatar The Way of Water on Friday. Yes, the monolith of a film was finally pushed out of its top seat even if just for a single day. M3GAN is still unlikely to win the weekend, but itā€™s something that the film can be proud of, especially in how Blumhouse made use of the empty January to release a fitting counterprogramming that pulls audiences in.

    January used to be an infamous dead zone for film releases but has become a popular horror release month. M3GAN almost covered its $12M budget with its opening day and is definitely going to end up profitable by the end of the weekend or early next week. Scream was released on January 13th last year and also managed to pull in quite some impressive numbers. Perhaps thereā€™s a new market this month and Blumhouse is definitely going to make good use of it moving forward. You can read what we thought of M3GAN by clicking here.

    Source: Twitter