Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Joseph Aberl

  • James Gunn and Peter Safran Almost Weren’t DC Studios’ New Heads

    James Gunn and Peter Safran Almost Weren’t DC Studios’ New Heads

    DC Studios will shape the future of an entire franchise with James Gunn and producer Peter Safran at the steering wheel. It’s an exciting prospect to see what the future has in store for the franchise, even as they leave behind some of the landmarks that defined the franchise throughout the last few years. Yet, it seems that they almost weren’t in the leading position as Warner Bros. Discovery had their eyes set on someone else.

    As it turns out, their big hope was for Todd Phillips, the director behind the surprise billion dollar box office hit, Joker, and The Hangover trilogy. An insider shared just how far they went in trying to get him involved with the project, after “the whole town turned the job down. It was almost Todd Phillips. They begged him.”

    Everyone was aware of the impossible task set upon them taking over a role that Kevin Feige managed to master against all odds. Gunn was a fitting choice considering he’s worked under Marvel Studios’ leadership to get a glimpse at what it means to run a cinematic franchise. Still, there does seem to be some concern, especially with him not having been in such a position before.

    I wonder if big filmmakers will work for another director with zero experience guiding movies through a huge grinder of a system. He’s not Kevin Feige [of Marvel].

    Though it should be noted that the same issue also would’ve been with Phillips if he was given the position. He only has the additional caveat of having no real interest in the DC universe or any understanding of what makes it tick. Yes, Joker was a success but that doesn’t mean every film he touches would have the same effect. Plus, he has openly mocked the genre in the past and who knows how the DC Cinematic Universe would look like under his leadership.

    Source: New York Post

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Opens Below Expectations at a Still Impressive $134M Domestically

    ‘Avatar 2’ Opens Below Expectations at a Still Impressive $134M Domestically

    Expectations were high for Avatar: The Way of Water to leave the box office’s 2022 record holder in the dust. Yet, it seems that the film has surprisingly lost some momentum over the weekend and fell short of its initial $175M+ opening weekend. The reports are in and the film stands at $134M domestic opening, which is $60M higher than the previous entry, the 6th highest opening ever for a December release and ties with The Batman earlier this year.

    Globally, the film managed to pull in a great $435M and if the film keeps the legs that most of James Cameron‘s films have, it ‘s got a good hold for the coming weeks, especially with how the film has no real competition in the coming weeks. Top Gun Maverick also had a lower opening weekend but managed to pull in $1.5B in its entire run but expectations are also high that Avatar: The Way of Water needs to make at least $2B to even be considered profitable.

    It should also be noted that the World Cub’s final game played this weekend alongside a big NFL game, which could also be one of the influencing factors on why the box office isn’t as high as one would’ve initially expected. It’s one thing that is often forgotten when discussing box office numbers, especially information that is lost years later that give a film a massive boost. Marvel Studios’s films have a stronger opening so no one gets spoiled, which isn’t a worry with Avatar: The Way of Water.

    Still, it’s surprising to see the film underperform by around $40M considering just how big of a project it is. Avatar had a lot of excitement surrounding it and it falling even lower than the initially low point of $150M might have some scratching their head. The pandemic has made predictions quite difficult and it’s another project that ended up struggling to meet its expectations at the box office this year. Even Marvel Studios’ frontloaded films had some decent holds after a massive second weekend drop, which might be more reflective of current box office developments.

    For now, the second weekend will be its big test. Even if it fell short of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’ll need a strong hold to ensure it doesn’t lose momentum. It’s still curious to think that its CinemaScore stands at an A rather than the A+ of Top Gun Maverick, which might hint at its legs being strong but not as strong as they could’ve been. With Marvel movies having decent runs with B scorings, it’s not as simple as it might seem at times.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • Marineford and Dressrosa Confirmed for ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    Marineford and Dressrosa Confirmed for ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    January will finally see the release of One Piece‘s most ambitious project yet, One Piece Odyssey. The game will explore our favorite Straw Hat pirates revisiting their own history through memories with slight changes adding never before seen challenges. While we still don’t have all the details on the game, Jump has been busy promoting the various storylines that’ll be featured and it seems Jump Festa was used to confirm two more new additions.

    It’s unclear if this includes all storylines, but it looks like One Piece Odyssey will include two new additions to its stories, Marineford and Alabasta. Most of the showcases seem to closely follow the stories we know with some rather curious additions such as Sabo joining the confrontation against Donquixote Doflamingo, or Corazon taking Luffy’s place in stopping him from stomping on Trafalgar D. Law.

    They shied away from teasing any new events during Marineford, but it’ll be interesting to see how closely they stick to the original tales or how they try to twist them in new and interesting ways. Marineford saw Monkey D. Luffy face the marines on his own with some unlikely help form his time in Impel Down.

    Now, he has his crew with him that could make all the difference even if they are powered down due to JRPG logic. One Piece Odyssey is shaping up to be quite an interesting entry in the franchise and might offer something unique even to long-time fans of the franchise. Here’s just hoping they haven’t revealed everything and we also have some East Blue stories in there as well.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘One Piece’ Creator Offers Update on the Live-Action Netflix Series

    ‘One Piece’ Creator Offers Update on the Live-Action Netflix Series

    Jump Festa has finally arrived and many have wondered if we’ll get any updates on Western productions regarding some of the popular Shonen Jump storylines. One in particular was the Netflix adaptation of One Piece that has the challenging task of bringing the iconic story of Monkey D. Luffy to live-action. With its cartoony world, it seems like a daunting task for anyone to tackle but showrunners Matt Owens and Steve Maeda have been all-in ever since the production started back in January. We didn’t get any trailer or first look during Jump Festa, but a message from One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has given us an update and it looks like he’s excited about the adaptation.

    Oda leaves a message for all attendees every year and this one was no different. In it he reflects on the last 25 years, the upcoming game adaptation One Piece Odyssey and highlights the “Hollywood Live-Action” series. @Orojapan1 has been kind enough offer a rough translation of the statement shared by Oda, where he goes into some detail about the series and potentially hints at a 2023 release.

    And the Hollywood Live-Action is also in production! We’re currently going through the rough drafts for Season 1. Tehre’s been a lot of work behind the scenes, but I was the most worried one during the process…But it’s really great!!!

    Eiichiro Oda translated by Orojapan

    another translation from @newworldartur rephrases it a bit, as he states they “have the base footage of Season 1” and once again highlights that he was nervous about the production but instead of great he calls it “actually looks amazing.” Until an official tranlsation is released, we can only use these fan translatinos that offer a glimpse on what was discussed or revealed during the panel. Still, it does seem like a reassuring trend is that he’s seemingly quite happy with the production.

    But it’s also not surprising that he was nervous during production, as it is his creation that is being adapted in a new medium under the supervision of others. Not too long ago, we learned just how involved he is with the project and the fact they are already working on the rough drafts for the first season might hint that they are further along in production. So, here’s hoping that a first look isn’t too far anymore and it’s reassuring to know that the franchise’s creator is calling this adaptation “great”.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter

  • Mary Stuart Masterson and Piper Rubio Join Blumhouse’s ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie

    Mary Stuart Masterson and Piper Rubio Join Blumhouse’s ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Movie

    YouTuber Dawko has been holding a Charity Stream in which he’s been sharing some rather curious reveals for the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s movie, as creator Scott Cawthon has seemingly shared some details with him to build up some momentum for the new film and help the Charity Stream. In it, he not only confirmed the roles that the recently cast Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson, but also went on to share two new castings.

    The newest additions to the film are Mary Stuart Masterson. Not just that, she’s also hinted at playing an unnamed villain, which does open up the door on who exactly she could be playing. With Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach introducing the character of Vanny, they may be taking pieces from across the franchise’s history but she could also just be voicing one of the animatronics. Baby might be an interesting choice, but there’s also the chance they’ll just introduce new characters.

    She’s not the only new addition, as young actress Piper Rubio has also been added to the film’s cast, and she’ll be playing Mike’s younger sister named Abby. Now, Mike was revealed to be Hutcherson‘s role and is inspired by the gaming franchise’s nightguard. So, she’s not Elizabeth Afton and it opens up the question on if they might build up this character throughout.

    Source: YouTube

  • Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson’s Roles in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Revealed

    Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson’s Roles in ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Revealed

    Not too long ago, we found out that the upcoming Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is finally picking up steam after being in development hell for quite some time. Just yesterday, we found out that Matthew Lillard is making his return to the horror genre in an unknown role in Blumhouse’s upcoming live-action adaptation alongside The Hunger Games alum Josh Hutcherson, also no stranger to the genre. Now, it seems that we even know who they are playing as Scott Cawthon has shared their roles with YouTuber Dawko, who announced their roles as part of a Charity Stream.

    What roles are they playing? Well, it looks like we’ll get introduced to one major character in the first film as Lillard has been revealed to be taking on the role of William Afton, the infamous Purple Guy and main antagonist of the franchise. Hutcherson‘s will play the role of Mike Smith who was the nightguard in the original game. It looks like they may combine elements from the original and perhaps we’ll see Lillard more in flashbacks as the main mystery of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria is uncovered throughout the film’s runtime.

    While the film has been in development for some time, especially when the FNAF hype was at its peak, script issues seemingly derailed the project for quite some time. Originally, Chris Columbus was attached to direct the film but he exited the project last year due to these issues. Now, Emma Tammi is attached to take over directing duties and they are finally moving forward with the project. Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop is also attached to bring the creepy animatronics to life in the upcoming film.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Mamma Mia’ Director Offers Update on Third Entry

    ‘Mamma Mia’ Director Offers Update on Third Entry

    Throughout the years, ABBA’s iconic music has defined the landscape. So, a film based around those iconic melodys would certainly draw in quite the audience. And that it did with style, as the first Mamma Mia led directly into a just as popular sequel. Yet, we’ve long been waiting for an update on a possible third entry in the franchise and luckily director OI Parker definitely has plans to make that a reality.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, the director got a chance to tease that there are active plans for another entry in the franchise and that producer Judy Craymer always envisioned the musical as a trilogy.

    Judy Craymer, the genius producer behind the musical and the first two films, always plans for it to be a trilogy. That’s all I can say. The first one made an enormous amount of money, and I think we made a fair amount too. I know that there is a hunger for a third, and I know that she has a plan. Wouldn’t it be lovely?

    OI Parker

    The excitement is definitely there but it does seem to be missing some kind of update on what the timing might be. There’s no official casting or confirmation of actors returning to their respective roles. Fornow, there’s a lot of excitement to give the franchise another chance but we might have to wait just a little bit until they officially get the cameras rolling and the music playing.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Renewal Expected in Early 2023

    ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Renewal Expected in Early 2023

    The unique take on the Addams Family in Tim Burton’s Wednesday has been quite the hit for Netflix. Not only did the Jenna Ortega-led project pass the one billion hours viewed mark, it even mananged to become their second most-watched U.S. show only behind the latest season of Stranger Things. So, it would seem logical that Netflix would give that series a second season any second now but it looks like we’ll still have to wait just a bit longer before they finally announce it.

    In a new piece by Deadline, they reveal that producers are already talking to writers about a second season’s writer’s room while also looking into locations. Still, the announcement is not going to arrive before the year ends and likely won’t be confirmed by the New Year. The series was supplied by Amazon after their purchase of MGM and created a unique situation where two rival studios are working on the same show.

    The current restructuring of MGM though by Amazon Studios is not expected to derail any plans for future seasons and it seems that renewal talks are going smoothly. With their purchase of MGM, they’ve ended up developing quite a few projects with other streamers, as the same is the case with The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu, Fargo on FX, Vikings: Valhalla on Netflix and more. So, it doesen’t seem like Amazon will suddenly decide to remove any of these projects for no reason.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Avatar’ Sequel Opens to $53M Domestically, But Set to Hit Lower End of Projection

    ‘Avatar’ Sequel Opens to $53M Domestically, But Set to Hit Lower End of Projection

    You might read the title of this article and denounce Avatar: The Way of Water‘s chances at reaching a billion, as the film is now set to only hit the lower end of expectations at around $150M, though it could go as low as $130M depending on how it tracks over the weekend. We’ve seen this countless times throughout 2022 that the predictions aren’t as accurate as they once were and models have been struggling to really pinpoint where the needle is moving in regards to audience interest.

    As of now, the film has pulled in $53M domestically with another $127M worldwide. With $180.1M worldwide it’s definitely tracking among the best of the year and with the Holidays around the corner, it’ll leg out quite a bit over the next few weeks without any real competition. It’s international release is also enjoying that additional Chinese box office that many other big blockbusters haven’t had a chance to enjoy but it comes at a time where COVID is running rampant in that country once again.

    Also, we can’t forget that three hour runtime and its impact on viewership, especially when you’re going to invest time to sit there that long in a 3D film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was also on the longer side which affected its box office run early on with less showtimes. Either way, the film has definitely going to pass or even double 2009’s $77M domestic opening but the question remains if it’ll have the legs it needs. It’s opening around the same as Top Gun: Maverick which ended up legging out to an impressive $1.49B. Though, the film might need to do quite a bit more to prove successful given its massive budget.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Receives A CinemaScore

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Receives A CinemaScore

    The ratings are in and it looks like the general audience have quite enjoyed their time with the latest Avatar entry, Avatar: The Way of Water. The official CinemaScore has arrived and it’s another A for James Cameron, the same rating the original had back in 2009. In retrospect that is actually quite surprising that it didn’t have an A+ at the time given just how incredible its legs are, but that might just be the Cameron effect.

    https://twitter.com/CinemaScore/status/1603997366628909056

    The CinemaScore is mainly there to highlight how much general audiences are enjoying the latest film. 2022 has been quite rough and critical with many long-time franchises and films landing in the B to B+ territory throughout the year. Marvel Studios was sticking around the B+ score until the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever with an A. Though, interestingly enough these films still had some crazy legs at the box office even with lower scores. 2022 generally has been struggling, as we’re still feeling the effects of the pandemic and a general exhaustion after being locked at home for multiple years.

    Still, Avatar: The Way of Water is not set to break any domestic records but could make quite the pull internationally with it possibly passing $500M+ worldwide. If it plays like the last two films by the director, it would have a good chance to make it towards a $2B+ box office run, as it also has barely to no competition in the coming weeks. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s December release was record-breaking last year and the spot might get more and more popular if it keeps up this trend.

    Source: Twitter, CinemaScore