Murphy's Multiverse

Author: John Sabato

  • ‘Batgirl’ Would Make the Perfect 2023 Holiday Release

    ‘Batgirl’ Would Make the Perfect 2023 Holiday Release

    In addition to producing live-action streaming series that are a part of the DCEU, Warner Bros has begun development on a few DC films that will be exclusive to the streaming service as well. Batgirl, which will introduce Barbara Gordon to the DCEU, is currently the first of what is presumed to be many HBO Max exclusive DC films, but recent shifts in the DC film release slate may have given it a window of opportunity for a theatrical release.

    Substantial changes to many upcoming DC film release dates were part of a cascade begun by Black Adam being pushed back from its July release date to October 21st, 2022. Shazam: Fury of the Gods jumped forward on the calendar, taking the December 16th, 2022 slot previously held down by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, knocking the sequel into March of next year. Also moving into 2023 is The Flash, streaking to June 23rd, 2023, 7 months later than previously scheduled. Following the release of Blue Beetle on August 18th, 2023 there is nothing set moving forward, meaning Batgirl would have a perfect window to release in late 2023.

    The Flash being delayed means Batgirl’s reported 2022 release is highly unlikely as the events of that film directly lead into the The Flash, reintroducing Keaton as the main Batman of the DC Extended universe. So what should Warner Brothers do with this new opportunity? Move Batgirl to a late 2023 release date and give the film the opportunity for a theatrical release instead of only putting it on HBO Max.

    We’ve seen quite a bit from the set of Batgirl and we know the film is set during the holiday season with the set in Glasgow being covered with a ton of Christmas decorations. Instead of creating another Shazam! situation, where a film centered around one season is released in the opposite, the film could thrive with a a theatrical release during the 2023 holiday season.

    Blue Beetle was originally set to be an HBO Max exclusive film but was moved to a theatrical release, so its possible for Batgirl to get the same treatment. Batgirl is an instantly recognizable character for many people and has had prominent roles in many DC projects. This move seems like a no-brainer for Warner Brothers, who could bring in more money with a more strategic release. It would also give the film additional time during production, as it always seemed a bit risky to shoot and release a film in the same year.

    Batgirl’s release date is still unknown as production on the film continues in Glasgow. The film will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with Leslie Grace in the titular role. Alongside Grace will star J.K. Simmons, Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino, Jacob Scipio, and Rebecca Front.

  • ‘Gotham Knights’ Adds Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson

    ‘Gotham Knights’ Adds Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson

    The CW is kicking off development on yet another DC series with Gotham Knights. The series just recently added Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara to its cast and seems to have found a few more to add. Oscar Morgan, Olivia Rose Keegan, and Navia Robinson have all joined the cast of Gotham Knights, and it seems the series will be adding an original character with Morgans‘ character.

    We previously reported the first casting details on the series and believed one of the characters to be Dick Grayson, as the character was described as the adopted son of Bruce Wayne with a similar backstory to the first Robin. Well, Gotham Knights instead created a completely new character named Turner Hayes. It’s unknown if Hayes was Batman’s sidekick or was even a Robin at one point.

    Olivia Rose Keegan is set to play Duela, likely Duela Dent and the Jokers Daughter. Duela was born in Arkham and abandoned by her father, described as the most dangerous man in Gotham. Duela trained to become a brutal fighter and excellent thief. In our initial report, we believed one of the characters to be Duela Dent, and it looks like we were on the right track.

    Finally, actress Navia Robinson is set to play the role of Carrie Kelly, the Robin introduced in Frank Millers’ Dark Knight storyline. Carrie is described as being fearless and quirky, having talked her way into becoming the Bat‘s newest sidekick. This was the character we initially believed to be Tiffany Fox due to the type of actress the series was looking for.

    Gotham Knights will follow the children of Batman’s foes teaming up with his adopted son following the death of the caped crusader and the children being blamed for it. The series will be executively produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, and David Madden with Natalie Abrams serving as Co-executive producer. Danny Cannon is currently set to both direct and executively produce the pilot.

  • ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Elizabeth Henstridge Shares BTS Photo from ‘Superman and Lois’

    ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Elizabeth Henstridge Shares BTS Photo from ‘Superman and Lois’

    Superman and Lois seems to be the CW’s golden child right now, getting tons of praise from fans and critics alike for its cinematic scope. The series has shined with Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch leading as the titular characters, who’ve uprooted their life in Metropolis and headed back to Smallville. The series has seen a ton of different directors take their turn at the helm and they recently brought in a face familiar from comic book television.

    Best known for playing Jemma Simmons on Agents of Shield, Elizabeth Henstridge joined the second season of Superman and Lois in a directing role, picking up the episode “Anti-Hero”. Henstridge took to Instagram to share her excitement in directing the episode by sharing some photos from set, featuring her alongside the man of steel himself.

    Henstridge recently spoke with TV Line on how she came about being able to direct and episode of Superman and Lois, detailing how she’d be very interested in directing for Berlanti Productions for awhile.

    This is my dream show and my dream job, so I was gunning for a while to direct and episode. I love the superhero genre, and I kind of launched a targeted attack on Berlanti Productions, aiming towards a lot of his shows. Superman and Lois is top of my list, so with my [directed] epsode of S.H.I.E.L.D, I was able to get meetings with people over there and work my way through to getting a meet with [showrunner] Todd Helbing. I just love everything he does, I love what he says in the shows that he’s involved in, and I love Superman and Lois, so I basically just talked his ear off for an hour. I think that to shut me up he was like, “You can helm an episode”

    Elizabeth Henstridge

    The second season of Superman and Lois also featured the former Pink Power Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, directing an episode of the series. In the past few years Johnson has directed multiple indie films. Its fun to see the series rotate such great talent and continuously welcome new voices each season.

    Source: Instagram, TV Line

  • DC’s ‘Black Adam’ and ‘League of Super Pets’ Delayed

    DC’s ‘Black Adam’ and ‘League of Super Pets’ Delayed

    There seem to be some shake-ups happening behind the scenes of DC’s cinematic venture following the release of The Batman. This year will see the release of multiple DCEU films, which include The Flash, Black Adam, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, and reportedly Batgirl as production on that continues over in Glasgow. It seems after years of development hell on Black Adam, fans are gonna have to wait just a bit longer to witness his arrival.

    Dwayne Johnson took to instagram to announce that League of Super Pets would be taking Black Adam’s July 29th release date with Black Adam now set to release on October 21st, 2022. The actor does not state a reason as to why the films were delayed but wanted to the news to come from him before it hit the trades. It’s possible the ongoing pandemic led to a few bumps in the road and they need some extra time to get things done.

    Oddly Johnson also states that Black Adam will play theatrically throughout November and December, which would contradict Warner Bros. new 45-day theatrically exclusive release window for its films. Either way, Black Adams’ new release date is quite the shake-up to the current DC slate as this would now put Black Adam two weeks ahead of The Flash solo film’s.

    It is highly unlikely that the studio would set those two massive films so close to each other so it wouldn’t be hard to believe that a delay for The Flash is a possible outcome, it’s possible that Flash could take Aquaman’s December release date, however that would pit it against the long-in-development sequel to Avatar. There’s a chance that WB is trying to pull out of that scenario altogether.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Adds Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Adds Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo

    Things seem to be ramping up behind the scenes on Blue Beetle, as the film continues to add more names to its cast. It was just announced that What We Do In The Shadows star Harvey Guillén has joined the Xolo Mariduena-led project in a key role. Yet, they aren’t stopping there, as a few more names have just been announced. The Wrap is reporting that Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo have joined Blue Beetle. Marquezine is reportedly playing the female lead and love interest to Mariduena‘s Jaime. Her character will be named Penny. Escobedo is set to play Milagros Reyes, Jaimes’ younger sister.

    Belissa Escobedo is best known for her role in American Horror Stories and has just finished filming on the sequel for Hocus Pocus 2. Bruna Marquezine has worked on a variety of projects, which include God Save the King and Conquest. Angel Manuel Soto will direct the film with a script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer who previously wrote Universal’s Scarface reboot. The film is set to release on August 18th, 2023. Initially, it was a streaming exclusive for HBO Max but was changed to theatrical to the delight of many.

    Blue Beetle will follow the third incarnation of the character, Jaime Reyes. The character made his first debut back in 2006 during the Infinite Crisis event before going on to get his own solo title. We know very little about how the upcoming film will adapt the character’s origins, or even if they might mix it up with hints at him getting a mentor in the form of a former Blue Beetle.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    Not too long ago, we reported that Blue Beetle is set to begin production soon, as it seemingly was eyeing to potentially kick-off early 2022. We have not heard much on the rest of the casting outside of its titular star Xolo Mariduena. Luckily, the wait has come to an end, as Deadline is now reporting that What We Do In The Shadows star Harvey Guillén is currently in talks to join the upcoming DCEU film in a key role. Sadly, they won’t give away who he is playing as the story remains under wraps.

    Jaime Reyes is the third and most popular character to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle. This iteration started fighting crime after a Blue Scarab of alien origin attached itself to his back. It allows him to manifest exoskeleton armor and multiple types of weapons, which includes sonic emitters and energy cannons. It remains unknown if the mentor and previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord will make an appearance in the film, but DC Fandome concept art may have hinted at his involvement.

    The film was previously set to be one of the first exclusive DC films for HBO Max but a while back had its release strategy switched up. The studio instead decided the film would better fit a theatrical release instead of direct to streaming. Blue Beetle is set to be directed by Angel Manuel Soto, best known for his work on the HBO film Charm City Kings with a script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. The film is currently set to hit theaters on August 18th, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan to Return in New ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Titled ‘Isle of The Dead’

    Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan to Return in New ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff Titled ‘Isle of The Dead’

    The flagship series of The Walking Dead franchise is set to end its run later this year with its eleventh season. The series has spawned multiple spin-offs and even some films that remain in some stage of development. Yet, it seems things are moving on yet another series set within the world of The Walking Dead.

    Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are set to reprise their roles as Maggie Rhee and Negan in an all-new spin-off. The series will be titled Isle of The Dead and feature their characters making their way to what’s left of Manhattan, cut off from the mainland and filled with deadly Walkers. The first season will run for only six episodes, a departure from the other series high episode counts.

    Isle of The Dead joins multiple other spin-off projects such as Fear The Walking Dead, Walking Dead: World Beyond, currently untitled Daryl and Carol spin-off, a series of Rick Grimes films, and an upcoming anthology series set within the universe titled Tales of The Walking Dead. No further casting has been announced just yet, but we can probably expect Kien Michael Spiller, who plays Maggie’s son, Hershel Rhee, to return alongside Cohan and Morgan.

    The series will be produced by Scott M. Gimple and Eli Jorné, who will also serve as showrunners on the series. The series is currently set to release sometime in 2023 on AMC as well as AMC+. This is the latest spin-off but most likely will not be the last as an era of television comes to an end with The Walking Dead.

    Source: Deadline

  • RUMOR: Jim O’Heir Joins ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3

    RUMOR: Jim O’Heir Joins ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3

    The past two seasons of The Mandalorian have introduced comedians into the galaxy far, far away, with actors like Bill Burr and Amy Sedaris picking up some prominent roles. It seems that trend may continue as Parks and Recreation star Jim O’Heir has been rumored to be making an appearance in the upcoming third season.

    In a recent appearance on Rob Lowe and Alan Yang’s podcast, Parks and Recollection, O’Heir was asked just what he was working on these days, to which he responded with a rather secretive answer.

    “Oh shoot, I don’t know if im allowed to say where I am. I can say a state, I’m in a state, New Mexico, I don’t know”

    Jim O’Heir

    The answer is fitting and feels like something that would come out O’Heir’s Parks and Rec character. In fitting with the Parks and Rec feel, Lowe’s response sounded an awful lot like his character, Chris Traeger.

    “I will say, Jim, I know what you’re working on, and it rhymes with the latest instalment of Bar Wars.”

    Rob Lowe

    Season 3 of The Mandalorian has been filming for quite some time now, with actor Carl Weathers confirming filming on the next season began in October. Production is reportedly set to wrap sometime this month, right before filming begins on the Mando spin-off, Ahsoka. No official release date for the third season has been announced just yet but is expected to hit Disney+ late this year, eyeing a 2022 holiday release, following a similar release pattern as previous ones.

    SOURCE: BespinBulletin

  • John DiMaggio Finally Joins Hulu’s ‘Futurama’ Reboot

    John DiMaggio Finally Joins Hulu’s ‘Futurama’ Reboot

    Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Futurama would be returning yet again as it found a new home on the streaming service Hulu. The entire cast was set to return besides John DiMaggio, who was still in negotiations. At the time, he vocally campaigned for better pay than what was being offered. Yet, he still remained in talks with the studio. Variety has reported that DiMaggio has officially signed onto the reboot, issuing a statement celebrating his return.

    “I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family,” DiMaggio said in a statement. “#Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!”

    John DiMaggio

    Original cast members such as Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, David Herman, and Phill LaMarr are all set to reprise their roles. If DiMaggio wasn’t to complete negotiations the series would’ve moved forward with a replacement, which would’ve come at the cost of Bender’s iconic voice. Luckily, we do not live in that timeline.

    The next season of Futurama has already been picked up for 20 episodes over at Hulu with production on the series already underway. The revival is currently eyeing a 2023 return although no specific date has been announced just yet.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Euphoria’ Star Javon Walton Joins ‘Umbrella Academy’ Season 3

    ‘Euphoria’ Star Javon Walton Joins ‘Umbrella Academy’ Season 3

    We have yet to get an official release date for the third season of Umbrella Academy, but things seem to be ramping up over a Netflix. So, we could be close. Over the past few weeks, Netflix has released a series of character posters featuring the Umbrella Academy and the mysterious Sparrow Academy. There’s still no date in sight, but it seems another star has joined the project in a mysterious role.

    Netflix took to Twitter today to confirm that Euphoria star Javon Walton has indeed joined season 3 of Umbrella Academy, although it is unknown just who he will be playing. He is best known for his role as Ashtray in the first two seasons of Euphoria. He played a drug dealer and was the adoptive brother of Fez. Walton first teased his casting during an interview with Complex in which he listed his upcoming projects only for Netflix to confirm it now.

    Just a last month Netflix revealed that Justin Cornwell, Britne Oldford, Jake Epstein, Genesis Rodriguez, and Cazzie David had all joined the cast as members of the Sparrow Academy. It’s possible that Walton could be playing the seventh member of the Academy, maybe even lending his voice to the mysterious cube. The cliffhanger ending of season two left fans on the edge of their seats with the reveal of a newly altered timeline due to their meddling. This season is sure to be highly anticipated and will definitely turn the series on its head.

    Source: Twitter , Complex, Deadline