Murphy's Multiverse

Author: John Sabato

  • Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Films and Series In Development

    Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Films and Series In Development

    Avatar: The Last Airbender got a second wind when it released on Netflix. Many fans took to social media to revel in the nostalgia as they were reminiscing about their favorite episodes. They relived Aang’s journey as he mastered the four elements to embrace his destiny. Following Avatar’s release, Netflix released The Legends of Korra, which offered more content for fans. The upcoming live-action adaptation will fill that drought, but disaster hit when the show’s creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino left the project.

    It seems like the franchise is just beginning to expand. It got announced that Nickelodeon will be launching a brand new studio. It will exclusively develop new animated feature films and series set in the world of Avatar. The studio will be run by the original creators and executive producers, who will serve as co-chief creative officers.

    The first project will be a new animated theatrical film, which will begin production later this year. Plot details for the project are still under wraps, but content from this studio is set to be exclusive to Nickelodeon and the Paramount+ streaming service. They also confirmed that they will also release it in select theaters. It certainly seems like Nickelodeon has some big plans for the franchise. The world has a lot of unexplored corners. It will also be interesting to see what it means for the live-action Netflix series.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘Black Adam’ May Tease the Lost Golden Age of Heroes

    ‘Black Adam’ May Tease the Lost Golden Age of Heroes

    The Justice Society of America is known as one of the first superhero teams in comic history. They recently got brought back in DC’s Doomsday Clock event. At one point, Doctor Manhattan erased them from the timeline. Yeah, I am not sure why either. The team has become somewhat of a hot topic, showing up in the recent Death Metal storyline and taking centerstage in CW’s Stargirl. We also got the confirmation that the JSA will be making their way to the DCEU in the highly anticipated Black Adam film.

    The roster will consist of Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher. With this news, many may begin to wonder why the team roster seems so small. Also, why is it missing so many key members that made the golden age so special? So far, we can figure out from the news of the upcoming film and knowledge of past iterations of the team that this probably isn’t the first incarnation of the JSA within the DCEU.

     

     

    The first piece of evidence stems from a line said by Wonder Woman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In a conversation with Bruce, Diana tells Bruce that “They said the age of heroes would never come again”. It could be possibly referring to the gods of Olympus, but I feel as though the line could mean a whole lot more. Wonder Woman has been part of the JSA on multiple occasions. She even leads the team in the upcoming animated feature Justice Society: World War II. In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana may have stayed out of the public eye, but she was still active in her efforts to help people.

    In Adventure Comics #466, following the end of the war and a decline in supervillains, villain Per Degaton had taken full advantage of the Red Scare and coerced the US government into believing these masked heroes could serve as a threat to the country. Consequently, the government forced these heroes to reveal their identities if they wish to continue. The team concluded that to keep themselves and everyone they loved around them safe, the best course of action would be to retire and disband the Justice Society. This storyline could serve as a reason why Superman was one of the first heroes to pop up and why the US government had been so critical of Clark’s actions.

     

     

    Another intriguing detail about the golden age team is the chosen roster for their upcoming appearance in Black Adam. It isn’t just the roster but also how they are going to get introduced in the film. These details come from casting info for a character known as Ma Hunkel, a member of the original JSA who will appear in the upcoming film. The breakdown states that Hunkel will be the caretaker in Hawkman’s museum. In Geoff John‘s run, she served a similar role. She was the caretaker of the JSA headquarters when they were brought back into the modern-day DC universe. Ma Hunkel’s inclusion isn’t the only brow raiser, as the roster itself includes characters known as Cyclone and Atom Smasher. They will be played by Quintessa Swindell and Noah Centineo respectively.

    These iterations of the characters are early recruits like they were in John‘s team. The original lineup included iconic characters that have evolved and inspired new iterations, such as DC staples like Green Lantern and The Flash, two notable absences from this roster. These absences may serve to tell even more stories in the DCEU, such as period piece set during WW2 featuring iconic members such as Hourman, Dr. Midnite, Starman, Sandman, Johnny Thunder, Mr. Terrific, Wildcat, and more.

  • Three Stories We’d Like To See Adapted For ‘Constantine’

    Three Stories We’d Like To See Adapted For ‘Constantine’

    Earlier last year, news broke that J.J. Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot, had signed a deal with Warner media and HBO Max to develop series and films based around the characters of DC’s Justice League Dark. Just a few days ago, it was announced that Abrams had begun development on new series following John Constantine, everyone’s favorite demonologist, but it really depends on who you’re asking. The series is set to be written by Guy Bolton, who’s already written a pilot script for the project, and casting has begun with the production looking for a late ’20s, BIPOC actor to portray the character in the upcoming series and any spin-offs or team-ups that may happen down the line. While it’s currently unknown if the series will find itself in the mainline DCEU, Constantine is a character with a rich history and riveting stories, and we’ve thought up just a few that would make for great a great adaption.

    Marks of Woe  

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    One of the most recent stories featuring Constantine was written by Simon Spurrier and released late last year. The book John Constantine: Hellblazer features the characters return to the Sandman Universe, with Constantine finding himself taken from an Apocalyptic future and placed right back into his old stomping grounds of London. Upon his return, Constantine has come to realize that there’s been a bit of a supernatural outbreak and a local gang has become terrorized by these spirits. When the leader of said gang reaches out, with no dollar to his name, Constantine has no choice but to help exercise these spirits and send them back to where they came from. This seems like an easy task for Constantine, an open and shut exorcism like the good ol’ days, but things get much more unpredictable when John finds himself facing a younger version of the boy who was destined to become the most powerful mage of all time.

    All His Engines

    All His Engines was published back in January of 2005 and was written by Mike Carey. The Story once again finds John Constantine on the streets of London alongside his trusty Cabbie, Chas Chandler. John has returned to look into a mysterious bug going around the city that’s putting people into comas, including Chas’s granddaughter, Tricia. In an attempt to communicate with Tricia and find out what’s going on, the seance is interrupted by Beroul, a demon who’s set up his own personal Hell in California, who tells John and Chas to come there. In order to face Beroul, John Summons the Aztec god known as Mictlantecuhtli, who helps him summon the foes of Beroul in order to take him down. While this story still includes a heavy amount of biblical influence just on the art alone should tell you this story could be something truly horrifying and fit the vibe they’re trying to establish with this new take.

    Going Down?

    Constantine: The Hellblazer, written by the great James Tynion IV, features another great storyline with the character that would be perfect for a horror-inspired introduction of the character in this new “Dark Universe.” John Constantine is a very haunted man both literally and figuratively, and this story is one that sees him face his past, a very dark and muddy past. Suddenty, something has begun killing the ghost that haunts him, banished from the afterlife, and cast into oblivion. Returning to London, Constantine must reunite with Georgiana Snow, now an official paranormal consultant for the British Government, in an effort to stop who or what is killing ghosts and taking away their after-life.

     

     

  • ‘Naomi’: New Casting Details Teases CW’s Newest Heroine

    ‘Naomi’: New Casting Details Teases CW’s Newest Heroine

    Ava Duvernay is becoming a mainstay at Warner Bros., especially with the recent announcement that she’d begun developing Naomi, a solo series based on one of DC’s newest characters. Naomi was created by Brian Michael Bendis back in 2019. She hails from another Earth within the multiverse. Her planet had gone through an environmental trauma, which caused the ozone layer to break. As a result, unknown radiation started to seep into her home planet. It ended up giving exactly twenty-nine people special abilities. One of these powered individuals, named Zumbado, wanted to kill her. So, her parents had to send her away. She landed on Earth-Prime and got adopted by the McDuffie family in Port Oswego. The production is now actively looking for its lead, as the first casting descriptions revealed by Illuminerdi.

    They are looking for a black female around the age of 16 to 18 years. Naomi’s description states that she’s confident, charismatic, and has a sense of style without even trying. It also points out that she is very popular in High School. She is described as a cut above the rest, as she takes AP classes, speaks nine languages, and tries to take every possible extracurricular club activity. Overall, Naomi is a “modern-day Ferris Bueller with a dash of Black Girl Magic and with an unshakeable sense of self” according to her general description.

    Naomi was first announced back in December, with Duvernay serving as executive producer and writer alongside Jill Blankenship, who is also serving as writer and producer on the series. Naomi currently has no release date but recently had a pilot ordered by the CW. It’ll be interesting to see such a new addition to the DC Universe make her live-action debut.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Finds New Showrunner in Albert Kim

    RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Finds New Showrunner in Albert Kim

    The first few months of quarantine were a bit of an adjustment for many, but people found a way to make the most of it. One saving grace was the debut of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix. It gave people a much-needed break and escape from the world. Following its release, many people began to remember that Netflix was also developing a live-action adaption of the beloved series. After the first misfire on a live-action debut, it made many fans skeptical. It didn’t help that the original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, left the project due to creative differences. It left fans with a sour taste in their mouth, and many wished for it to end there.

    A new report suggests the Netflix may have already found a new showrunner to helm the project. Following the original creator’s departure, it seems Netflix has recruited Albert Kim to take on the challenge. Kim has worked on a variety of other series, such as TNT’s Heist and FOX’s Sleepy Hollow. She served as writer, producer, and executive producer on the latter. Details for the series are still unknown, and it’ll be interesting to see how the show handles its seasonal structure. The original told its story across 20+ episodes each season, which may be difficult to compress into Netflix’s regular show length.

     

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    The report also offered some new details on its casting, as the series will reportedly change the ages of the characters. This time Katara will be the oldest at 16. Sokka is being aged down to 14, while Aang remains 12. These changes seem weird and unnecessary, but they could change up the dynamic between the team, especially when you consider Aang and Katara’s relationship in the original series. We’ll see what else they might change.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘The Flash’ Adds Sasha Calle as Supergirl

    ‘The Flash’ Adds Sasha Calle as Supergirl

    When you look up the definition of development hell, the solo Flash movie could be one of the first things you find. The movie has been through hell and back, as it went lost directors left and right after its first announcement. Finally, the movie found its savior in horror movie director, IT‘s Andy Muschietti. The story will explore Flash traveling through the multiverse. There he meets a new version of Batman, the original 1989 version played by Michael Keaton. It will be DC’s first step into exploring the many sides of the franchise’s legacy.

    In a shocking announcement that no one saw coming, Muschietti made the announcement today that actress Sasha Calle will don the iconic Kryptonian crest and take up the role of Kara Zor-El, otherwise known as Supergirl. The director hand-picked Calle from over 400 other auditions. They have met actresses from all over the world before they made a decision. It looks like none of the actresses had any clue what role they were auditioning for until later into the process. Calle was one of few to make it to a chemistry test with star Ezra Miller. Muschietti had the following to say:

    I saw more than four hundred auditions. The US, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia. The talent pool was truly amazing and it was very hard to make a decision, but we finally found an actress who was destined to play this role.

    The Flash is currently set for a November 4th, 2022 release date. The film will see Ezra Miller reprise the role of Barry Allen. In addition to Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck is also set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne from the DCEU.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘GCPD’ First Casting Detail’s Tease Seasoned Leads

    ‘GCPD’ First Casting Detail’s Tease Seasoned Leads

    The Batman hasn’t even hit screens yet but this isn’t stopping WB from going all-in on Matt Reeves’ new take on Gotham City and its resident caped crusader. It was announced a while back that Matt Reeves had begun development on a prequel to his upcoming film centered around the GCPD and the corruption within, with the series taking place during Batman’s first year of activity. Initially, many fans jumped to assume this series would be an adaption of Gotham Central, a storyline written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker that focused on the cops of the GCPD and how they adjusted to life with Batman’s rise to prominence in the city and his war on crime.

    The first casting details, although vague, could hint at some familiar faces around the GCPD. The casting details don’t give names but do state they’re looking for one male and one female to serve as leads for this series. The casting details remain vague but I think that the male lead could indeed be a familiar face from the Batman mythos. The production is aiming for a caucasian male in the ’30-’40s range for a “Police Detective, Works for Commissioner James Gordon.” Now that could really be anyone as the GCPD is obviously full of cops, but my first thoughts lead me to believe it could be Harvey Bullock.

    At Fandome, Reeves stated that the show would follow the perspective of a corrupt cop in Gotham City. With the age range and close ties to Gordon, Bullock seems like the perfect fit for this role. I’m not so sure about the other casting. The production is looking for a black female in the ’35-’45 age range for a “former detective who was injured on the job and becomes the new Gotham district attorney. This could be an original character for the series as there really isn’t any character that fits this description. It’s also interesting to note that in the upcoming film, Peter Sarsgaard is set to play Gil Colson, the sitting district attorney at the time.

    The upcoming spin-off to The Batman currently has no set release date but will release exclusively on HBO Max. The series will be executively produced by Reeves’ 6th and Idaho production company with Joe Barton serving as showrunner on the series.

    Source: Illuminderi

  • ‘Stargirl’ John Wesley Shipp To Guest Star in Season 2

    ‘Stargirl’ John Wesley Shipp To Guest Star in Season 2

    Production on Stargirl has been going on for quite some time now and should be wrapping quite soon. The show’s upcoming sophomore season still has no release date but will move from DC Universe to the CW network. Not much is known about this season aside from the fact that we will see an ever-expanding Justice Society with the likes of Jade and Jakeem Thunder joining their ranks. One thing that fans have been dying for is a better look at the past by getting to see the original Justice Society in action before their eventual demise at the hands of the Injustice Society. Well, it seems fans will be getting a blast from the past from this upcoming season, with at least one episode set to feature a throwback to the team in their prime.

    Entertainment Weekly has exclusively learned that John Wesley Shipp is set to reprise his role as the golden age Flash in the upcoming second season of Stargirl. Shipp has been a staple in The Flash since the show’s early days, having played Barry’s father, Henry Allen to playing Jay Garrick from Earth-2 and even suiting back up as his original character from the 90’s series. Shipp is set to appear in episode nine of this upcoming season. Garrick will officially be established as the Flash of the past JSA, the first taste of the Arrowverse crossing over into Stargirl. Reportedly Shipp will only appear in this episode, as it’s described as a “Pivotal flashback episode”.

    Stargirl season 2 will see the return of Brec Bassinger as the titular star-spangled hero as well as Luke Wilson as S.T.R.I.P.E as they face off against this season’s big bad, the angel of vengeance himself Eclipso, played by Nick Tarabay.

    SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly

  • First Look at HBO Max’s ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ Revealed

    First Look at HBO Max’s ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ Revealed

    In January of 2020, before the world descended into madness, HBO Max revealed a new original was in the works for the service titled Aquaman: King of Atlantis. The series will follow the new king of Atlantis, Arthur Curry, as he starts his reign of the underwater civilization. Aquaman is joined by his friends Mera and Vulko. They are there to help him learn the Atlantean ways so that he’ll become the best king he can be. He tries his best to gain the love and trust of his people. He will also have to face his evil half-brother, evil elders, and surface dwellers. After a long wait, a trailer for Cartoon Network’s rebranding gave us our first official look at the upcoming series.

    We got our first look at the upcoming series, with no release date and no voice cast, its interesting to see that production on the series seems to have already ramped up. The short snippet gives us our first look at Aquaman and Mera, as the two seem ready for combat. The animation seems to be incredibly similar to Thundercats ROAR!, a CalArts-style reboot on the classic feline warriors from the ’80s.

     

     

    The image is taken

    https://twitter.com/awschedules/status/1362108932219543553?s=21

    The series currently has no release date but is set to release exclusively on HBO Max. It is unclear if Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, or Willem Dafoe will be reprising their roles from the film since it’s supposed to serve as a follow-up. The only real concrete creative information known is that James Wan is involved and s serving as executive producer. Hopefully, we will get a full trailer with more cast details soon to get a feeling for which direction the show is heading and how it may tie into the overarching DC Extended Universe.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘The Old Guard’s Marwan Kenzari Confirmed for ‘Black Adam’

    ‘The Old Guard’s Marwan Kenzari Confirmed for ‘Black Adam’

    While Black Adam may have gotten removed from the studio’s release slate, nothing seems to be slowing down its production. Recently, news on the film has been scarce, as many fans were waiting on the edges of their seats to hear who else will join the film. It seems the most recent update is confirming a report we’ve known a few months back on the film’s villain. Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Illuminerdi’s story from October that Marwan Kenzari is joining the production.

    While the official report states that Kenzari‘s role is still under wraps, we knew from just a few months ago that the studio was eyeing the actor to play Sabbac. He will be the main antagonist in the film’s ongoing story. The villain had three different comic iterations over the years, but the film will focus on Ishmael Gregor. He is the most well-known identity of Sabbac for those that read his short run. He was a Russian immigrant who made his way to New York, where he becomes a mob boss. Ishmael initiates a demonic ritual in which he sacrifices innocent people to gain the powers of the demon. His name is an acronym for Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis, the beings that give him his powers. This naming is quite similar to how Shazam’s name in the comic derives from six immortal elders. Those were Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

    Black Adam currently has no set release date. Jaume Collet-Serra is directing the film, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star as the titular character. Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, and Quintessa Swindell will round out the cast. We are still waiting on the casting for Doctor Fate.

    Source: Illuminerdi, Hollywood Reporter