Murphy's Multiverse

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  • EXCLUSIVE: First Details on Rachel Zegler’s Character in ‘SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS’ 

    EXCLUSIVE: First Details on Rachel Zegler’s Character in ‘SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS’ 

    Around three months ago, it was confirmed that West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler has joined the upcoming Shazam sequel. Originally, there were theories that she might be part of Greek myth’s Three Sisters alongside Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu’s, who are playing Hespera and Kalypso, but her role remained under wraps until now. Still, there was no evidence to confirm this theory so far. Luckily, we got our hands on some information and can exclusively report that she will be playing a character called Anne and were able to get our hands on some details regarding her character.

    SPOILER WARNING FOR SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods below!

     

     

    Our sources have revealed that Zegler has filmed a scene, where she is referred to as Anne. It takes place at a school, where she is flirting with Jack Dylan Grazer‘s Freddy Freeman, indicating that she would play a love interest for Freddy. It casts some doubt that she might be one of the sisters after all. Yet, don’t let the “love interest” part fool you. We have also learned exclusively that a scene with Zegler was filmed on a rooftop that involved her wearing golden armor. It seems rather unlikely that a normal, unpowered schoolgirl would be wearing that on a rooftop.

    So, there might be more to her background after all and she could be pretending to get closer to Freddy. Anne isn’t really a name that goes with Hespera and Kalypso too well, so we should expect Zegler will have an alternate character name as the youngest of the sisters. As for what she’s up to going to school and flirting with Freddy, time will tell. But here’s hoping she doesn’t break poor Freddy’s heart while she and her sisters mess with the Shazam!-fam in the upcoming sequel!

  • Exclusive: ‘ECHO’, ‘IRONHEART’ Set 2022 Production Dates

    Exclusive: ‘ECHO’, ‘IRONHEART’ Set 2022 Production Dates

    Marvel Studios has set 2022 production start dates for a pair of Disney Plus streaming series, one of which may come as a bit of surprise to fans. We are hearing that Echo is currently set for a January 2022 start of production and will be followed up in April by Ironheart.

    Echo will continue to story of Maya Lopez, played by Alaqua Cox, that will begin when Hawkeye debuts later this year in Hawkeye. Despite being described by Variety as being in “early development” just last March, it appears that the series has been fast-tracked and could crack Marvel Studios 2022 streaming lineup.

    Ironheart, announced at December’s Disney Investor Day, will star Dominque Thorne as Riri Williams and recently gained a head writer in Chinaka Hodge. The currently scheduled April start of production would give the writers’ room just about one year to adapt Williams to the MCU. 

    As with any production dates, particularly ones this early on, things can change. Still, it’s exciting to continue to see movement on these projects and what the next phase of Disney+ Marvel shows will include. It’s especially exciting considering Cox is getting an opportunity to break many barriers in her role as Lopez. Marvel and Disney must have been quite impressed with what they saw in Hawkeye to greenlight a solo series so quickly.

  • ‘Loki’ Head Writer Michael Waldron Teases ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Connection

    ‘Loki’ Head Writer Michael Waldron Teases ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Connection

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowly changed throughout the years. Some stories were isolated while others would influence or have unforeseen consequences on the events of another. As Phase 4 starts to expand, we’re starting to notice that the stories being told are more interconnected than ever before. This appears to now have become the case with the release of Junes’ Disney+ show, Loki. According to Michael Waldron, the head writer for Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there could be a potential connection between the timeline shenanigans of both projects. In an interview with Total Film, Waldron teased the connection when discussing the Doctor Strange sequel:

    All of these stories, in their own way, are interconnected, and have ramifications. I think that certainly our aim with the Loki series was for it to have wide-reaching ramifications across the MCU moving forward. So, you know, was I having to clean up some of the messes that I made [with Loki]? Maybe so.

    In the past, we’ve theorized about how multiple projects could potentially tie into the coveted Multiverse of Madness besides the recent debut of WandaVision and the upcoming release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. With Loki delving into what occurs when variants alter the timeline and create branches into alternate realities, it seems as though the Sorceror Supreme could potentially have a lot on his plate by the time we reach the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness once it airs next year.

    Source: TotalFilm

  • Theory Thursday: ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel May Offer a Superior Villain

    Theory Thursday: ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel May Offer a Superior Villain

    When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters almost three years ago, the film rose to levels beyond anyone’s expectations. The story of Miles Morales presented themes of love, family, loss, community, power, and above all, responsibility as he embraced his role as Spider-Man. It managed to achieve incredible accolades, such as winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. With such high levels of praise, the bar has been set pretty high for the upcoming sequel. The next entry will release in October of 2022, and the team is keeping the film’s plot under wraps. Yet, there might be some hints that offer a clearer picture.

    We know that Spider-Man 2099, portrayed by Oscar Issac, may enter the fray following the post-credit scene of the first film. We may also expect newcomers to join the film’s sequel, such as Supaidaman and Silk, as teased by producer Phil Lord on Twitter. And of course, we can expect some familiar faces like Gwen Stacy to return, especially how the film’s ending teased her reuniting with Miles. We also reported that one of the sequel’s villains is the obscure Spidey villain known as The Spot. I believe, however, that one more villain is making a grand return in a new way.

     

     

    When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse got its home release, there was an “Alternate Universe” mode. It allowed viewers to watch deleted or scrapped scenes from the film that acted as a rough cut. In it, there was a scene where Doc Ock said: “The power of the multiverse in the palm of my hand,” paying homage to that famous line from Spider-Man 2. Afterward, Octavius jumped into the portal and vanished into thin air. Of course, that did not make it into the final cut. Associate Director of the film, Andrew Levinton, revealed that it would’ve “taken away from the intensity of Miles clinging for his life…hurting the momentum.”

    The scene, however, still sets up something interesting. In the released version, we never see Olivia Octavius escape after she got hit with the bus. The multiversal portal was pulling everything in. So, the deleted scene may have potentially happened off-screen. The reality web seems connected to the Spider-People, and it is uncertain how it may affect Dr. Octavius, who has no connection to it. An incarnation of Doc Ock does have one deep tie to the Spider-Family.

     

     

    He became the Superior Spider-Man when his comic version took over Peter Parker’s body. As such, there are two routes to how they could venture into it. They may also take a unique direction, such as Octavius fusing with the Web upon entry and created a universe all on her own where she became Spider-Woman.

    She could also take on the comic origin where she uses with the mind of a Spider-Man or Woman in an alternative dimension. Either way, reintroducing Olivia Octavius as the Superior Spider-Woman could be a twist on par to her reveal in the first film. It could set up an interesting contrast to Peter B. Parker, as the betrayal of a newly found ally could leave scars with the young Miles Morales. Plus, we would get more Kathryn Hahn. And that’s already a win in my book.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter, Murphy’s Multiverse, Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Used VFX Teams from Previous Raimi and TASM Films

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Used VFX Teams from Previous Raimi and TASM Films

    As we steadily approach the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the anticipation grows for any new information or details regarding the upcoming film. The biggest question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the film will indeed adapt a “Live-Action” Spider-Verse storyline that will reintroduce Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as the Spider-Men from their respective universes. Along with that rumor, there are also murmurs that the film could potentially bring in tow their fellow crewmates from the previous films such as Kirsten Dunst, Emma Stone, and many of the film’s previous villains to form a multiversal Sinister Six. While those rumors remain to be confirmed until we get an official confirmation with either a poster or a trailer, there are clues that could certainly make that rumor mill spin even faster.

    Thanks to our sources, we are able to confirm that the upcoming installment in the MCU Spider-Man saga is incorporating VFX teams that previously worked on the visual effects for both the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and TASM films. This development is interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they’ll be joining forces with the multiple teams that have worked on the effects for the previous MCU Spider-Man installations. Not only that, but Marvel Studios and Sony seem to be holding no punches when it comes to the supervisors that will helm the post-production for this project as a number of their VFX Supervisors were also the supervisors to some of the groundbreaking visual effects for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

     

    Having the VFX teams that worked on the previous Spider-Man franchises could be a huge indicator as to which direction this film could potentially go. If Maguire and Garfield are indeed involved in the film, then who better to have work on the VFX involving them than the people who actually worked on them all those years ago. They understand the character’s unique movements, styles, and micro-expressions better than anyone. Putting to use those models and animations that were used to bring to life the Raimi and TASM Spider-Men is a great way to differentiate the 3 Spider-Men from each other from a stylistic point of view. And even if this film doesn’t include the Spider-Verse storyline, there are scenes from both of these film franchises that have stood the test of time in terms of visual effects and it would be great to see those techniques and styles applied to better enhance the Spider-Man experience in this film. Just look at the train scene from Spider-Man 2 or the visuals from The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, which arguably had the greatest web-swinging sequence of the three iterations. Having this group of individuals work together for a film is absolutely outstanding and it’s certainly seeming like Spider-Man: No Way Home is setting itself up to be one of the most visually stunning films for Phase 4 and we can’t wait to see what this film has in store when it hits theaters in December.

  • First Look at ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’s Original Character

    First Look at ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’s Original Character

    We are currently enjoying the fifth season of My Hero Academia that continues to tell the story of the manga’s famous Joint Training Arc. The series has been going strong and the third film is nearing its release. Luckily, to give us informed until its release, we got some more news for the project. It’s now been confirmed that My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission will introduce a brand new character. This time, we’ll be introduced to Rody Soul and he will be voiced by the incredible Japanese Voice Actor; Ryo Yoshizawa. You can check out the official announcement by clicking here, but luckily Twitter user @ryiopict translated the tweet.

    https://twitter.com/ryopict/status/1394429266238967809?s=20

    Regarding the character, Rody Soul has been given quite an interesting backstory. With the help of an app, we were able to translate the official description from the film’s official website:

    A boy who lives in a trailer house in Oceon, where Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki have landed. He gave up his drea, to feed his younger sibblings and made a living by working as a carrier.  In the wake of a certain incident, he decided to act with the three heroes, even though he is distrustful of heroes because of the enviroment he grew up in. Although he is in a good mood and has a humble personality, he does not reveal his true intentions to anyone.

    We already know that Oceon is a region that Izuku, Bakugo, and Shoto will travel to during their internship with Endeavor. In the film, something will occur that will make Izuku look like a mass murderer and a criminal in the eyes of the world. Could Rody Soul have something to do with the terrorist organization known as Humanist? Guess we’ll find out when the film officially drops in Japan this coming August 6th.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter (Translation), Hero Academia Film

  • EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Returning as the Wizard in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    EXCLUSIVE: Djimon Hounsou Returning as the Wizard in ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    That’s right, you read that headline correctly. Djimon Hounsou and his character, the ancient Wizard Shazam, will return in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. While I’m sure the Shazam-Fam will welcome the return, this does come as a bit of a shock based on the fact that the Wizard disintegrated to dust in front of our very eyes in the first film and his magical staff was broken. It will be interesting to see how the sequel works around all of that. While a flashback is certainly possible, I’d say that it also seems likely that those powerful but villainous sisters, Hespera and Kalypso (played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu), could have something to do with his resurrection. But it won’t be out of the goodness of their hearts.

     

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods Djimon Hounsou's Wizard

     

    Hounsou is no stranger to comic book properties, appearing in both Shazam! and Captain Marvel in 2019. Before that, he was the voice of King Ricou in Aquaman (2018), appeared as Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and with Keanu Reeves in DC’s Constantine (2005). His voice work also includes a part in Amazon’s Invincible and a 2010 Black Panther animated series in which he played T’Challa. But his “nerd cred” goes back even further, with a part in Angelina Jolie’s game-based adventure film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life in 2003, and all the way back to 1994, when he appeared as Horus in the sci-fi cult classic Stargate. 

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods stars Zachary Levi as the superhero, and Asher Angel as his teenaged alter ego Billy Batson who was gifted a major “glow up” along with all of the amazing powers of the Wizard Shazam with the help of his magical staff. The DC comics film sequel, which is on the verge of commencing filming in Georgia alongside Black Adam, is scheduled to hit theaters on June 2nd, 2023.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Description of Hawkman’s Ship in ‘Black Adam’

    EXCLUSIVE: Description of Hawkman’s Ship in ‘Black Adam’

    Back in March, a couple of images of a Black Adam set being built led our own John Sabato to speculate that the production might be building Hawkman’s Thanagarian Star Cruiser. I can now confirm that it was indeed the set-piece that was being built in those pictures. In addition, here’s an exclusive and detailed description of the finished Hawkman ship set!

    Hawkman ship DC comics

    “It’s awesome. It’s sleek… has this curved look to it…  a raised circular sitting area in the back and a big set of long red lights that curve from the back up across the ceiling.There’s a medical bay nook (reclined bed with instruments around it) and something that looks like a bar with glass chairs. Hawkman symbol in gold on the floor in the center. Also one of the hallways has a Hawkman logo in red glowing at the end of it. Pretty cool.”

    A Murphy’s Multiverse exclusive

    Unfortunately, we weren’t able to attain any pictures of the finished set. However, this information comes from a long-time trusted source of Murphy’s Multiverse, so we are confident in this description’s validity. What do you think? Are you excited to see Hawkman’s ship on the big screen?

    Hawkman ship DC comics

    Alongside Dwayne Johnson’s starring role, and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Aldis Hodge will play Hawkman in Black Adam. The DC film, currently filming in Georgia, is scheduled to hit theaters on July 29, 2022.

  • Update: Mads Mikkelsen Will Not Return in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Update: Mads Mikkelsen Will Not Return in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Update: the author of the original IndieWire article has since said the Doctor Strange information was erroneous.

    With an entire multiverse to be explored in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, you can expect quite a sizeable cast. A new report claims that a previous Marvel Cinematic Universe villain is making a grand comeback in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. According to IndieWire, Mads Mikkelsen will reprise his role as the mystic zealot Kaecilius. He was one of the main antagonists in Stephen Strange’s debut in the MCU back in 2016. His ultimate goal was to obtain power at any cost, even granting Dormammu the Earth to access the Dark Dimension. By the end of the film, Kaecilius and his two remaining followers were overtaken by Dormammu and become the beings known as Mindless Ones.

    With his fate being left open in the air, it would be interesting to see how exactly Kaecilius could return. It’s natural to assume that he will certainly be different from what his character originally was in the first film. As the film tackles the Multiverse, it is possible that we could see the Sorcerer Supreme travel once more to the Dark Dimension. His last bargain did piss off a deity beyond their comprehension and could end badly. He could also be a version of Kaecillius that didn’t get obsessed with power. Either way, more Mads Mikkelsen in the MCU is a definite bonus to what is already a pretty sizeable film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is slated to release on March 25th, 2022.

    Source: IndieWire

  • Closer Look at ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’ Stealth Suits Released

    Closer Look at ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’ Stealth Suits Released

    As the fifth season of My Hero Academia is currently underway, new details on the upcoming third film subtitled World Heroes’ Mission have emerged from Japan. Earlier today, series creator Kohei Horikoshi shared a closer look at the designs of Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki’s new designs on Twitter. The costumes are being referred to as stealth suits for the Class 1A protagonists.

     

    As these brand new looks were revealed to the public, longtime MHA composer, Yuki Hayashi, took to Twitter to also confirm his involvement in the film. The film will tell an original story that takes place during the Hero Internship Arc. As it matches the show’s current development, there is a chance this arc will potentially be introduced in one of the final episodes. The film’s official synopsis offers some insight into why the three are called into action with these brand new stealth suits:

    A mysterious group called ‘Humarize’ strongly believes in the ‘Quirk Singularity Doomsday Theory’, which states that as quirks get mixed together in with future generations, that power will bring forth an end to humanity. They believe that quirks are a disease and aim to cleanse the world of anyone who possesses quirks.

    The upcoming film will focus on Deku, Bakogou, and Todoroki during their time working in Endeavor’s agency. They end up working in the nation of Oseon, where the mentioned Humarize group will enact their plans. It is uncertain how the team will get their stealth suits or if they might introduce some elements from the manga to built up towards the next arc in the series.

    Source: Twitter (Suits), Twitter (Composer), My Hero Academia Movie, International Business Times