Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Nicole

  • Tessa Thompson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Board Sci-Fi Film ‘Ash’

    Tessa Thompson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Board Sci-Fi Film ‘Ash’

    Tessa Thompson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have signed on to star in the science fiction film, Ash. The movie hails from filmmaker Flying Lotus, aka Steven Ellison, and writer Jonni Remmler. Flying Lotus, who is also a musician, is set to also compose the score for the film.

    Ash tells the story of a woman, played by Thompson, who wakes up on a distant planet and goes on to find the rest of her crew at the space station murdered. She’ll soon have to discover whether or not she can trust the man (Gordon-Levitt) sent to rescue her. While trying to get to safety, the duo will try to investigate the killings, leading them to question the innocence of Thompson’s character.

    The film is being produced by XYZ Films and GFC Films, with Echo Lake and director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) on board as executive producers. XYZ Films will finance the film and is currently handling worldwide sales for Ash, kicking off with “pre-sales” at Toronto International Film Festival in September.

    While Flying Lotus is primarily known for his music, this will actually mark his third film. His debut film, Kuso, premiered at Sundance in 2017. He also directed a piece for the horror title V/H/S/99, described as a horror omnibus, which will premiere as part of this year’s TIFF Midnight section.

    Production on Ash will kick off in New Zealand next year.

    Source: THR.

  • Alaqua Cox Has Wrapped Filming on ‘Echo’

    Alaqua Cox Has Wrapped Filming on ‘Echo’

    Late Friday night, Alaqua Cox took to her Instagram stories to share that production has officially wrapped on Echo. The actress shared a photo of her texting her late father in celebration of wrapping principal photography. She texted, “We just wrapped up Echo! I did it dad!!” She shared a screenshot of the text and added, “I know you’re so proud of me, dad. I love and miss you so much.” The actress lost her father in November 2021 and has been open with fans about her grieving process as she navigates headlining her own series.

    Filming on Echo kicked off back in April, with Cox once again using Instagram to share the news. The actress posted flowers she received from her co-star K. Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs) to celebrate the start of production. Marvel Studios would later confirm production had started by revealing some of the cast of the series and a still shortly thereafter.

    Echo, of course, is a spinoff from Hawkeye. Not only will Cox be returning as the titular hero, but she’ll be joined by Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk, who we saw briefly in Hawkeye. Also joining her in the series will be Charlie Cox, who will be appearing as Matt Murdock/Daredevil.

    Echo is slated to hit Disney+ sometime next year. With production officially wrapped, perhaps we might hear about a proper release date during the Marvel Studios presentation at D23 next month.

  • Danny Huston Joins ‘The Crow’ Reboot

    Danny Huston Joins ‘The Crow’ Reboot

    The long-in-the-works The Crow reboot is finally in production. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Danny Huston is the latest to join the cast of the reboot. He’ll join the previously announced Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs. The reboot is described as a modern reimagining of James O’Barr’s popular graphic novel, with Skarsgard playing the titular character. Details surrounding Huston’s role are currently unknown.

    Director Rupert Sanders is directing the film, which is reportedly weeks into production in the Czech Republic. This marks a return to blockbuster filmmaking for Sanders who found himself in the midst of controversy after Snow White and the Huntsman. He’s directing The Crow from a script by Zach Bayli.

    Huston has built up a rather impressive resume throughout his long-standing career. He’s appeared in films such as The Aviator, 30 Days of Night, and Marie Antoinette. On the small screen, he’s starred in shows like Magic City, American Horror Story, Yellowstone and Succession. Comic book fans, however, might know him best for his appearance as Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

    As of now, The Crow reboot does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • Amanda Fix & Avan Jogia Board AMC’s ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’

    Amanda Fix & Avan Jogia Board AMC’s ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’

    Amanda Fix and Avan Jogia have been cast in lead roles opposite Krysten Ritter for AMC’s Orphan Black sequel series, Orphan Black: Echoes. The news comes courtesy of Deadline with the outlet reporting that Fix will play Jules, a salty teen trying to find herself. She’s a newly adopted daughter of a wealthy couple and is described as being both reckless and brutally smart. While Jogia will portray Lucy’s (Ritter) boyfriend Jack; the character has devoted his life to his daughter, and soon finds the woman he loves is withholding a life-changing secret.

    Like in the original Orphan Black, the series will tackle cloning as it focuses on a near future where science has allowed for the manipulation of human existence. Echoes will see a group of women – two of which are played by Ritter and Fix – as they “weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.” The 10-episode series is being produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker and is slated for a 2023 release on AMC Networks’ digital platform AMC+.

    Orphan Black: Echoes hails from creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer Anna Fishko. She’ll co-showun the series with Orphan Black‘s co-creator, John Fawcett, who will also serve as a director and executive producer on Echoes. David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, who executive produced Orphan Black, will also produce Echoes for Boat Rocker.

    Fix is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, having appeared in the CW’s Kung Fu and Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six. While Jogia is best known for Twisted and Victorious. He also starred in the film reboot of Resident Evil, titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman in Talks to Helm ‘Fantastic Four’

    ‘WandaVision’ Director Matt Shakman in Talks to Helm ‘Fantastic Four’

    After weeks of rumors, Deadline has confirmed that WandaVision director Matt Shakman is in talks to direct Fantastic Four for Marvel Studios. According to the outlet, talks are still early between the two, however, Shakman is the choice for the job following Jon Watts‘ exit back in April. A formal offer has not yet been made for the gig, however, Deadline believes talks are moving in that direction.

    Watts ended up exiting Fantastic Four in April due to simply needing a break. Watts, of course, was the man behind all three Spider-Man films set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the director expected to return for a fourth installment, it was thought he simply wanted a break from superheroes before Spider-Man 4. The director would later sign on to direct a Star Wars series for Lucasfilm starring Jude Law. Since his exit, the studio has been looking at potential hires, with Shakman reportedly having been the one to beat early on because of his work on WandaVision.

    While talks are still early, it’s possible we’ll have confirmation of his hiring relatively soon. After all, D23 is around the corner, and it’s entirely possible Marvel Studios will confirm Shakman has landed Fantastic Four during its presentation.

    Fantastic Four will hit theaters on Nov. 8th, 2024, kicking off Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence to Direct ‘BioShock’

    ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence to Direct ‘BioShock’

    The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence has lined up his next project. Lawrence is set to direct the adaptation of the renowned video game franchise, BioShock. The news comes courtesy of Deadline, with the outlet reporting that Netflix has been looking at A-list directors and writers for the job since it was announced earlier this year, recognizing the large scope of the property. Lawrence has been on their radar since Spring given what he has done with the Hunger Games franchise. The studio has also brought on Michael Green, who penned Logan, to write the script.

    With Lawrence in production on the Hunger Games prequel, Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the plan is to have Green write the script while Lawrence is hard at work on that project. This will make it so that Lawrence can easily move on to BioShock once The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is completed. Lawrence, of course, took over the Hunger Games franchise after Gary Ross left ahead of the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He went on to complete the franchise with the two-part Mockingjay before returning for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

    BioShock is set across multiple dystopian and visionary landscapes gone wrong with the games featuring a unique blend of horror and science-fiction. The first game was released in 2007 and has since sold more than 39 million copies worldwide. The franchise consists of BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite.

    The movie will be produced by Roy Lee through his Vertigo Entertainment along with Lawrence for his about:blank banner. As of now, BioShock does not have a release date on Netflix.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Steve Blackman Boards Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’

    Steve Blackman Boards Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’

    Following the news that Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth and final season, Deadline has revealed Steve Blackman has boarded the streamer’s adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn. The news comes as the showrunner has re-upped his big, eight-figure overall deal with the streaming service.

    Under the deal, Blackman will write and produce various series for Netflix through his newly launched Irish Cowboy production banner. Two projects that will be developed through this deal will be the ISS drama Orbital, and Horizon Zero Dawn, the adaptation of the popular PlayStation game of the same name. News that Netflix was looking to adapt Zero Dawn was first announced in May, at the time it was believed the project was still very much in early development. With Blackman now involved, that looks like it’ll change within the coming months.

    Expressing excitement over both projects, Blackman noted both series are “hallmarks” of what Irish Cowboy Productions looks for in projects. “Horizon Zero Dawn and Orbital are elevated, event-level projects grounded in characters that fans will love and relate to, which are hallmarks of Irish Cowboy productions. We’re thrilled to be working with Netflix and all of our partners on developing these ground-breaking stories.”

    Horizon Zero Dawn is based on the popular video game of the same name. It is set a thousand years in the future and follows an outcast named Aloy. The world around her is “strange and beautiful” featuring a mix of primitive lifestyles and high-tech machines. When the high-tech machines, which include Tallnecks, Snapmaws, and Sawtooths, begin to turn into dangerous hunters, Aloy will seek to discover a way to save her world while figuring out the truth of what happened in the past. The series proved to be a best-seller for PlayStation, having sold over 20 million global copies as of last year. The sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, was released earlier this year.

    Executive Producers for Horizon Zero Dawn will be Blackman, Michelle Lovretta and Abbey Morris, as well as Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions. They’ll be joined by Jan-Bart van Beek and Ben McCaw of Guerrilla and Roy Lee and Matthew Ball of Vertigo.

    Source: Steve Blackman

  • ‘The Umbrella Academy’ to End With Season 4 on Netflix

    ‘The Umbrella Academy’ to End With Season 4 on Netflix

    Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth and final season. The news was announced by the streaming service early Thursday morning. The Netflix Geeked account tweeted, “gather ’round, Brellies. we’re going to embark on our fourth and final adventure.”

    The renewal comes a little over a month after Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy premiered. Season 3 reportedly opened at #1 in Netflix’s English-language TV weekly rankings having pulled in 124.5 million hours viewed. It also spent five weeks in the Top 10 on Netflix. While the official renewal wasn’t announced until today, Deadline reports that the season has already “largely been written.”

    Steve Blackman, who helped launch the series, will remain on board as the showrunner for the final season. Confirmed to reprise their roles for Season 4 are Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore.

    In a statement to the press, Blackman noted his excitement over being able to get the Hargreeves siblings a proper send-off. “I’m so excited that the incredibly loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will be able to experience the fitting end to the Hargreeves siblings’ journey we began five years ago,” he said. “But before we get to that conclusion, we’ve got an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes.”

    Executive producing the hit Netflix series alongside Blackman are Jesse McKeown, who also serves as co-showrunner, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Scott Stuber and Beau Bauman. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá who created the comic book series on which the Netflix show is based serve as co-executive producers.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘She-Hulk’: Ruffalo Got to Ad Lib a Certain Scene in Episode Two

    ‘She-Hulk’: Ruffalo Got to Ad Lib a Certain Scene in Episode Two

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law introduces Tatiana Maslany‘s Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Mark Ruffalo‘s Bruce Banner. Ruffalo, of course, took over the role of Banner with 2012’s The Avengers, taking over the role of Hulk from Edward Norton who’d portrayed the character in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. While Norton did a good job playing the Jade Giant, the actor ended up departing the role citing that he’d experienced what he had wanted to experience with the character. Since then, Ruffalo has tackled the role, appearing in every Avengers film since and even co-starring in Thor: Ragnarok in 2017.

    In recent years, Marvel Studios has begun to reintroduce some of the other characters from The Incredible Hulk back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the biggest one being William Hurt‘s Thaddeus Ross who returned for Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow before his unfortunate passing earlier this year. Now, Marvel is looking to (finally) bring Tim Roth‘s Emil Blonsky back as the Abomination after a brief cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The actor is featured prominently in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, so it’s no surprise that his fight with the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk is recounted in the series. However, the show finds a way to poke fun at the re-casting of the Hulk in a pretty smart way.

    According to Maslany, the conversation regarding Hulk being a different person was actually an ad lib by Ruffalo. When asked if she was surprised the show got away with a nod to the recasting, the actress revealed Ruffalo was behind the memorable line.

    That was a Mark [Ruffalo] ad lib! That’s truly the world of this show. It’s as meta as you can possibly get, and what’s more meta than discussing the fact that the Hulk in [The Incredible Hulk (2008)] was played by a totally different actor? There are so many layers to it.

    Maslany

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes dropping on Thursdays.

    Source: THR.

  • Lyon Daniels & Noah Cottrell to Star in ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’

    Lyon Daniels & Noah Cottrell to Star in ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’

    Following the news that Christian Slater joined the cast of The Spiderwick Chronicles for Disney+, Deadline has confirmed the addition of two more cast members. Per the outlet, Lyon Daniels & Noah Cottrell are set to star in the series as twin brothers Jared and Simon. Daniels will play adventurous, clever, and impulsive twin brother, Jared, while Cottrell will play he thoughtful, more rational twin Simon, who is an animal lover.

    The Disney+ series is based on the book series of the same name by authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. It tells the story of two twin brothers, Jared and Simon. After they move from New York to Michigan, into a run-down ancestral home – The Spiderwick Estate – with their mother and sister, Mallory, Jared and Simon soon find themselves pulled into an alternate and fantastical world. The series consists of eight books in total and was previously adapted into a feature film in 2008 by Paramount Pictures. That adaptation was a misfire and only earned $164 million worldwide despite receiving an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

    Daniels recently appeared in Netflix’s We Can be Heroes, as well as Amazon’s Patriot. While Cottrell starred in The Gordita Chronicles on HBO Max and played the role of Diego on the Punky Brewster reboot series.

    The first two episodes of The Spiderwick Chronicles will be directed by She-Hulk director Kat Coiro. Locke & Key‘s Aron Eli Coleite will serve as the showrunner; he’ll executive produce the series with Coiro, Black and Dierlizzi. Also executive producing the series are Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, D.J. Goldberg, and Julie Kane-Ritsch.

    Source: Deadline.