Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Nicole

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Overtakes ‘Infinity War’ as Sixth-Highest Grossing Movie

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Overtakes ‘Infinity War’ as Sixth-Highest Grossing Movie

    After nearly three months in release, the Tom Cruise-led Top Gun: Maverick has achieved yet another milestone. As of this weekend, Maverick has overtaken Avengers: Infinity War to become the sixth-highest grossing movie of all time.

    Top Gun: Maverick has officially hit $679 million at the North American box office. That’s enough to surpass Infinity War‘s $678 million domestic haul. The sequel to Top Gun, which released in 1986, once seemed like a risk. After all, while Cruise is a household name, the actor was never a huge box office draw. However, the positive word of mouth has continued to push Maverick to new heights. It remains to be seen whether the film can surpass Black Panther, which earned $700.4 million during its theatrical run, to become the fifth-highest grossing film of all time.

    Internationally, Maverick has surpassed $700 million, which is all the more impressive because it has not been released in China or Russia. The film has earned $95 million from the United Kingdom alone and another $82 million from Japan. The film opened over Memorial Day weekend with a record setting $160.5 million opening, giving Cruise his first $100 million+ opening in a single weekend.

    Top Gun: Maverick will be released digitally on Aug. 23rd before hitting home video on Nov. 1st.

    Source: Variety.

  • ‘Outlander’ Actor Sam Heughan Eyeing ‘Days Gone’ Adaptation

    ‘Outlander’ Actor Sam Heughan Eyeing ‘Days Gone’ Adaptation

    Outlander leading man Sam Heughan looks to have lined up his next feature film. Deadline reports the actor is currently in talks to star in a feature film adaptation of the video game, Days Gone. Sony PlayStation Productions is developing the project and has brought Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air) on board to pen the script.

    Days Gone was created by Bend Studios and has sold 9 million copies since it was released in 2019. The game is set in the Pacific Northwest after a devastating global pandemic and follows a former motorcycle club member, Deacon St. John, as he fights to survive against mutated predatory humans while on a quest to find his lost love who is presumed to be dead.

    Heughan is best known for his role as Jamie Fraser on the Starz series, Outlander, in which he has starred in 75 episodes. Outside of the small screen, the actor has steadily been building his film resume with roles in The Spy Who Dumped Me and Bloodshot. As for Turner, he has written films such as Up in the Air, which earned him an Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination. He also worked on X-Men: First Class and penned the forthcoming Everest.

    The live-action film is being produced by Jennifer Klein and Turner through their Vendetta Productions banner. Also producing the film are Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan are producing for Sony PlayStation Productions.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Elijah Wood Boards ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2

    Elijah Wood Boards ‘Yellowjackets’ Season 2

    Elijah Wood is set to join the cast of Showtime’s new hit series, Yellowjackets, for Season 2. The news was announced today, with the network revealing Wood will play Walter, a dedicated citizen detective who will challenge Misty (played by Christina Ricci) in ways she won’t see coming. His role is said to be a season-long guest role.

    Wood joins new additions Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under), who will play the adult version of Van, and Simone Kessell (Obi-Wan Kenobi), who will play the adult Lottie Matthews. They will star alongside Ricci and leading lady Melanie Lynskey, who earned an Outstanding Lead Actress nomination for her work in the first season.

    Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, who brought Narcos to the small screen, created Yellowjackets for Showtime. The series tells the story of a team of talented high school girls soccer players who find a way to survive after their plane crashes in the northern wilderness. Yellowjackets offers a look at their will to survive, including developing savage clans, while also jumping forward 25 years to showcase how the team tries to put their lives back together only to realize the past doesn’t always stay in the past.

    Production on Season 2 will begin in Vancouver later this month.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Overtaking ‘Beast’ at Box Office

    ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’ Overtaking ‘Beast’ at Box Office

    Beast looks to be no match for Dragon Ball Super. The Crunchyroll sequel, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, managed to pull in $4 million from Thursday night previews. That is well ahead of Universal’s Beast starring Idris Elba. That film took in $925K from 2,900 theaters.

    While it remains to be seen how both films perform over the weekend, Super Hero looks like it’ll take the lead with a projected $15 million start. The film has a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an impressive 90% and should easily overpower most of its competition this weekend. As for Beast, one of the few new releases this weekend, the film is looking at a 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. More importantly, though, it is expected to open in the single-digit range despite a wide opening of at least 3,700 theaters. Working in Super Hero‘s favor is that it is currently playing in Imax, 4DX, Dolby and D-box. The film also has a limited 90-day theatrical window.

    Super Hero‘s preview numbers are all the more impressive when compared to Crunchyroll’s Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which saw $2.88 million from Thursday previews before opening with $14.8 million. It is also above Demon Slayer‘s preview earnings – $3.8 million. That title would go on to open to $21.2 million.

    The only real competition Super Hero could face would be Bullet Train and Top Gun: Maverick, with the latter continuing to stay within the top five two months after release.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Grease’ Returning to Theaters to Benefit Charity

    ‘Grease’ Returning to Theaters to Benefit Charity

    Following the unfortunate passing of Olivia Newton-John, AMC Theaters is bringing Grease back to the big screen for a limited time. The classic 1978 musical is returning to 175 theaters stateside as of tomorrow with tickets set to cost fans $5. A dollar from each ticket sold will be AMC’s charitable fund AMC Cares, with the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

    “To honor the late Olivia Newton-John: many of our U.S. theatres this weekend will show her classic 1978 hit movie Grease, again on the big screen,” AMC CEO Adam Aron said. “An inexpensive $5 admission price, and through our charity AMC Cares we will donate $1 per sold ticket to breast cancer research.”

    Grease, which was to get a spinoff at HBO Max titled Rise of the Pink Ladies, is one of the most iconic musicals to date. Newton-John starred as Sandy, a high school student who falls for John Travolta‘s Danny Zuko over the summer, only to find he’s not the guy she thought him to be. The film was originally released in 1978 and proved to be an instant box office success after opening to $8.9 million and finishing its run with $132.4 million. It went on to become the highest-grossing movie of the year and spawned countless hits off of its soundtrack, including “You’re the One That I Want” and “Summer Nights,” as well as “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” which was nominated for an Oscar.

    Newton-John passed away on Aug. 8th at the age of 73. While her cause of death has not yet been revealed, the actress has publicly battled breast cancer since 1992. After going into remission twice, the cancer, unfortunately, returned for a third time in 2017.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Jesse Eisenberg Would be Shocked if He’s Brought Back as Lex Luthor

    Jesse Eisenberg Would be Shocked if He’s Brought Back as Lex Luthor

    With Warner Bros. Discovery looking to revamp its slate, fans can expect plenty of changes to occur in the coming months. We’ve already seen multiple changes to the studio’s DC slate, from the cancellation of Batgirl to the Joker 2 officially receiving a release date, and yet there’s still plenty that remains unknown. Recent reports have suggested outside of Joker: Folie à Deux, no other DC film has received the green light, even the previously announced sequel to the critically acclaimed The Batman. So, it shouldn’t be too surprising then that the actors previously involved within the DC Extended Universe are unclear as to whether they’ll return. One actor unsure of his future within the DC Universe is Jesse Eisenberg.

    During a recent appearance at the 28th Sarajevo Film Festival to promote his directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, Eisenberg was asked about a possible return to the DC world. In his response, Eisenberg noted that while he wasn’t a comic book fan, he enjoyed playing Lex Luthor. Should he be given the chance to do so again, Eisenberg would gladly do so, but he’s not holding his breath.

    “I’d be shocked if I wound up in a DC movie, but it would be a pleasant shock. Listen, I’m not a comic book fan. To me, it was not playing a role that I’d envisioned since childhood. To me, it was a chance to play this great character that this great writer wrote, and I loved doing that. So, to play it is a joy, and to not play it isn’t something that I’m going to be ashamed to tell my kids about, because that is not an important genre in my life, even though I loved doing that movie.” 

    Jesse Eisenberg

    While it might not be an important genre in his life, the actor is still willing to partake in another superhero film, whether it be DC or Marvel. As he explained, just because superhero films are “commercial films,” it doesn’t mean they don’t often come with great roles. “Because as an actor, you do all kinds of different things, and sometimes great roles show up in really commercial things and sometimes terrible roles show up in independent films.”

    Eisenberg’s directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, hit theaters earlier this year. Up next for him is A Real Pain, which he’ll direct and co-star in alongside Kieran Culkin.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Rory Culkin Boards ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6

    Rory Culkin Boards ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6

    Netflix has nabbed another big name for its sixth season of Black Mirror. Deadline reports that Rory Culkin is set to join the impressive cast of the forthcoming season. News of his casting comes about a month after it was revealed Zazie Beetz, Paapa Essiedu, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Danny Ramirez, Clara Rugaard, Auden Thornton and Anjana Vasan have all joined Season 6 of Black Mirror. As with the others, little is known regarding the actor’s role in the anthology series.

    Culkin is coming off of FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven where he starred alongside Andrew Garfield. He recently starred in 50 States of Freight, Castle Rock and Waco. He has also previously starred in Signs and Scream 4. The actor also previously led the podcast, Outliers, which followed a young, unnamed boy who believes he and his father are the last remaining humans in a world ravaged by mysterious creatures until that belief is shattered by the truth.

    The sixth season of Black Mirror is the first season to be produced through writer Charlie Brooker‘s Netflix-backed banner, Broke & Bones, which he runs along with Annabel Jones. Production on Season 6 of Black Mirror is currently underway with no release date yet announced. It is expected this season will follow the same pattern as Season 5, with limited episodes that are closer to feature film length.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ to be Pulled from HBO Max

    ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ to be Pulled from HBO Max

    Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to pull another batch of titles from HBO Max. It was revealed on Wednesday that the streaming service will be pulling a large list of titles including The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, Generation Hustle, Uncle Grandpa and Ellen’s Next Great Designer. The biggest surprise, however, is that the service is also set to remove Aquaman: King of Atlantis from the service this week.

    Aquaman: King of Atlantis was first announced in January 2020. The HBO Max original animated series centered on Aquaman’s first day on the job as the king of Atlantis. Joining him in the series were Vulko, the scholar, and Mera, the water controlling warrior-princess, who were there to serve as his two royal advisors. The series saw the hero rise to the challenge as he fought to prove himself worthy of being King of Atlantis.

    James Wan, who directed the first Aquaman film and its forthcoming sequel, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, was on board as a producer through his Atomic Monster banner. He produced the animated series alongside Michael Clear, Rob Hackett, Sam Register and Warner Bros. Animation. The series premiered in Oct. 2021 and has since become available to rent through other platforms including Amazon’s Prime Video and iTunes.

    As Warner Bros. Discovery continues to evaluate the company as a whole, it’s likely more cancellations and removals will be announced in the coming weeks. Especially given that the goal is to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ by next year.

    “As we work toward bringing our content catalogs together under one platform, we will be making changes to the content offering available on both HBO Max and discovery+. That will include the removal of some content from both platforms,” the company said in a statement to the press. “At the same time, we’re already starting to bring our content catalogs together like the launch of the new CNN Originals Hub on discovery+ and a curated collection of Magnolia Network content coming soon to HBO Max.”

    Source: Deadline.

  • Paramount+ Series ‘School Spirits’ Adds to its Cast

    Paramount+ Series ‘School Spirits’ Adds to its Cast

    Production is officially underway on School Spirits, the young adult drama being adapted for Paramount+. Deadline has announced that Kristian Flores (Reboot), Spencer MacPherson (Reign), Kiara Pichardo (The Society), Sarah Yarkin (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Nick Pugliese (Dramarama) and Rainbow Wedell (The Wilds) have officially joined the cast. They’ll star alongside the previously announced Peyton List and Milo Manheim. Also joining the series in recurring roles are Josh Zuckerman (The Offer) and Maria Dizzia (13 Reasons Why).

    The series will follow List’s character as she finds herself stuck in the afterlife and goes on to investigate her mysterious disappearance, alongside a group of other students that are also stuck in limbo from her school. Flores is Simon Elroy, MacPherson is Xavier Baxter, Pichardo is Nicole Herrera, Yarkin is Rhonda, Pugliese is Charley, and Wedell is Claire Zolinski. While Zuckerman and Dizzia will portray Mr. Martin and Sandra Nears.

    Oliver Goldstick, who previously worked on Pretty Little Liars, is the showrunner. He’ll also executive produce alongside Nate and Megan Trinrud, who wrote the pilot. Max Winkler, who recently worked on Freeform’s Cruel Summer, is set to direct and executive produce as well.

    School Spirits is based on the forthcoming graphic novel of the same name by Nate & Megan Trinrud and Maria Nguyen. The novel will be published next year through Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books. It is being produced by Awesomeness Studios and production is currently underway in Vancouver.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Jessica Gao on the Evolution of Using the Fourth Wall Break in ‘She-Hulk’

    Jessica Gao on the Evolution of Using the Fourth Wall Break in ‘She-Hulk’

    Marvel Studios’ She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is set to premiere this Thursday, and as evidenced in the trailers, Jen’s fourth wall breaking will be a big part of the series. Jessica Gao, who serves as the head writer on the show, previously discussed the importance of including fourth wall breaking in the series, stating it was one of the most essential factors from the comics she ensured carried over into the series. However, it looks like it took a bit for the creatives to decide how to work it into the show.

    During the virtual press conference last week, Gao was asked how She-Hulk breaks the fourth wall in a way unique to her character. According to Gao, it was a bit of an evolutionary process to decide how the titular hero would use the fourth wall breaks within the series. “I mean, we really talked.  It went through a lot of evolutionary steps.  A long journey of, like, how much should she talk to camera?  Is she talking directly to the audience?  Is there another meta element?  Is she talking to somebody else, like, that’s more behind the scenes?”

    Early scripts had the series using text boxes with editor’s notes instead of having Jennifer Walters talking directly to the camera. Gao took inspiration from the comics and how editor’s notes were added in text boxes. “At one point, there was an iteration in the scripts where, instead of really talking directly to the camera, there were, kind of text boxes that were editor’s notes, like the comic books, how there were editor’s notes in comics.”

    Had the series decided to keep the text boxes, Walters would’ve interacted with them on screen, but it was ultimately scrapped. “And she was actually interacting with the editor’s notes that would be onscreen. I mean, we did eventually scrap that idea. But I mean, we went through a lot of different versions of how she would do it.”

    While it would’ve been fun to see Tatiana Maslany‘s Walters interact with editor’s notes on the screen, the creatives seem to have made the right decision by choosing to have her speak directly to the camera.

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on Thursday, August 18th.