Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Nicole

  • Paramount Sets Release Dates for ‘Sonic 3,’ ‘Smurfs’ Musical

    Paramount Sets Release Dates for ‘Sonic 3,’ ‘Smurfs’ Musical

    There’s a third Sonic the Hedgehog film on the way.

    Paramount announced a release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 late on Monday. The threequel will hit theaters on Dec. 20th, 2024. The studio also set a new release date for its newest Smurfs film, an animated musical, with the project slated to hit theaters on Feb. 14th, 2025.

    Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was officially announced as being in development back in February, before the second film even hit theaters. The movie is based on the classic Sega video game franchise of the same name. Despite controversy surrounding the first film, which led to the redesign of Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog managed to go on to earn $319.7 million worldwide back in 2020. Its sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, hit theaters this past April and managed to surpass the box office haul of its predecessor with an impressive $401.8 million at the worldwide box office.

    As for Smurfs, Sony found some success with 2011’s The Smurfs, its sequel The Smurfs 2 (2013) and Smurfs: The Lost Village in 2017. Now, Paramount is hoping to do the same with the launch of an animated Smurfs musical in 2025. Like with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the Smurfs film was first announced in February of this year. The project is part of a new deal between Paramount and Nickelodeon. The new deal includes multiple animated films to be released through Paramount, as well as a second season of the animated series The Smurfs on Nickelodeon.

    Source: Deadline.

  • REPORT: ‘Constantine’ is Safe at HBO Max

    REPORT: ‘Constantine’ is Safe at HBO Max

    Over the course of the past few months, Warner Bros. Discovery has made headlines after canceling a slew of projects. Most of the notable cancellations to occur happened to DC titles including Wonder Twins, which was well into pre-production, and most recently, Batgirl, which was nearly finished. Now, DC fans are curious about what will happen to DC’s previously announced slate of television shows and movies, especially those on HBO Max. While the DC’s future slate remains uncertain, a new report from Deadline suggests that Constantine is still very much moving forward.

    The outlet states that Constantine, which is being developed through J.J. Abrams‘ overall deal at the studio, is on solid ground and is still moving along. In fact, it seems to be one of two projects believed to still be moving forward. Deadline also stated that Duster, which Abrams co-wrote with LaToya Morgan, still has its series order and looks to be active.

    Constantine, which hails from writer Guy Bolton, will see a diverse lead in the role and is imagined as a darker reboot of the DC Comics character. Rumors earlier this year stated that British-Nigerian actor Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù had been cast as Constantine. The actor’s casting was never confirmed, though.

    As it stands, nothing has been officially announced, but it looks like Constantine might be a series saved from cancellation. After all, David Zaslav is said to be a fan of Abrams and, so long as Zaslav feels Abrams’ work is quality, it seems likely Abrams will continue to chip away at his packed slate of projects.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘First Kill’ Showrunner Blames Netflix’s Poor Marketing for Cancellation

    ‘First Kill’ Showrunner Blames Netflix’s Poor Marketing for Cancellation

    When the marketing for First Kill kicked off back in May, the marketing seemed to enjoy drawing comparisons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer while also trying to use the teenage lesbian aspect as a selling point. The marketing never truly went beyond either, giving First Kill shaky legs to begin with, only for the poor reviews to tear the Netflix series down further. So, it’s no surprise that the showrunner, Felicia D. Henderson, has spoken out against the show’s poor marketing, citing it as the reason it was ultimately canceled.

    Two days after the news broke that First Kill would not be returning for Season 2, Henderson sat down to speak with the folks at the Daily Beast about the cancellation. “I so enthusiastically signed on to this show [because] it has something for everyone,” she explained. “Strong women leads, supernatural intrigue, an epic, Shakespearean battle between warring families, and a prominently featured Black family in the genre space, something Black viewers crave and a general audience needs to be treated to.”

    However, as she notes, while the marketing for the series was stunning, it never really did a great job at selling what First Kill was about. “The art for the initial marketing was beautiful. I think I expected that to be the beginning and that the other equally compelling and important elements of the show — monsters vs. monster hunters, the battle between two powerful matriarchs, etc. — would eventually be promoted, and that didn’t happen.”

    Here are some of the posters released for reference.

    While Henderson’s comments are understandable, it’s also worth noting the romance aspect was the center focus of the story. Still, Netflix did fail to showcase the powerful families in the series, as well as the various monsters lurking nearby.

    While First Kill did make Netflix’s Top 10 for within its first week, the show had trouble with audiences completing the series. Deadline reports that First Kill ranked at Nov. 7 with 30.3 million hours watched, peaking at No. 3 in its first full week of release with 48.8 million, going on to clear 100 million hours viewed within its first 4 weeks. Despite all of that, the series lacked the competition hours necessary for Netflix to renew it.

    Still, in the end, Henderson is grateful for Netflix did do. “They licensed the IP, paid for a pilot script, and gave it a healthy production budget.”

    First Kill is streaming now on Netflix.

    Source: Daily Beast.

  • Lady Gaga Confirmed for ‘Joker 2’

    Lady Gaga Confirmed for ‘Joker 2’

    A day after an official release date was given to Joker 2, aka Joker: Folie A Deux, director and co-writer Todd Phillips took to social media to confirm Lady Gaga‘s casting. News that Gaga would be joining the Joker sequel first hit in June, with Deadline revealing she was in talks to portray Harley Quinn in the film. While news has continued to hit regarding the Joker sequel, this marks the first official confirmation that the singer/actress is set to co-star alongside Joaquin Phoenix.

    In the video below, we see a silhouette of Phoenix’s Joker as he looks to be dancing with a cigarette in his mouth, followed by a silhouette of Gaga with what appears to be a heart on her cheek. The silhouettes then come together in a pose before confirming the Oct. 2024 release date.

    Production on Joker: Folie A Deux is expected to begin this December, with a good chunk of the story reportedly set within Arkham Asylum with some musical elements involved. Little else is known regarding the film, however, it’s possible the sequel could take cues from the Mad Love comics storyline. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how it all comes together.

    Joker: Folie A Deux will hit theaters on Oct. 4th, 2024.

  • OFFICIAL: Keanu Reeves Boards Hulu’s ‘Devil in the White City’

    OFFICIAL: Keanu Reeves Boards Hulu’s ‘Devil in the White City’

    Back in January, news circulated that John Wick actor, Keanu Reeves, was in talks to board Hulu’s adaptation of Devil in the White City. Now, it looks to be finally official as Hulu has announced Reeves will star in the adaptation of Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City.

    Devil in the White City was given a limited-series order by Hulu consisting of eight episodes. It tells the story of two men, an architect (Daniel H. Burnham) and a serial killer (Henry H. Holmes), who soon find their fates forever link thanks to the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Burnham is described as brilliant and fastidious, desperately seeking to leave his mark on the world, while Holmes is a handsome and cunning doctor who created his own pharmaceutical “Murder Castle” on fairgrounds — a palace is meant to seduce, torture and mutilate young women. Production is expected to kick off next year for a 2024 launch.

    Along with starring in the series, Reeves will also serve as an executive producer on the project alongside Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. Also executive producing the series are Rick Yorn, Jennifer Davisson, Stacey Sher, Sam Shaw, Todd Field, and Mark Lafferty. Shaw is also writing the series and will serve as its showrunner, while Field will direct the project.

    The Devil in the White City has been in development for quite some time. As previously noted, DiCaprio picked up the film rights back in 2010 with the project originally being set as a film at Paramount for Scorsese to direct. Eventually, though, Hulu acquired the project in 2019 and announced its plans to make a big-budgeted adaptation of the novel with DiCaprio and Scorsese still on board as producers. This will mark the biggest television role for the ever-busy Reeves, who is best known for starring in the John Wick films these days.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Leslie Grace on ‘Batgirl’ Being Shelved: “I feel blessed.”

    Leslie Grace on ‘Batgirl’ Being Shelved: “I feel blessed.”

    Following the news that Warner Bros. Discovery has opted not to release Batgirl, the film’s leading lady, Leslie Grace, has finally spoken out. Grace took to her Instagram page late Wednesday evening to talk about the abrupt move.

    “Querida familia! On the heels of the recent news about our movie “Batgirl,” I am proud of the love, hard work and intention all of our incredible cast and tireless crew put into this film over 7 months in Scotland,” she wrote. “I feel blessed to have worked among absolute greats and forged relationships for a lifetime in the process! To every Batgirl fan – THANK YOU for the love and belief, allowing me to take on the cape and become, as Babs said best, “my own damn hero!””

    Grace also included behind-the-scenes images from the film that fans will now never get to see come to life. In some of the images, Grace can be seen sporting Batgirl’s purple and yellow costume with plenty of dirt on her face, while in other clips the cast can be seen goofing around while waiting to film.

    Grace’s comments come after directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi released their own statement earlier in the day, revealing they were “saddened and shocked” by the news. “As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences, and while the film was not finished, we wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves.”

    While earlier reports suggested DC was keen to work with Grace and Fallah and Arbi again outside of Batgirl, it remains to be seen whether or not that does happen down the line. For now, it’s evident that all involved in the project are clearly passionate about Batgirl and are sad to see fans won’t get to see their hard work.

  • ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    ‘Joker: Folie A Deux’ Nabs 2024 Release Date

    While Warner Bros. Discovery continues to re-evaluate HBO Max and the projects being developed for the streaming service, the studio is moving full steam ahead on the theatrical front. Deadline has reported that the Joker sequel, Joker: Folie a Deux has nabbed an official release date. The film will be hitting theaters on Oct. 4th, 2024.

    The news comes a day after Warner Bros. Discovery announced it would be shelving the nearly complete Batgirl, which was meant to hit theaters next year. That project was said to be shelved as a tax write-off after the studio felt it wasn’t enough of an event film. The October 4th date was originally being held by Warner Bros. Discovery for an untitled DC event film, so the news isn’t entirely surprising. The first film managed to surprise with $96.2 million when it opened in October before going on to earn $1.07 billion at the box office – making it the highest-grossing R-rated film ever.

    While Joker 2 was in development prior to the merger, it managed to avoid being canceled because the studio viewed the film and director Todd Phillips as a good way forward for its DC films. In fact, back in June, reports suggested Phillips was being considered to help guide DC and Warner Bros Discovery. It remains to be seen whether or not that ends up being the case.

    Production on Joker: Folie a Deux is expected to kick off this December. Leading man Joaquin Phoenix returns as the Joker, while Lady Gaga is reportedly in talks to portray Harley Quinn in the film that is being described as a musical. Todd Phillips co-wrote the sequel with Scott Silver and will return as the director.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Netflix Has Canceled ‘First Kill’ After One Season

    Netflix Has Canceled ‘First Kill’ After One Season

    Fans have been anxiously awaiting a renewal decision regarding First Kill. Unfortunately, though, for fans of the young adult vampire drama, the series is not coming back for a second season. The news was revealed by Deadline late on Tuesday evening, although a reason for the cancellation was not revealed.

    First Kill was based on a short story by bestselling author Victoria “V. E.” Schwab and was often compared to Buffy the Vampire Slayer upon its launch because of its concept. The series, however, had a bit of a twist as this time around the series put LGBTQ+ characters front and center. Felicia D. Henderson, who worked on shows like Fringe and The Punisher, wrote for the series and served as the showrunner, also executive produced the series alongside Schwab. Actress Emma Roberts also served as a producer on the series.

    The series focused on a teenage vampire named Juliette Fairmont, played by Sarah Catherine Hook, and a new girl in town named Calliope, played by Imani Lewis. Much like with Buffy, the series focused on a forbidden love story between Juliette and Calliope, who just so happened to be a hunter. The show follows them as their forbidden love also forces them to address their first kills and the consequences that come with it all.

    News of the show’s cancellation is surprising in that it has proven to generate plenty of buzz on social media. Fans have been campaigning for the show’s renewal on Twitter for weeks now, responding to random tweets on Netflix’s account calling for First Kill to come back. With Season 1 ending on a massive cliffhanger, it’s doubtful fans will ever get a satisfying conclusion to the series on the small screen.

    The entire first – and only – season of First Kill is now streaming on Netflix.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Batgirl’ Has Been Shelved and is Not Being Released

    ‘Batgirl’ Has Been Shelved and is Not Being Released

    Earlier today, a report surfaced from the New York Post stating that DC and Warner Bros. Discovery had opted not to release its previously announced Batgirl film. Now, The Wrap has come out to confirm that the movie is not being released. The reasoning behind the decision is that, despite reshoots and an increased budgets, Batgirl just wasn’t able to come together well enough to please the studio. Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly said to want to make big theatrical event films, and Batgirl just didn’t feel like an event film.

    Batgirl was one of the few films put into development prior to the merger and was to be an HBO Max original. Production on the title kicked off last November and wrapped back in March, when director duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah shared the first look at leading lady Leslie Gace in costume as Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. While the nearly completed $90 million film will be shelved, the studio is said to be keen to work with film’s directors and star and wants to work with them again soon.

    The decision to not release Batgirl comes after the studio canceled the Wonder Twins film shortly after casting its lead roles. Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to tighten its grip on its DC properties, taking time to re-evaluate the projects that were in development before David Zaslav took over. Unlike the Wonder Twins, however, Batgirl was nearly complete and had been announced as receiving a theatrical release earlier this year. The decision to shelve a $90 million film as the studio takes a closer look at its budgets is sure to ignite a conversation among fans online. One can only hope Grace gets another chance to don the cowl sooner rather than later.

    Source: The Wrap.

  • ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing $30 Million Opening Weekend

    ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing $30 Million Opening Weekend

    Brad Pitt’s latest film, Bullet Train, is heading toward a slow start. The action flick opens in 4,300 theaters across North America this Friday, but box office experts don’t seem to have high hopes for it. As of now, Bullet Train is eyeing $30 million – or more – in its opening weekend.

    Reviews for the film hit today and they seem to be mixed. Bullet Train currently has a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics noting the Pitt-led film feels flat and lacks steam. While a $30 million opening would be enough to lead the domestic box office over the weekend, it’s a lower projection than anticipated given the film is an action-packed thriller aimed at adult men. The R-rated film was costly to produce – around $90 million – so it’ll be interesting to see how the box office plays in the coming weeks. Poor word of mouth, though, could take down the film before it ever gets a chance to speed off. Bullet Train could also potentially see competition from Jo Koy‘s Easter Sunday which opens on Friday, too.

    Bullet Train has also been the subject of controversy which could hinder its box office potential. Based on a book of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka which features primarily Japanese characters. Rather than cast a primarily Asian cast, Sony and those involved with the project used the “fictional people” argument to justify the decision not to bring in Japanese actors. Just a few days ago, director David Leitch argued that the characters are “not real people, and maybe they’re not even Japanese.” While Isaka is okay with the casting decisions made regarding Bullet Train, it’s likely the controversy will ultimately impact the movie’s overall potential when all is said and done.

    Bullet Train hits theaters on Friday.

    Source: Variety.