Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Nicole

  • Joshua Jackson Joins Lizzy Caplan in Paramount+’s ‘Fatal Attraction’ Remake

    Joshua Jackson Joins Lizzy Caplan in Paramount+’s ‘Fatal Attraction’ Remake

    Joshua Jackson has signed on for Paramount Plus’ Fatal Attraction remake, joining Lizzy Caplan who was cast last year. Jackson will play the male leading role opposite Caplan’s leading lady.

    The forthcoming series is meant to be a reimagining of the hit 1987 film starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. It’s said the reimaging of the film will focus on the “timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes towards strong women, personality disorders and coercive control.”

    Jackson’s playing Dan Gallagher who ends up having a relationship with Caplan’s Alex Forrest. As the relationship develops between the two, it’s clear an obsession is building from Alex. Regarding Jackson’s casting, Nicole Clemens, the president of original scripted series at Paramount+, praised the actor. “Joshua is an incredible talent who creates beautifully complicated characters on both the screen and stage.”

    “He and Lizzy are perfectly matched to tell a nuanced and modern narrative about the complexities of the human psyche. We’re thrilled to partner with them to bring this provocative and captivating story to a new generation,” she continued. Caplan, of course, was confirmed to join the project in Nov. 2021. Jackson marks the second actor to join the project.

    Alexandra Cunningham (Dirty John) serves as the showrunner for Fatal Attraction, as well as the writer. She’ll executive produce the series alongside Kevin J. Hynes and Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey.

    Source: THR.

  • IDW Will Lose ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers’ Licenses at the End of the Year

    IDW Will Lose ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers’ Licenses at the End of the Year

    It’s official: IDW will lose the G.I. Joe and Transformers license at the end of 2022.

    The news was announced on Thursday by the comic book publisher. Back in December, it was announced that Robert Kirkman‘s Skybound imprint was in talks to pick up the licenses from Hasbro. Now, IDW has confirmed the news. However, fans of the G.I. Joe and Transformers comics can rest easy knowing the stories will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

    In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, IDW commented on the news. “At the end of 2022, IDW will bid a fond farewell to the publication of G.I. Joe and Transformers comic books and graphic novels. We’re exceedingly proud of our stewardship of these titles – 17 years with the Robots in Disguise and 14 years with A Real American Hero – and thank the legion of fans for their unwavering support, month in and month out. We’re also eternally grateful to every one of the talented creators who helped bring these characters to four-color life through our comics.”

    The monthly Transformers titles will come to an end around mid-summer, along with Transformers: Beast Wars series. While IDW is still preparing for a milestone issue of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero with issue no. 300 with writer Larry Hama on board.

    While the publisher will be losing the licenses for G.I. Joe and Transformers, however, it will retain the licenses for both My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons. As it stands, Skybound, Kirkman‘s imprint, has yet to comment on the potential deal with Hasbro.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Actor Fra Fee Joins the ‘Beauty and Beast’ Prequel Series for Disney+

    ‘Hawkeye’ Actor Fra Fee Joins the ‘Beauty and Beast’ Prequel Series for Disney+

    Fra Fee is joining the cast of the Beauty and the Beast prequel series on Disney Plus. The news comes courtesy of Variety, with the outlet reporting Fee is joining the cast as Prince Benoit Berlioz, “a childhood friend of Tilly’s who has grown into a handsome, charismatic, confident prince.” Tilly will be played by newcomer Briana Middleton, who was confirmed to be part of the cast last June when the series was officially ordered to series. The duo joins Luke Evans and Josh Gad who return to reprise their roles as Gaston and LeFou.

    The forthcoming series is said to follow Gaston, LeFou, and Tilly as they take off together, having uncovered a surprising revelation from her past, leading them on an unexpected journey. The Beauty & the Beast prequel will consist of eight episodes, and it was written and developed by Gad, Edward Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz, who all serve as co-showrunners on the series. Production on the series kicks off in Spring 2022, with Liesl Tommy (Queen Sugar, Respect) set to direct the pilot episode.

    Fee is, of course, coming off the recently released Hawkeye which is now streaming in its entirety on Disney Plus.

    Source: Variety.

  • REVIEW: “Fearbook Club” is a Story of Growing Up Told Through a Spooky Tale

    REVIEW: “Fearbook Club” is a Story of Growing Up Told Through a Spooky Tale

    When I first stumbled upon Fearbook Club on NetGalley, I was immediately pulled in by the cover. Then I read the description and was easily sold by its premise. A group of middle school students who are deemed the weirdos and forced to join Yearbook Club, only to discover there are ghosts of missing students lingering around campus. It’s a pretty fun concept, and while it isn’t always cohesive, it’s a rather easy read that celebrates the outcasts.

    Fearbook Club, which hails from AfterShock Comics, was created by writer Richard Hamilton, artist Marco Matrone and letterer Dave Sharpe tells the story of four middle school outcasts that are forced to work together in a Yearbook Club. The lead character, Whit, is a shy 6th grader who loves photography and spends most of his free time taking photographs that he develops in his makeshift darkroom at home. It’s when he develops his film after he takes of a fellow student near a condemned building on school that his world becomes entwined in chaos. In the photo, Whit discovers other students in the picture — other students that were only visible through the photograph.

    When Whit and the others try to unravel the mystery, they soon discover their school has a long track record of missing students that are seemingly forgotten. What unravels is a story of overcoming fear and doing what is right in the long run. Unfortunately, this is also where the story falls apart. Things become rushed that the last twenty pages become hard to follow. The mystery of who and what is behind the missing students is fascinating, but it’s not executed in the best way to truly benefit the story.

    As for the artwork, it’s pretty great, honestly. It’s the artwork that carries the story. From the design of the “monster,” to the way the emotions are conveyed in scenes, the artwork tells the story wonderfully.

    Overall, Fearbook Club isn’t a book everyone is going to love and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. While it does have its issues, Fearbook Club is a book I would highly recommend to young readers because it tackles important topics such as overcoming fear, handling grief and finding yourself. Even better? It does so in a way to keep them invested in the story — it brings in a spooky element, all while still managing to stay reality-based.

  • Alison Brie and John Cena Team-Up for Comedy “Freelance”

    Alison Brie and John Cena Team-Up for Comedy “Freelance”

    Alison Brie and John Cena are teaming up as freelancers.

    The duo will star together in the movie, Freelance, which will be helmed by Taken helmer Pierre Morel. Freelance was written by Jacob Lentz (Jimmy Kimmel Live) and centers on an ex-special forces operator who takes a job providing security for a journalist in search of a change. Naturally, things go terribly wrong along the way when a military coup breaks out during an interview. The mismatched pair will need to escape to the jungle, along with the dictator, in hopes of survival.

    Cena, of course, will play the ex-special forces operator, while Brie will play the journalist. Production on the film will kick off later this month in Colombia. Steve Richards of Endurance Media, Sentient’s Renee Tab and Christopher Tuffin are producing, while AGC and Endurance are co-financing the project.

    This is yet another project for the incredibly busy Cena who is starring in the recently released Peacemaker on HBO Max. Brie, of course, is most famous for her roles in Community and Netflix’s Glow.

    As it stands, Freelance does not yet have a release date.

    Source: THR

  • Peacock Renews ‘One Of Us Is Lying’ for Season 2, Nabs New Showrunner

    Peacock Renews ‘One Of Us Is Lying’ for Season 2, Nabs New Showrunner

    Peacock has given a season two order to its young-adult drama, One of Us is Lying.

    The drama, which is based on Karen M. McManus’ best-selling novel, proved to be a success for the streaming service. It tells the story of five high school students who go to detention together, with only four making it out alive. This ultimately leads to the others becoming suspects, as each student has something they’re hiding for one reason or another. The series stars Mark McKenna as Simon, Annalisa Cochrane as Addy, Chibuikem Uche as Cooper, Marianly Tejada as Bronwyn and Cooper van Grootel as Nate.

    Erica Saleh, who helped to develop the series, is stepping up as the show’s new showrunner ahead of Season 2. Saleh will take over for Darío Madrona, who will remain on the show as an executive producer.

    “From the moment we saw the pilot Erica wrote, we knew this was a special show and we’re thrilled that Peacock felt the same,” said UCP President Beatrice Springborn in a statement to Deadline. “Returning to shoot in New Zealand with Erica as showrunner for Season 2 is an exciting next chapter in the wild and fun story of the Bayview Four.”

    Lisa Katz, president of scripted content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, has praised the fans of the series for helping it to become such a success. “The fandom behind the series is incredibly passionate and we can’t wait to deliver more twists and turns that will leave viewers on the edge of their seats.”

    Season 2 of One of Us is Lying will pick up where the first season left off, but it will deviate from the novel’s story going forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • Leslie Grace Unveils First Look at Batgirl Costume

    Leslie Grace Unveils First Look at Batgirl Costume

    As production continues on Batgirl, the leading lady, Leslie Grace, has provided fans with the first look of her in costume as the titular hero.

    In the image, which you can see below, the costume seems to homage Barbara’s iconic Batgirl of Burnside uniform. It’s a rather comics-accurate costume, with only minor adjustments made in its translation to live-action.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CYu4i_4MAdF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    With the outpouring of set photos that have surfaced in recent days, it’s not surprising that we received our first look as the costume this early on. It’s more than likely the studio wanted an official release to be what fans saw first rather than a leaked set photo, which is often the case with superhero films.

    Along with the image, Grace posted a quote from Batgirl: Year One by Scott Beatty, Chuck Dixon, Marcos Martin, Javier Rodriguez , Alvaro Lopez, and Willie Schubert. “I use their expectations against them. That will be their weakness. Not mine. Let them all underestimate me… And when their guard is down, and their pride is rising, let me kick their butts.”

  • ‘Scream’ Rakes in $3.5 million at Thursday Previews

    ‘Scream’ Rakes in $3.5 million at Thursday Previews

    Paramount and Spyglass Media’s Scream, the fifth installment of the horror franchise, is off to an impressive start. The horror flick earned $3.5 million at Thursday previews from 3,000 theaters. While that number is below Halloween Kills and A Quiet Place Part 2, which both earned $4.8 million each, it is still impressive for a horror film during a pandemic.

    It remains to be seen how well the reboot/sequel does over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, however, the hope is that it’ll cross at least $20 million. Under normal circumstances, that would be a low number for such a big movie. However, in a pandemic, that is a safe goal to reach. Working on Scream’s favor, of course, is the fact that it has no major competition until February 4th — when both Moonfall and Jackass Forever debut. Its only real competition as it stands is Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is still dominating the box office and inching closer to $700 million stateside.

    With strong reviews, Scream should do well over the four-day weekend, potentially even overtaking Mama (2013) as the highest opening over MLK weekend for a horror film. That film pulled in $32.1 million at the time. Fans can return to Westboro now that Scream is finally playing in theaters.

    Source: Deadline


  • NBC Orders Pilot for ‘Quantum Leap’ Sequel

    NBC Orders Pilot for ‘Quantum Leap’ Sequel

    NBC is looking to bring back the hit series, Quantum Leap.

    It was announced early Thursday that the network has given a pilot order to a Quantum Leap sequel. The potential series would be set 30 years after the original television show, which ran for a total of five seasons on NBC between 1989-1993. The new project will reportedly bring back Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, judging by the synopsis, although NBC has yet to confirm his involvement.

    The sequel takes place 30 years after the events of the original series, where Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Following his vanishing, a new team is brought in to restart the project to try and understand the mysteries behind the machine and the man who built it. As it stands, the order from NBC is only for a pilot episode. However, this is the first major movement on any Quantum Leap revival since Bakula teased the potential project last year. At the time, the actor cited the rights as the reason a revival hadn’t happened yet. Now, though, it would seem that problem has been sorted.

    Creator Don Bellisario will serve as executive producer for the sequel series, while Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt (Gotham) serve as the showrunners. Should the project move forward, it will be a part of NBC’s 2023 line-up.

    Source: THR.

  • Netflix’s ‘Shadow & Bone’ Casts Four Key Roles for Season 2

    Netflix’s ‘Shadow & Bone’ Casts Four Key Roles for Season 2

    Netflix has filled four key roles for the forthcoming second season of Shadow & Bone, which is now in production.

    To celebrate the start of production on the series, Shadow & Bone has added four new actors to its rooster. Joining the cast are Anna Leong Brophy (Back) as Tamar Kir-Bataar, Patrick Gibson (The OA) as Nikolai Lantsov, Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat) as Tolya Yul-Bataar and Jack Wolfe (The Witcher) as Wylan Hendriks. Along with casting four key roles, the three others have been upped to series regulars for the upcoming season: Danielle Galligan who plays Nina Zenik, Daisy Head who plays Genya Safin and Calahan Skogman who plays Matthias Helvar.

    Along with adding new cast members, the series is also making some changes behind the camera. Netflix has announced that Season One writer, Daegan Fryklind, has been upped to co-showrunner for the series alongside Eric Heisserer, who is returning as showrunner. They’ll be working with directors Bola Ogun, Laura Belsey, Karen Gaviola and Mairzee Almas who will all helm episodes for Season Two of Shadow & Bone. The hit Netflix series, which also stars Ben Barnes, is based on the best-selling Grishaverse novels by author Leigh Bardugo, who is an executive producer on the Netflix adaptation.

    The Grishaverse novels follow orphan Alina Starkov, a young girl who who possess a sought-after power, across a war-torn world as she flees from the powerful General Kirigan, played by Barnes. The season, consisting of eight episodes, is expected to debut sometime this year.

    If you’re new to the Grishaverse, the first season of Shadow & Bone is streaming in full on Netflix now.

    Source: THR