Murphy's Multiverse

Author: Torbjorn Frazier

  • ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Release Date Confirmed

    ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ Release Date Confirmed

    Fans of Knives Out will have something additional to look forward to this coming holiday season. It has officially been confirmed that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be released worldwide on December 23 on Netflix and in select theaters. 

    Very little is currently known about what Rian Johnson has in store for his next installment beyond the notion of Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc returning to the screen to solve an entirely new mystery. It has been confirmed that this upcoming film will significantly deviate from the sleepy, sweater-heavy New England autumn aesthetic, and instead will be set in Mediterranean Greece. Much like the original Knives Out film, Glass Onion will be host to an all-star cast of well-respected Hollywood stars. The ensemble for this mystery will include the likes of Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

    When Johnson officially revealed the title of the new film, he also took time to speak about his inspiration from Agatha Christie’s novels and the large umbrella of themes and concepts she used within the mystery genre. Rian Johnson has confirmed then that this type of individuality between Glass Onion and Knives Out as mysteries will be an important facet of the franchise. The director has also provided insight into what that means for this upcoming film.

    Blanc was always outside of the sphere of our protagonist and was a little bit more of an enigma in the first movie. Whereas, in this one, Blanc gets an invitation to come to this murder mystery on this island. We’re very much meeting these people and getting into this world through his eyes.

    Rian Johnson

    It certainly will be interesting to follow how Daniel Craig’s Blanc will be defined in this role as the more overt protagonist in Glass Onion.

    Source: Rolling Stone

  • Ryan Gosling in Negotiations for ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Prequel

    Ryan Gosling in Negotiations for ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ Prequel

    Ryan Gosling is seemingly set to reunite with his Barbie co-star Margot Robbie in a film set within the Warner Bros Ocean’s Eleven franchise. The film is set to be directed by Jay Roach with the script being written by Carrie Solomon. The project has not yet been greenlit by the Warner Bros Discovery executive team, but they are targeting an early 2023 start of production should things come together. Word from insiders has been that this project will be a prequel film set in the 1960s covering a heist transpiring somewhere in Europe.

    The Ocean’s Eleven franchise technically stemmed from the generally maligned 1960 film of the same name starring Frank Sinatra and various members of the infamous “Rat Pack.” However, the more recognizable history of the film series began with Steven Soderbergh’s reboot in 2001 which boasted an A-list cast including George Clooney and Brad Pitt. This was followed by two sequels with the original creative team and then 2018’s female-centric Ocean’s Eight starring Sandra Bullock. Though the potential 1960’s European setting of this new film would provide a distinct difference from any of its predecessors.

    Ryan Gosling is currently is set to star alongside Emily Blunt in Universal’s David Leitch-helmed action film The Fall Guy. That film is set to open in theaters in May of 2024. And in terms of upcoming releases, Gosling will portray the role of Ken in 2023’s upcoming Barbie film with Margot Robie in the titular role.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Jameela Jamil Previews Titania in ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’

    Jameela Jamil Previews Titania in ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law had its official premiere last night, with the social media embargo lifting shortly thereafter. With many calling it the best Marvel Studios series to date, anticipation is building for audiences as they wait to see how all the new characters being introduced will come into the fold of the series and the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, though, fans of the villainous Titania will apparently have to wait a bit longer into the run of the show for her to be a major presence. While being interviewed on the red carpet for the series premiere, actress Jameela Jamil previewed what audiences should expect from her character and when.

    Episode five and six is when I really start to come around and ‘fork shirt up’ as the way we would say it on ‘The Good Place,’ and I bring mess and chaos and trouble to She-Hulk. And I really test her limits…she talks a lot in the show about ‘a woman’s patience’ and I think I know all of her buttons to press, and I do it with perfectly manicured fingernails.

    Jameela Jamil

    The preview of the character Jamil provides seems to set in place that Titania will become a fairly late-game major antagonist for the series. This would certainly be in line with other Disney+ series produced by Marvel Studios such as WandaVision and Hawkeye in how they introduced primary antagonists in Agatha Harkness and Kingpin, respectively. As well with this quote, it will be interesting to follow the dichotomy between Tatiana Maslany’s portrayal of She-Hulk and the social media influencer inspiration that’s seemingly been taken with Jameela Jamil’s Titania. If done right under the writing supervision of Jessica Gao, the dynamic between the two could become a largely memorable pair of rivals in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Thursday, August 18.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Digital, Physical Release Dates Revealed

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Digital, Physical Release Dates Revealed

    Audiences across the world will soon have the ability to view the continued adventures of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and company from the comfort of their homes. It is being reported that Top Gun: Maverick will release digitally on August 23, followed by a 4K and Blu-Ray release on November 1.

    The Tom Cruise-led sequel to the classic 1980’s action film has become the relative surprise hit at the box office in 2022. While anticipated to be a success, very few anticipated the roaring success Top Gun: Maverick enjoyed in being the only film of the year to cross the one billion dollar mark in box office gross globally. The film recently passed Titanic to officially become the seventh highest-grossing film domestically. Globally, Top Gun: Maverick currently sits as the 13th highest-grossing film of all time.

    With the arrival on all digital platforms, Top Gun: Maverick is seemingly nearing the end of its dominant run in movie theaters. This comes after still maintaining a top-three spot in weekend box office earnings as late as this past week, when it was re-released on larger screen, earning over seven million dollars. It certainly will be a major uphill battle for any upcoming film releases to match this level of box office success, especially moving away from the summer months.

    Top Gun: Maverick was directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars the likes of Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, and Val Kilmer.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘John Wick’ Prequel Series Finds New Home in Peacock

    ‘John Wick’ Prequel Series Finds New Home in Peacock

    NBCUniversal is slated to add another potential stalwart series to its young streaming service in Peacock. The Continental, which serves as a prequel series to the John Wick film franchise, is set to move from Lionsgate’s Starz to the NBCU streamer.

    This serves as a highly unconventional move in the streaming age in a developing property outright switching to a different distributor. It certainly is a large win for Peacock, who recently also acquired the film rights for Keanu Reeves-led John Wick. Meanwhile, this move is in line with the restructuring Starz has been in the process of recently focusing more on targeting female-demographic audiences.

    In an official statement about the acquisition, Peacock’s president Kelly Campbell spoke about the excitement of having the new series under the NBCU banner.

    The John Wick films have become a global phenomenon, are among the most watched titles on Peacock and we are thrilled and honored to partner with Lionsgate to extend this incredible franchise. We understand the value of a global franchise and Val Boreland (EVP and Head of Content Acquisitions for NBCUniversal) and team knew that by bringing this special event series to Peacock and putting the full power of NBCUniversal behind it, the premiere of The Continental will be the streaming event of the year.

    Kelly Campbell

    In addition, Kevin Beggs, the Lionsgate Television Group Chair, equally shared excitement for the partnership between the two groups to expand the John Wick franchise.

    John Wick has become part of the cultural zeitgeist with a massive, passionately engaged fan base around the world. We’re delighted to partner with Peacock to continue expanding the John Wick Universe. This agreement reflects the collaboration of our Motion Picture Group, which has grown the franchise from the beginning and was excited by the opportunity to bring it to the next level, Jim Packer (President of Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution for Lionsgate) and his Worldwide Television Distribution team, which found the perfect home for The Continental, and the Lionsgate Television creative group, which created a brilliant and enduring property that is one of the most highly-anticipated streaming events of 2023.

    Kevin Beggs

    The Continental, which will follow the perspective of a young Winston Scott (played by Colin Woodell in the series, and previously portrayed by Ian McShane in the films) as he navigates the criminal-filled underbelly of 1970s New York City at the titular hotel. The series is slated to release in 2023. Meanwhile, the franchise’s next theatrical release John Wick: Chapter Four is scheduled to release in theaters in March of 2023.

    Source: Deadline 

  • Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Attracts a New Audience for the MCU

    Marvel Studios’ Disney+ Attracts a New Audience for the MCU

    With the Disney Earnings Call taking place for their third fiscal quarter, the public has received notable updates on where Disney stands in terms of its current business operations. Notably, official word has been revealed for Disney+’s ad-supported model which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2022. As well, the streaming service has defied the company’s own expectations and has added over 14 million new subscribers in the fiscal quarter.

    When laying out components to the success of Disney+, CEO Bob Chapek specifically took time to reference Marvel Studios’ output of series over the past year and a half as a major point of success. What he states is quite interesting as he highlights that they have measured an audience that watch these series before any other Marvel offering on the platform, as shared by Alex Zalben on Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/azalben/status/1557467286457487361

    With this bit of information from Chapek, it paints a promising picture of the overall direction the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken in its fourth phase. It certainly seems to be the case that the audience that’s helped Marvel Studios produce some of the highest grossing films have followed them onto Disney+. And on top of that, the shows being able to attract new audience members that haven’t engaged with the Marvel Cinematic Universe prior is critical for the Disney-owned studio to maintain longevity moving forward.

    One could formulate the belief that the distinctly different genres that Marvel Studios has been able to adapt as a series (namely with the likes of WandaVision and Ms. Marvel) have become a large factor in its success. And with the upcoming release of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which will be Marvel’s first foray into the “legal comedy” genre, it remains to be seen how the new series will impact the subscriber base of the still-young streaming platform.

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is scheduled to premiere its first episode on Thursday, August 18.

  • HBO Max to Merge With Discovery+ by Summer 2023

    HBO Max to Merge With Discovery+ by Summer 2023

    A major bit of news in the age of streaming has come to be during the Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call. JB Perrette, the CEO and President of Global Streaming and Interactive at Warner Bros. Discovery announced that HBO Max and Discovery+ are set to be combined into a singular streaming service in the US next summer. On the earnings call, Perrette discussed the plans for rolling out this new operation.

    Our primary focus for the rollout will be in the markets where HBO Max has already launched. We plan to launch the service sequentially starting in the U.S. next summer. Latin America will follow later in the year. European markets with HBO Max will follow in early ‘24, with additional launches and key Asia Pacific territories and some new European markets coming later in 2024. There’s much work to be done over the coming months. There’s lots to do, we’re determined to get it right, which will take a bit of time.

    JB Perrette

    JB Perrette also spent time discussing the rationale for this decision, with the more appointment viewing experience of HBO Max and the comfortable viewing experience of Discovery+ being more strongly served on a singular platform.

    These are two critical and powerful components of a strong and sustainable subscription business. Coupled with our world-class collection of globally recognized brands, franchises and characters, it is truly an unprecedented combination in an already crowded market.

    JB Perrette

    The news of this radical shift from Warner Bros. Discovery is coming off the heels of an already loud week from the company in terms of shuttering projects. This includes the cancelations of Batgirl and the sequel to Scoob, despite them being well into the post-production process. It remains to be seen how much more will be altered in this new status quo from David Zaslav’s newly minted regime at the Hollywood stalwart.

    Source: Deadline

  • James Gunn Teases Tonal Change for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3’

    James Gunn Teases Tonal Change for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3’

    As the Marvel Cinematic Universe heads towards the end of Phase Four and into the beginning of Phase Five, one of the most anticipated projects for fans is Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3. With that, those in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con this past month were able to view a first look at what’s in store for the final chapter of this specific saga. And now, in addition, director James Gunn has given further intel on what to expect from his upcoming film. In an interview with Gamespot, Gunn discussed the tone of Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and how it differs from the first two iterations of the franchise.

    It’s an incredibly emotional story. Much more mature than the other Guardian stories in a way because, you know, we started making these movies that were 10, 11 years old when they saw the first one, and now they’re 20, 21 years old. The movie has grown up with them.

    James Gunn

    The news of a more emotional and mature story for Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is sure to pique the interest of fans who will be curious as to how exactly this will transpire. One could make the assumption that the introduction of Chukwudi Iwuji as the High Evolutionary will be the impetus for a relatively darker story in dealing with the trauma that Rocket Raccoon has at the hands of his creator. In addition, the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive trailer showcased the dramatic nature in which Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is dealing with the ramifications of trying to rebuild a relationship with Zoe Saldana’s Gamora. This despite the Gamora of this film being a multiversal variant after the death of Earth-616’s version during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

    The more mature narrative for this film would also be in line with a trend often seen in recent Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises in which the third film of a saga changes deviates from the general tone of the previous two. These have included the likes of Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will seemingly continue with the upcoming Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (which also arrives in theaters in 2023).

    Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is currently scheduled to open exclusively in theaters on May 5th, 2023.

    Source: GameSpot

  • ‘Supergirl’ Rumored to Cancelled by DC Films

    ‘Supergirl’ Rumored to Cancelled by DC Films

    In what comes as a continuation of DC Film’s slate being upended in massive turnaround from Warner Bros Discovery, it has now been rumored studio will stop development on their Supergirl film. According to a report from Rolling Stone, insider sources have told the publication that the Sasha Calle-led project is unlikely to be moving forward at the studio.

    Sasha Calle is currently scheduled to appear as the character in The Flash, which is currently slated for a June 2023 release. That appearance was intended to serve as the launching point for the solo Supergirl film. The Flash is not without its problems as its star, Ezra Miller, has already been a major point of controversy on a number of different levels already. Miller has been embroiled in various arrests due to their erratic behavior, forcing Warner Bros Discovery to deal with the important decision in relation to whether or not the studio will have to pull the plug on this project. The Flash is still scheduled for its 2023 release, but Miller is seemingly no longer involved with future DC related projects. The whole ordeal has especially been difficult as the film is slated to be a critical lynchpin for the future of DC’s cinematic plans.

    If Supergirl is indeed canceled, it will be in line with the array of projects getting nixed from the major comic book company’s film division. Notably, Batgirl was scrapped despite it being in the post-production process and $78 million already being spent on it. Wonder Twins, a project slated for HBO Max, was also canceled by the new Warner Bros Discovery regime earlier this year. And at the pace in which David Zaslav has been clearing house in terms of previously announced projects in development, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think more potential films will meet an untimely end before they move any further.

    Source: Rolling Stone

  • James Gunn On Where’The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Falls Among MCU’s Phases

    James Gunn On Where’The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Falls Among MCU’s Phases

    Coming out of Marvel Studios’ marquee panel at San Diego Comic-Con over a week ago, one of the major talking points was the confirmation of the full line-ups of both Phase Four and Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, one project which was curiously omitted from either lineup was the previously announced The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special . Despite Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 holding a major presence at the event, no update on the holiday special was provided. 

    Director James Gunn took to Twitter to give some updates on the special, including its placement in the MCU timeline. Gunn officially referred to the upcoming holiday special as the “epilogue” to Phase Four.

    This bit of news seems obvious on a surface level with the special debuting in the limbo period between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (the end of Phase Four) and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (the start of Phase Five). Even still, it will be interesting to follow how Marvel Studios officially notates the holiday special. If it never receives an “official” placement in an MCU phase, it could be an omen that these one-off specials aren’t as distinctly canonically tied to the ongoing Multiverse Saga. In theory, this would be in line with how the Marvel Studios Animation wing has seemingly been sectioned off from the ongoing narratives of the live action MCU projects.

    However, there is still the possibility that Marvel Studios distinctly withheld The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special from San Diego Comic-Con to instead spend time discussing the project at the D23 festivities in September. This could pair well with the assumed official reveal of Marvel Studios’ Halloween-based special coming later this year. Ultimately though, this subject is likely a continued indicator of the general banality of phase delineation and that people generally overthink the distinct meanings of them beginning and ending.