Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Mortal Kombat 12’ Confirmed for 2023 Release

    ‘Mortal Kombat 12’ Confirmed for 2023 Release

    There’s been a long silence on what exactly NetherRealm Studios is currently working on. As we just had the release of Mortal Kombat 11, most assumed we’d see the third entry to Injustice finally make its way to modern consoles but it turns out, they are developing a direct sequel to Mortal Kombat after all.

    During the Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call, they talked about the future of their major releases, especially highlighting what they have planned for 2023. Among them, they talked about the Suicide Squad game that was just showcased during the PlayStation State of Play and confirmed that 2023 will see the release of Mortal Kombat 12.

    The shocking reveal does hint that we’d see an official announcement or teaser in the coming weeks, but it is bizarre to think it was just randomly dropped in an Investor’s call of all places. The fact it’s also eyeing a 2023 release means we’ll likely get a first look sooner rather than later, but if it’s a Holiday release we may have to wait a bit until E3 or any other gaming event later this summer.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Suicide Squad’ Game Will Add More Playable Characters

    ‘Suicide Squad’ Game Will Add More Playable Characters

    Is anyone else getting a feeling of déjà-vu? During the latest PlayStation State of Play, we finally got a good look at the upcoming game by Rocksteady focused on Task Force X. Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League will let you play as four members of the iconic group but it seems more are already in the pipeline.

    Similar to Marvel’s Avengers, the new Suicide Squad game is promising that more content is set to release even after the game finds its way into shelves in May. They will have a different system though with a confirmed Battle Pass heading our way. So, it would be safe to assume that characters are only purchasable with a battle pass.

    The only question remains: who would they join and can we expect more story elements? It does seem unlikely they’ll add a lot more to the story. So, they may have an endgame structure already mapped out, which was one of the biggest criticism against Marvel’s Avengers, which had a repetition issue with reused missions.

    This also opens up the possibility of other iconic members of the Suicide Squad getting added to the game. It seems safe to assume that almost everyone will make use of gunplay one way or another. So, we might see characters like Bloodsport or Peacemaker get added at some point, especially with their newfound popularity in the recent film adaptation by James Gunn. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what heads our way.

    Source: YouTube

  • Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady has been quite busy with the development of their next Arkhamverse game. Instead of returning to the Batman formula they perfected, they decided to take a different route. This time around, they are focusing on the smaller villains of the DC universe with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. During the latest State of Play from PlayStation, we also got some more details on when exactly this new entry takes place.

    According to the developer Rocksteady, it seems this game will be a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight. To be exact, it’ll take place around five years after that film ended with Batman seemingly retiring his cape. We know that he’ll return in this game and will once again be voiced by Kevin Conroy, which adds to the connection between these games.

    It does raise an eyebrow on how exactly they’ll try to explain Batman’s return given how Arkham Knight ended, but they may play a little loose with the canon. Gotham Knights were not part of the Arkhamverse and acted as its own spinoff using elements from the iconic Arkhamverse. Plus, it’s from a different developer who did create the Arkham Origins prequel game that was part of the universe.

    We don’t know more about what exactly the story will be outside of Task Force X, the iconic Suicide Squad’s official designation that will take on brainwashed Justice League members. It does seem a bit sour to potentially have to kill Batman after Kevin Conroy‘s tragic passing in this game, but maybe they have a secret up their sleeve.

    Source: YouTube

  • Warner Bros. Developing New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    Warner Bros. Developing New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    It looks like Embracer Group has found the home for their newly acquired Lord of the Rings rights, as they are moving forward with the development of new films with Warner Bros. and New Line. They have finalized a multi-year deal that allows them to develop films based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s iconic books.

    The announcement comes from the investor call. CEO David Zaslav has already hinted at this potential move, as he looked back to the studio’s “glory days” in the early 200s with franchises like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. Though, Embracer Group holding the rights left a few questions if they could bring the franchise back.

    There’s no word on what exactly they hope to achieve with these rights, as they might simply rehash a story that was already done extremely well by Peter Jackosn, but studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy highlighted they aren’t here to retread familiar ground.

    Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen.  The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans.  But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film.  The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure.

    De Luca actually has a history with The Lord of the Rings, as he was the president of production for New Line when the first movie, Fellowship of the Ring, was in development but ended up being let go before it was released. We’ll see if he’ll still be around when they revive this franchise.

    .Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Passes 12 Million Units in Just 2 Weeks

    ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Passes 12 Million Units in Just 2 Weeks

    It seems that people have been truly itching for a true Harry Potter experience, as Warner Bros. Games’ recent release of Hogwarts Legacy has seemingly already sold 12 million units within its first two weeks. As such, the game has already earned a whopping $850M in global sales across PlayStation 5, XBox Series X, and PC.

    As such, it is the biggest launch ever for Warner Bros. Discovery’s gaming division, as it has also set a new record on Twitch with 1.28M peak concurrent viewers during its launch window. The game already has shown quite the player engagement at 280 hours played since its launch. With so much discourse surrounding Hogwarts Legacy, it also had a strong effect on other Wizarding World products according to WBD.

    Additionally, there has been an increase of global franchise fan engagement overall with Wizarding World Digital garnering 300% higher traffic over the normal monthly unique visitor average for the first 10 days of February.

    Avalanche Software had the honor of developing the game and is likely already fast-tracking its next entry in the Hogwarts Legacy franchise, as a sequel seems quite definite at this rate. Of course, the discourse should also not ignore the PR nightmare that is J.K. Rowling‘s very public anti-trans rhetoric as the franchise continues to try and distance itself from its original creator.

    Source: Variety

  • BREAKING: ‘Steven Yeun Joins MCU’s ‘Thunderbolts’ & Beyond

    BREAKING: ‘Steven Yeun Joins MCU’s ‘Thunderbolts’ & Beyond

    A big win for Marvel Studios, as they have seemingly cast Minari and Nope star Steven Yeun in a secret role for the upcoming Thunderbolts film. Not just that, but it seems he’s joined a major role that’ll make him a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward. There’s no word on who he might be playing, but there are enough rumors making the rounds that could hint at whoever he’ll be playing.

    Either way, he’ll have a major role in Thunderbolts opposite Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. While it’s not quite an Avengers movie, it is still set as their first major crossover film that could become their next Guardians of the Galaxy-like team film that continues opposite of the main Avengers line-up.

    There are already going to be quite a few theories on who the actor might be playing, ranging from Amadeus Cho to the rumored Sentry. The actor has been on quite the career-high since leaving The Walking Dead with starring roles in A24’s Minari, Jordan Peele‘s sci-fi thriller Nope, and even voicing Invincible in the Amazon series. He also has a Netflix series on the way with Beef and also is working on Bong Joon Ho‘s Mickey 17. So, the actor is at the perfect point to also add a major blockbuster tentpole franchise to his filmography.

    Source: Deadline

  • HBO Max Returning to Derry With ‘IT’ Prequel Series

    HBO Max Returning to Derry With ‘IT’ Prequel Series

    It looks like Pennywise the Dancing Clown will return to our homes, as HBO Max has ordered a full series order for the prequel series based on Stephen King’s novel IT. The duo that created the latest iteration for theaters with the two IT films, Andy Muschietty and Barbara Muschietti, are on board alongside Jason Fuchs to bring the series to life.

    It currently has the working title Welcome to Derry and is seemingly going to take place in the same universe as the latest adaptations, as Andy Muschietti is also set to direct multiple episodes alongside the pilot. His work on The Flash certainly made this project a must-order for HBO Max and it’ll be interesting to see how they tackle an expansion of Stephen King‘s iconic novel.

    As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King’s IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces. IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can’t wait to share the depths of Steve’s novel, in all its heart, humor, humanity and horror.

    Andy and Barbara Muschietti

    Fuchs will write the pilot episode and is also set to showrun the project alongside Brad Caleb Kane. The details are scarce on how they’ll tackle this project and there’s now ord if Bill Skarsgård will return as the iconic horror clown. If it does take place in the same universe, it would make sense to see him tackle the role once more.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Hawkeye’s Original Musical Number Heading to Disneyland

    ‘Hawkeye’s Original Musical Number Heading to Disneyland

    There have been many theories that we may see more of that iconic musical piece from Hawkeye titled Rogers: The Musical. After visitors of D23 got a little piece from the musical, many wondered why they wouldn’t make use of it to have a live feature at one of the Disneyland Resorts. Well, it seems it was only a question of time as Marvel has finally announced that Disneyland Resort will indeed start showcasing the one-act version of Rogers: The Musical starting this summer.

    It’s fun to see this unique take on the first Avengers film make its way to real life after its popularity during the airing of Hawkeye on Disney+. While Clint Barton was a bit embarrassed by the project, it definitely became a fan-favorite, especially when we got the musical as the final post-credit sequence. For now, it seems they don’t have any exact details just yet for the project but it will debut on the Hyperion Stage in California Adventure Park.

    Many have wondered what the biggest advantage of Disney has been and that was its synergy. Not only do they have strong box office performers, but they also profit from having their properties get featured at Disney parks, the various merchandise released for the projects, and more. Who knows if they might also get inspired for a full-on musical inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe that could also become a Disney+ original eventually. At this point, anything is possible.

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘Shazam 2’ Projected for a Soft $40M Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘Shazam 2’ Projected for a Soft $40M Domestic Opening Weekend

    Warner Bros. Discovery’s overall strategy for their upcoming release slate has been a bit confusing. While they are showing a lot of trust in The Flash with an early release at CinemaCon, it doesn’t seem like they are giving the same attention to their other theatrical releases like March’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods. With barely any real marketing push, the film’s first box office projections are looking quite soft.

    As it stands, projections believe the film will open anywhere between $35M to $40M. Projections have been tough during the pandemic as very few truly managed to shoot past even the most optimistic projections, but it’s a rough look for the Shazam! sequel if this film won’t even pull in the opening box office from the previous entry, which stood at $53M. Smaller budget productions like this don’t have to break any massive opening weekend records but it’s definitely a showcase that with three weeks to go, it’s not looking to be a strong addition.

    There could be quite a few factors that add to the uncertainty about the film’s box office. Warner Bros. is generally trying to save money to make up for its loss, which was the main reason for the many questionable decisions we saw last year after the Discovery merger was finalized. Dwayne Johnson’s refusal to create synergy with Black Adam is also seemingly hurting the film’s chances of using that momentum and might not even come close to that film’s $67M opening weekend.

    We also can’t forget that DC Studios is about to re-invent the entire DC Cinematic Universe line-up, which will likely further have visitors wonder if there’s much point to keep up with the recent releases. If they are going to reboot the projects, there’s no real point to rush to see the latest entry but with a good ranking, it could get some good legs to at least become profitable by the end of its run.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Numbers (Shazam), The Numbers (Black Adam)

  • A New Rumor Reveals a Trio of New Avengers in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    A New Rumor Reveals a Trio of New Avengers in ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    Though it is now clear that Marvel Studios has pulled back significantly on the number of projects it will release–and thus put into production– each year, they company is still in the middle of its new multiphase saga and is still pushing ahead with that saga’s shared narrative. While the entire slate of the Multiverse Saga hasn’t been shared yet, two big event films are on it. Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars are both currently in development with the latter currently set to be the final installment of the Multiverse Saga.

    That doesn’t mean the former won’t have an important role; in fact, it looks like it will be the first time fans see the new iteration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes as they assemble to take on a Kang or two…or three. Several rumors have emerged about just which heroes might make up the New Avengers, including one that suggested Sam Wilson, Shuri and Shang-Chi were set to lead the team. Recently, Tom Holland‘s Spider-Man was unsurprisingly rumored to play a key role in the film. Now a new rumor has emerged on YouTube that might reveal some other members of the team.

    The new rumor indicates that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton has been keen on having Hulk, She-Hulk and Moon Knight as part of the lineup of the New Avengers. Additionally, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, would like Charlie Cox‘s Daredevil to join the lineup, though he may be willing to wait until Avengers: Secret Wars to have him earn his spot.

    A lineup of Captain America, Black Panther, Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Spider-Man and not one but two Hulks would certainly provide a team with quite a wide range of experiences and abilities. Hulk’s time travel expertise may prove valuable in the fight against Kang(s) but it’s likely that whatever team goes up against Jonathan Majors‘ team of villains won’t come away unscathed.

    Source: YouTube