Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Film Adds Zach Galifianakis

    Live-Action ‘Lilo and Stitch’ Film Adds Zach Galifianakis

    Disney has been quite busy with its live-action adaptations and already has quite a few in some form of development to further capitalize on their nostalgia franchises. Dean Fleischer Camp is busy working on bringing Lilo and Stitch to life once again for Disney+, and it seems he may have already found one of its stars. It seems that Hangover star Zach Galifianakis will be joining the production by the director of Marcel the Shell With Shoes On.

    As you might guess, his role is still a mystery and it’s unclear who he might be playing. There’s a good chance he could be playing someone completely original though he would make for a good choice to play Pleakley, the loveable assistant that ends up stuck with Jumba Jookiba, who also has yet to be cast. DisInsider has pointed out that their sources heard he’s playing the character of Pleakley.

    Of course, we don’t know how close they are sticking to the original, as we’ve already heard rumblings that some aspects will get changed. It comes with the territory when you’re adapting something as iconic as a Disney animated film and want to give viewers a reason to see the new version of it. Still, we’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out who Galifianakis might end up playing, and the big question: who will be Lilo?

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, DisInsider

  • Wolverine Voice Actor Offers Update on ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2

    Wolverine Voice Actor Offers Update on ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2

    Marvel Studios has started many different projects since COVID hit, and it has disrupted their usual release schedules. As we’re entering an era where less will release,e we still have no word on what exactly will happen to the various animated projects moving forward like X-Men ’97.

    During San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios pretty much renewed most of their animated projects for a second season. That was, however, followed by rumors that they may not be moving forward with them until seeing if their projects even managed to pull in an audience, which is not conducive for any animated project.

    Luckily, it seems that at least X-Men ’97 is moving forward even though we still have no update on the first season release. To showcase that it is moving forward, Wolverine voice actor Cal Dodd has taken to his Twitter account to share a little update on what’s been happening with the iconic voice and even sporting some familiar claws.

    https://twitter.com/realcaldodd/status/1626683842881781761

    If they are already starting on the second season, Marvel Studios seems quite impressed with the work their team has brought to life. We still are waiting for some kind of trailer or release date but animation takes quite a bit of time to bring to life. So, they might still take some time and are recording in advance while they continue work on the production. These projects are being treated separately from the mainline Marvel Cinematic Universe and as such aren’t going to be as affected by the restructuring.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Last Guardian’ Composer Confirms Involvement with Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

    ‘The Last Guardian’ Composer Confirms Involvement with Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

    It was first rumored by Knight Edge Media just yesterday that the upcoming live-action Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender may have alredy found its composer in the talented Takeshi Furukawa. Now, it seems that he has officially confirmed it himself by taking to his personal Twitter account to share that he is working on the series.

    Not just that, he also highlights that he is honored to “receive stewardship of the incredible themes from the original series.” As such, it seems safe to assume that we’ll very likely see a soundtrack for this new adaptation that takes a lot of inspiration from the original. Something that is surprisingly rare for most live-action adaptations given just how unique they try to make it completely their own. Though, it seems they may also re-use the original as well.

    https://twitter.com/TFurukawaMusic/status/1626659454547795968

    It’s a good start for the drought that we’re having with one of Netflix’s biggest adaptations. They’re putting a lot of money into bringing those series to life but seemingly have not promoted any of it if they are still hoping for a 2023 release. While they’ve rushed out high-budget projects with a three-month announcement window like Cowboy Bebop, it does seem odd they aren’t pushing it harder.

    The series started producing quite a bit of time before One Piece did, but they already gave us a key visual for that adaptation to kick off the year. So, we don’t know what exactly Netflix’s plan is for its major releases this year and when exactly we can expect both series to find their way to the service without competing with each other. Maybe this will finally kickstart more announcements.

    Source: Knight Edge Media, Twitter

  • BREAKING: First ‘The Marvels’ Poster Reveals New November Release

    BREAKING: First ‘The Marvels’ Poster Reveals New November Release

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like Marvel Studios wasn’t lying about giving their projects more time to breathe. The Marvels has finally received its first poster as many theorized we’d see a trailer soon given its July 28th release. Yet, the poster reveals comes with one major addition: the film is delayed by quite a few months. It looks like The Marvels won’t release until November 10th

    It does seem like a smart move, as it spaces out their projects more evenly throughout the ear. While Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige always talked about having four films a year, their Disney+ ventures may have shifted that plan to a three-films-a-year cycle moving forward. It would give them some strong box office contenders, and stretch out the future phase while balancing it out with whatever series they have planned.

    It should be noted that Disney isn’t keeping that July date open, as they have seemingly decided Haunted Mansion is ready for a summer release. That is quite bizarre given it’s commonly an October/Halloween-centered release for these types of films, but they may just believe it’ll offer the right amount of summer zaniness.

    Marvel Studios is still set to make a splash at the box office and still remains a good seller for anyone wanting to follow along. We’ll expect a sizable drop in Quantumania‘s second weekend, as per usual but could also be a bit lower due to the box office not being as grandiose as last year. Interest in Kang the Conqueror will keep people interested and perhaps even if word-of-mouth isn’t hitting an A on the CinemaScore, it could boost future releases. Whatever it might be, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the releases of this year.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    ‘Quantumania’ Preview Night Box Office on Par with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    While it’s on pace to have a nice opening weekend and likely be the highest-grossing Ant-Man film, Quantumania’s Thursday night previews take looks to be coming in significantly lower than any of Marvel Studios’ 2022 theatrical offerings. According to industry estimates, the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise raked in $17.5M on its first night in theaters.

    That figure puts it well below last year’s 3 MCU properties, though those 3 films led the way in Thursday night preview take. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($36M), Thor: Love and Thunder ($29M) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($28M) all opened to much stronger Thursdays than Quantumania, however, 2022’s box office champion, Avatar: The Way of Water, pulled in a comparable $17M on its first Thursday. It’s all a matter of perspective as the $17.5M night (the same amount Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 took in back in 2017) places Quantumania’s preview night in the top 40 of all time.

    Quantumania’s Thursday intake is the highest to date for the Ant-Man franchise. Ant-Man and The Wasp took in $11.5M in 2018 while Ant-Man grossed $6.4 in 2015. Some estimates have the new film taking in $120M over its opening weekend, though it remains to be seen what impact the largely negative reviews of the film (you can read ours right here) will have on general audiences.

    Source: Deadline

  • M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year Directing and Producing Deal

    M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year Directing and Producing Deal

    Warner Bros. Pictures Group is teaming up with Oscar-nominated director M. Night Shyamalan on a multi-year first-look directing and producing deal. With the agreement, Shyamalan and his production company, Blinding Edge Pictures, will develop original projects for Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The deal is a dramatic shift from the way Shyamalan produces his films. He reflects on the new venture with some intriguing thoughts on why he made the switch:

    “Warner Bros. has a storied history of cinema. Through its recent experiences, the company has rediscovered its love and appreciation for filmmakers, and the impact of the theatrical experience. “

    Angelique Jackson, Variety

    With the slate of new projects, moviegoers can expect to see movies such as Trap (August 2024) and The Watchers (June 7, 2024), the directorial debut of Shyamalan’s daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan. Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are excited about the possibilities. They believe that Shyamalan will create “compelling original” stories and offer audiences a “unique experience at the theater.”

    Audiences can check out the filmmaker’s latest flick, Knock at the Cabin, which is now playing in theaters.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Rachel Hilson and Josh Holloway join HBO Max’s ‘Duster’

    Rachel Hilson and Josh Holloway join HBO Max’s ‘Duster’

    Rachel Hilson and Josh Holloway will star in J.J. Abrams and Latoya Morgan‘s series Duster. Announced in 2020, the project has officially landed a series order from HBO Max after initially only being given a development commitment by the streaming service. The first two episodes of the eight-part series are said to have been written by Abrams and Morgan, with Steph Green on board to direct them.

    Holloway plays the getaway driver to Hilson’s character, Nina, a black FBI agent hoping to take down a growing crime organization. Morgan, at the very least, was not afraid to share her excitement:

    “Duster is an amalgam of all my favorite things – high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart. It’s a dream project and I’m supremely grateful to all the folks at Warner Bros. and HBO Max for believing in this show. And I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime than J.J. to build this incredible world.”

    Morgan

    Also set to appear in Duster are Keith David, Sydney Elisabeth, Greg Grunberg, Camille Guaty, Asivak Koostachin, Adriana Aluna Martinez and Benjamin Charles Watson.

    Abrams’ Bad Robot initially signed on with an overall deal at Warner Bros. Discovery in 2019. Since then, very little has become of the deal. Abrams was developing Demimonde fir the streamer, but as the budget continued to grow, HBO Max ended up canceling the project. He was also working on two DC titles for HBO Max, Constantine and Madame X, both of which were passed over. And his The Shining spinoff, Overlook, moved to Netflix but was originally set up at HBO Max. So long as no further issues pop up behind the scenes, Duster looks likely to be the first project under the overall deal to make it to series.

    A premiere date for Duster has not been released.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Hellboy’ Headed Back to Theaters in Another Live-Action Reboot

    ‘Hellboy’ Headed Back to Theaters in Another Live-Action Reboot

    Third time’s a charm… hopefully. After a 2019 reboot of Hellboy led by David Harbour failed to catch on, the character is getting new, new life in another live-action film.

    Discussing Film broke the news that Brian Taylor (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) will helm the new Hellboy film for Millennium Media. It seems that the new film may adapt 2011’s three issue miniseries, Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

    The report indicates that the script for the film ready to go and that filming is slated to kick off in April.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Update Teases a Sue-Centric Story

    Reed Richards is the brains of the Fantastic Four but Susan Storm has always been the heart and soul of Marvel’s First Family. As casting for Marvel Studios Fantastic Four gets underway, it looks as though the studio heads and director Matt Shakman understand just how important of a character the Invisible Woman is to the success of the project.

    According to Deadline’s Justin Kroll, as Shakman and Marvel Studios casting department, led by Sarah Finn, start the search for the MCU’s Fantastic Four, Sue is at the center. Kroll states that “the focus” of the casting process is finding their Sue Storm “and building out the rest of the team” from there.

    Given the importance of Sue to the rest of the cast, it would seem that the character will be the centerpiece of whatever story Shakman intends to tell, something that has long been the case in the comics. The report’s indication that casting is just now gearing up is interesting as a slew of names has been passed around as “top contenders” for months now. It also makes Shakman’s recent meeting with star Mila Kunis a bit more interesting as it could indicate potential interest in Kunis for the role of Sue.

  • Marvel Studios Pumps the Brakes on ‘Nova’

    Marvel Studios Pumps the Brakes on ‘Nova’

    The Human Rocket is still headed to the MCU but fans of the character are going to have to wait a bit longer. According to a new report from THR, as part of Bob Iger’s mandate that Disney’s big brands like Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm be more selective with their streaming projects, development on Marvel’s Nova project has been slowed.

    The project was first revealed to be in development in March 2022 with Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada penning the adaptation. There’ve been conflicting reports about the nature of the project, but given its inclusion in THR’s report, it can be inferred that Nova was not being developed as a theatrical release but rather a streaming series of Special Presentation similar to Werewolf By Night. Marvel Studios’ Head Cheese, Kevin Feige, recently confirmed that the studio’s Disney Plus programming schedule was going to change, and the slowdown in the development of Nova certainly fits into that change.

    Given that Nova never had a release date, it’ll be tough to track a delay, but it sounds like fans of the character probably won’t be seeing him on screen until 2024 at the very earliest.

    Source: THR