Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • New DC Studios co-CEO Says ‘Batgirl’ “Would Have Hurt DC”

    New DC Studios co-CEO Says ‘Batgirl’ “Would Have Hurt DC”

    DC Studios has finally unveiled its plans for the future of the actual DC Cinematic Universe. James Gunn is spearheading various projects alongside his co-CEO Peter Safran. They’re at a crossroads of having to roll out the previous projects that set the bar while also introducing a new era of heroics into the DC Cinematic venture.

    The biggest sacrifice made before they even joined the newly formed DC Studios was Batgirl, an HBO Max original with a promising cast and group of creatives. Many were baffled by the decision to cut a finished film and Safran seems to agree that what he saw from the film was “not releasable.”

    Batgirl’s a character that inevitably we will include in our story. On the Batgirl front, it’s not about late in the process of the film getting canceled. I saw the movie, and there are a lot of incredibly talented people in front of and behind the camera on that film. But that film was not releasable, and it happens sometimes. That film was not releasable. I actually think that [president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery David] Zaslav and the team made a very bold and courageous decision to cancel it because it would have hurt DC. It would have hurt those people involved

    Peter Safran

    It’s a bit disheartening as a lot of people put a lot of work into this project, but the vagueness of what is and isn’t releasable. Some might argue the same for projects like Black Adam or The Flash surrounded by all its controversy. Yes, it is under new management but the statement is vague enough to open interpretation. Also implying it’ll “hurt DC” seems to add to the confusion given just how messy the past releases have been for the franchise.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Bad Boys 4’ Officially Announced

    ‘Bad Boys 4’ Officially Announced

    Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have announced their official return to the Bad Boys franchise for another feature film. The untitled sequel, which is in the early stages of pre-production at Sony Pictures, will see the return of the directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Chris Bremmer has written the script for the new movie. The announcement was made via an Instagram video post from Will Smith featuring himself and Lawrence.

    This new film will come after Bad Boys For Life, which was one of the final pre-pandemic theatrical releases in 2020. The film earned $426.5 million at the global box office, which prompted Sony to confirm that a fourth project would enter development. Nothing is currently known about what this new endeavor will entail for detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett.

    The new Bad Boys film will be notable for being one of the first major film releases starring Will Smith following his incident at the 2022 Academy Awards. The star actor was considered to be placed on a proverbial “blacklist” through the cancellation of various projects Smith was signed on for. Though with numerous names in Hollywood working despite more serious transgressions, it makes sense that Will Smith will be gradually folded back into the upper echelon of Hollywood blockbuster movies.

    Source: Variety

  • Peter Safran and James Gunn Detail Their New Slate’s Timeline

    Peter Safran and James Gunn Detail Their New Slate’s Timeline

    Peter Safran and James Gunn revealed the first half of the first chapter of the new DCU, titled DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, at a press event in Los Angeles. The new slate is comprised of five movies and five streaming series but as of release, only one project from the new slate, Superman: Legacy, was given a release date. Safran and Gunn took the time to explain just why that is.

    According to Variety, the DC Studios co-chairs are “adamant that films and series will not go into production until scripts are finished.” With Gunn working on the script for Superman: Legacy, he must feel comfortable enough with the progress he’s made to believe the film can go into production in the Summer of 2024.

    As for the rest of the projects revealed, Gunn and Safran hope to eventually roll out two films and two streaming series per year. The animated series Creature Commandoes and the live-action series Waller will stream before the theatrical release of Superman: Legacy and the plan, according to the co-chairs, is to have all 10 projects announced at the event to be released by the end of 2027. Where the DCU goes from there and what the interconnected storyline of it will remain to be seen.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Batman’ Writer Tom King Is Part of DC Studio’s Creative Team

    ‘Batman’ Writer Tom King Is Part of DC Studio’s Creative Team

    As successful as comic book movies are, there has always been a divide between the writers that create comics and the movies that are based on their comics. Royalties, attribution, and just overall recognition for comic creators have been a sore topic as of late. It makes the reveal that writer Tom King is included in the DC Studios writer’s room somewhat surprising.

    The news comes with the announcement of a live-action film Supergirl: Girl of Tomorrow, based on the acclaimed comic by King and artist Bilquis Everly, among many others. When asked to elaborate on the project, DC Studios co-president James Gunn had this to say:

    “We’re pretty far away from ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, other than knowing that Tom King’s books are the basis of the story.” King is part of the writers room that Gunn and Safran have assembled.

    King has garnered both praise and controversy for his work on Batman and Mister Miracle. His involvement with the DCU bodes well for the cinematic universe’s future as he is one of the best comic writers working today.

    Source: The Wrap

  • James Gunn Speaks Out on the Next 4 DC Projects and the Big DC Reset

    James Gunn Speaks Out on the Next 4 DC Projects and the Big DC Reset

    Peter Safran and James Gunn‘s vision for the new DCU will kick off with the animated series Creature Commandoes, continue in the streaming series Waller and begin in earnest in 2025’s Superman: Legacy. However, there are four projects left over from the old regime that are set to debut before DC Studios projects begin rolling out. At a press event in Los Angeles, Gunn explained how those projects were viewed and what potential futures they might have.

    “We will say that we’ve gotten very lucky with the next four projects,” said Gunn. “Shazam 2’ is coming out. ‘Shazam’ is kind of off to itself. But then ‘Shazam’ leads into ‘Flash’ and ‘The Flash’ resets everything. I will say here that ‘The Flash’ is probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” he added. “It’s an amazing film and then it goes into ‘Blue Beetle,’ which is awesome. That has its own world and that fits directly into our DCU which goes into ‘Aquaman’ which will then lead into ‘Superman’ and the other projects that we’ll talk about in a moment.“

    Co-chair Peter Safran then chimed in with some interesting thoughts.

    These four movies are terrific. There’s no reason why any of the characters and the actors playing those characters are not part of the DCU. There’s nothing that prohibits that from happening. There is no reason why all the people you mentioned couldn’t be part of the DC. We just haven’t decided what the story that we want to tell that incorporates Shazam or Aquaman.

    Peter Safran

    So while the new vision for the DCU takes shape, there’s still room for some of the old guard, including Aquaman star Jason Momoa. Now whether or not those potential stories would be part of the main continuity or fall under the newly revealed DC Elseworlds designation remains to be seen, but the opportunity exists for more stories which is something that recently seemed unlikely.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Matt Reeves ‘The Batman: Part II’ Gets Release Date, New Designation

    Matt Reeves ‘The Batman: Part II’ Gets Release Date, New Designation

    As part of DC Studios’ big slate rollout, the sequel to 2022’s The Batman was given an official release date and an interesting new designation. The film, The Batman: Part II, will release in theaters on October 3, 2025 under the banner of DC Elseworlds.

    The new DCU will be a functional multiverse but projects which are not in the same continuity as projects like Superman: Legacy and The Brave and The Bold will be designated as DC Elseworlds stories, a designation taken straight from the comics. DC co-chair Peter Safran explained the concept during a press event in Los Angeles.

    The DCU, as we can see it, is a multiverse. But we’re going to be focusing on one universe within that multiverse. We’ll incorporate, as I said, some of the actors and characters from the past but mostly we’re going to cast new. Now if something is not DCU – if it’s blatantly adult like Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’ or Matt Reeves’ ‘Batman’ or ‘Teen Titans Go,’ those properties we’re going to label clearly as DC Elseworlds just like the comics do. We’re going to be very clear. The bar is going to be very high for projects that are going to be outside the DCU, the Elseworlds projects, but every now and again, there’ll be something that lives up to that. And we’ll make that film or television series.

    Peter Safran

    While its likely that most projects approved by Gunn and Safran will fall in the main continuity of the DCU, the Elseworlds designation will provide an interesting path forward for creator driven projects such as Joker and The Batman in the future.

    Source: The Wrap

  • DC Studios Pulls Back the Curtain on Its New Slate

    DC Studios Pulls Back the Curtain on Its New Slate

    The future of the DC Universe is starting to take shape. At January 30th press event in Los Angeles, DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran shared the first details of the new slate of projects which includes 5 films and 5 streaming series. Among the projects introduced was Superman: Legacy, written by Gunn, The Brave and The Bold, which will feature the live-action debut of Damian Wayne, and a streaming series featuring Amanda Waller. The projects make up the first half of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters and will release over the next several years. Here’s a full breakdown of what fans have to look forward to.

    Superman: Legacy

    Gunn’s Superman film is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. In late 2022, Gunn called the character a “huge priority” for the new DC Universe. Gunn has always been a fan of the character and his film, which will focus on a younger version of the character, will establish Superman as a major player in the plans for the DCU in what Gunn calls the true beginning of the DCU.

    “This is really the start of the DCU. It’s currently being written by James and I sincerely hope that he can be persuaded, perhaps, to direct it as well,” Safran said.

    Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

    Kara Zor-El will be featured in a film based on Tom King’s series Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. It’s unknown if Sasha Calle will reprise the role from The Flash.

    The Brave and The Bold

    Not to be confused with Matt Reeves’ Batman projects which now fall under the Elseworlds category, The Brave and The Bold will introduce a new Batman who will share the screen with his son, Damian Wayne. The film will be based on Grant Morrison’s Batman run. Gunn calls this the beginning of the Bat Family in the DCU.

    Paradise Lost

    A streaming series set on Themiscyra before the birth of Wonder Woman, Paradise Lost will be “about the political intrigue behind a society of all women.” Gunn calls it Game of Thrones but on Paradise Island!

    Booster Gold

    Shortly after taking the job as co-chair, Gunn revealed that Booster Gold was the character most commonly requested by fans interacting with him on Mastodon. Those fans should be thrilled as a Booster Gold series is in the works at DC Studios and will stream on HBO Max.

    Creature Commandos

    An animated series based on a group of character who made their first appearance in Weird War Tales #93, Creature Commandos is already in production and will be the first projectfrom the new slate to debut. The seven episode series was written by Gunn.

    Waller

    Amanda Waller has played a part in Gunn’s two previous DC entires, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, and now “The Wall” will be featured in her own streaming series. Viola Davis will be back in the role and the series will serve as a bridge between the Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker.

    Lanterns

    Iconic Lanterns Hal Jordan and Jonathan Stewart will be the focus of a streaming series. The series takes the place of the “space opera” Green Lantern series that was originally in development. Gunn describes the HBO series as a terrestrial based TV show in the vein of True Detective. The two Lanterns will discover a terrifying mystery that ties into the DCU’s overarching narrative.

    Swamp Thing

    The DCU will introduce The Green in a Swamp Thing origin film.

    The Authority

    Based on Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch‘s Wildstorm imprint series which was picked up by some of comics’ most well-regarded creators over the years, The Authority will introduce audiences to a no-nonense group of heroes including Superman and Batman analogs Apollo and Midnighter.

    Source: THR

  • Dave Bautista Fancasts Himself in the New DCU

    Dave Bautista Fancasts Himself in the New DCU

    Dave Bautista may not be playing Bane in the new DC Universe, but there’s one character on his list that may make for an intriguing fit. In an interview with Comic Book, the former wrestler revealed that he’s up to portray one of DC’s most iconic villains.

    Comic Book’s Chris Killian recently pointed out a bit of a resemblance between Bautista and DC mega villain Lex Luthor.

    Bautista responded to Killian’s post by saying, “I never thoughy about that! And now I’m not going be able to stop thinking about it.” When asked about his response to the post, Bautista expanded on his original thought.

    I just never thought about playing that character. As soon as I saw that picture of myself next to Lex Luthor I was like, ‘Man, that’s really interesting.’ It’s interesting to me. I’d be totally up for that, James Gunn.

    Dave Bautista

    Though there’s been no official confirmation that Luthor will be part of DC’s new slate of projects, it’s hard to believe Gunn won’t work the character into the DCU somehow. As for the possibility of Bautista playing the character, Gunn has said that he hopes to work with Bautista and his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy stars on some DC projects meaning there’s some potential for it to happen.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Showrunner Reveals Original Idea For Opening Sequence

    ‘The Last of Us’ Showrunner Reveals Original Idea For Opening Sequence

    *SPOILERS*

    The latest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us featured a heartbreaking love story between Nick Offerman’s Bill and Murray Bartlett’s Frank, a couple living alone in a small town outside of Boston. While these characters did exist in the original game, their television counterparts differed significantly from what fans might have been expecting. Where players were able to interact and fight alongside Bill on the PlayStation, the series has the noted survivalist dying peacefully beside his love before the show’s protagonists are ever able to reach him. Despite this variation, however, the episode does end with a nod to a classic element from the first game.

    As Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie drive away from Bill and Frank’s residence, the camera pans to a familiar shot of the home’s open bedroom window. In the video game, players are treated to a similar image of an open window each time they put in their disc, with the shot acting as the backdrop to the game’s menu screen. In this week’s installment of the official The Last of Us Podcast, showrunner Craig Mazin revealed this was entirely intentional and was originally part of a bigger idea to incorporate the famed window shot as part of the show’s opening sequence:

    We had this idea that we were gonna open every episode with a window. So you know, like, when you’re watching on streaming and the intro comes along, the little button says ‘skip intro’? We were gonna change the words of ‘skip intro’ to ‘press play’.

    Craig Mazin

    He continued his explanation, noting that each episode would present its own unique version of the window concept for viewers to associate with the story:

    So you could sit there and look at this window as long as you wanted. Each episode would have a different window reflecting a different circumstance in that episode, then you’d press play, and the episode would begin.

    Craig Mazin

    Obviously, this didn’t end up making the final cut, but Mazin claims the idea made it as far as filming, and that the team was even able to use the third episode’s window for the end of Long Long Time:

    Well, as many windows as we filmed, it just never really made sense… It just never came together, but the plus side of the misfire there was that we did have this ending, which we loved. And it is a chance to give fans, who have experienced what I’ve experienced as a player, that feeling of the open window and the sense of both promise and loss that it implies.

    Craig Mazin

    The Last of Us is currently airing Sunday nights on HBO.

    Source: The Last of Us Podcast

  • Bill Skarsgård on the Threat He Provides as the Villain of ‘John Wick 4’

    Bill Skarsgård on the Threat He Provides as the Villain of ‘John Wick 4’

    John Wick’s war against the High Table is set to explode this Spring in John Wick 4. After swearing fealty to the Elder in Parabllum, Wick reneged on his oath when he refused to kill Winston. Now injured and on the run, Wick will have a menacing new villain, Marquis de Gramont, on his heels.

    Bill Skarsgård will bring the “viciously ambitious” Marquis to life and while he may not seem like a match for Baba Yaga, Skarsgård’s character will pose a unique threat to Wick.

    “The Marquis is a young man of unknown origin who has quickly climbed the ladder within the High Table doing god knows what“, says Skarsgård of his villainous new character. “I always saw him as someone from the gutter that now savors the glittery suits he’s wearing,” he added.

    As for the threat he poses to one of the world’s most dangerous assassins, Skarsgård’s Marquis manipulates the “bureaucratic evils” of the High Table to gain leverage over Wick…and attempt to get end his run.

    He functions as the new sheriff set out to rid the world of John Wick once and for all. John’s getting old and tired, the Marquis is offering him a way out. To be the one who finally kills the Baba Yaga would secure his status and power within the High Table.

    Bill Skarsgård

    Of course, The Marquis won’t be the first person trying to make a name for himself by taking out Wick; however, the question fans need to ask is if he will be the last.

    John Wick 4 hits theaters March 24th.

    Source: Total Film