Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge Developing ‘Tomb Raider’ TV Series for Amazon

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge Developing ‘Tomb Raider’ TV Series for Amazon

    Tomb Raider is heading to the small screen. The Hollywood Reporter revealed on Friday that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is currently developing the project as part of her overall deal with Amazon. While the project is still very much being developed, it’s said that Waller-Bridge will pen the scripts. She is not expected to star in the series, though. Waller-Bridge will also executive produce the project along with the former head of comedy and drama, Ryan Andolina, and the former head of overall deals, Amanda Greenblatt. 

    This will mark the latest attempt to bring Lara Croft to life in live-action. Angelina Jolie previously starred in two films as the archaeologist, while Alicia Vikander starred in a 2018 film that was originally set to receive a sequel. That project, which had Lovecraft Country‘s Misha Green set to pen the script, was ultimately scrapped when MGM lost the film rights last year.

    Fans of the series will not only be getting a new live-action take thanks to Amazon, but also a brand new video game installment. Back in December, it was revealed that Amazon Games would publish the next video game within the Tomb Raider franchise. As of now, that project does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Finds its Zeus and Poseidon

    Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Finds its Zeus and Poseidon

    With production currently underway in Vancouver, Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on the novels by Rick Riordan, already has quite the cast with Walker Scobell as Percy, joined by Aryan Simhadri‘s Grover and Leah Sava Jeffries‘ Annabeth. Some other impressive actors set to appear in the project are Jessica Parker Kennedy, Olivea Morton, Jason Mantzoukas, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jay Duplass, and Timothy Omundson. And now, it seems the series has found two more major additions that will surely have fans of the books excited.

    Variety has revealed that the series has cast The Wire and John Wick actor Lance Reddick as the Disney+ shows’ version of Zeus. Per the official character description, “The all-powerful god of the sky and leader of Mount Olympus, Zeus is tempestuous and mistrustful. He’s promised to wage a war if his stolen thunderbolt is not returned.” Lost in Space and Black Sails‘ Toby Stephens will take on the role of Poseidon, god of the sea and Percy’s absent father, with whom Percy shares many qualities. Per the official character description, “Though he has stayed away throughout Percy’s life, his deep feelings for his son (and Percy’s mother, Sally) are evident.”

    The casting is definitely exciting and it does seem like Disney is all-in with the project. It has yet to be seen if Disney will start working on a second season or wait it out until viewership numbers are in, but the cast is already quite promising and will ensure that the adaptation stands out from the original films.

    Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently aiming to release its first season in early 2024.

    Source: Variety

  • Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Calls ‘Thunderbolts’a ‘Black Widow’ Sequel

    Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Calls ‘Thunderbolts’a ‘Black Widow’ Sequel

    Marvel Studios 2024 team-up film, Thunderbolts, has been in the news quite a bit recently as rumors about one of Marvel’s crazier characters, Sentry, have excited fans. The film is set to introduce the titular team, under the watch of Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Val, to the MCU. Among the team are a trio of characters who debuted in 2021’s Black Widow and it seems like that’s more than just a coincidence.

    In an Instagram post, Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park explained that Thunderbolts is serving as a sequel to Black Widow.

    It’s not the first time the comparison has been made, but having Park seemingly confirm it is fantastic and gives fans an idea of what to expect from the tone of the film…and who the lead might be.

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Renewed for Season 2

    ‘The Last of Us’ Renewed for Season 2

    HBO has renewed The Last of Us for a second season. The series, which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is an adaptation of the video game series of the same name. Since its premiere earlier this month, The Last of Us has quickly become a breakout hit for HBO, amassing an astounding 22 million viewers across all platforms.

    “I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!”

    Neil Druckmann, Executive Producer

    To date, the series has only aired two episodes, with the third set to premiere this Sunday. However, the adaptation of The Last of Us looks to be connecting with viewers. Episode 2 reportedly jumped 22% in the overnight ratings compared to the first episode across HBO and HBO Max.

    Mazin, who serves as the showrunner on the project, expressed his gratitude to those involved in the project as well as the fans of the show. “I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey.”

    The Last of Us is expected to tackle the second video game, The Last of Us: Part II, for its second season. Season 1 of The Last of Us consists of nine episodes, with a new episode dropping every Sunday.

    Source: THR.

  • RUMOR: Ryan Gosling a Front-Runner for ‘Fantastic Four’ Role

    RUMOR: Ryan Gosling a Front-Runner for ‘Fantastic Four’ Role

    A new potential front-runner has emerged for a role in Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four adaptation. The Hot Mic Podcast has shared a new rumor that Hollywood A-Lister Ryan Gosling is in line for a lead role in the 2025 Marvel Cinematic Universe project. It wasn’t specified which role Gosling would potentially be playing. Though based on the rumor, Ryan Gosling would be a logical choice to play Mister Fantastic in the film. The actor likely wouldn’t match well as any other member of the Fantastic Four and doesn’t have the European heritage to best play a role such as Doctor Doom.

    The actor has a strong track record as a leading man in marquee films in the 21st century and has the acting abilities to pair greatly with any current lead of the Marcel Cinematic Universe. In addition, the 42-year-old is of the right age to play the father figure in Marvel’s first family for what would likely be a trilogy of films alongside a handful of crossover appearances.

    A notable caveat with a rumor like this is that audiences likely won’t have an official announcement for casting for some bit of time. Being a 2025 release, Fantastic Four likely won’t begin production until early 2024. And with that in mind, one shouldn’t expect an announcement till at least the second half of 2023. An event like San Diego Comic-Con (taking place in July) would be a probable and logical time to expect this sort of reveal. Rumors like these remain fairly a superfluous, yet interesting thought experiment for fans in the meantime before more concrete information is locked in.

    Source: Hot Mic Podcast

  • Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni to Star in ‘It Ends With Us’ Adaptation

    Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni to Star in ‘It Ends With Us’ Adaptation

    Author Colleen Hoover‘s best-selling novel, It Ends With Us, is heading to the big screen. Deadline reported on Thursday that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to star in the adaptation for Sony and Wayfarer Studios. Along with starring in the film, Baldoni will also serve as the director.

    Baldoni and Wayfarer optioned the rights to Hoover’s novel back in 2019. The book continues to dominate the bestseller lists and is a phenomenon on BookTok on TikTok. Hoover’s hashtag on TikTok has been viewed over 2 billion times, and the novel has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for over 90 weeks and earned the title of the top-selling print book in 2022. Hoover, who currently has multiple titles on the bestseller list, will consult on the film adaptation.

    Lively will play Lily, a young woman who is looking to start her life after finishing college, while Baldoni will play Ryle. As things begin to grow between Lily and Ryle and she finds herself falling for him, her ex, Atlas, soon appears to try and challenge their budding relationship.

    Lively is best known for Gossip Girl. She’s set to make her directorial debut with the adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley‘s Second, with the script being penned by writer-director Edgar Wright. While Baldoini is perhaps best known for Jane the Virgin, although he has recently moved behind the camera with an adaptation of Five Feet Apart.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Eternals’ Was the Most Streamed Marvel Studios Film of 2022

    ‘Eternals’ Was the Most Streamed Marvel Studios Film of 2022

    In what may come as a surprise to some, Marvel Studio’s Eternals was the most streamed film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2022. The Chloe Zhao-directed film ranked 13th in Nielsen’s list of the Top 15 Streaming Movies of 2022, and is the only film from Marvel Studios present. Below is the full list of films and their view count.

    1. Encanto (27.416 billion / Disney+)
    2. Turning Red (11.427 billion / Disney+)
    3. Sing 2 (11.347 billion / Netflix)
    4. Moana (8.629 billion / Disney+)
    5. The Adam Project (6.141 billion / Netflix)
    6. Hocus Pocus 2 (5.697 billion / Disney+)
    7. Don’t Look Up (5.141 billion / Netflix)
    8. Frozen (5.133 billion /  Disney+)
    9. Luca (4.974 billion / Disney+)
    10. The Gray Man (4.972 billion / Netflix)
    11. Zootopia (4.437 billion / Disney+)
    12. Coco (4.253 billion / Disney+)
    13. Eternals (4.236 billion / Disney+)
    14. Frozen II (4.195 billion / Disney+)
    15. Uncharted (4.179 billion / Netflix)

    The list from Nielsen highlights the dominance that both Disney+ and Netflix hold in the streaming landscape. Based on their view counts and subscriber numbers, the two are definitive benchmarks for successful streaming services. This group of 15 films also highlights the domination child-oriented family movies hold in the film industry.

    When it comes to Eternals specifically, this type of data could be seen as a promising sign for fans of the original film. While the 2021 theatrical release was one of the lowest performing from both financial and critical perspectives for Marvel Studios, it appears the film has found a sizeable audience on Disney+. With that in mind, one could see such a high view count as a check in the plus column for continuing the franchise for at least a sequel project (if it was ever in doubt to begin with). Though an interesting possibility could then be to move the Eternals franchise exclusively to Disney+. The film has at least appeared to be more accessible via streaming. And allowing a longer runtime that isn’t constrained for a sequel could help further expand the stories of these characters, something that could’ve helped the critical success of the rare mixed performance of a Marvel Studios film.

    Source: The Direct

  • Ayo Edebiri Joins Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’

    Ayo Edebiri Joins Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’

    Ayo Edebiri is set to join the cast of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts. The news was revealed on Thursday by Deadline with the outlet revealing Edebiri’s role is being kept under wraps. The actor is coming off of the critically-acclaimed FX series, The Bear, where she plays Sydney Adamu. She has also appeared in Dickinson and has lent her voice to Netflix’s hit series, Big Mouth.

    Thunderbolts is set to mark the actor’s first big studio role. She recently appeared in Theater Camp, which recently premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and sold to Searchlight for $8 million. She also has the second season of The Bear coming this summer to Hulu. The Bear proved to be Edebiri’s big breakout, even earning her a Critics Choice nomination.

    Edebiri will join a cast that already includes Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. And while recent reports have suggested otherwise, Hannah John-Kamen still seems locked to return as Ghost.

    Jake Schreier will direct Thunderbolts from a script by Black Widow writer Eric Pearson. The movie is currently slated to hit theaters on July 26, 2024.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’, and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Renewed at Fox

    ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Family Guy’, and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Renewed at Fox

    The current guard of Fox’s Animation Domination will be remaining intact for the foreseeable future. All three of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers have received renewals for two additional seasons on Fox. This will total the three shows at 36, 23, and 15 seasons, respectively. The three network stalwarts are now owned by Disney following the company’s multi-billion dollar acquisition of numerous assets of 21st Century Fox. The Simpsons is currently available to stream on Disney+, while Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers are hosted on Hulu. In a press release, Executive Vice President of 20th Century Animation Marci Proietto waxed ecstatic about the renewals.

    Across 750 episodes of The Simpsons, 400 episodes of Family Guy, and 250 episodes of Bob’s Burgers, we couldn’t be more proud to continue delivering these three animated hits with the most brilliant teams in animation. Our relationship with Fox over the past three decades has allowed this trio of shows to thrive, grow and deliver immeasurable moments of hilarious and irreverent entertainment for fans, and we are absolutely thrilled that Fox is doubling down on each of these iconic shows.

    Marci Proietto

    These renewals show the true staying power animation has on terrestrial network television. As ratings have continuously dropped across the board in traditional television, few stalwarts have been able to maintain sustainable audience sizes. And shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers have been able to do so. It ultimately remains to be seen now if the quality of these shows can continue to persist.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • James Gunn Gives Details on Cancelled HBO Max DC Series

    James Gunn Gives Details on Cancelled HBO Max DC Series

    As word came that Titans and Doom Patrol were coming to the end of their run on HBO Max, fans of the two DC streaming series voiced their displeasure online. One such fan took to Twitter to blame newly christened co-chairs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, for the cancellations. As usual, however, Gunn used social media to set the record straight.

    “The decision to end the series precedes us,” said Gunn. He added, “But I certainly wish the best for the talented group of creators, actors and the rest of the crew that produced both shows.“

    The two series have grown devoted followings over the years with Doom Patrol routinely being among the most well-received DC projects. Gunn is expected to make news soon by revealing some of the projects on the new DC Studios’ slate.