Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Flying Back into Theaters

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Flying Back into Theaters

    Paramount is bringing Top Gun: Maverick back to theaters for a limited time. On Tuesday, the studio announced that Maverick will be flying back into theaters, including select premium large formats and IMAX, beginning December 2nd through December 15th.

    Maverick, the sequel to Top Gun, earned $1.48 billion worldwide during its theatrical run. $716 million of that came from the domestic box office, while the remaining $770 million came from the international box office. It remains the highest-grossing movie of the year by a landslide and is one of only two films to cross $1 billion at the box office this year, with Jurassic World Dominion ($1.001 billion) being the second.

    “’Top Gun: Maverick’ truly epitomizes the magic of the moviegoing experience, and we wanted to provide fans the opportunity to once again enjoy this cinematic spectacle as it was meant to be seen. This feels like the perfect time to bring ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ back to theaters so audiences everywhere can once again experience how special this film is.”

    Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution

    The movie was released in May and, per Paramount, it is the only film to ever be No. 1 at the domestic box office for both Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays. Maverick, which is star Tom Cruise‘s first film to open over $100 million in a single weekend, also stands as Paramount’s highest-grossing domestic release ever.

    Top Gun: Maverick officially hit digital streaming on August 23rd and Blu-Ray and DVD on November 1st. It is currently slated to debut on Paramount+ on December 22nd, just in time for the holidays.

    Source: Variety.

  • Kathryn Hahn Reveals Absolutely Nothing About ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’

    Kathryn Hahn Reveals Absolutely Nothing About ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’

    In an unprecedented move for an actor under contract with Marvel Studios, star Kathryn Hahn refused to reveal any information about the upcoming WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: Coven of Chaos. While promoting her new film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Hahn broke the silence around the mysterious upcoming project by talking about absolutely nothing, bucking a long-standing trend of Marvel Studios’ actors spilling the entire plot of their projects during interviews.

    When asked by Kimmel if Hahn knew anything about Agatha: Coven of Chaos, which is expected to introduce Billy Kaplan, aka Wiccan, to the MCU when it streams on Disney Plus in late 2023 or early 2024, the actress responded by saying, “I know everything about it.” Hahn then went on to divulge absolutely nothing about the series.

    Though Hahn shockingly refused to let the cat out of the bag, she did reveal that the spinoff was not something that was planned ahead of the release of WandaVision, telling Kimmel that she “did not know I was going to be doing it [Coven of Chaos]” when filming on WandaVision was underway. Given the information from Hahn, it seems as though Agatha: Coven of Chaos was green-lit as a response to her stellar performance in WandaVision. According to Hahn, she was as surprised and excited as anyone to find out she’d get to come back as Agatha in her own series.

    I guess nobody really knew that a centuries-old witch was gonna have any sort of long shelf life. So everybody was very, myself included, mostly, I would say was the most excited to know that there’s going to be another show happening.

    Kathryn Hahn

    Given where Hahn’s character’s arc left off in WandaVision, it seemed clear that the character would return in the future but the idea that the studio had no concrete plans at the time is interesting. The Agatha-centric spinoff was announced to be in the works just about 7 months after WandaVision completed its run on Disney Plus and about 4.5 months after Jac Schaeffer, who was the head writer on WandaVision and is writing Agatha: Coven of Chaos, signed her 3-year deal with Marvel Studios. The evidence would seem to suggest that Schaeffer likely pitched the show and has been the driving force behind it.

    Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live

  • New Report Reveals How Much Shazaming to Expect from ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    New Report Reveals How Much Shazaming to Expect from ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be DC’s first 2023 theatrical release, heading into theaters on March 17th, 2023. Director David F. Sandberg, who returned to the franchise following the success of 2019’s Shazam! recently indicated that he’d completed post-production on the film, which filmed from May through August of 2021, and now a new report gives information on just how long the final cut of the film is expected to be.

    According to One Take News, Shazam! Fury of the Gods will clock in at 2 hours, 10 minutes and 4 seconds. For reasons unbeknownst to 99% of the population of the known universe, fans have recently developed an unhealthy obsession with runtimes, using them to predetermine the quality of a film. Though it’s unclear where 130 minutes falls on the graph of quality of film vs. minutes of screentime, it is clear that it’s somewhat higher up than if the film were 2 hours and 9 minutes long, but also lower than the 2019 film, which ran for 2 hours and 12 minutes.

    Shazam! Fury of the Gods will see Asher Angel return as Billy Batson and Zachary Levi return as Batson’s super-powered avatar. The sequel will see Batson and the Shazam Family take on the Daughters of Atlas played by Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren.

    Source: One Take News

  • Jon Kasdan Had to Balance Nostalgia with Progress on ‘Willow’

    Jon Kasdan Had to Balance Nostalgia with Progress on ‘Willow’

    Legacy sequels are all the rage in Hollywood. While there’s no shortage of new IPs heading to theaters or streaming networks, audiences are delighting in nostalgic projects such as Top Gun: Maverick, Cobra Kai and Scream (2022). Not every legacy project, has landed with fans, however, and what often seems to be the tipping point is finding a balance between what made fans fall in love with the property in the first place and moving the story along in an unpredictable direction. For Jon Kasdan, the executive producer and writer of the upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, Willow, finding that sweet spot wasn’t necessarily easy.

    “You know, that… it’s the challenge,” said Kasdan of balancing the fantastical nature of the 1988 film with an updated, contemporary tone. According to Kasdan, that became the key challenge of putting together the series, “With every episode you’re sort of walking the line between, between making it familiar and satisfying what fans expect from the brand ‘Willow,’ and then trying to push it forward and tell a story that’s surprising and unexpected.”

    Fortunately for Kasdan, one of the original film’s stars, Warwick Davis who reprises the role of Willow Ufgood and who partnered with Kasdan on the set of Solo: A Star Wars Story to get the sequel series underway, took the edge off the challenge. As Kasdan said, his presence solved a lot of problems.

    And you know, the great weapon we had with us was Warwick, who just lent the whole universe of ‘Willow’ credibility, and the moment you see him on screen, you suddenly believe these six other foolish kids could somehow fit into that world, and really inhabit it. And they did so so beautifully and with such gusto and enthusiasm. And authenticity, that it was sort of an amazing thing to watch all these things come together, and become something that feels like a progression from the movie as much as a love letter to it.

    Jon Kasdan

    Fans will have a chance to judge just how well-balanced the series is when Willow begins streaming on Disney Plus tomorrow!

  • Spidey 2024! A New Rumor has Tom Holland’s Return to the MCU Just Around the Corner

    Spidey 2024! A New Rumor has Tom Holland’s Return to the MCU Just Around the Corner

    Rumors of star Tom Holland closing in on a deal to return as Peter Parker have had fans patiently awaiting official word for a month. While nearly everyone believes that Disney and Sony want to and will reach a deal with Holland, whose Spider-Man last appeared nearly a year ago in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the lack of an announcement by Sony has fans on edge. Even though Marvel Studios One-Above-All Kevin Feige assured fans that a new project was in development and that the character would, alongside Daredevil, lead the street-level heroes of the MCU in the Multiverse Saga, nobody is counting chickens just yet. However, a new rumor has emerged and may give fans of Holland’s version of the character a bit of hope.

    According to Twitter Cape Time Podcast host Tom Smith, a fourth Sony-Marvel Studios Spider-Man collaboration has been fast-tracked and could be in theaters by 2024.

    The rumor, aligning with a previous rumor, has Spider-Man 4 going into production in the Summer of 2023 with Sony looking at releasing the film in the Summer of 2024. With Marvel Studios already having 2 films (Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts) on the slate for that Summer, some maneuvering of the slate might be necessary; however, both Sony and Marvel Studios are well aware of how important the character is to the overall health of both their wallets, so it would seem likely that the two studios would work something out. While 2024 is a busy year for Marvel Studios (the untitled Deadpool and Wolverine film and Blade are both set for 2024 releases), June, August and October are wide-open months and the reality is that whether it’s Spider-Man 4 or a Marvel Studios film that shifts dates, audiences will fill theaters regardless of when it releases.

    Though a 2024 release date is anything but official at this point, Sony’s desire to get another Spider-Man film into theaters quickly is anything but surprising. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a major box office win for Sony, ultimately grossing nearly $2B for the company and showing major staying power over its theatrical run. For Marvel Studios, Holland’s new deal would get Spidey back in action for what would likely be a trio of MCU-set solo films and appearances in the upcoming Avengers films.

  • James McAvoy Shares His One Criticism of Fox’s ‘X-Men’

    James McAvoy Shares His One Criticism of Fox’s ‘X-Men’

    20th Century Fox’s era with the X-Men license has been quite unique, as the franchise kicked off the modern superhero craze and also went through its own soft-reboot phase when X-Men: First Class took over. Technically, the project was a prequel to the original, it still added unique elements that were not referenced in the original trilogy. It was a way to get a new group of actors to take on some iconic roles.

    James McAvoy famously took on the role of Charles Xavier with Michael Fassbender offering his talent to the role of Magneto. In a recent interview with GQ, McAvoy opened up on the one aspect that he would criticized of the original run as the films moved away further and further from the main dynamic introduced in First Class.

    My biggest criticism of what we did throughout the four movies was that after the first movie, we didn’t take advantage of the relationship between [Xavier and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto], which really formed the backbone of the first film. So it was like, why did we just eject that massive weapon.

    James McAvoy

    When Bryan Singer returned with X-Men: Days of Future Past, the franchise built a stronger focus back to Wolverine that acted as a connective tissue between the past and future. Apocalypse did continue the storyline surrounding Magneto but kept him and Xavier far apart from each other for most of the film before we returned to another attempt at the Dark Phoenix storyline. Perhaps a new generation could further explore this dynamic.

    Source: GQ

  • Legendary Finds New Partner in Sony, ‘Dune’ and MonsterVerse Remain with Warner Bros.

    Legendary Finds New Partner in Sony, ‘Dune’ and MonsterVerse Remain with Warner Bros.

    Hollywood is going through a massive change once again, as another surprise development has shown its hands. Long-time Warner bros. collaborator, Legendary Entertainment has seemingly moved on and has a new partner in Sony Pictures. As such, the production company will distribute and market their films globally with Legendary East still handling China. It also means all home entertainment and TV distributions will be handled by their new partner.

    This deal also marks an interesting development for their streaming ventures. Sony, unlike Warner Bros. and Disney, has no internal streaming service and simply works with those that exist in the market. As such, Legendary will continue to partner with streaming services for various productions, such as Enola Holmes that has found its home on Netflix. Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group’s Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch had the following to say on the deal:

    ’s a rare opportunity to partner in this mutually beneficial way with true pros, who are completely aligned in our theatrical commitment and vision for this business. The creative brilliance and power of Legendary is huge and we look forward to bringing their work to theaters across the world.

    If you’re wondering what this means for the upcoming releases of Dune and the Monsterverse franchise, they are still with Warner Bros. Dune: Part Two is still set to release in November next year with WBD. Though, it’s unclear what this might mean for future entries moving forward, especially when former WarnerMedia head Jason Kilar released their films on HBO Max alongside its theatrical release. While Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong still were some of Warner Bros. most successful releases since the pandemic started, it left a bitter taste. Either way, Warner Bros. Discovery’s current development also may have led to this decision and Legendary is moving on.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • James McAvoy Opens Up on Possible Return in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    James McAvoy Opens Up on Possible Return in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    The moment the announcement dropped that Avengers: Secret Wars was on the horizon, many were excited on who may make an appearance. Anyone is possible in the wide multiverse that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has opened, especially after seeing former Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield once again reprise their iconic roles in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    Naturally, it also opened up a recurring question for anyone that got a chance to interview a Marvel legacy actor, such as what GQ did when they got a chance to sit down with former Professor X, James McAvoy. The actor had already been asked many times if he might appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

    I’m very quick to say, ‘No, I’m done.’ Or ‘I’m not that bothered about coming back.’ Because you move forward. I’ve definitely not got the call. And if I did I would definitely not be telling you.

    James McAvoy

    The last part of the statement is quite funny, especially with how McAvoy has always been rather direct in his response, especially when the Doctor Strange rumors were making the rounds. Of course, it does seem quite early for them to cast anyone for Secret Wars, as the script has yet to be finalized. So, they may not reach out until they know who exactly they want to include, especially with an Avengers film that’ll likely include a wide amount of characters. So, not trying to bind anyone too early, especially if production might get postponed (you never know). It might still be some time until we get a firm grasp of what their plans are for this film.

    Source: GQ

  • New Look at Vulture Wings From Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    New Look at Vulture Wings From Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    In the last few months, plenty of news has come out about Sam Raimi’s now-legendary unmade sequel, Spider-Man 4. Thanks to a new book, Sean O’Connell’s With Great Power, fans received a heap of fresh information on what could have been with actor John Malkovich and his intended role, the villainous Vulture. The antagonist, who would end up being portrayed by Michael Keaton in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, was set to engage the film’s titular hero in multiple aerial set pieces, which likely would have made for some spectacular moments on the big screen. Unfortunately, all that’s ever been made public from those scenes are the original pieces of concept art, which at least gave Spider-Man diehards a decent idea of what Malkvoich’s Vulture would have looked like.

    Now, in a surprising reveal, comic creator Ken Penders has taken to his social media to share some previously withheld images of the first live-action Vulture wings in all their practicality. In his tweets, Penders explains that a friend of his had been working on the Vulture suit before production on Spider-Man 4 was shut down, and Penders was lucky enough to check it out:

    The design seen in the images matches the recent revelation that Malkovich’s Vulture would have weaponized his mechanical wings and used the feathers as blades. They also give fans a better idea as to how the movie’s version of Adrian Toomes would have worn the suit and used it in battle against Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. This may be the best look ever given at the real wings, and could end up being the best look anyone ever gets.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Willow’ Brought Together Two of the Original Movie’s Cast for the First Time

    ‘Willow’ Brought Together Two of the Original Movie’s Cast for the First Time

    The upcoming Disney Plus streaming series Willow serves as a direct sequel to the 1988 film of the same name. The series introduces a slew of young, new characters and while the main focus of the plot is a quest that features the new group, the series is still very much connected to the film and includes the return of several characters from it. Warwick Davis, who was just 17 years old when he first played Willow Ufgood, and Joanne Whalley, both of whom shared the bulk of the screentime of the film with Val Kilmer’s Madmartigan, are back to reprise their roles. Despite Kilmer’s iconic hero not being able to return, one other memorable character does make a return for Willow: the roguish Brownie Rool, played by Kevin Pollack.

    Rool was one of a pair of Brownies tasked by Cherlindrea with accompanying Willow to Tir Asleen to safely deliver Elora Danan. Rool shared quite a few scenes with Willow during the course of the film, but interestingly enough, as revealed during the global press junket for the upcoming series, the two actors had never met.

    As Jon Kasdan explained, the effects necessary for the Brownie scenes in Willow required them to be shot in a different location, so it wasn’t until production on the series got underway that Davis and Pollak finally met for the first time.

    There was a… there was an incredible thing that happened where we got our friend Kevin Pollak out to reprise his role as Rool. And he told me when he arrived that he and Warwick had never actually done any scenes together, because all of the brownie bits in the movie had been filmed on, at Skywalker in Northern California. And Warwick and he got to actually riff off each other, and Tony got to be a part of that, and it was quite an amazing thing to kind of watch them actually interact, these old friends who didn’t know each other.

    Jon Kasdan

    With so much time having passed since the events of the original, neither Willow nor Rool are quite in the same places they were the last time they were seen. Fans of the original will certainly get a kick out of the changes to Pollak’s character when Willow begins streaming on Disney Plus on November 30th.