Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • RUMOR: Ezra Bridger Will Receive ‘Ahsoka’ Spin-Off Series

    RUMOR: Ezra Bridger Will Receive ‘Ahsoka’ Spin-Off Series

    The Star Wars universe continues to grow, and if rumors are true, a fan favorite character will be front and center for the expansion. It was revealed last month that Eman Esfandi would bring Ezra Bridger, the beloved protagonist of Disney XD’s animated Star Wars: Rebels, to life in the upcoming live-action Disney+ series Ahsoka. Now, it would seem Esfandi will be around for more than just the Rosario Dawson-starring project, as a new rumor suggests he will receive his own solo series after Ahsoka’s conclusion. The report comes from industry insider Daniel RPK, who claims the actor is already signed on to headline his own show in the coming years.

    RPK dropped the disclaimer that he’s unsure whether the Bridger series would be a direct sequel to Rebels or something entirely different. The last fans saw of the character, he was sacrificing himself to bring down Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn and a large portion of the Galactic Empire. Voiced by Taylor Gray in the animated show, Ezra was thrust into parts unknown, alongside Thrawn, with his future left as a giant question mark for viewers and his loyal companions. Ahsoka promises to give an answer to that mystery, but it’s possible Ezra’s journey remains incomplete by the time the final episode airs. An Ezra solo project could then, hypothetically, act as the final installment in a trilogy of shows about the character and his Ghost crew.

    It’s important to remember this is only a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun concept to fantasize about. Fans will be able to learn the truth when Ahsoka begins airing in 2023.

    Source: TheDisInsider

  • ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Confirm Javicia Leslie as Red Death

    ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Confirm Javicia Leslie as Red Death

    Batwoman may be over, but it looks like Javicia Leslie is here to stay. Recent set photos from filming of The Flash’s ninth and final season have seemingly confirmed the actress will return to The CW as the multiversal villain Red Death. Leslie previously portrayed an original character named Ryan Wilder, better known as the second Batwoman, in the latter two seasons of Batwoman’s run. She took over the title role from Ruby Rose, who departed the series following behind-the-scenes issues, and quickly became a fan-favorite member of the Arrowverse. Since Batwoman’s cancellation, which occurred in April of this year, viewers have wondered whether Leslie would ever get another chance to put on the cape and cowl. Apparently, the answer is a resounding “sort of.”

    In the lore of DC comics, Red Death is actually an alternate-universe version of Bruce Wayne. In his timeline, Red Death became traumatized by the deaths of his various sidekicks and sought to harness the Speed Force as a means of upgrading his crimefighting ability. He eventually succeeded in doing so by defeating the Flash of his universe and fusing with him, resulting in a single super-powered being. Red Death possesses Bruce Wayne’s body, with Barry Allen’s consciousness trapped inside, and a corrupt connection to the Speed Force. After using his newfound abilities to slaughter his rogues gallery, Red Death joined The Batman Who Laugh’s multiversal supergroup ‘The Dark Knights’, and embraced his role as a violent ‘protector’.

    It would appear that The Flash’s upcoming season will at least partially adapt this story, but with Leslie’s Wilder taking the mantle of Red Death as opposed to Bruce Wayne. While not confirmed, it’s likely that – much like the comics – this is a variant of Wilder and not the same character fans followed on Batwoman. Either way, however, it will be fun for longtime Arrowverse viewers to see Leslie back in action with a Bat symbol on her chest.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Black Adam’ Opens to $67 Million Domestically

    ‘Black Adam’ Opens to $67 Million Domestically

    As expected, Black Adam took the top spot at the box office this weekend. The DC flick earned $67 million at the domestic box office. That’s enough for Black Adam to mark the biggest opening of leading man Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson‘s career – a title previously held by the Fast & Furious spinoff, Hobbs and Shaw at $60 million.

    Overseas, the movie seems to have done slightly better. Black Adam is said to have earned $73 million from 77 international markets. That would be the film’s opening haul for the weekend to $140 million. This number includes $6.1 million from the United Kingdom, $5.3 million from Mexico and $4.9 million from Brazil. The film’s worldwide opening is a bit higher than initial estimates which had it eyeing a $135 million worldwide.

    Unfortunately, though, Black Adam still has a hill to climb. With a production budget rumored to be between $195 million to $200 million, Black Adam will need legs in the coming weeks. The film currently has a rotten rating of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and reactions from fans have been incredibly mixed. Next weekend will see the release of the horror film, Prey for the Devil, which could easily bite into Black Adam‘s box office haul.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Cinematographer Provides Update on Production Start

    ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Cinematographer Provides Update on Production Start

    It was quite the surprise when a sequel to 2019’s Joker was suddenly announced by Warner Bros. Discovery, especially considering the current reshuffling of the studio’s DC universe. Nonetheless, when it was announced that the film would see the return of Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character, and act as a musical with Lady Gaga taking on the role of Harley Quinn, anticipation certainly grew. Now, in the latest episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Behind the Screen podcast, cinematographer Lawrence Sher provided an update for when production will start on Joker: Folie à Deux.

    According to Sher, the Joker sequel – which is once again being directed by Todd Phillips, from a screenplay he penned with Scott Silver – will begin filming “in five- or six-weeks’ time.” Additionally, the film will “largely be shot in sound stages in Los Angeles, as well as on location in New York, where the project is set.”

    Joker: Folie à Deux is shaping up to be one of DC’s most curious sequels. Phoenix and Gaga will be joined by Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey. And while not confirmed, it’s rumored that the sequel will be told from Harley Quinn’s point of view. The film is also expected to be set in Arkham Asylum and take cues from the Mad Love comics storyline.

    Joker: Folie à Deux is set to hit theaters on October 4, 2024.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Black Adam’ Opens as The Rock’s Best Feature Film to Date

    ‘Black Adam’ Opens as The Rock’s Best Feature Film to Date

    Box office estimates are in and it looks like Black Adam’s opening night take came in as the best ever for Dwayne Johnson. Reports have the film raking in $26.8M on its first Friday, which as Erik Davis of Fandango pointed out, puts it on track for over $60M this weekend. That total would make it the 2nd biggest DC Films opening that didn’t star one of the studio’s top Justice League stars.

    Though it hasn’t been warmly received by film critics, Black Adam has been a hit with fans, garnering a B+ Cinemascore. The film looks to have about a three-week run ahead of it before Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever takes over the box office, so it’s possible that good word of mouth from opening weekend could stretch Black Adam’s box office legs into the next two weekends.

    The $60M total opening weekend would have Black Adam come in at about half of what DC’s last theatrical release, The Batman, opened to in March. The Matt Reeves‘ directed film, which opened in nearly the same number of theaters, hauled in just over $134M over its first 3 days. However, Black Adam is hardly one of DC’s most well-known characters, so it faces a little tougher challenge, but it seems Johnson’s charisma and star power are the driving force for audiences this weekend.

  • ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    Fear not, Dune believers, it would appear The Sisterhood is still on track to come alive at HBO. The prequel series, set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, has added five new performers to its cast. Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds and Chloe Lea have joined the production as series regulars, alongside previously announced stars Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, and Indira Varma.

    Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson‘s novel Sisterhood of Dune, the show, titled Dune: The Sisterhood, follows the sisters of the Harkonnen family as they deal with forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit. Watson and Henderson will play the titular siblings, while Varma portrays Empress Natalya – a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds via a marriage to the Emperor Corrino. Boussnina is set to play Princess Ynez, an independent young woman dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne. Additionally, Brune-Franklin will play Mikaela, “a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known.”

    Cunningham, Hinds, and Lea will help fill out the members of the Sisterhood School. Sister Jen (Cunningham) is a fierce and unpredictable acolyte in training who appears to be emotionally closed off. Sister Emeline (Hinds) is a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who continues to be fervently religious in her training. Finally, Lila (Lea) is the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School who is mature well beyond her years.

    Dune: The Sisterhood is being produced by Villeneuve, Herbert and Legendary Television, alongside Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, and Cait Collins. Diane Ademu-John will serve as creator, writer, and co-showrunner, with Johan Renck directing the pilot episode. There is currently no release date.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Black Adam’ Director Jaume Collet-Serra Talks Creative Partnership with Dwayne Johnson

    ‘Black Adam’ Director Jaume Collet-Serra Talks Creative Partnership with Dwayne Johnson

    After being announced over a decade ago, Black Adam has finally had its theatrical release. With that, director Jaume Collet-Serra has spoken about the creative process behind making the film and the collaborative process with Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson. While in the process of making last year’s Jungle Cruise with the A-lister, Collet-Serra was quickly brought on board by Johnson and his team to helm the anti-hero project before the pandemic slightly slowed down the production process. From there continued the impassioned working relationship between the actor and director in the former’s passion project. This is what the director had to say about how he was brought onto the film and his process of familiarizing himself with the character.

    I mean it was towards the end of Jungle Cruise. I would hear it sort of in the background, like they would be working on what the angle was of the script and the story for a long time. So, until they were satisfied with the story they wanted to tell, they didn’t bring me in. You know what I’m saying? I mean, that’s like finally when there was a script that they were ready to share then they gave it to me and they asked me what I thought. I basically said, “I think this has a lot of potential, but do I need to read every comic book ever written about Black Adam?” It’s almost like I read the script first and then I needed to learn about [the character], and then obviously I did.

    Jaume Collet-Serra

    The notion of deeply immersing himself into the character certainly provides a strong passion that had the potential to match that of Johnson’s. It isn’t necessarily surprising with the high praise the star actor has given to Jaume Collet-Serra as a creative partner. In the interview with Deadline, Collet-Serra also took some time to talk about the professional chemistry he was able to develop and using that to enhance Black Adam.

    There was a synergy between me and DJ (Dwayne Johnson)during Jungle Cruise. When you’re in sync, you just feel it. I got to know him as a person, which I think it gives me the tools as a director to be able to bring out some aspects into the Black Adam world. As a director, you normally meet an actor or you go to have a coffee, lunch. You agree to work together, but you’re really meeting the person during the process. At the end of the day, you cannot separate the actor from the person, so you have to use the person as a tool as well.

    Jaume Collet-Serra

    After watching the film, one of the major takeaways is how Dwayne Johnson feels very in control of the character he’s spent over a decade developing. While many can debate if the end-product of Black Adam was the strongest film it could have been, it likely can’t be denied Collet-Serra successfully played into the best strengths of its lead actors.

    Black Adam currently is playing exclusively in movie theaters.

    Source: Deadline

  • Kurt Johnstad to Pen ‘Prophet’ Adaptation

    Kurt Johnstad to Pen ‘Prophet’ Adaptation

    Studio8 has set Kurt Johnstad to pen the screenplay for its adaptation of the Image Comics title, Prophet. The film is based on the comic book title of the same name by Rob Liefeld, who co-created the Marvel Comics character Deadpool. The news was announced on Friday by The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to star Jake Gyllenhaal with Extraction filmmaker Sam Hargrave on board to direct.

    Johnstad takes over for writer Marc Guggenheim who wrote the original draft of the screenplay. Johnstad is perhaps best known for writing the Zack Snyder film adaption of 300, which was based on the Frank Miller comic series. He also wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of The Coldest City titled Atomic Blonde. His most recent project was Snyder’s science-fiction epic, Rebel Moon, which is now in production.

    In the original comics, Prophet centered on John Prophet, a man who is conscripted by Germans near the end of World War II and soon finds himself subjected to scientific experiments that gave him superhuman strength. In the movie, though, it’ll focus on “a man who volunteers for a German experiment near the end of World War II in order to feed his family.” As of now, Prophet does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    If you haven’t heard, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam finally hit theaters after 15 years in development and while its reaction with critics has been mixed, that doesn’t seem to be the case with fans. Following its Thursday and Friday night showings, the superhero film is boasting some pretty impressive fan metrics.

    Cinemascore, which polls movie audiences following their opening night experiences, has reported a B+ score for Black Adam while Rotten Tomatoes audience score is at an 89%, which is a stark contrast to the “rotten” 42% critics’ score. While we wait for Friday’s official box office numbers to come in (the film made $7.6M during its Thursday night preview screenings), it’s clear that audiences are enjoying the action-packed film.

    The B+ Cinemascore for Black Adam is very much in line with the last two theatrical releases for Warner Bros. DC films. Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which opened in March of 2022, was given an A- Cinemascore by moviegoers and James Gunn’s 2021 The Suicide Squad received the same B+ Cinemascore as Black Adam. Fans who enjoyed the direction of those projects have quite a bit to look forward to as a Black Adam sequel is expected to happen fairly quickly, Reeves is developing a whole universe of Gotham-based projects and Gunn has at least one new DC trick up his sleeve.

    Read our full review of Black Adam here.

  • ‘Aquaman and the Lost City’ Writer to Pen ‘The Conjuring 4’

    ‘Aquaman and the Lost City’ Writer to Pen ‘The Conjuring 4’

    A fourth Conjuring movie is officially in the works. The news was announced by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday with the outlet revealing David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has signed on to pen the screenplay. James Wan and Peter Safran will return to produce the fourth film. The duo is also producing The Nun 2, which is now in production, a sequel to The Nun and a spinoff from the Conjuring franchise.

    This will be a return to the franchise for Johnson-McGoldrick who previously penned the screenplays for both The Conjuring 2 and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. The latter film proved to be a huge success, having opened at number one last year and went on to earn $206 million at the worldwide box office. Like the other Conjuring movies, the films are based on the real-life case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Details regarding the case being explored in The Conjuring 4 are currently unknown.

    Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who have starred in all three Conjuring films to date, are expected to return for The Conjuring 4. However, as it stands, no deals are in place for their return.

    Johnson-McGoldrick has penned a lot of big-budget films for Warner Bros. Along with working on The Conjuring franchise previously, he has also penned titles like Aquaman and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost City. He’s also been brought on to pen the sequel to The Flash, which doesn’t even hit theaters until June 2023.

    As of now, The Conjuring 4 does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.