Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Black Adam’s projected opening weekend domestic box office numbers continue along a disappointing downward trend. Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero film, which has been in development for 15 years, was originally predicted to pull in $65M+ with some estimates as high as $75-80M. Now, after the numbers from the Thursday previews have arrived, it looks like it would take a pretty serious course correction to get to $60M.

    Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru shared the official box office take from Thursday’s showings which came in just under $8M.

    As Pandya points out, the Tom Hardy-led Venom films took in $10M and $11.6M, respectively, ahead of $80M and $90M opening weekends. DC’s last theatrical release, The Batman, opened to $134M when it opened in March of 2022.

    As of now, it looks like Black Adam’s box office has fallen victim to mixed reviews from the initial wave or critics who screened the film ahead of its wide release. Given Johnson’s star power and the less-than-secret return of Henry Cavill as Superman in a post-credit scene, it’s likely that DC Films was hoping the film would open between $80-100M. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to follow Black Adam into theaters in just three weeks, it’s unlikely the latter will have legs making the first two weekends more significant than normal.

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director on the Decision Behind a 9-Episode Season

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director on the Decision Behind a 9-Episode Season

    Before principal photography on She-Hulk: Attorney At Law ever got underway, rumors had the legal comedy pegged for a 10-episode first season. Similar rumors hovered around Marvel Studios’ first streaming effort, WandaVision, which like She-Hulk, ultimately consisted of nine episodes. With most of Marvel Studios’ streaming series consisting of 6 episodes, these two stand as outliers. So what determines just how many episodes will comprise each series? According to director Kat Coiro, the episode count for She-Hulk wasn’t something that was predetermined by Marvel Studios.

    Talking with The Direct, Coiro explained that She-Hulk was fairly deep into development before the number of episodes started to come into focus.

    One of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as a creator and as an artist is Marvel is not bound by the same rules as, you know, other TV shows that have to be 22 minutes. And the story really dictated the length of the season. And so as the story came into focus and as we started putting the pieces together, it landed at nine. It could’ve been eight, it could’ve been eleven. And it’s the same with the length of the episodes. There isn’t a number you have to hit. It really is, ‘What’s best for this episode,’ which, in my opinion, is how it should be.

    Kat Coiro

    One of the benefits of owning your own streaming series is being able to play a little fast and loose with things like runtime and episode count. And while that may seem obvious, it’s something that Marvel Studios has struggled with throughout their first round of streaming series. Criticisms of rushed or crammed finale have been levied against series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Hawkeye. On the other hand, Loki’s total runtime seemed just right. Perhaps as Marvel Studios continues to evolve as a “television studio”, they’ll continue to learn the right lessons and let the story dictate the runtime, not let the runtime dictate the story.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director Kat Coiro on How the “Wongers” Post-Credit Scene Came to Be

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director Kat Coiro on How the “Wongers” Post-Credit Scene Came to Be

    Of all the obscure comic book characters introduced over the 9-episode run of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it was an original character developed for the show that captured the hearts of fans. Patty Guggenheim’s Madisynn was undoubtedly the surprise star of her time on the show. Her “bestie” relationship with Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, played by MCU vet Benedict Wong, played out wonderfully throughout Episode 4, “Is This Not Real Magic”, and continued on into a hilarious post-credit scene. As it turns out, while She-Hulk featured several scripted post-credit scenes, Madisynn’s “Wongers” scene wasn’t one of them.

    According to director Kat Coiro, the idea for the scene developed as the crew delighted in the on-set chemistry between Wong and Guggenheim.

    You know, when Wong and Madisynn have their little moment, that was not scripted but they had such incredible comedic chemistry that, at the end of the day, I had them sit on the couch, and threw a couple cameras on them and said, ‘Go. Go forth and make comedy.’ And they sure did. So, part of what was amazing about this process was the collaboration and really leaning into the strengths of our actors. And part of the secret of comedy is letting people get loose, and have fun, and play around. And so, whenever we had the opportunity to do that we would.

    Kat Coiro

    It’s great to see that the creative team of She-Hulk was able to recognize the comedic gold they had on their hands in Madisynn. Noboy’s asking for a Mr. Immortal spinoff, but MCU fans are definitely wondering when they might see Madisynn again!

    Source: The Direct

  • Halia Abdel-Meguid to Write & Produce ‘Death Note’ Series for Netflix

    Halia Abdel-Meguid to Write & Produce ‘Death Note’ Series for Netflix

    Following a poorly received movie adaptation, Netflix is moving ahead with a live-action Death Note series. It was announced on Thursday that Halia Abdel-Meguid had signed on to write and executive producer a Death Note live-action series for the streamer. News that Netflix was looking to revisit Death Note first broke in July as part of the development slate for Upside Down, the production banner for the Duffer brothers (Stranger Things) as part of the duo’s overall deal at Netflix.

    Death Note centers on a character named Light Yagami who is a bright student who finds his life changes drastically after discovering the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Light finds that if he writes a name in the Death Note, that person soon dies, so he opts to use the Death Note to rid the world of evil. Unfortunately, though, he soon becomes intoxicated by the power as law enforcement seeks to stop him.

    Abdel-Meguid is said to be a longtime fan of the manga and anime series, she’s also said to speak fluent Japanese – having lived in Toyko for some time. Death Note will serve as a reunion between Abdel-Meguid and the Duffer brothers as she worked with them as a writing consultant on their adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s novel The Talisman. Along with penning Death Note, Abdel-Meguid is also attached to another noteworthy project with Hulu’s The Devil in the White City.

    This will mark Netflix’s second attempt at adapting Death Note. The streamer released a film adaptation in 2017 from director Adam Wingard that starred Nat Wolff, LaKeith Stanfield, and Margaret Qualley. That project was poorly received, however, and this television series is not expected to be connected to that film.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy Timeline Remains a Mystery

    Rian Johnson’s Star Wars Trilogy Timeline Remains a Mystery

    Rian Johnson made one of the most divisive projects in the history of Star Wars in 2017’s The Last Jedi. Even so, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy signed Johnson to a deal that allowed him to create a trilogy of films that would exist outside the Skywalker saga and explore all new parts of the galaxy. Even as Lucasfilm continues to develop and produce new projects for Disney Plus and plan new theatrical releases, any advancement on Johnson’s trilogy has stayed out of the news.

    Johnson has stayed plenty busy, writing and directing 2019’s Knives Out and its sequel, The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which will premiere on Netflix this December. In speaking with Variety, it seems clear that developing more stories around Knives Out star Daniel Craig’s clever detective Benoit Blanc is his top priority.

    If each one of these [Knives Out sequels] can really be what Agatha Christie did, if it can be not just in a totally new location and a new cast, but also trying something exciting, I’ll keep doing it as long as Daniel [Craig] and I are having a good time. I’ll keep making these as long as they let me.

    Rian Johnson

    If the Knives Out franchise is at the forefront of Johnson’s work, where does that leave Star Wars? Lucasfilm has untitled Star Wars releases scheduled for 2025 and 2027, but it doesn’t sound like fans should expect either of those to be one of Johnson’s projects. When asked when fans could expect to see his Star Wars trilogy take off, the writer/director was pretty candid about the prospects.

    I have talked to [Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy] about it and we’re still talking about it. I had such an amazing experience making The Last Jedi. It’s entirely a matter of scheduling. For me, putting this [Glass Onion] out and making the next one of these [Knives Out sequels]…the answer is I don’t know.

    Rian Johnson

    When pushed a bit further by Variety about whether or not the trilogy will happen at all, Johnson simply said, “God I hope so.“

    Not exactly a vote of confidence by Johnson, but it isn’t a death knell either. While Johnson’s Star Wars films may never hit the screen, Lucasfilm seems to have found its sweet spot on Disney Plus, giving fans plenty of Star Wars content to look forward to for years to come.

    Source: Variety

  • SPOILERS: Dwayne Johnson Discusses a Major DC Cameo in ‘Black Adam’

    SPOILERS: Dwayne Johnson Discusses a Major DC Cameo in ‘Black Adam’

    If you somehow haven’t heard just yet (that’d be pretty impressive because Dwayne Johnson’s been shouting it from the rooftops every chance he’s had), turn back now and give yourself a chance to be surprised.

    While post-credit scenes have come to be known as a Marvel Studios tradition, they certainly didn’t invent them and no matter what studio uses them, they often serve as less of a promise and more a tease of potential future ideas. To that end, Johnson and the leadership of Seven Bucks Productions have given DC fans an epic tease that, for the time being, comes without a promise as DC Films looks for new leadership. After years away from the role, Henry Cavill returns to the DC Universe as Superman in Black Adam.

    How The Rock Got His Supes Back

    While the future for Cavill’s Kal-El is just starting to unfold, his return has proven exciting for fans and Johnson took the time to explain how it came about while talking with ComicBook.com:

    Well, I’ve known Henry for a long time. We’re buddies. My longtime business partner, Dany Garcia, she has been a big advocate for Henry. She’s managed Henry’s career over the years. It came down to, dude, we love Superman. There is new leadership about to happen in Warner Brothers. Here’s an opportunity. On our end of Black Adam, we will do everything we can to pay homage and respect to the mythology of Black Adam and build him as being the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet. And if we do our job right, at the end of the movie, then in comes not only the most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe in Superman, but also the one that the fans want.

    Dwayne Johnson

    Even in the world of superhero films, it turns out it’s who you know. Johnson continued to discuss Cavill’s return and the part that fans of the DC Universe had in making it happen.

    And that’s the difference. And that’s the new era I’m talking about. This new era in the DC universe is we listen, man. We listen to the fans. We may not be able to do every single thing that they want, but they’re going to know that they’re not ignored because they’ve been ignored for so long. But we’re going to listen to them, man.

    Dwayen Johnson

    Of course just having Johnson and the fans willing to make it happen would have meant nothing had Cavill not wanted to return as the Big Blue Boy Scout. Thankfully he did, because according to Johnson, there’s nobody better for the role.

    So in presenting that to Henry, he also… Man, when it comes to Superman, I don’t know if there’s any other person on the planet who loves and embodies the mythology, the ethos, and everything of Superman than Henry. And so I’m so happy that it all came together. I’m so happy the fans are losing their minds over it. And I’m so happy that there is a new shift in this DC universe. And Superman is back.

    Dwayne Johnson

    What’s Next for Superman and Black Adam

    The post-credit scene simply introduces the two characters to one another and while tensions seem high, there’s no battle of the titans. According to Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia, that’s all the production team ever hoped to accomplish, leaving plenty of room to develop “great stories” coming out of the meeting.

    What we really want to establish is that Superman exists in the same world as Black Adam. Both those guys exist in the same universe and that’s important for us. It’s in the universe where our JSA is and so forth, but we really wanted the world to know that these guys are going to cross paths. How we do it we’re still working on it, we don’t want to give that away, I will say that it’s much bigger than what people think. We want to do long-form storytelling, we’re not looking for a quick one-off or something like that. These guys exist in the same universe and there’s a lot of fun to be had when you have basically the two most powerful beings in the universe on opposite sides, but also have some very interesting similarities to them. For us there’s a lot of opportunities to tell some great stories around (that).

    Hiram Garcia

    As the film’s first weekend unfolds, it’ll be worth tracking how fans across the world respond to Cavill’s return. The actor has had a lengthy break from the role and recent rumors had him being courted by Marvel Studios for a major role in their DC Universe. However, now that he’s back, a Man of Steel sequel is in development and a Black Adam sequel isn’t too far off, there might be plenty of chances to see Superman and Teth-Adam duke it out in the near future.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Brandon Perea Interested in Portraying Human Torch in ‘Fantastic Four’

    Brandon Perea Interested in Portraying Human Torch in ‘Fantastic Four’

    Following his breakout performance in Jordan Peele’s thriller Nope, Brandon Perea has his hopes set on joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor hasn’t been quiet on social media or in interviews about wanting to join one of the most successful film franchises in history. While discussing the topic with Comicbook.com, Perea played it coy about if has met with Marvel Studios and his hopes on being part of the franchise.

    If I did, I wouldn’t be able to talk about it anyway. And if anything, I’ve learned from other people’s mistakes in the Marvel Universe of letting things out. Even with this, I’ve learned so much from Nope, of there’s a laser on your forehead at all times when it comes to revealing things. I’d say this: I’ve put it out there in the universe, we’ll see what happens. I’ve been keeping my eyes out of what fans are saying of those universes, as well, of what they attract to, what they would like, and yeah, it’s cool to just get that input.

    Brandon Perea

    It certainly is an interesting strategy to follow if putting the interest out into the ether will be fruitful for the young actor. While Perea has listed a wide variety of roles he’d be interested in playing previously, one has very quickly become a standout for him in his self-fancast.

    Well, the thing I’ve been intrigued in recently, and I didn’t even bring this idea up, I started seeing it from fan casting. Johnny Storm, man. That was something that was very intriguing. I think my performance in Nope really highlights that. I’d have to bring some more swagger into it for sure for that Johnny Storm, but to be able to sit across from Tom Holland or something, like that best friend feel, I think, well, especially after watching the latest Spider-Man, we’d knock some scenes out of the park, man. It’d be so fun and it’d be a blessing.

    Brandon Perea

    Joining the cast of Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four is definitely going to be a top prize for Hollywood in the coming year. Casting rumors are already abound with the recent revelation that star actor Adam Driver has met with Marvel Studios to discuss portraying an undisclosed role for the film (assumedly either Mister Fantastic or Doctor Doom). Perea certainly fits a strong age range for the character of Human Torch, especially if they want to have him be a contemporary to Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With more acting credits under his name, there could be a strong case for Perea to ultimately portray one of the most exciting characters in Marvel history. Ultimately though, it will likely be a while before any concrete news on casting Marvel’s First Family with production not set to begin until the Fall of 2023.

    Source: Comicbook.com

  • Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Black Adam hasn’t even fully opened in theaters across North America yet, but two of the DC Comics’ film’s producers already have their sights set on getting the sequel in theaters. Hiram Garcia, President of Production of Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn, who has worked as a producer on Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson’s films dating back to 2012’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, are ready to get to work on a follow-up.

    Speaking to Comic Book about the timeline for a potential sequel, Garcia said, “It’s not going to take that long. I can promise you that. We always hope the first domino’s the easy one. We’ll get cooking on it fast, that’s for sure.” As is often the case, it’s possible that plenty of ideas were tossed around for a sequel during development and production on the first film. Johnson is keen on seeing his character square off with Henry Cavill’s Superman, so keen in fact that he chose to spoil the character’s post-credit scene appearance a week before the film premiered.

    Whether the script features Superman, Shazam or something else entirely, Flynn backed up Garcia’s promise. “Don’t worry. This one will be fast,” said Flynn. “We will open up the magic wagon, we’ll have the script ready, pretty fast,” added the producer. Of course, a script doesn’t necessarily mean the film will be given the green light by Warner Bros. The company is still searching for a new figure atop DC Films following the exit of Walter Hamada and the projected box office for Black Adam slipped a bit this past week following a mixed reaction in its initial wave of reviews. However, with Johnson leading the charge to make Black Adam a key character in the future of the DC Universe, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be denied a sequel.

    Black Adam is now in theaters.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Paramount Orders Up Adaptation of Image Comics ‘Geiger’

    Paramount Orders Up Adaptation of Image Comics ‘Geiger’

    Paramount Television has reached a deal to adapt Geoff Johns’ Image Comics title Geiger. Set in a Mad Max-esque dystopia in 2050, Geiger tells the story of a man named Tariq who survived the Unknown War of 2030 and now protects the people of the wastelands from criminals and scavengers. According to Deadline, Johns will write the pilot and then serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Justin Simien.

    Published in 2021, Geiger’s first story arc ran for six issues and was followed up by an old-school 80-page giant-sized issue that looks to be setting up a Geiger-verse full of characters called The Unnamed who are somehow connected by through fighting in wars dating back to American Revolution of 1776. One of the characters, a robot named Junkyard Joe who fought in the Vietnam War, recently debuted his own solo series.

    As of publication, no timeline for the start of production of the series was given, but it’s safe to say fans shouldn’t expect it to hit the screen until late-2023 at best, but more likely 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • Adam Driver Rumored To Have Met Marvel Studios for ‘Fantastic Four’

    Adam Driver Rumored To Have Met Marvel Studios for ‘Fantastic Four’

    With a new director and a writing team, Marvel Studios is beginning to make moves on their long-awaited Fantastic Four film. Announced at SDCC ’19, Fantastic Four has been delayed by the departure of original director Jon Watts and was recently bumped into 2025 as part of a slate-wide reshuffle. However, with things looking settled in, they’ve begun the search for a cast and with the onset of casting comes a fascinating new rumor.

    According to the Hot Mic podcast, Adam Driver may have previously met with Marvel Studios for an unknown role in the film a few months ago. The 38-year-old actor has taken a bit of a break from Hollywood tentpoles after holding down the role of Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy but has continued to build a strong resume, including garnering a second Academy Award nomination for his role in a Marriage Story.

    Though the rumor doesn’t attach Driver to a specific role, thoughts immediately turn to Driver taking on the role of Victor Von Doom. While there’s plenty of interest in who Marvel will cast as the First Family, Doom may be the biggest role in the history of the studio. One of Marvel’s richest and most complex characters, Doom should have a major role in the next decade of the MCU, potentially making it attractive to a star like Driver while also tempting Marvel to look for known quantities.

    Of course, until there’s official word from Marvel Studios, there’s no reason to get too attached to anyone associated with the role of Doom or any other. Sneider himself has said the tip was from an unproven source. Marvel Studios, under the leadership of long-time casting director Sarah Finn, has rarely missed on these type of major castings in part because they tend to take their time. Fans should expect that to be the case again here, as production on Fantastic Four isn’t expected to kick off until the second half of 2023.