Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • No Audition, No Script, Just London — Sadie Sink Breaks Down the Process Behind Landing Her Top Secret ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Role

    No Audition, No Script, Just London — Sadie Sink Breaks Down the Process Behind Landing Her Top Secret ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Role

    The web of secrecy surrounding Marvel Studios and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains tightly spun with only a few weeks left until its release. In an exclusive profile published by Variety, Stranger Things breakout star Sadie Sink shed light on the intensely guarded, highly unusual production process behind her mystery MCU debut.

    As the film tracks toward its July 31, 2026 theatrical release, Sink revealed that landing a highly coveted role in the multi-billion dollar superhero franchise required zero auditioning—but came with an agonizing level of high-concept security.

    For most actors, joining an MCU film requires an extensive, grueling gauntlet of chemistry tests and boardroom presentations. For Sink, the internet essentially willed it into existence.

    Sink reiterated to Variety that she originally discovered she was destined for a Marvel suit after spotting frantic social media rumors pegging her for a major Spider-Man project. “Before I got cast, there was speculation online saying, ‘Sadie Sink is gonna be in the new Spider-Man.’ I was like, ‘I am?‘” she joked.

    Sure enough, Marvel and Sony didn’t even bother with the audition process. Days after the internet rumors caught fire, the studio bypassed traditional casting completely and bypassed directly to a straight-to-talent direct offer. However, Sink disclosed that due to the film’s intensely guarded detective-mystery plot line, the studio refused to transmit digital script files over email.

    Sink flew across the Atlantic entirely blind, confirming she did not physically read a single line of the Brand New Day screenplay until her plane officially touched down in London for principal photography. Keeping her character’s name hidden throughout a massive international press tour has proved to be an uphill battle. “It’s torture,” Sink admitted regarding the non-disclosure agreements. “And there’s so much speculation, too. I feel like there’s a new character every week.”

    Sink‘s not wrong. Rumors had her playing a Mary Jane Watson Variant, the daughter of Toby Maguire‘s Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst‘s MJ, Mayday Parker, and an “alternate universe Gwen Stacy“…all within months of her casting, kicking off an insider info war.

    However, industry insiders first pegged Sink as a major frontrunner to portray Earth-616’s Jean Grey months before her official signing. Set spies previously spotted her dressed in a highly distinct green-and-yellow palette, with narrative rumors suggesting her character functions as a caustic, street-smart tortured youth heavily inspired by Mark Millar‘s Ultimate X-Men comic run. The Ultimate Universe iteration of Jean famously used telepathic manipulation to invade minds and camouflage her identity—a power set that analysts point out would perfectly explain how her character is able to naturally bypass Doctor Strange’s universe-wide memory wipe to remember Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker.

    The revelation that Marvel Studios offered Sink a potential franchise role without a single audition proves her standing in Hollywood. Director Destin Daniel Cretton and Marvel Head Cheese Kevin Feige didn’t need to see her read; they wanted her specific, emotionally intense screen presence to anchor their next era.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Runtime Revealed

    ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Runtime Revealed

    The structural blueprint for Peter Parker’s next massive cinematic chapter is officially locked down. While theatrical exhibitors spent early June floating various placeholder lengths ranging from 145 to 150 minutes, the definitive final cut of Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Spider-Man: Brand New Day has been verified.

    According to highly trusted industry runtime specialist Cryptic4KQual, the official, down-to-the-second final runtime for the film sits at 2 hours and 24 minutes (144 minutes total). Brand New Day lands four minutes shy of Spider-Man: No Way Home (148 minutes), making it the second-longest live-action solo Spider-Man movie ever produced.

    Peter Parker is dealing with a totally decentralized reality: he is entirely broke, living anonymously in a cramped apartment, collaborating with Liza Colón-Zayas‘ Detective Jean DeWolff, and tracking unusual, erratic crime patterns across the boroughs. When you add the confirmed physical presence of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, and the sudden, overarching threat of The Hand operating in the dark, 2 hours and 24 minutes gives Cretton the required runway required to balance complex character drama with hard-hitting, stylized street action without rushing the script’s core mystery.

  • DC’s Jimmy Olsen Series Locks Production Timeline, Eyes Comedic Icon for Gorilla Grodd

    The Daily Planet is officially launching its most bizarre investigation yet. Nearly a year after it was first teased following a corporate trademark filing, an exclusive report from Nexus Point News has revealed the production and casting blueprint for DC Studios’ Jimmy Olsen spin-off series, which will reportedly go by the title American Villain.

    Developed by American Vandal creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault as a true-crime mockumentary, the HBO Max series will follow Superman’s pal as he attempts to investigate and profile the bizarre underbelly of the DCU’s supervillain landscape.

    Skyler Gisondo will natively anchor the series as Jimmy Olsen. He will be heavily backed by his fellow Daily Planet colleagues, with Wendell Pierce (Perry White), Beck Bennett (Steve Lombard), Mikaela Hoover (Cat Grant), and Christopher McDonald (Ron Troupe) expected to cross over.

    With the project officially shifting into active pre-production, the pipeline is locked, and the studio is looking at a very unexpected co-lead to anchor the premiere season. While early production drafts originally slate-planned for the series to shoot concurrently alongside James Gunn’s theatrical sequel Man of Tomorrow, corporate realities forced a slight logistical shift.

    Nexus Point News notes that budgetary reasons slightly delayed the series’ official greenlight. Instead of a dual-shoot scenario in Atlanta, the production has been realigned to serve as the immediate hand-off project. Cameras are now officially scheduled to roll at the end of August and continue through October 2026 in Atlanta, starting right as Man of Tomorrow wraps principal photography.

    The biggest bit of info in the casting layout is the nature of the show’s first major antagonist profile: Gorilla Grodd.

    The telepathic ape is being framed as a formal co-lead of the series, with casting actively underway for a major voiceover performance. Crucially, the studio is explicitly targeting actors with strong comedic backgrounds to voice Grodd. The leak further notes that casting calls are out for a major lawyer role alongside other superpowered individuals—strongly hinting that the mockumentary format will follow Olsen documenting a highly absurd, high-stakes court trial involving Gorilla Grodd.

    This is exactly the type of genre-bending tonal flexibility that Gunn promised when he first took the reins of DC Studios. Instead of feeding audiences a non-stop diet of traditional, formulaic savior narratives, the DCU is actively allowing American Vandal’s creators to treat a hyper-intelligent, telepathic gorilla like a subject out of a prestige Netflix crime doc. It gives Gisondo a comedic canvas on which to shine, builds out the civilian perspective of Metropolis, and proves that in this new universe, even the legal system has to deal with the absolute madness of the metahuman world.

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Star Says ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Might Be James Gunn’s Best Work Yet

    The expectations for the next major chapter of the DC Universe have officially been sent into deep orbit. While James Gunn is currently deep in physical production on Man of Tomorrow—the highly anticipated, Earth-bound Superman sequel—those closest to the production are already calling it a career-defining masterpiece.

    Speaking with GamesRadar, Peacemaker breakout star Jennifer Holland dropped a massive wave of praise for the upcoming blockbuster, boldly teasing that the theatrical follow-up might just stand as Gunn’s absolute finest directorial achievement to date.

    “I can tell you that I have seen an enormous, enormous portion of the movie, and I am so excited for Man of Tomorrow,” Holland tells GamesRadar+ at a screening of Supergirl. “It is different…I don’t wanna say this. Ugh. It might be James’s best… my favorite movie of James, and I haven’t even seen the whole thing yet. I’m just… I love the movie. I’m really excited about it. It feels like a step up to me in a lot of ways. I’m excited for people to see it, and he’s not done filming it yet.”

    Holland’s glowing endorsement carries a significant amount of weight given her intimate familiarity with Gunn’s signature storytelling style. Having worked closely alongside him across The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Peacemaker, she has a front-row seat to how the filmmaker balances multi-million dollar comic book spectacle with genuine, character-driven heartbreak.

    Principal photography on Man of Tomorrow is moving rapidly through its physical pipeline. Insiders suggest that once Gunn wraps his work on the sequel, the studio is already planning to fast-track its newly prioritized, testosterone-heavy Deathstroke & Bane movie as the next live-action feature to jump into production.

    On the heels of the disappointment of Supergirl, hearing that Man of Tomorrow is a legitimate step up from the foundational groundwork laid by last year’s Superman indicates that DC Studios isn’t suffering from sophomore slump anxiety. Gunn has historically thrived when the stakes are intensely personal.

    Source: Games Radar

  • ‘Deathstroke & Bane’ Reportedly Vaults Up DC Studios’ Production Priority List

    ‘Deathstroke & Bane’ Reportedly Vaults Up DC Studios’ Production Priority List

    While the internet spends its time dissecting Supergirl‘s issues, debating the casting shortlists for the DCU’s Batman or demanding a Wonder Woman update, James Gunn and Peter Safran are moving forward and quietly prioritizing a vastly different, more violent corner of their sandbox. According to an update from TheWrap, DC Studios is aggressively fast-tracking its long-gestating, untitled Deathstroke & Bane team-up movie.

    The project, first announced as an early-concept script in development back in 2024, has suddenly vaulted to the front of the line, with insider source ApocHorseman indicating it is shaping up to be the next film to slide into principal photography right after Man of Tomorrow wraps production.

    Despite its sudden promotion on the slate, TheWrap notes that the testosterone-heavy blockbuster is still working through its foundational layers. An individual with knowledge clarified that while the project is a major organizational priority, it does not have an official director or cast lined up yet.

    The project is being written by Matthew Orton (Captain America: Brave New World), but a finished screenplay has not yet been delivered. However, the studio has been aggressively vetting filmmakers, with Superbad and Adventureland director Greg Mottola—who recently helmed episodes of James Gunn’s Peacemaker—emerging as a potential frontrunner to take the job once Orton delivers the next draft.

    If Orton wraps the screenplay this fall to match a post-Man of Tomorrow production window, expect heavy casting announcements to land by Late 2026 or Early 2027.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Insiders May Have Identified the Frontrunner for the DCU’s Batman

    Insiders May Have Identified the Frontrunner for the DCU’s Batman

    The search for the DCU’s Caped Crusader may have shifted into high gear. While Hollywood has been heavily focused on the repercussions of the performance of Supergirl, a new wave of whispers has begun to leak regarding Andy Muschietti’s upcoming ensemble feature, The Brave and the Bold.

    According to a smorgasbord of rumors from multiple industry insiders, beginning with John Campea, Grantchester and Greyhound star Tom Brittney has reportedly emerged as a major frontrunner to inherit the iconic cowl.

    If Brittney‘s name sounds incredibly familiar to the DC Studios faithful, it’s for an excellent reason. The 35-year-old British actor famously made it to the absolute final round of screen tests for James Gunn’s Superman back in 2023, narrowly losing out on the role of Clark Kent to David Corenswet. Now, he may be joining Coresnwet as one of DC’s Trinity.

    History has a tendency to repeat itself in major superhero casting loops. Much like how Nicholas Hoult tested for Superman only to later be cast as Lex Luthor, Gunn has an established track record of keeping talent on his immediate radar.

    Because The Brave and the Bold is pacing its development timeline safely behind the live-action rollout of Man of Tomorrow, DC Studios has zero intention of rushing an official casting press release. As with any premium superhero casting cycle, a “frontrunner” status does not equal a finalized contract. Shortlists are highly fluid, and names will continue to drift through the trades as things progress behind the scenes.

  • DC Strips Superman Down to His Golden Age Roots in New Black Label Series ‘Superman: The Stranger’

    DC is going back to 1938, and they’re stripping away the cape’s most famous cosmic trimmings to do it.

    The publisher has announced Superman: The Stranger, a brand-new six-issue DC Black Label limited series launching this fall. Written and illustrated by the acclaimed Wes Craig (Deadly Class, Kaya), the book is set to reimagine the Man of Tomorrow’s earliest adventures by throwing out decades of established mythology in favor of raw, street-level Golden Age grit.

    Forget Smallville. Forget Krypton. Forget Ma and Pa Kent. Superman: The Stranger drops a young, brash Clark Kent into a heavily Art Deco-inspired 1938 Metropolis. By day, he’s just another face trying to make ends meet in a bustling, unequal city. By night, he uses his raw, scaled-back powers to protect the streets.

    But this isn’t a story about punching giant robots. The core conflict is systemic—the rich keep getting richer, the poor are left behind, and Clark is left wondering if a man who can leap tall buildings can actually fix a corrupt, broken society.

    Visually and tonally, this is a massive shift from the current mainline All In status quo. Craig is drawing heavy inspiration from the visual language of Action Comics #1 and the classic Fleischer Studios cartoons of the 1940s.

    According to Craig, the goal is to get back to the core myth: “You strip away the extra powers… you boil it down to that explosive first issue of Action Comics, and you have this vital, powerful myth of a brash young man with incredible powers fighting against a corrupt city. That’s the story I want to tell.”

    The Creative & Release Details:

    • Writer/Artist: Wes Craig
    • Colors & Letters: Jason Wordie (Colors) and Tom Napolitano (Letters)
    • Release Date: September 2, 2026
    • Format & Price: Six issues, printed on premium cardstock, retailing at $4.99 US.
    • Age Rating: DC’s Ages 17+ content descriptor (Mature Readers).

    Black Label has always been at its best when it lets visionary creators take DC’s biggest icons completely out of safety zones. Giving a master stylist like Wes Craig free rein over a Depression-era Superman sandbox makes this an absolute must-add to the fall pull list.

    Are you ready for a grounded, Golden Age Superman? Let us know what you think of Craig’s approach!

  • DC Amplifies ‘Next Level’ Initiative with Legion, Titans, and Doom Patrol Ongoing Series

    DC’s All In era is officially moving into its second act, and the publisher isn’t hitting the brakes anytime soon.

    DC has announced the expansion of its Next Level publishing initiative, slating three brand-new ongoing team series to drop on the same day: September 2, 2026. Fans can look forward to fresh, creator-driven entry points for the Legion of Super-Heroes, Teen Titans, and The Doom Patrol.

    The Next Level line—which has already found success with standalone titles like Batwoman, Lobo, and The Deadman—is designed to be friendly to new readers while letting top-tier talent play in the main DC Universe sandbox without being heavily bogged down by dense crossover continuity.

    Here is the breakdown of the creative teams and directions heading to comic shops this fall:

    Legion of Super-Heroes #1

    • The Creative Team: Joshua Williamson (Superman) and Eisner-winner Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman).
    • The Pitch: Set one thousand years after Superman’s rocket originally landed in Smallville, this 40-page debut tackles a dark future where superheroes have been outlawed, the United Planets are policed by the ruthless Persuaders, and financier R.J. Brande has been murdered. It falls to Brainiac 1 of 5 to solve the crime and assemble a scattered rebel alliance of young heroes.

    Teen Titans #1

    • The Creative Team: Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) and artist Niko Henrichon (The Pride of Baghdad).
    • The Pitch: To avoid complete financial and emotional ruin, the world’s strangest heroes adopt a “heroes-for-hire” business model. What starts as a seemingly mundane case tracking down a missing cat quickly spins out into a bizarre cosmic crisis.
    • The Creative Team: Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo—the powerhouse team behind the massive Power Rangers: Shattered Grid event.
    • The Pitch: Don’t expect the standard Titans lineup. This series spotlights a network of missing, powered teenagers. When a young hero vanishes from a rally for a youth movement called “Ascend,” a core group consisting of Fairplay, Cheshire Cat, Proxy, and Wildcard must team up with Red Hood to find their friend.

    The Doom Patrol #1

    September 2 is going to be an expensive Wednesday at the local comic shop. DC also teased that the Next Level rollout will continue through the end of 2026, with more independent, creator-driven titles planned for characters like Deadshot, Deathstroke, and Zatanna.

    Which of these three titles are you putting on your pull list first?

    Source: DC Comics

  • Tom Holland Reveals Aspirations to Bring Miles Morales into the MCU

    Tom Holland Reveals Aspirations to Bring Miles Morales into the MCU

    15 years after his debut, Miles Morales has evolved into one of the Marvel’s most versatile and important characters. As the lead character in both a video game series and a soon-to-be trilogy of animated films, Morales’ popularity has transcended the page and there’s really only one final frontier for him to conquer…and Spider-Man star Tom Holland has a plan to make it happen.

    In an interview with Hobby Consolas, Holland explicitly confirmed that he is actively leveraging his newly elevated creative position to physically shepherd Miles Morales into the live-action MCU framework.

    “I think at this point in time, we’re being really open-minded about what the future looks like,” Holland revealed. “I know that I have aspirations to bring Miles Morales into the universe, however that works out. We’ve got a lot of work to do to bring that to life. But yeah, I feel really strongly about it.”

    Holland’s passion for Miles isn’t just about giving fans a highly anticipated comic-book reunion—it’s deeply personal. Having been cast as Peter Parker at a mere 18 years old, Holland’s early tenure in the MCU was structurally defined by the real-world and on-screen mentorship of Robert Downey Jr.

    Now that he’s entering his second full trilogy of standalone films, Holland wants to come full circle. “I feel incredibly grateful for the way I was introduced into this world and that I was shepherded by [RDJ],” Holland shared. “I would love to kind of return that favor to the next generation of people that get the luxury of making these movies. So that is definitely something that I’m really working towards.”

    Despite Holland’s aggressive pushing, fans shouldn’t expect Miles to make a surprise cameo when Brand New Day arrives this July. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously revealed that Sony corporate heads explicitly told Marvel to “stay away” from introducing a live-action Miles until the animated Spider-Verse trilogy officially concludes its run. However, with Sony set to release Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse on June 18, 2027, there may be a path for Miles to make his debut in Avengers: Secret Wars.

  • ‘Daredevil Born Again’ Set Photo Reveals The Man Without Fear’s All-New, All-Different S3 Suit

    ‘Daredevil Born Again’ Set Photo Reveals The Man Without Fear’s All-New, All-Different S3 Suit

    After a low-quality video and partially obscured images of Charlie Cox‘s suit made their way online from the set of Season 3 of Daredevil: Born Again, a new, higher quality and much clearer look at the suit has been released.

    The new red and black suit sports a clearly defined DD logo and while it doesn’t seem to be a direct adaptation of any particular suit from the comics, it does have some shares aesthetics with the armored variant the character first wore in Daredevil #321.

    With little to go on in terms of bread crumbs about the new season’s plot, it’s unclear how Matt–whose identity as Daredevil is no longer a secret–makes his way out of prison, much less resumes his work as a vigilante by night. But it is clear that he’ll look good doing it.