Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Marvel Studios Developing ‘Armor Wars’ as a Movie Instead of Disney+ Series

    Marvel Studios Developing ‘Armor Wars’ as a Movie Instead of Disney+ Series

    Ever since it was officially announced, fans have eagerly been awaiting news regarding Marvel Studios’ Armor Wars. The project was to be made into a Disney+ series, however, outside of Yassir Lester being announced as the head writer, very little news seemed to surface regarding the project. Lester and leading man, Don Cheadle, assured fans it was coming, though, and now it appears we might have a reason as to why the project is moving so slowly.

    The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Marvel Studios is developing Armor Wars as a feature film instead of a Disney+ series. Both Lester and Cheadle remain on board the project. The project is being redeveloped into a feature film, which is more than likely why Armor Wars still lacked a release window during Marvel Studios’ D23 presentation. The decision was made as Marvel felt the best way to tell the story was through a feature film rather than a television series. Production on the six-episode series was expected to begin in early 2023, however, crew members were said to be notified today that is no longer happening.

    The title of the series was inspirited by a storyline in the Iron Man comics from 1987 and 1988 by writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton and artist Mark Bright. It focused on the highly advanced technology of Iron Man falling into the wrong hands.

    As of now, Armor Wars does not have a release date or director attached to the project.

    Source: THR.

  • Michael Giacchino Discusses Usage of Vintage Film Techniques in ‘Werewolf by Night’

    Michael Giacchino Discusses Usage of Vintage Film Techniques in ‘Werewolf by Night’

    With Werewolf by Night nearing a week from its official release on Disney+, anticipation for Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation has certainly been on the rise. Ever since the official announcement of the project paired with the first trailer, many fans were pleasantly taken aback by how much this creative team went all in on the 1930s horror genre pastiche.

    This was followed by the social media embargo lifting and critics giving overall positive responses to the 50-minute short film for its ability to honor classic filmmaking in the streaming landscape. A large heap of that praise should then land at the feet of director Michael Giacchino for creating this vintage aesthetic. 

    While sitting down with Collider for an interview, Giacchino discussed how some of these implementations came into place. Namely, the usage of cigarette burn cue marks throughout the special.

    As we were editing and stuff, my editor Jeff and I are such nerds for this kind of thing, and we were just like, ‘Oh, we got to put in those things too. We got to put in the reel changes.’ Because we always approached this as something that was being done in the 30s. What would they have done and what would they have had at their disposal? How would they have done it? So, we did as many practical effects as we could.

    Michael Giacchino

    While being such a distinct element that could very well go unnoticed to most casual viewers, it’s emblematic of Giacchino’s care for matching the form of classic horror movies in the golden age of film. As well, the reliance on practical effects will likely stand out distinctly in relation to the heavy reliance on digital effects in film (especially in the superhero genre). The director went on to elaborate on his desire to have fully built sets for the actors to interact with in Werewolf by Night. 

    I wanted the actors to feel like they were in a true environment as opposed to having not only the work of creating these characters for us to experience on film, but then they would have to also imagine what was around them.

    Michael Giacchino

    Ultimately, these types of quotes from Michael Giacchino continue to build high amounts of promise for Marvel Studios’ upcoming project. If nothing else, Werewolf by Night is shaping to be one of the most visually unique projects to release in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

    Werewolf by Night stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Laura Donnelly and is set to release on Friday, October 7 on Disney+.

    Source: Collider 

  • ‘Now You See Me 3’ Adds ‘Uncharted Director’

    ‘Now You See Me 3’ Adds ‘Uncharted Director’

    It looks like Ruben Fleischer has found his next franchise, as he’s now set to direct the third installment of the Now You See Me franchise. He famously worked on the recent adaptations of Venom (though did not return for the sequel) and Sony’s latest PlayStation adaptation, Uncharted. The screenplay is written by Seth Grahame Smith, who famously worked on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is overseen by Fleischer. It’s an updated draft of the one written by American Hustle‘s Eric Warren Singer.

    Director Fleischer got a chance to share his excitement about the project and also confirmed that at least Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg are set tor return in the sequel.

    There are three things in this world I absolutely love… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and magic. To have the chance to work with these two talented actors, as well as rest of the incredible cast of the Now You See Me movies is a dream come true. I am a lifelong fan of heist movies – I love getting drawn in by the twists and the mystery where nothing is what it seems. And that’s even more true when the thieves are magicians – the opportunities are endless.  Eric was able to unlock a fresh and exciting way into a new movie and fun new characters, so I’m excited to dig in even further.

    Ruben Fleischer

    Now You See Me was a special kind of blockbuster film that used its magic tricks to pull a final surprise by the end. The first one was quite well-received but it is surprising that they are moving forward with a sequel since the last entry was all the way back in 2016. We’ll see how they’ll approach the latest entry and make it stand out even after such a long break.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director on Getting Away With More Blood in Black-and-White

    ‘Werewolf by Night’ Director on Getting Away With More Blood in Black-and-White

    When we got our first look at Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night, you could tell it was going to be something special. Not only did it offer something familiar to classic Hammer and Universal monster movies, under the guise of a “Special Presentation,” but it even teased quite a bit of gory action filtered through a classic black-and-white design.

    In an interview with Collider, director and long-time Marvel composer Michael Giacchino got the chance to tease what he’s been working on and the love of a genre that inspired it. That’s not all, as he also got a chance to talk about the way they were able to push the boundaries with its blood and gore, even if he seemingly isn’t that big of a fan of slasher flicks.

    I think that helped us. It certainly didn’t hurt us. I think that doing something like this, we were able to push a little further into that direction than we might have if he had done it any other way. I think people will still be surprised when they see it. The people who are just turning it on and seeing, but hey, that’s part of the fun of it. I felt like as long as it didn’t become sadistic … that was our thing. Because I’m very squeamish generally. I don’t like slasher movies for that reason. So, I didn’t want it to ever get into that realm where it’s just indiscriminate killing. Everything needed to have a reason and a why and a how and all of that. So, I do think that being in black and white helped us with a lot of that, keeping it in that realm.

    Michael Giacchino

    It’s definitely going to be interesting to see just how far they managed to push the project, as we only have a bit longer until it releases on Disney+. Marvel Studios has been all-in with this project showcasing it at Fantastic Fest and even Beyond Fest, highlighting it as their big push for a genre project. We’ll see if Werewolf by Night can really pull it together.

    Source: Collider

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’ May Take Place in the 1920s

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’ May Take Place in the 1920s

    While Marvel Studios’ upcoming adaptation of Blade has been potentially delayed indefinitely due to losing director Bassam Tariq, it seems that Illuminerdi has released some details in regards to what were the original intentions with this project. With Mahershala Ali set to take on the titular role of Eric Books, who most know as the vampire hunter Blade.

    According to Illuminerdi, the upcoming Marvel film may not be set in the current timeline but rather explore the 1920s. It may feature Blade taking on European vampires before it starts exploring multiple time periods until it arrives in the modern MCU. It would make sense as it could further explore how vampires remained hidden for so long while also telling a story that isn’t forced to go by how the modern MCU works.

    There are mentions of issues with the script in the current rumor mill, which means they might end up changing things up. The only aspect that could happen is that this concept doesn’t even make it into the final script once they start filming. Still, it taking place in the 1920s would add a unique visual flair to the story and give them the opportunity to offer something more gothic in design.

    Plus, it would make Blade stand out more from other members of the MCU. It would be a shame not to explore the history of vampires while also hinting at how they managed to remain such a mystery even into the modern age. Perhaps Werewolf by Night might offer a little glimpse into how the supernatural horror part of the franchise works early next month.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • Jonathan Majors in Talks to Play Dennis Rodman in Lionsgate’s Upcoming NBA Film

    Jonathan Majors in Talks to Play Dennis Rodman in Lionsgate’s Upcoming NBA Film

    Lionsgate is setting its eyes on telling the story of Dennis Rodman’s 48 hours in Vegas during the 1998 NBA Finals. They were actively looking for someone to take on the role and they finally have found their star. It seems Jonathan Majors, the upcoming star of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is currently in negotiations for the project.

    It was last August that Lionsgate won the debate for the spec with Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Aditya Sood set as producers for the project. Rodman is also set as an executive producer alongside Ari Lubet and Will Alegra. Jordan VanDina has written the screenplay for the upcoming adaptation but there’s seemingly no director attached yet.

    It seems that the story has received momentum after Michael Jordan‘s documentary The Last Dance, as Rodman supposedly went on a “madcap adventure” during the 1998 NBA Finals, which the film will explore as well as the budding friendship with his GM assistant. VanDina wrote the script during the pandemic and it seems Lionsgate was a fan from the first time they read it.

    Source: Deadline

  • Google Shutting Down Stadia in January 2023

    Google Shutting Down Stadia in January 2023

    It looks like Google has decided that their cloud gaming service has no more future, as the service is set to shut down on January 18th, 2023. Not all is doom and gloom, as it seems they have decided to refund owners of Google Stadia for all games and add-on content that was purchased through its store, which will be completed by mid-January.

    Stadia Vice President Phil Harrison released the following statement on the official blog announcing the service’s being shut down:

    A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia. And while Stadia’s approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service.

    Phil Harrison

    It’s definitely curious how much was invested into this project. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has hinted that the investment is quite substantial, especially for massive IPs like Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed, and many more. While they are taking the positive spin highlighting they can re-use the technology in other markets, it definitely is a heavy hit for the company.

    It’s not too surprising, as many expected the fact that Stadia is likely going to end sooner rather than later. Not a lot of games support Stadia and its player base has seemingly never truly grown beyond its baseline from the launch. There’s a lot we don’t know about how they handled this project, as they may have just hoped it could pick up again or mapped out a way to sundown the project some time ago. At least players are given a refund for their investment.

    Source: The Verge, Twitter

  • Freya Allan Joins ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Ahead of October Production Start

    Freya Allan Joins ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Ahead of October Production Start

    The Witcher star Freya Allan has joined Owen Teague and Peter Macon in 20th Century Studios next installment in their Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Directed by Wes Ball, the new film is said to pick up “many years” after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes. Allan has apparently landed the role as the lead human in the new film.

    Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth film in the Planet of the Apes Saga which launched in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, continued in 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and again in 2017 with the aforementioned War for the Planet of the Apes. In an official statement, 20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell described the Ball’s vision for the latest installment as “extraordinary.”

    ‘Planet of the Apes’ is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy. With ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.

    Steve Asbell

    Production on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to kick off in October based on a screenplay from the team of Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patrick Aison, who worked on the recent streaming hit Prey. Ball is expected to serve as the director for an entire trilogy of Apes films that are rumored to focus on Teague’s Cornelius, the youngest son of Caesar, the protagonist of the first trilogy of films in the modern saga.

    Source: 20th Century Studios

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Not Expected Before 2024

    ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Not Expected Before 2024

    As Season 1 of HBO’s House of the Dragon continues to thrill fans of the Game of Thrones franchise, news comes that there’s going to be a bit of a wait before Season 2 will stream. According to hoy.es, the production on the second season isn’t slated to get underway until 2023.

    It’s believed that pre-production on the second season will begin in October, but the account has learned that the studio has carved out a block of time from March through June to film in Càceres, Spain, where they will film scenes for the series’ King’s Landing setting. While this shouldn’t be taken as an indication that no filming on the series will take place before March, it’s a pretty good sign that fans will be waiting until 2024 for Season 2.

    The first six episodes of Season 1 of House of the Dragon are now streaming on HBO Max.

  • Amazon Prime to Stream All 25 Bond Films For a Limited Time

    Amazon Prime to Stream All 25 Bond Films For a Limited Time

    Agent 007 is set to have an official home in the streaming age. It has officially been announced that that all 25 James Bond films will be available to view on Amazon Prime Video. This includes every film between the initial Dr. No, starring the late Sean Connery, to the most recent 2021 release, No Time to Die, which served as a conclusion to Daniel Craig’s run as the ever-popular character. They are planned to release on October 5, though Amazon has stated that the films will be available on the streamer “for a limited time.”

    In addition to all the films arriving on Prime Video, the new documentary The Sound of 007 is set to release on the platform on October 5th as well. The documentary is set to survey the history of the character on the silver screen for the 60 years he’s been present in the zeitgeist. Mat Whitecross served as director for the project. To coincide with these James Bond-related projects, The Sound of 007: Live from the Royal Albert Hall, an exclusive recording of the live charity concert, will debut on Prime Video.

    All of this news comes with recent revelations that the process of finding the next actor to portray James Bond is underway. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have confirmed the plans to further evolve the famous character with the times and the potentially decade-long commitment that will be needed from the future face of the franchise. Ultimately, it will be interesting to follow how the world of James Bond continues into a new era of film history.

    Source: Variety