Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Sublime Biopic Coming from ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence

    Sublime Biopic Coming from ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence

    The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence is teaming with Sony Pictures on a Sublime biopic. Sublime was one of the biggest acts of the 90s and has gone on to become one of the most famous acts in music to this date. The band consisted of lead singer Bradley Nowell, bassist Eric Wilson, and drummer Bud Gaugh. Nowell, of course, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 28, but that hasn’t kept Sublime’s legacy from living on. To this day, Wilson and Gaugh tour as Sublime with Rome, with Rome Ramirez on the vocals and guitar.

    Sublime‘s Gaugh and Wilson, along with Bradley’s widow, Troy Nowell, and son Jake have given their blessing both to the film and Lawrence.

    “Wow — we can’t believe this is finally happening, and we couldn’t be more honored and excited to have the great Francis Lawrence and Chris Mundy telling our story. We are so grateful to Peter Paterno and Dave Kaplan/Surfdog for their years of persistence and vision in getting this film going and thankful to Sony’s 3000 Pictures and Chernin Entertainment for believing in us and getting it on the big screen. We know Bradley’s talent and spirit will be part of this incredible journey.”

    The biopic is being developed by Sony’s 3000 Pictures, Chernin Entertainment, about:blank, Dave Kaplan, and Peter Paterno. Kaplan and Paterno are said to have been the driving force behind the project for some time now, having helped to put the final pieces together.

    “We’re thrilled Sublime’s insanely cool and important story will finally be told. Peter Paterno and I spent the last six years searching for the right partners, and we are pinching ourselves with this ‘Dream Team’ of Elizabeth Gabler and Marisa Paiva at 3000 Pictures, Francis Lawrence, Chris Mundy and the Chernin folks and can’t wait to see this film get made.”

    Dave Kaplan

    Ozark scribe Chris Mundy is set to write the film.  Gaugh, Wilson, as well as Troy Nowell and Jakob Nowell on behalf of Bradley Nowell’s estate, will help executive produce the movie. While Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and David Ready producing for Chernin Entertainment along with Lawrence from about:blank and Kaplan of Surfdog/DKM and Paterno of KHPS producing. As of now, the film does not have a release date.

    Source: Deadline.

  • New Marvel Studios Animated Series Finds Director in ‘Big Hero 6’ Artist Brian Kesinger

    New Marvel Studios Animated Series Finds Director in ‘Big Hero 6’ Artist Brian Kesinger

    Marvel Studios’ animation department has been increasingly busy over the last year and it seems there’s no slowing down now. In a post on his personal Instagram account, Lucasfilm and Marvel illustrator Brian Kesinger announced that he was helming a new animated series for Marvel Studios.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cih8ZFcLddl/?igshid=NDc0ODY0MjQ%3D

    Kesinger has worked with Disney for over 20 years as part of animation departments on projects ranging from Tarzan (1999) to Big Hero 6 (2014) to Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Though he did not name the project, quite a few are known to be in the works at Marvel Studios, including one being developed by Todd Harris which may have ties to MCU artifacts such as the Ten Rings. Kesinger has also illustrated Marvel Comics in the past, including work for “Rocket Raccoon and Groot” and “Groot.”

  • John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ Returning to Theaters Once Again

    John Carpenter’s ‘Halloween’ Returning to Theaters Once Again

    Halloween looks to be coming early.

    A new report from The Hollywood Reporter states that John Carpenter‘s Halloween is set to return to theaters for a limited time along with the fourth and fifth Halloween sequels. This marks the second year in a row that the films have been re-released into theaters.

    CineLife Entertainment, Compass International Pictures and Trancas International Films are working together to help bring Halloween, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers back to theaters. As of now, there are reportedly 670 screenings planned across 417 theaters later this month.

    “We are ecstatic to once again showcase the legendary Halloween franchise in theaters and continue our strong partnership with Trancas International Films and Compass International Pictures. Halloween fans nationwide showed their unwavering appreciation for the iconic series over the years, and we are overjoyed to have the opportunity to bring back such a well-received tradition.”

    Bernadette McCabe, CineLife Entertainment’s Executive VP

    The decision to re-release the Halloween films should help to boost an otherwise quiet box office. While Barbarian is doing great business, there’s little else being released this month with the exception of Don’t Worry Darling from Warner Bros. Discovery. And the forthcoming release of Halloween Ends next month might help to increase interest in returning to where it all started.

    The first Halloween was released on Oct. 25, 1978, and would go on to spawn a film franchise that is still relevant to this day. While there were some missteps along the way, 2018’s Halloween, which brought back Jamie Lee Curtis, proved to be a hit among fans and critics alike and pulled in $255 million worldwide. While the sequel, Halloween Kills, only pulled in $131.6 million worldwide following a day-and-date release on Peacock, it was still enough to see the threequel through.

    Halloween Ends will hit theaters on Oct. 14th.

    Source: THR.

  • Manny Jacinto is the Latest to Join ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’

    Manny Jacinto is the Latest to Join ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’

    From The Good Place to a galaxy far, far away. Deadline reports that Manny Jacinto has been cast in the forthcoming Star Wars series, The Acolyte. The actor joins an impressive cast that consists of Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game), and Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim). Details regarding Jacinto’s character are being kept under wraps.

    Jacinto is perhaps best known for his role as Jason Mendoza in The Good Place. His other credits include Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers and Netflix’s Brand New Cherry Flavor, and he also appeared in the movie of the year, Top Gun: Maverick, as Lt. Billy ‘Fritz’ Avalone. The busy actor is also set to appear in The Knife, Cora Bora and Balestra.

    The Acolyte is being described as a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a “galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” The project was first announced in April 2020, with Lucasfilm finally confirming the series in December 2020.

    Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland will serve as the series director, writer, executive producer and showrunner on The Acolyte.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Series is a Go at Amazon Prime

    ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Series is a Go at Amazon Prime

    The Blade Runner universe is about to open up a major,r new corner. It has been officially announced that the series Blade Runner 2099 has been picked up for active development by Amazon’s Prime Video. Ridley Scott, director of the original film in the franchise, is set to serve as an executive producer for the new series. Silka Luisa has written the script and will also be an executive producer. In addition, Alcon Entertainment and Scott Free Productions will be working with Amazon Studios to produce this new series. 

    Blade Runner, which was based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?, released in 1982 and followed the tale of Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckhard tracking of fugitive bioengineered human replicants in a dystopian 2019 Los Angeles. The sequel, Blade Runner 2049 starred Ryan Gosling as a replicant and his investigation into a societal-level conspiracy.

    Producing a live-action series in the Blade Runner universe has long been a priority for Amazon. Vernon Sanders, the head of global television at Amazon Studios, spoke about the company’s excitement to be working on this new series.

    The original Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, is considered one of the greatest and most influential science-fiction movies of all time, and we’re excited to introduce Blade Runner 2099 to our global Prime Video customers. We are honored to be able to present this continuation of the Blade Runner franchise, and are confident that by teaming up with Ridley, Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and the remarkably talented Silka Luisa, Blade Runner 2099 will uphold the intellect, themes, and spirit of its film predecessors.

    Vernon Sanders

    Not much is currently known about what the specific plot of this series may entail. Though as one can notice from the title, it’s set 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049, the Denis Villenueve-directed 2017 sequel.

    Source: Deadline

  • Charlie Cox Wants More Lawyering In ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Than In Netflix Show

    Charlie Cox Wants More Lawyering In ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Than In Netflix Show

    Daredevil: Born Again will reintroduce Charlie Cox’s titular hero alongside longtime foe Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. The upcoming Disney+ series will also make streaming service history with its 18-episode run, the first time a Marvel Cinematic Universe show has done so. Aside from a newly revealed logo at D23 Expo, plot details for Daredevil: Born Again remain sparse, but Cox has already stated that this is a new beginning, with new ideas, and will not be connected to the previous Netflix series.

    Daredevil is set to make his next MCU appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which is fitting considering both Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters are lawyers. Still, it has been confirmed that She-Hulk will not be setting up Born Again. That does not mean that Murdock will not embrace his legal roots going forward.

    In fact, speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cox said he wants the new series to be more focused on Murdock’s day job as a lawyer, similar to how the first season of the Netflix show was before it started telling more Daredevil stories. With the new show’s extended episode count of 18 episodes, he hopes there will be more time for character beats while maintaining all of the superhero action. The actor stated:

    We know there’s going to be 18 episodes, and that’s kind of mind blowing to me, so there’s even more content than we were doing before, which at the time, felt like a lot. What I hope that does is give us longer to really live in the characters and to spend more time in Matt Murdock’s world as a lawyer and still have all the cool Daredevil superhero stuff, but to really live in his world and ground the show in the day-to-day life of someone who’s a lawyer, I think could be really interesting.

    Charlie Cox

    MCU fans will get some experience with the legal side of the MCU in She-Hulk, so it will be interesting to see if it expands beyond that series. Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere in Spring 2024 on Disney+.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola Joins ‘Ironheart’

    Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola Joins ‘Ironheart’

    Production on Marvel Studios’ Ironheart might be nearing the end of its production, but the series continues to add to its growing cast. Deadline reports that Rashide “Sheedz” Olayiwola has joined the growing cast in an undisclosed role.

    Olayiwola’s previous credits include Insecure and A Black Lady Sketch Show. She is currently a staff writer on the HBO Max series, South Side. Up next for the busy comedian and actress is the animated Netflix series, Good Times, where she is set to voice the series regular character, Lashes by Lisa. She is also a writer and star on the upcoming IFC/AMC series, Sherman’s Showcase.

    Ironheart, which consists of six-episodes, hails from head writer Chinaka Hodge and stars Dominique Thorne as Marvel character Riri Williams. Olayiwola joins a cast that includes Anthony Ramos, Shakira Barrera, Manny Montana, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Shea Couleé, and Zoe Terakes. Sam Bailey (Dear White People) and Angela Barnes (Atlanta) are directing the forthcoming Disney+ series.

    Ironheart is set to hit Disney+ sometime in 2023.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Marvel Studios Taps ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Writer to Tackle ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    Marvel Studios Taps ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Writer to Tackle ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    It looks like not only does Avengers: The Kang Dynasty have a director in Destin Daniel Cretton, but they’ve also added Jeff Loveness as its writer. It seems his work on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has put him on the map to tackle the feature, which is fitting given that the film also introduces the main threat of Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, after the introduction of his variant in Loki.

    It’s safe to say that they’re likely to set on continuing his work on the character, who’ll have a bigger role considering the name of the film’s title. In a way, Marvel Studios is relying more on familiar writers that have already had their experience in the franchise, similar to how Michael Waldron introduced the multiverse concept in Loki and went on to tackle the Doctor Strange sequel.

    There’s also a fun trend of Marvel Studios hiring Rick and Morty writers for its various projects. Loveness and Waldron are both veterans of the animated series and it seems their experience with sci-fi concepts has made them the perfect candidates for these projects. Even the writer of the Pickle Rick episode, Jessica Gao, has been spearheading the She-Hulk: Attorney at Law project.

    It opens up the question of who might get their hands on the Avengers: Secret Wars film, especially with them still actively searching for the director. They may be considering Ryan Coogler for the role of director, and perhaps Michael Waldron may return as well, especially as he set up the idea of the Incursions in his Marvel projects.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Reveals Unused Doctor Strange Variant

    New ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Reveals Unused Doctor Strange Variant

    In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we took our first real trip throughout the multiverse, or at least Doctor Strange was forced to when helping a young America Chavez. Throughout his travels, we are introduced to two Variants of the talented yet arrogant sorcerer, yet it seems that there was one more that didn’t make it beyond the concept stage.

    Concept artist Darrell Warner revealed a new piece of concept that offers a first look at “Marvellous Melvyn,” a street magician version of our popular doctor. It seems this version of the character was part of the initial pitch by Scott Derrickson before Sam Raimi took over production, which took the production into a very different direction.

    The design is great and it’s really a shame that we didn’t get to see this version of the character. Not only would it have given Benedict Cumberbatch a fun new interpretation to bring to life, but perhaps he may have been an unwilling traveler that ends up getting dragged along for a journey he is definitely not equipped for. It’s also great that the designer got to work with thee costume designer Graham Churchyard to bring the idea to life.

    We can always theorize on the “what if” of the original Scott Derrickson‘s sequel of his Doctor Strange film that introduced magic into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps it is somewhere out there in the multiverse that got a chance to see it and they could use the What If…? series to introduce a few of those concepts that didn’t quite make it.

    Source: Instagram

  • Disney+s ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’ Adds Mychala Lee to Round Out the Cast as Mallory

    Disney+s ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’ Adds Mychala Lee to Round Out the Cast as Mallory

    It looks like Disney+’s upcoming adaptation of Spiderwick Chronicles has rounded out its cast with Mychala Lee, who is set to take on the role of Mallory. It’ll adapt the book series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, which will explore the story of a bunch of kids moving back to Michigan with their mother where they are pulled into a magical world.

    Lee joins the cast of Lyon Daniels and Noah Cottrell, who will play the twins Jared and Simon. Joy Bryant will play their mother and they’re also joined by Christian Slater‘s Mulgarath. According to Variety, Lee‘s character is described as “a classic firstborn child. She is extremely Type A, smart, determined, and ambitious. She strives for perfection in everything she does, from learning to drive to her passion for fencing. While she loves her brothers, her parents’ divorce and her life being uprooted is putting more than the usual strain on their normal sibling rivalry“

    Disney+ has been quite busy expanding beyond its Marvel and Star Wars offerings by entering the young adult market. Spiderwick Chronicles is only slowly getting ready for production but they’ve already been busy working on the adaptation of Percy Jackson, which just recently got a first look released. So, it seems we’ll have quite a bit more heading our way soon.

    Source: Variety