Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Barbarian’ Star Georgina Campbell on Working with Bill Skarsgård

    ‘Barbarian’ Star Georgina Campbell on Working with Bill Skarsgård

    Barbarian has a lot going for it, and that includes a bonafide horror star in Bill Skarsgård. The actor, who reached international fame for his portrayal of Pennywise the Clown in the most recent It adaptations, has been a major selling point of the film’s marketing. Working alongside him is Georgina Campbell, who achieved recognition with roles in projects like Black Mirror and His Dark Materials. During a recent press conference in support of Barbarian, the actress was asked what it was like to act with Skarsgård – with whom she shares plenty of scenes. Her response was nothing but positive:

    Well, honestly, it was just really exciting. I was very excited when I got the job. And then when I heard that Bill Skarsgård was going to be in it, and Justin Long, I was like, “Oh my God.” Jesus Christ, I’ve got to bring my A-game. So, I was just so excited when I met him. I’m a really huge fan of all of his work, and he’s just a dream to work with. He’s a really charismatic, charming guy. So, it’s very easy in those early scenes to kind of slowly be charmed by him. And also, we had just met each other, and then we went into a scenario where two people had just met each other. So, it’s quite easy in that situation to just let it naturally flow, and also naturally, as we are filming it, we are getting to know each other personally, as well as in work. So, it just kind of all worked really well, which, yeah, I’m glad I love those scenes at the beginning of the film

    Georgina Campbell

    Director Zach Cregger also commented on the pair’s natural chemistry, mentioning a scene in the film where both characters have to interact for a long period of time. According to the filmmaker, much of the scene was improvised, and the good vibes lasted even after the cameras stopped rolling. Hopefully, audiences are able to pick up on the duo’s success when Barbarian hits theaters on September 9th.

  • ‘Cars on the Road’ Director Reflects on History with the Franchise

    ‘Cars on the Road’ Director Reflects on History with the Franchise

    Pixar’s Cars franchise is making its grand return with the upcoming Cars on the Road Disney+ series. It sees the return of franchise veterans Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable guy to voice Lightning McQueen and Mater once again, as they make their way on a crazy road trip like no other. They aren’t the only veterans returning, as the series has a directing trio behind it that has all worked on the franchise since the first one was released back in 2006.

    Steve Purcell, Brian Fee, and Bobby Podesta have a long history with their work on the series, and when discussing how they approached the project during the Disney+ series’ official press conference, Fee got a chance to reflect on how their history with t. He also highlighted how knowing these characters and working for so long, they could still bring in their unique perspectives.

    We all three go back to Cars One. So, it’s in our DNA. It’s in our blood. We were all in story on Cars One. Bobby was also in animation. So, we’re all just so heavily rooted into these characters. It’s like these characters are part of our family and we all understand them, you know, on that level. So, I think it almost took care of itself as far as how do we make sure they’re in line enough. So, how are we representing, you know, what people expect from this franchise? And then I think the beauty, for me anyways, the joy of working, directing with these guys is we all have slightly different personalities.

    Brian Fee

    It definitely sounds like the series will be a Cars entry through and through, even with the new format. It also helps to have the original voices for its leads back, as they embark on a different kind of story. Who knows if this potentially opens up many other spinoff series from the Cars universe, especially as each of the directing trio might potentially add their own voices to explore new corners of the franchise.

  • ‘Spider-Man’ Re-Release Wins the Weekend as ‘Top Gun’ Passes $700M Domestically

    ‘Spider-Man’ Re-Release Wins the Weekend as ‘Top Gun’ Passes $700M Domestically

    It’s a crazy Labor Day weekend at the box office, as two long-running films have taken the top two spots. Strategically released, Sony gave Spider-Man: No Way Home a return to theaters hoping to crack the $2 billion mark with some more footage added in and the “More Fun Edition” tagged on. It went up against Memorial Day weekend surprise hit Top Gun Maverick which has been showing some incredibly impressive legs all summer.

    As of now, it seems that No Way Home re-release will take the weekend with $6M but Top Gun: Maverick‘s $5.5M is nothing to laugh at, especially as it has now passed the $700M mark. It’ll likely pass Black Panther in just a day or two and it’s unclear just how big its wings might continue to propel it. With 50% fewer theatrical releases, it may have been the one surprise hit to boost the total market alongside other big releases like Thor: Love and Thunder, Minions: Rise of Gru, and the few to make a splash this summer.

    Still, the weekend had a special offer for many as ticket costs were down quite a bit as a way for cinemas to test out the market. Quite a few films got a select boost as a result. Jurassic World: Dominion is inching its way to a potential billion, as it now stands at $994M. Mostly depends on how it performs overseas with Japan being the big decider here. Nope is still showing a stronghold and has pulled in $120M domestically, which is lower than expected but still a decent pull.

    Thor: Love and Thunder also saw a minimal drop of 8% and pulled in another $2.4M and has now pulled in over $750M worldwide with $340M domestically. While some still pretend the film was a failure of some kind, it has outgrossed its predecessor and still is among the higher-tier earners. Making more than the previous entry with its fourth entry isn’t a common occurrence in a franchise that’s been running for as long as it has. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s release is definitely going to be one to keep an eye on though.

    Source: Forbes

  • John Williams Reveals Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Theme from ‘Indiana Jones 5’ during Concert

    John Williams Reveals Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Theme from ‘Indiana Jones 5’ during Concert

    John Williams has been busy working on the music for Indiana Jones 5, which may be among the final scores he ever produces. It’s fitting given just how involved he was with the original and was just as much an integral part of making the franchise a cult classic. James Mangold is taking over directing duties for the upcoming fifth, and potentially last entry in the franchise. While news building up to D23 is still scarce, Williams has provided a sneak peek of his upcoming score during a concert.

    As shared by Twitter user @Naquicious, it seems that Williams decided to reveal the theme for Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s character during his latest concert. Not only that, he shares that it was seemingly also coordinated with Mangold. As such, it reveals that the character’s name is Helena and luckily non participants get a chance to listen in.

    https://twitter.com/naquicious/status/1565930404070076417?s=21&t=4fYKA0ll1p6Mz60tQ2DqcQ

    It’s definitely a John Williams score and highlights the gravitas we can expect from his upcoming work. He’s always been on his a-game, as he recently worked with Lucasfilm to give Obi-Wan Kenobi a long overdue theme. The fact he will soon retire is a shame but he’s given some amazing work to the industry and many themes wouldn’t be the same without him. We’ll have to see if we get an updated version of the iconic Indiana Jones theme as well ahead of its release, but with D23 on the horizon, anything is possible.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Arcane’ Becomes First Streaming Series to Win Animation Emmy

    ‘Arcane’ Becomes First Streaming Series to Win Animation Emmy

    Netflix has a certified, Award-winning hit on its hands. Arcane, titled onscreen as Arcane: League of Legends, debuted on the streaming service last year to high praise from both fans and critics. The series is set in the world of Riot Games’ popular League of Legends online multiplayer, and follows the sisters Vi and Jinx, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, respectively, as they navigate the escalating unrest between the cities of Piltover and Zaun. At last night’s Creative Arts ceremony, Arcane won the Emmy for Best Animated Program, becoming the first streaming show to do so in the history of the event. Past contenders for the honor have also mostly been from Netflix’s crop of content, including nominations for hit comedy Big Mouth and cult favorite drama Bojack Horseman.

    Arcane was one of many series duking it out for the Emmy this year, coming up huge against several heavy-hitters. Longstanding programs like Fox’s Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons, as well as Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty, fell short. Marvel Studios’ What If…?, its first animated project, was also nominated. Although it didn’t win Best Animated Program, star Chadwick Boseman did pick up the award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in a separate category. Arcane co-creator Christian Linke accepted the Emmy on the series’ behalf, giving the following statement:

    Thank you for this. It’s a big deal for us as we come from video games. It’s been amazing to see the world embrace our characters and our stories so thanks to Netflix who believed in us from the beginning, thanks to Riot Games, who worked on the whole IP… and to all the people that have been with our game and League of Legends for the last 12 years or so who helped make it as big as it is now.

    Christian Linke

    A second season of Arcane is currently in development, though no release date has been announced.

    Source: Deadline

  • Chadwick Boseman Wins Posthumous Emmy for Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’

    Chadwick Boseman Wins Posthumous Emmy for Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’

    Chadwick Boseman has been gone for two years, but his legacy continues to shine. Best known for his iconic portrayal of King T’Challa – the Black Panther – in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the late actor picked up his first and only Emmy win at last night’s Creative Arts ceremony for his work voicing a multiversal Star-Lord in Marvel’s animated What If…?. One of many MCU stars who returned to do voice work for the series, Boseman was a noticeable stand-out when he appeared in the episode “What If…T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” and quickly grew in popularity as he recurred throughout the rest of the season. His efforts, recorded before he died but released almost a full year after, earned him the award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

    Boseman beat out an extremely competitive group at this year’s event, rising above the likes of Bridgerton‘s Julie Andrews, Moon Knight‘s F. Murray Abraham, Big Mouth‘s Maya Rudolph, Central Park‘s Stanley Tucci, fellow What If…? alum Jeffrey Wright, and Archer‘s Jessica Walter, who passed away in 2021. The win puts an end to Rudolph‘s victory streak, after the comedian won the award for the past two years in a row. Boseman‘s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the Emmy on his behalf, giving the following statement to Deadline:

    When I learned Chad was nominated, I started thinking of everything that was going on in the world and our world and being so in awe of his commitment and dedication and what a beautiful moment that one of the last things he would work on was something so important to him and to the world but also something new. You can’t understand your purpose unless you ask what if? What if the universe is conspiring in my favor? What if it’s me? Chad would be so honored and I am honored on his behalf.

    Taylor Simone Ledward

    What If…? will return for both a second and third season on Disney+, though the release dates are currently unknown.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Walking Dead’ Star Cast as ‘Superman & Lois’ Villain

    ‘The Walking Dead’ Star Cast as ‘Superman & Lois’ Villain

    Superman & Lois has found its next big bad. The hit CW series, which stars Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch in the title roles, closed out its second season with a major tease for the future. Longtime Arrowverse contributor David Ramsey appeared as a multiversal version of his character John Diggle to namedrop and set up Bruno Mannheim, the leader of organized crime syndicate Intergang, as the third season’s potential main villain. Now, only a few months later, Ramsey has spilled the beans on who might be playing Mannheim when the series returns.

    Speaking at the “Arrow Guests: Saving Star City” panel at DragonCon, Ramsey revealed that actor Chad L. Coleman would be playing the primary antagonist in Superman & Lois Season 3. While Ramsey did not confirm who exactly Coleman would portray, the previous hints at Mannheim’s role in the next season make it likely that the former Left 4 Dead 2 star will be the one bringing him to life. For fans unfamiliar with the performer, Coleman rose to fame playing Dennis “Cutty” Wise on HBO’s The Wire. He then had a successful turn as fan-favorite character Tyreese Williams on AMC’s The Walking Dead, and has also appeared in a recurring capacity on shows like Hulu’s The Orville, Amazon’s The Expanse, and FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

    This will be the second time Coleman appears in an Arrowverse project, after having played Tobias Church in four episodes of Arrow back in 2016. If he is truly playing Bruno Mannheim in Superman & Lois, then viewers can expect to see him wielding some fairly cool weaponry on the small screen. Mannheim’s Intergang is known for it’s use of highly advanced technology, bestowed upon them by Darkseid himself in the hopes they could find the Anti-Life Equation. It sounds like the Man of Steel will have his hands full when the show is once again airing on the CW.

    Source: The Direct

  • The Morning After Huddle: September 3, 2022

    The Morning After Huddle: September 3, 2022

    Welcome to your weekend edition of the Morning After Huddle! We’ve reached the time of year when people often say that “football is life.” However, the reality is life is often bigger than football.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • Starting strong, The Houston Texans franchise continues to answer the call of fundamentally understanding just how critical community impact can be. The Texans are teaming up with Nike to provide uniforms and equipment to the Uvalde High School football team. Additionally, the team is providing transportation, food, and access to NRG Stadium suites for Uvalde players and coaches to their home opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Roland Ramirez, Director of Player Care and Sports Medicine, is from Uvalde, Texas and attended Robb Elementary School, the site of a deadly mass shooting earlier this year where nineteen students and two teachers passed away and seventeen others were wounded. The Texans will also wear a decal on their helmets this season in honor of those lost.
    • Next, Cardinals Safety Jalen Thompson is getting a new deal. Thompson is signing a contract extension to remain with the team through the 2025 season. The deal is worth up to $40 million with $24.5 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $10 million. Thompson is a fifth-round pick from the supplemental draft in 2019 and played in 91 percent of the defensive snaps from last season.
    • Finally, your Key Signings and Traded Roundup can be found in the league’s full slate of moves from Friday.

    That is it for today’s edition. We’re back Tuesday with more news you’ll want to know ahead of Week One!

  • ‘Thunderbolts’ May Act as a Spinoff for ‘Black Widow’s Yelena Belova

    ‘Thunderbolts’ May Act as a Spinoff for ‘Black Widow’s Yelena Belova

    Ever since the announcement came that Marvel Studios is working Thunderbolts, it had many wondering what the team of villains and anti-heroes might consist of. Surprisingly, it seems that Deadline’s Justin Kroll has just dropped the news on Matthew Belloni’s The Town podcast, as he reveals it’ll act as a sort of spinoff for Black Widow‘s Yelena Belova, which means Florence Pugh may be at the forefront of the project. According to Kroll, she’ll also likely lead “Marvel’s Suicide Squad” and potentially hints at John Walker and Zemo returning in the film.

    [Florence Pugh] has got the Marvel superhero that’s already got a spin-off. Upcoming for her, actually, on that character is this Thunderbolts film, which is basically Marvel’s Suicide Squad. Hopefully, it has better results. But the concept is it’d be her leading the team of like Wyatt Russell’s [John Walker], Daniel Bruhl’s [Zemo], those anti-heroes that aren’t exactly good but aren’t exactly bad. So there’s that. And people seem to like the Yelena character.

    Justin Kroll

    Her role definitely raises some questions on what exactly this take of the Thunderbolts will look like. Florence Pugh is continuing to rise in her stardom so it seems like Marvel Studios is definitely not going to waste this opportunity to make her a strong focus on the MCU. There’s an interesting aspect that highlights her importance and potentially why she was part of the first film entry to kick off this new Multiverse Saga. We’ll see how this potentially will come together once more details on the film are revealed.

    Source: The Town via The Direct

  • Disney+ Teases Potential X-Men-Related Announcement for Disney+ Day

    Disney+ Teases Potential X-Men-Related Announcement for Disney+ Day

    There have been many theories about what we can expect from the upcoming Disney+ Day. Last year, we got a few announcements alongside official logo reveals. The big question for many is how much they’ll really show if D23 is right after but they might still use the chance to tease some Disney+ projects or even reveal some fun trailers. Plus, we’ll also get some new additions to the service to celebrate the occasion. Now, the official Twitter account is also seemingly teasing something X-Men related for the day.

    The interesting thing is that they’ve made a few day countdown posts, but this time around they highlighted the hashtag. The inclusion of Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine is definitely a curious choice but very unlikely is hinting at anything related to the 20th Century Fox era but there’s a chance we might get a teaser of some kind of the 90s animated series continuation X-Men ’97.

    Of course, to temper expectations, there’s simply a chance they are promoting the fact that they have all the 20th Century films on the platform. Disney+ has advertised itself as the “Home of Marvel” and is definitely living up to that name. Perhaps they’ll finally add X-Men: Evolution to the platform, which was a great animated series based on popular animated characters. We still have a week to wait until we find out what exactly they might be teasing or if it’s actually anything, but there’s a lot of fun to have to speculate ahead of such a big event from Disney.

    Source: Twitter