Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • New ‘Loki’ Set Photo Offers a Look at Sylvie’s New Suit

    New ‘Loki’ Set Photo Offers a Look at Sylvie’s New Suit

    It looks like new set photos have found their way online for the upcoming second season of Loki. It’s the first series to get an additional season and we already got some teases from the Disney+ series’ set. The first photos we got revealed the return of Sophia Di Martino‘s Sylvie in an old McDonalds uniform while Tom Hiddleston’s Loki seemingly joined the TVA once again.

    Now, a new set photo has surfaced that reveals that same sequence where she was seen at a McDonalds but this time around is wearing an updated version of her suit. Its design seems quite close to what she wore in the last season. The biggest difference seems to be the golden half ring around her neck which is even more damaged than previously.

    There are still a lot of questions hanging in the air about how exactly Sylvie finds her way out of He Who Remains’ home and if she has taken on a new role to look over the multiverse. perhaps the existential crisis of her actions being foretold led to her just giving up and trying to live a very quiet life. Kang’s role is also unclear in the upcoming film, as the big bad for the next Avengers movie will let his presence be known throughout and the multiverse is nowhere close to slowing down.

    Source: Weibo

  • Neve Campbell Speaks Out on Exiting ‘Scream 6’ Over Pay Dispute

    Neve Campbell Speaks Out on Exiting ‘Scream 6’ Over Pay Dispute

    The new Scream film caught many by surprise when it offered a fresh new take on the iconic franchise. Legacy sequels are currently all the rage and it was exciting to see it perform as well as it did for long-time horror fans. As it also became a surprise hit at the box office, a new installment wasn’t too surprising. What did catch many off-guard was that long-time star Neve Campbell was moving away from the franchise.

    Speculation went wild on the reasoning behind her departure before first reports hinted that it was due to a pay dispute. Hollywood still struggles with payment inequality for non-male actors. Now, the actress has spoken out on why she decided to leave the franchise behind.

    I did not feel that what I was being offered equated to the value that I bring to this franchise, and have brought to this franchise, for 25 years. And as a woman in this business, I think it’s really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued. I honestly don’t believe that if I were a man and had done five installments of a huge blockbuster franchise over 25 years, that the number that I was offered would be the number that would be offered to a man.

    Neve Campbell

    It’s definitely heavy to hear the troubles she’s going through considering how she would go on to shape the franchise over the years. Campbell was one of the defining factors that made Scream what it is today, and her absence will be felt in the upcoming sequel. It makes you wonder if the draw will be the same without Neve Campbell when long-time fans return.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Disney+ Beats Expectations and Adds 14.4M New Subscribers

    Disney+ Beats Expectations and Adds 14.4M New Subscribers

    It looks like the streaming market isn’t taking a nosedive after all. Netflix and HBO Max have been low expectations; especially the former continuing to lose subscriber count. The same fear existed with Disney+ but it seems that they managed to pull it to their advantage as they just reported that they’ve added 14.4M subscribers, which is ahead of their predicted 10M. As such, the stock is up 6% as a result and its revenue continues to be driven by its parks offerings.

    Bob Chapek, the current CEO of Walt Disney, has shared the following statement on their third fiscal quarter:

    We had an excellent quarter, with our world-class creative and business teams powering outstanding performance at our domestic theme parks, big increases in live-sports viewership, and significant subscriber growth at our streaming services. With 14.4 million Disney+ subscribers added in the fiscal third quarter, we now have 221 million total subscriptions across our streaming offerings. We continue to transform entertainment as we near our second century, with compelling new storytelling across our many platforms and unique immersive physical experiences that exceed guest expectations, all of which are reflected in our strong operating results this quarter.

    Bob Chapek

    Unlike most, Disney has a diversified portfolio that can counterbalance any scares with the booming streaming business. Plus, the confirmation that an ad-supported model of Disney+ will hit the US in December also adds to the excitement on what exactly the future may hold for investors. Of course, the price hike to $10.99 for an ad-free version might rub som the wrong way.

    Chapek promised investors in late 2021 that they’d reach 230M+ subscribers by September of 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if that continues to rise or if we should expect a slow-down anytime soon. They also expect Hulu and ESPN+ to become profitable by then as well.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Disney+’s Ad-Supported Model Gets US Release in December

    ‘Disney+’s Ad-Supported Model Gets US Release in December

    The day is coming closer as the ad-supported streaming variations of Disney+ has finally gotten a release date; at least for the United States. According to Deadline, Disney+ will be made available with advertising on December 8th. It’ll cost $7.99 a month rather than its premium model at $10.99. Naturally, they also have various bundles planned such as lower-priced basic plans with ads getting their own combinations for Hulu and ESPN+.

    Disney+ with Hulu would go for $9.99 a month while adding ESPN+ would put it at $12.99. There’s also a basic monthly fee for Hulu with Live TV, which also includes Disney+ and ESPN+ for $69.99. Kareem Daniel, the Chairman for Media & Entertainment Distributions shared the following statement regarding the announcement:

    With our new ad-supported Disney+ offering and an expanded lineup of plans across our entire streaming portfolio, we will be providing greater consumer choice at a variety of price points to cater to the diverse needs of our viewers and appeal to an even broader audience. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ feature unparalleled content and viewing experiences and offer the best value in streaming today, with over 100,000 movie titles, TV episodes, original shows, sports and live events collectively.

    Kareem Daniel

    Disney’s quarterly earnings are just around the corner, which makes this announcement quite interesting and a hopeful grab to get on the good side of Wall Street. Netflix and HBO Max have been hit quite hard as of late due to Netflix’s recent tumble, which may be one of the reasons that the streaming war will continue the way it currently is going. Disney+ is a safe bet to remain but the rest are up for question.

    Source. Deadline

  • ‘Nope’ is Jordan Peele’s Third Film to Pass $100M Domestically

    ‘Nope’ is Jordan Peele’s Third Film to Pass $100M Domestically

    It’s a big weekend for the box office, as not only did Thor: Love and Thunder manage to pass $700M but it also looks like Jordan Peele‘s third film has now joined the $100M club. Not every director can claim that his first three films manage to hit that mark, especially in an IP-dominated market with original pictures. Still, in three weeks, the film has managed to pull in $100.32M domestically.

    Overall, the pandemic has hit the box office quite a bit but there are quite a few films managing to still pull in past the $100M mark with original projects. Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic is doing quite well with $137M, Sandra Bullock managed to pull the same with The Lost City and Ryan Reynolds‘ Free Guy from last year also made an impressive $121M. So, it’s a sign that mid-budget projects still have an important place in the market.

    It should be noted though that Nope faces a similar issue to Thor: Love and Thunder. While the latest Marvel movie is likely to make more than its previous entry, its budget was quite a bit higher according to some sources. Nope also had a higher budget of $68M which is a far cry from Get Out‘s $4.5M and Us‘ $20M. While it’s doing well, it’s unclear if it’ll beat out the previous two entries. There’s still the chance for its international box office to pull in quite a bit as it faces a delayed release but with only a few exceptions, the box office is still recovering in some ways.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    While it didn’t have the momentum early on, Thor: Love and Thunder has officially passed the $700M mark worldwide. It’s currently on its way to passing the box office of its predecessor if you exclude its Chinese and Russian box office. The original pulled in $850M when it was released back in 2017 but owed $112M alone to China with Russia making up 23M. So, it would “only” need to pass $715M to pull in a higher box office than its predecessor. Not too far away from its current $704M international cume.

    Naturally, many would assume that the influx should be higher, especially with the presumed $250M budget this film is standing on. Still, with a B+ CinemaScore and a more mixed critical reception, it still surprised many when it started picking up momentum. The second and third weekends seemingly had a stronger drop but it was during the week when things would pick up for the fourth Thor entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The film won’t be making a massive profit for Marvel Studios as it likely will break even but a fourth entry making as much or even more than its predecessor is also not a common thing in the market. Thor: Love and Thunder proves that Marvel Studios still has a good hold on the market and $700M is a great win for any production nowadays; Top Gun: Maverick is the exception that may be overlooked in the more fragile market we have right now.

    As of now, the film is likely to pass the first’s overall box office run and even reach around $750M+. There’s still a chance it could go higher if it legs out even with its 45-day window on the horizon; something that may be facing a change sooner rather than later. Still, the film is not a flop as many would make you believe and it’ll b interesting to see how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever performs later this year.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • HBO Max’s ‘Pennyworth’ Season 3 Gets a Curious New Subtitle

    HBO Max’s ‘Pennyworth’ Season 3 Gets a Curious New Subtitle

    It’s still crazy to think that not only do we have a Pennyworth series focused on the famous butler that would go on to take care of the Wayne family, but it’s also lasted for around three full seasons. While it’s moving to a new home, Pennyworth is also getting a new title. HBO Max has decided that they can’t entirely sell a Batman prequel series without the name in the title, which is now titled Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler.

    It’s kind of a bizarre title choice, which seems like it was made to give that series an additional level of promotion. Plus, it might be their way of trying to make the third season stand out for those that haven’t seen the original when it premiered on Starz. It does seem like the series isn’t going through any major changes and sticking t its guns from previous entries, but the fact they had to find a way to shove Batman into that title is definitely more a marketing ploy than something creatively.

    There’s no word if they might end up finishing the series with the birth of Bruce Wayne, which may be the inspiration for that title. We’ll see if the series might end up finding a strong audience on the new streaming home and could potentially go on for another season or two. So, perhaps the origin of Batman’s butler will remain a staple as Warner Bros. Discovery continues to figure out their franchise.e

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Finds its Sam and Henry, Reveals Major Story Change

    HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Finds its Sam and Henry, Reveals Major Story Change

    The Last of Us cast is expanding in a big way. IGN is exclusively reporting that brothers Sam and Henry, who play an important role in the original video game’s story, will be played by Keivonn Woodard and Lamar Johnson, respectively. Set photos of the pair with Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsay’s Ellie circulated the internet a few months back, but no confirmation of the actor’s identities could be made at the time. In addition to Woodard and Johnson, the live-action adaptation has also cast Graham Greene and Elaine Miles as new characters Marlon and Florence. This duo is an entirely new creation for the show and did not play a part in Naughty Dog’s virtual series of post-apocalyptic adventures.

    The report says Woodard and Florence will be portrayed as a married couple living alone in the Wyoming wilderness, a state familiar to gamers as the home of Gabriel Luna’s Tommy and the basis of his survivalist community. Interestingly, the press release that came with the casting announcements included a bit of information that reveals a major story change for the HBO series. In the video game, Joel and Ellie meet Sam and Henry while on the run from a group of deadly scavengers in Pittsburgh, but in the show, they will instead meet the brothers while hiding from a revolutionary movement in Kansas City. While the movement itself remains unnamed, the group will supposedly be “seeking vengeance” when they encounter the protagonists on their cross-country journey.

    This is a departure from the events of The Last of Us Part 1, but it does sound a lot like the Washington Liberation Front from The Last of Us Part II. Perhaps this change was made to better connect the stories for a potential second or third season. It could also be that this revolutionary movement is a branch of the Fireflies, who play a large role in both games and may have reason to want revenge on Pascal’s Joel.

    Source: IGN

  • Walter Hamada Was Planning ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ Film Event

    Walter Hamada Was Planning ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ Film Event

    The hierarchy of power at Warner Bros. Discovery is changing, and the future of DC Films will never be the same. As has been widely reported over the last week, new WBD CEO David Zaslav has been busy making a series of drastic alterations to the company’s film slate. Batgirl, along with several other potential projects, received an unexpected axing, and nothing that’s been previously announced is still set in stone. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this includes projects that were never publicly revealed but planned as major announcements by DC Films President Walter Hamada. Perhaps the biggest idea that will likely not see the light of day? An adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was reportedly being staged by Hamada before Zaslav changed the game.

    One of the most popular comic book tales to ever exist, Crisis follows the heroes of the DC multiverse as they come together to prevent its destruction at the hands of the all-powerful Anti-Monitor. The series concluded with the defeat of the Anti-Monitor, and resulted in the entire DC multiverse condensing into a single Earth. It seems likely this event could have been Hamada’s plan to converge the many tones and timelines presented throughout DC’s most recent films. With Zack Snyder’s original vision for the DC Extended Universe not panning out, the success of Joker and The Batman proving stand-alone worlds could still be profitable, and The Flash set to introduce the multiverse concept to the franchise, a Crisis-type situation did feel like a natural solution to all the chaos. After all, the comic is notable for its willingness to kill off characters and reset storylines for the sake of audience understanding.

    It’s worth noting that Marvel Studios just announced an adaptation of Secret Wars in its plans for the Multiverse Saga, the 2015 version of which is pretty similar in concept to Crisis. While this is entirely conjecture, it does make one wonder if Zaslav wanted to avoid comparison and opted for the hard, sudden reboot instead. For those who would still like to see a Crisis adaptation, The CW produced one a few years back with a major crossover of all its Arrowverse television series. That was well-received by fans and should be able to quench the Crisis thirst until a film is inevitably made in the apparently not-so-soon future.

    Source: THR

  • EXCLUSIVE: Sony Moving Ahead with New ‘Karate Kid’ Film

    EXCLUSIVE: Sony Moving Ahead with New ‘Karate Kid’ Film

    Sony is looking to move ahead on a new Karate Kid film.

    We here at Murphy’s Multiverse can exclusively reveal that Sony is looking to cast a teen lead for a new Karate Kid film. Sony is looking for a 17-year-old male, Chinese actor who speaks both Mandarin and English. The character is referred to as Li and is said to be small for his age, but tough, smart and scrappy. He is said to be a skilled fighter and a student in Beijing who finds his life uprooted after his mother moves them to Brooklyn, New York.

    Li is said to be struggling with a past tragedy, which drives a wedge between him and his doctor mom, who has managed to handle the same tragedy in her own way. After Li meets Mia, a student from his high school, and her father, Victor, at a local pizza restaurant, he’ll soon find his life has changed yet again – for the better. Li soon finds himself training Victor in the art of Kung Fu, despite his mother’s stance against violence and fighting, and ultimately back in the ring himself.

    The film does not yet have a director attached, but Rob Lieber (Peter Rabbit) is attached to pen the script. A start date has also yet to be revealed for the film’s production.

    News of a new Karate Kid film comes after it was revealed back in December 2021 that Sony Pictures TV renewed its contract with Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. The deal is said to run for four years and allows for the expansion of the Cobra Kai and Karate Kid franchises. This new film looks to be its own entity separate from that deal as it is a feature film.