Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Squid Game’ Joins ‘Stranger Things’ at the Emmys, First Non-English Language Film to Nab a Nomination

    ‘Squid Game’ Joins ‘Stranger Things’ at the Emmys, First Non-English Language Film to Nab a Nomination

    It has been nearly a year since Squid Game first premiered on Netflix. Since then, the Korean drama has become Netflix’s most-watched show of all time with over 1.65 billion hours viewed within the first 28 days of release. And now, the drama is looking to make history with the Emmys, too.

    Nominations for the 74th Emmy Awards were announced this morning and, unsurprisingly, Squid Game was nominated – as was leading man Lee Jung-jae. The series pulled in 14 nominations overall, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. More impressively, though, Squid Game has become the first non-English language drama to secure an Emmy nomination in the main drama category.

    Elsewhere, another Netflix hit earned 13 nominations. Stranger Things was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More), and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series among others. Unfortunately, the show’s young cast looks to have been ignored in the acting categories, with many believing Sadie Sink’s work as Max was overlooked.

    While the release date for Season 2 of Squid Game is still up in the air, the final season of Stranger Things is looking to enter production relatively soon. For now, fans can enjoy the first season of Squid Game on Netflix now, as well as the first four seasons of Stranger Things.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Ironheart’ Star Spotted on Set as Disney+ Series Starts Production

    ‘Ironheart’ Star Spotted on Set as Disney+ Series Starts Production

    Actress Domique Thorne has been busy with her work on the upcoming Black Panther sequel where we’ll first meet Riri Williams. The genius college student would be the first to develop a suit of armor as advanced as Tony Stark and she is set to get her own Disney+ series. Now it seems that the first set photo has seemingly found its way online.

    Atlanta Filming, who has shared set photos in the past, took to his Instagram account to share a first look at Domique Thorne on what is likely the set of Ironheart, which may have only recently started production. We don’t have a set release date for the project but it’s exciting to know that work is underway.

    We don’t get an exact look at if this is her costume, but the purple jacket could seem like something Riri Williams wears. There have been rumors that might hint at her suiting up as the titular Ironheart even before her series premiers, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever tie-in promotional material is hinting that we’ll see her Mark 1 at some point in the series. It’ll be interesting to also see how her story may connect to Armor Wars series that is also set to kick off at some point.

    Source: Instagram, The Direct

  • Morning After Huddle: July 12th, 2022

    Morning After Huddle: July 12th, 2022

    While my partner-in-prose Megatron burns Vegas to the ground, I am manning the MAH Morano for the Multiverse crew. We have some news to share, and there’s some stuff that will excite some of you, irritate some of you, and bore some of you. This is basically the Love and Thunder of the football season, so you at least know I will enjoy the heck out of this. Let’s bring this back like Mjolnir, word to Jane Foster.

    • The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the stadium formerly known as Heinz Field will now be known as Acrisure Stadium. Steelers fans were not happy with the name change, with one Twitter user saying “I hope they know we are still calling it Heinz”, to which another user said “imagine being loyal to ketchup.” As the Rooney Family embarks on the post-Roethlisberger era, stadium name changes are really what the fanbase needs!
    • Speaking of post-Hall of Fame QB eras, a report came out last weekend that said the Bucs had discussed pursuing 49ers QB Jimmy Garrapolo to be the heir apparent (once more) to Tom Brady. Well, yesterday, Garrapolo’s agent spoke to Tom Pelissero, who denied the report. In his conversation with Pelissero, Don Yee reiterated that the I-would-imagine-soon-to-be-former 49ers QB is rehabbing nicely from offseason shoulder surgery, and that he expects to be ready for the upcoming season. Pelissero went on to say that he believes Garrapolo is traded before the end of the month.
    • Staying with guys who may be on the move, we turn to Bengals S Jessie Bates. The uber-talented safety is looking to be paid like the top safety he is, with most reports saying he’s looking for something in the $18M a year vicinity. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, this doesn’t seem like it’s headed towards an amicable resolution, as both parties don’t believe a deal will be reached. With the July 15th deadline looking, the Bengals could be in a position where they don’t have one of the key cogs for a team that was just in the Super Bowl. Could they look to trade the safety?
    • Ending with the franchise tag this morning, Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki has also not made progress towards a new deal. However, unlike Bates, it seems he will play on the franchise tag, according to the aforementioned Garafolo. Gesicki figures to be a vital part of this Dolphins passing attack, and could breakout in a big way in Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. Of course, he has a QB with the arm strength of a toddler, so maybe it’s all a moot point!
  • Taika Waititi Has No Plans to Release ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Deleted Scenes

    Taika Waititi Has No Plans to Release ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Deleted Scenes

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been teased to have quite a few deleted scenes, especially starring Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, and Peter Dinklage. Many were excited to see the return of the Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War veterans but for some reason, it ended up on the cutting room floor. As such, many were looking forward to the physical and digital release to offer a glimpse at what was going to be included. Yet, Taika Waititi has seemingly no plans to release them.

    The Love and Thunder mastermind has always been rather straightforward with his answers, though he also enjoys playing with people such as the recent CGI scene that made the rounds, he has pointed out that he’s not interested in releasing the cut sequences.

    And if you ask any of those actors who were cut out — Jeff Goldblum, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage — they all understand how it works. They have been in the game long enough. But that’s just the way I look at things. […] because this is my way of telling you, like, people say, “I can’t wait for the deleted scenes with those actors.” I don’t want people to see the deleted scenes because they’re deleted for a reason: They aren’t good enough. [Laughs.] The scenes were not in the movie and that’s it. 

    Taika Waititi

    It’s a bit of a surprise, especially with how deleted scenes are a tradition with any additional release. Of course, they may still find their way unto the blu-ray disc if Marvel Studios has the final say but it’s unclear just how much input he’ll have on the project. We still have to wait a few months until we find out.

    Source: Insider

  • Former Marvel Studios Lawyer Opens Up on Missed Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Deal

    Former Marvel Studios Lawyer Opens Up on Missed Joaquin Phoenix’s ‘Doctor Strange’ Deal

    While Benedict Cumberbatch has become THE definite Doctor Strange for many, there was a time when Marvel Studios was eyeing Joaquin Phoenix to take on the role. He famously passed on it, as he wasn’t a big fan of their multi-film contract. A lot has happened since that day, as even Marvel Studios moved away from that model, and former production lead attorney Paul Sarker revealed in an interview with The Direct that the Phoenix situation was a key catalyst for their current strategy.

    But to be perfectly honest, the Joaquin Phoenix thing was unique to me, because there was a deal and because it was pretty far along. And we were hopeful that it would close, but it didn’t. And that happens. And that to bring it back full circle, things like that may be why Kevin is saying we don’t want to do these super long-term deals because we want to see what works and if it works, and people want to do more than we’d love to have [them]. We don’t want someone to feel like they’re forced.

    Paul Sarker

    While everyone still benefitted in the end, as Phoenix went on to make a splash with another comic book property in Joker and Cumberbatch became the de facto choice for anyone imagining what this character would look, sound, and be like. It would be fun if he does end up returning in a cameo as the multiverse continues to expand. Sometimes these things just fall into place and it also highlights once again that Marvel Studios is a studio that tends to learn with time.

    Now, they have a bigger universe than ever and their talent is still interested in returning even without any real contractual obligations like in the past. Even Natalie Portman and Idris Elba returned after sharing their dismay with the contract in the past. So, who knows what else they might have started learning and adjusting.

    Source: The Direct

  • Russell Crowe’s Zeus Almost Had a British Accent in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Russell Crowe’s Zeus Almost Had a British Accent in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    There are many standout elements in the story of Thor: Love and Thunder, but Russell Crowe‘s Zeus was definitely a fun addition. As a member of the city of Gods, he puts on a great show and we even uncover that Thor looks up to the fellow god of lightning. One of the fun aspects of his character was that Crowe was pulling off a fun Greek accent, but according to director Taika Waititi he couldn’t quite decide on which accent to go with. So, he just had the actor play each scene with both.

    No. You would love to think that, I would love to think that. We actually talked at length about the accent. We wondered if someone did a Greek accent of a Greek god, is it going to be a farce? Will it be too silly? And Russell was very much wanting it to be Greek. But I wasn’t sure, so we ended up doing two versions of every take with Russell. One in a Greek accent and then another in a British accent. Because I felt people would think Zeus would sound British like Laurence Olivier in “Clash of the Titans.

    Taika Waititi

    He did highlight that the Greek accent was welcomed with open arms by the test audience, and it also worked out much better. His worry about offending Greeks has seemingly been solved and Crowe‘s gut instinct was on the money.

    But then I realized in post that it’s actually more offensive to the Greeks to have Zeus sound like he’s British. And test audiences loved the Greek accent. I’m really happy with it. But, yeah, he had to do every take once in the Greek accent and once with a British accent because I couldn’t make up my mind. But Russell was right all along.

    Taika Waititi

    It definitely is interesting to see how these ideas come together. What stands out however is that he went through the trouble of shooting both versions, which may have put a lot of weight on various parts of the production crew, especially if he couldn’t decide even going into the test screenings. Perhaps we’ll get the British Zeus with the digital and physical release.

    Source: Insider

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Almost Had a Bigger Role in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Guardians of the Galaxy Almost Had a Bigger Role in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    When the news dropped that Thor: Love and Thunder would arrive ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, many were surprised and wondered how they would integrate them into the story. As it turns out, they had quite a small role early on as many expected when the first trailers hinted that they’ll likely only be in an early part.

    Surprisingly, it turns out that early ideas originally had the team having a bigger role. While it’s unclear just how they would’ve connected to the ending, it does seem like they were going to become the cavalry that comes rushing in to help thor in his battle against Gorr. Yet, they realized that the focus should remain on Thor and Jane Foster.

    The plan was always to have them in the beginning and then move on. Because they have their own movie. There was talk about having them come back at the end. The thing is that happens in every movie. No more. No more of the cavalry coming at the end. So we shelved that idea. We just wanted Jane to come in at the end.

    Taika Waititi

    While it is a bit strange to not give them one last wink, potentially even teasing their future storyline as a setup for the threequel but the emotional aspect was prioritized. Plus, the friends that they made along the way were there to also set up the ending of the film. We’ll see just where the Guardians are heading with their potentially final story but we’ll have to wait and see.

    Source: Insider

  • ‘Only Murders in The Building’ Scores Season 3 Renewal

    ‘Only Murders in The Building’ Scores Season 3 Renewal

    Just last year the very first season of Only Murders in The Building hit Hulu earning unanimous praise from critics and viewers. The show was quickly renewed for a second season following the first season’s initial run and was quickly in front of cameras. Following tradition, the streamer has announced that the podcast escapades of Mabel, Oliver, and Charles will continue as a third season has been ordered midway as the second season continues.

    Fans can expect things at the Arconia to get even more interesting as surely another resident is set to meet an untimely fate as the series will indeed be returning, With Hulu sharing their excitement through this statement from president Craig Erwich.

    Only Murders in The Building is the true crown jewel of our slate. Its appeal across generations, the intersection of humor and heart, and its truly original approach are a hallmark of and testament to Dan [Fogelman], John [Hoffman], Steve, Marty, and Selena’s work. We are grateful to be able to continue telling the stories of Charles, Oliver and Mabel to viewers that have consistently shown us they crave more of this story.

    Craig Erwich

    There is currently no word on when the third season will begin rolling into production or just what new faces we’ll see around the Arconia. John Hoffman previously talked to The Hollywood Reporter and told them how if they’d make it to season 3, they’d really want to “up the stakes” for the trio. Considering how the second season started, they’d have to pull something even crazier in this finale than they did the first to up that.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director on How They Made Natalie Portman Taller With Movie Magic

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director on How They Made Natalie Portman Taller With Movie Magic

    Most discussions surrounding Marvel Studio’s films have been seemingly hyperfocused on CG ignoring most of the other work that goes into these projects. If you paid close attention, you’ll notice that Natalie Portman has grown a bit whenever she transforms into Mighty Thor. Well, it turns out that they used some movie magic to make her taller. In an interview with Insider, Taika Waititi revealed just how they accomplished that very feat.

    As it turns out, all they had to do was build a small deck for her to stand on. So, while everyone else is walking, she’s walking alongside them on a deck of some kind. It seems the challenge they faced was that Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson had to walk alongside him. So, it seemingly brought a few challenges of its own.

    We built a whole bunch of decking around the set. First we would block out the scene — mark out where the actors have to go so the crew knows the whole layout — and once we did that we build an elevated platform that was 4 feet high from the floor that she would walk on. But we also had to leave room so Chris and Tessa could walk around at regular height. It was a weird maze. But it worked.

    Taika Waititi

    It’s always fun to get a little look behind the scenes and hints at how exactly they accomplish these things. Robert Downey Jr. also used to wear higher heels in his shoes to seem taller on camera. So, it’s not the first time they pulled off something like this. It’s also great that they added this detail to highlight how she changes through the powers of Thor granted to her through Mjolnir. Sometimes it’s the small details that add that extra attention from the production team.

    Source: Insider

  • Taika Waititi Would be Open to Return for a ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Sequel

    Taika Waititi Would be Open to Return for a ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Sequel

    Thor: Love and Thunder is certailny a surprisingly divisive film, as Taika Waititi brought his own humor to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry. As the internet is ripping itself apart over its quality and the implications of recent hints regarding the VFX industry, the director sat down with Insider to discuss his future with the franchise. In it, he highlighted that Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor while also hinting that he’s certainly open to returning for a fifth Thor film.

    Waititi does confirm that he wasn’t aware of Hemsworth returning for future entries and it seems that the “Thor Will Return” tag was something added at a later point. It’s always unclear just how much insight the directors have on sequel plans.

    Well, guess what? That was a surprise to me, too. I’m not joking. I saw it in the theater and I was like, “Oh, shit. Really?” Even Chris was like, “What?” But, of course he’ll be back. He’s the best character. I mean, I may be a little biased, but he’s the most fun to watch

    Taika Waititi

    The big question however is if we’ll not only see a fifth Thor entry but also if Waititi is open to returning. There’s been quite the backlash as of late in regards to the MCU entry not performing as some “expect” from the franchise, and the film has faced some harsh criticism. The big aspect of him returning however is only if Chris Hemsworth is also down to make another film.

    Now, I don’t know what would be next. I would definitely do one, but only if Chris did it. But it would need to be something surprising and unexpected for me to want to do it. Like what would be the new take? The battles and all the fighting is fine, but I would want something that feels unexpected when it comes to the story. Like making just a $5 million movie with no fighting at all, just Thor on a road trip. Like “Nebraska.”

    Taika Waititi

    Given Thor has dabbled in space and on Earth, there are quite a few stories they could tackle. While personally exploring the darker storylines within the Norse mythology would be a preferred direction, there are quite a few stories still worth pulling from to explore just what exactly the future has in store for the franchise.

    Source: Insider