Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Jeremy Slater Explains Why Werewolf by Night Didn’t Appear in ‘Moon Knight’

    Jeremy Slater Explains Why Werewolf by Night Didn’t Appear in ‘Moon Knight’

    Ahead of Moon Knight‘s debut, rumors indicated that a Werewolf by Night cameo would occur. The rumors seemed to only grow more rapid when a trailer for the long-awaited series showcased a Werewolf by Night Easter egg thanks to a framed comic book cover featuring the character fighting Moon Knight. Unfortunately, though, in the end, there was no appearance by the character, and for good reason.

    In a new interview with Comicbook, Moon Knight‘s head writer Jeremy Slater explained that while he might’ve included the character in a pitch, it never really went beyond that. “There weren’t discussions of doing Werewolf by Night per se, just because they had already had some plans for him, and Kevin [Feige] had an idea of how he wanted to use him,” he explained.

    While Marvel Studios has yet to officially announce its Werewolf by Night Halloween special that is in production, we do know that Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) will star in the special alongside Laura Donnelly (The Nevers). The special is being directed by composer Michael Giacchino, and production has been underway for a bit now and very little is known about the project outside of that. As for what could’ve been, however, Slater had a fun fight sequence he pitched for the character to show there’s plenty more to Moon Knight than we get to see in the series.

    “In my pitch, one of the images that I used was a shot of Moon Knight fighting a giant, 12-foot-tall werewolf with glowing eyes,” he says. “I was like, ‘Look, yes, Moon Knight is a street-level vigilante guy. He can go up against the purse snatchers and the drug runners and everything. But he’s also a monster hunter and that’s how he was introduced.’”

    Although it is unfortunate that Slater’s pitch didn’t work out, fans can rejoice knowing Werewolf by Night is expected to hit Disney+ later this year.

    Source: Comicbook.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani Addresses the Changes to Her Character’s Powers

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Iman Vellani Addresses the Changes to Her Character’s Powers

    Marvel Studios is gearing up to bring one of the comics’ most beloved newer characters to the small screen in next month’s Ms. Marvel. The series is set to showcase Pakistani-American Kamala Khan as the titular character, who is played by actress Iman Vellani. The teenage hero takes on the mantle of Ms. Marvel, inspired by her adoration for Captain Marvel, after she discovers she has superpowers.

    In the comics, Khan is an Inhuman who exhibits her embiggening and super-stretchy abilities after inadvertently being exposed to Terrigen Mist. Fans have been particularly divided about the fact that the character’s origin and power set are being drastically altered for her live-action adaptation. For one, the character is not Inhuman. But her new powers are cosmic-based, and she appears to be able to project energy rather than have any shapeshifting abilities. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and comics creators have endorsed the power changes, mostly citing Khan’s newfound potential to be more connected to Captain Marvel and Spectrum in the upcoming The Marvels movie. Now, star Vellani herself has weighed in on the changes in an interview with Empire. She stated:

    I’m very possessive [of Kamala]…I think we stay true to what the comics brought. The themes have always been about identity and about marrying the 50 million things that make Kamala. For all I care she could shoot sausages out of her fingers, as long as she still goes on that self-discovery journey.

    Iman Vellani

    It is not particularly shocking that those involved in the series are wholeheartedly backing the changes. While major changes to comics characters always spark debate, many see Khan’s shape-shifting powers as integral to her character and journey as a teenage girl trying to find her own identity in a world where her background sets her apart from most of her peers and role models. Those working on Ms. Marvel are certainly trying to convince fans that the changes to Khan’s powers do not jeopardize that journey.

    Fans still have almost a month to wait before they can truly have an informed opinion on the matter, as Ms. Marvel premieres June 8, 2022 on Disney+.

    Source: Empire via Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Writer Teases More Rintrah in Future Installments 

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Writer Teases More Rintrah in Future Installments 

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a big movie, but not everything Sam Raimi filmed could make the final cut. There were plenty of scenes that hit the cutting room floor with around 40 minutes of footage reportedly removed from the film during production. Among the casualties was apparently Adam Hugill’s Rintrah, a longtime ally of Stephen Strange from the comics who many fans had hoped would play a larger role in the movie’s story. The magical Minotaur does make an appearance in the movie, but he only shows up for a handful of quick scenes and speaks only a single featured line during the sequel’s runtime.

    In a recent exclusive interview with our own Charles Murphy, screenwriter Michael Waldron confirmed that more of Rintrah had indeed been intended for Multiverse of Madness, but his scenes had to be sacrificed for the greater good of the project. Luckily, the creative only sees this as an opportunity to do more with the character later on:

    There’s some Rintrah on the cutting room floor. But look, that’s just meat on the bone for the next go around.

    Michael Waldron

    In the comics, Rintrah is an inter-dimensional being from the planet R’Vaal with a gifted ability to use magic. He first encountered Doctor Strange in 1986, when the Sorcerer Supreme visited his master for a favor. He would go on to become Strange’s apprentice for a time and has grown to be a favorite cult character among longtime Marvel readers.

    In the MCU, Rintrah appears to have found his own way to Kamar-Taj and is already practicing to become a Master of the Mystic Arts when Scarlet Witch attacks the sanctuary. Mercifully, he survives the assault and can be seen continuing his education alongside America Chavez at the end of the movie. Hopefully, this means we get more Rintrah in a potential Doctor Strange 3, which seems like a good bet if Waldron ends up returning to the Marvel Studios fold.

  • ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Writer Says Johnny Cage’s Screen Time in the Sequel is “Up in the Air”

    ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Writer Says Johnny Cage’s Screen Time in the Sequel is “Up in the Air”

    After a long stretch of silence, fans are finally being fed some information on New Line Cinema’s upcoming Mortal Kombat sequel. The latest bit of news comes from the film’s writer, Jeremy Slater, who recently spoke with Comic Book about the process of developing a second entry that’s even bigger and better than the first. A promise made at the very end of 2021’s franchise starter was that one of the series’ main protagonists, Johnny Cage, would make his grand return to the big screen in the next installment. Slater is stating this promise will indeed come to fruition, as the creatives behind the movie have no intentions of lying to fans:

    Johnny Cage is one of my favorite characters, and I think there’s definitely a promise with the way the first movie ends of seeing Cole being like, ‘Okay, my next stop is to go recruit Johnny.’ So I think if he wasn’t included in the sequel at all, it would feel very strange.

    Jeremy Slater

    Curiously, however, Slater is not yet sure just how involved Cage will be in the story of Mortal Kombat 2. It’s easy to assume the first movie’s stinger was to set up Cage as a major player for the second go-around, but the former Moon Knight writer wants to focus on making a story that works before he forces in more Johnny than necessary:

    It’s still a little bit up in the air how much he will be included, it’s one of the things we’re currently working on. But yeah, I love Johnny and I would love to really do the definitive version, if possible, and really take everything that’s fun about that character and bring that to live action.

    Jeremy Slater

    In the video games, Johnny Cage is a movie star and expert martial artist who enters his first Mortal Kombat tournament as a way of proving he doesn’t rely on doubles or effects in his films. Eventually, however, he would find himself teaming with warrior monk Liu Kang, special operative Sonya Blade, and the thunder god Raiden to take down Shang Tsung and save Earth, falling in love with Blade and discovering his true potential in the process. He was portrayed by Linden Ashby and Chris Conrad in previous live-action adaptations, though he has yet to be cast for the next movie outing.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Ally Frenchie Was Nearly More than an Easter Egg in the Series

    ‘Moon Knight’ Ally Frenchie Was Nearly More than an Easter Egg in the Series

    Over the course of his Marvel Comics’ appearances, Marc Spector has traditionally chosen to keep his circle fairly small. Among those in that circle, there’s been very few constants, but Jean-Paul Duchamp, a fellow merc who has been buddies with Spector before his days as the Fist of Khonshu, is one of them.

    Over the years, Duchamp, who Spector calls “Frenchie”, became an integral part of Spector’s work as the Crescent Crusader and when word broke the Marvel Studios was developing a Moon Knight series, comic fans expected he’d be among the supporting characters helping out Oscar Issac’s Lunar Legionnaire. Unfortunately, however, other than a tiny Easter egg, Frenchie was nowhere to be found in the series. According to writer Jeremy Slater, in an interview with Comic Book’s Adam Barnhardt, the lack of Frenchie wasn’t because of a lack of interest in using the character.

    There were times where we had versions of Frenchie in the show. Because you look at it, Frenchie doesn’t make sense for those first two episodes because they’re all in London, they’re all from Steven’s perspective. And then we knew that once we were going to Egypt, we had to get them in the tomb pretty fast. And once wearing that final battle in the last two episodes, we’re spending most of that in the Egyptian underworld.

    Jeremy Slater, via Comic Book

    So with Frenchie crossed off the list for the early episodes and the later ones, it didn’t leave him much room at all, as Slater explained:

    So we knew episode three was really the only chance we had for a Frenchie cameo. And it kind of wound up of him just being a pilot just flying them in. And it felt like a bad use of the character. Like it wasn’t a cool or memorable version of Frenchie. It was just sort of like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s the pilot in the background.’ So we made the decision of like, when we do Frenchie, let’s do him right. Let’s give him an actual role and an actual character and something to do in the storyline. So I think teasing his name on the phone was our way of letting Frenchie’s fans know like, ‘Yes, he exists in this world. He definitely has some sort of business relationship-partnership with Marc.’ And hopefully that is something we get to explore in future stories.

    Jeremy Slater, via Comic Book

    Frenchie fans can take solace in the fact that Slater was actively looking to do the character a solid by giving him a chance to matter. Whether or not he’ll get that chance down the road is no certainty, however, as Marvel Studios is being very secretive about the future of Moon Knight. Here’s hoping we see Duchamp flying the Mooncopter somewhere down the road.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Writer Speaks Out on Blade’s Rumored Appearance in the Series

    ‘Moon Knight’ Writer Speaks Out on Blade’s Rumored Appearance in the Series

    In the months leading up to Moon Knight’s streaming debut, the level of secrecy around the project remained impressive. Very few accurate leaks made their way off the set of the series, but there were plenty of wild rumors about characters that would appear in the show. Daredevil, Bruce Banner and Blade were all, at one point or another, mentioned by “scoopers” as potential guest stars on the show; however, as it turned out, not only did none of those characters show up, no other pre-established MCU characters did, making Moon Knight one of Marvel Studios’ most self-contained projects to date.

    With so much information out there, it’s hard to know what to trust and what to ignore. More and more often, Marvel Studios creators are being asked to help fans sort through the rubble of rumors. In an interview with Comic Book, Moon Knight writer Jeremy Slater did just that. According to Slater, while Dane Whitman almost made an appearance in Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight, Blade was never in the mix.

    We’re told in advance which characters are a little bit off limits. And I think at the time we were cracking Moon Knight, they were also kind of trying to crack the Blade story and try to figure out what that was. And so I think they wanted to keep them separately.

    Jeremy Slater

    As it turned out, there was no need for the Black Knight, Blade or anyone else to show up alongside Moon Knight in the series, given the very personal nature of the fight Oscar Issac’s character was taking on. And, of course, when he needed help, he found it in the form of May Calamawy’s Scarlet Scarab, an old comic hero that Slater and director Mohamed Diab gave new life as Marvel Studios’ first Egyptian superhero. Now that the first chapter of his Marvel Studios story has been told, it’s possible that Moon Knight could show up anywhere and team up with anyone and, given his dalliances with the supernatural in the comics, Blade is just as good a bet as anything.

    Source: Comic Book

  • The Morning After Huddle: May 12, 2022 Edition

    The Morning After Huddle: May 12, 2022 Edition

    Welcome to another edition of The Morning After Huddle where we we bring you the top news from around the NFL each day. Christmas is still over 7 months away, but unlike those socks you opened last year, you’ll be happy this gift came early. The 2022 NFL Schedule has arrived!

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • The NFL will come bearing gifts of good cheer tonight with the release of the 2022 schedule. You can expect marquee matchups, rivalries and even former flames reunited. (Hello, Mike McCarthy at Green Bay in Week 10) For a preview of some great games to watch, check out the list Nick Shook, of Around The NFL, put together.
    • If you’re wondering what sort of impact the top draftees from the 2022 NFL Draft could have on your team, former NFL personnel executive Mark Ross has plenty to say around rookies he thinks are in a position to succeed. He shares his thoughts here.
    • Last, but not least, we’ve got your Key Signings Roundup: It seems the Bears have moved quickly to replace Nick Foles who asked to be released last week. They have picked up journeyman Nathan Peterman on a 1-year deal. In other news, the Bills are signing veteran Jerry Hughes to firm up their pass rush.

    That’s it for today’s huddle. Catch us on Friday for more top news you definitely need to know!

    ICYMI: Wednesday’s Edition – May 11, 2022

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Producers Board Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’

    ‘Moon Knight’ Producers Board Marvel Studios’ ‘Fantastic Four’

    It looks like two of the producers behind Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight have boarded Fantastic Four.

    The news was revealed by Moon Knight‘s head writer, Jeremy Slater, in a new interview with Comicbook. “My execs on Moon Knight are the same guys who are running Fantastic Four, so we had a lot of talks about it,” Slater explained. “Grant and Nick are amazing executives. They’re going to find brilliant writers and brilliant directors. And they don’t need my stink anywhere near that project.”

    Grant Curtis and Nick Pepin will help to produce Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot. Along with producing Moon Knight for Disney+, Curtis has produced a fair amount of Sam Raimi projects including his Spider-Man trilogy for Sony and Drag Me to Hell. While Pepin has been working on projects within the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2016 when he served as a production assistant on Captain America: Civil War.

    This exciting news comes weeks after Jon Watts exited the project due to a hectic schedule. Watts, of course, is coming off the Spider-Man trilogy for Marvel Studios and Sony. Had he stayed on for Fantastic Four, the director wouldn’t have had gotten much of a break between projects. The split was amicable and it is expected he’ll return for another Spider-Man film. As for who will take over directing duties for Watts, a new director has not yet been announced.

    Fantastic Four does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Comicbook.

  • Dane Whitman was Nearly in Moon Knight

    Dane Whitman was Nearly in Moon Knight

    After months of speculation regarding what the series might have in store, Moon Knight finished its run earlier this month with the reveal of Layla El-Faouly as a superhero and a third alter for the titular hero in Jake Lockley. However, as big as these moments might’ve been, it seems as though Moon Knight underwent a lot of changes throughout what looks to potentially be its first season. In a recent interview with Comicbook, series head writer Jeremy Slater revealed one Eternals character nearly appeared in the Disney+ series.

    As Slater explained to the outlet, they considered bringing in Whitman because of his experience in a history museum. Unfortunately, though, they opted not to include him as it would’ve been yet another appearance of Kit Harington‘s Whitman without him suiting up. “We talked about Dane Whitman a little bit just because he works in a history museum and that could be a natural interaction,” he explained. “My feeling was if we got Kit Harington to show up and he doesn’t suit up and he doesn’t kick ass, as a fan I’m pissed off.”

    If they would’ve been able to include an appearance by Harrington, Slater would’ve needed to ensure the character was able to don his suit. With a limited six-episode count, though, there simply wasn’t room to properly introduce Black Knight. “There was no space in those first two episodes to have him suit up and play Black Knight in the storyline, so we ultimately decided that it didn’t make sense to make this connection. But it was something we definitely talked about a couple days in the room.”

    When or how Harrington finally does suit up as Black Knight is still unknown. However, given the post-credits scene in Eternals, an appearance in Blade doesn’t seem unlikely.

    All episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney+.

    Source: Comicbook.

  • Hayden Panettiere Returns for ‘Scream 6’

    Hayden Panettiere Returns for ‘Scream 6’

    In a surprising twist, Hayden Panettiere is returning to the Scream franchise.

    The news comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, with the outlet reporting that Panettiere is returning as Kirby Reed for Scream 6. The actress first appeared in Scream 4, which debuted in 2011 and also starred Emma Roberts as Jill Roberts. Scream 4 marked the final Scream film to be directed by Wes Craven prior to his passing in 2015. The movie also saw Craven reunite with Kevin Williamson who penned the original film and its sequel.

    Panettiere’s return comes a day after four more survivors were announced for Scream 6. She’ll join Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega who all starred in the fifth film, Scream. Also confirmed to return for the film is Courtney Cox, and while Neve Campbell has not been announced yet, she has confirmed she was approached for the project.

    The sixth Scream film will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. The project will be produced by Project X Entertainment’s Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak. Williamson, who penned the first Scream film, is also on board as a producer.

    Principal photography on Scream 6 is slated to kick off this summer. The film is set to hit theaters on March 31, 2023.

    Source: THR.