Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Pulls in an Impressive $27.2M in First Day Internationally

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Pulls in an Impressive $27.2M in First Day Internationally

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is already making quite an impressive footprint in the industry, as its first day in international markets has pulled in $27.2M. As such, the film is currently trailing behind Spider-Man: No Way Home but only by 4%. That is an impressive number considering just how large that film was without a release in key markets and the fact that Multiverse of Madness isn’t releasing in a few countries due to controversies of their LGBTQ references. The film is currently 153% ahead of the original 2016 film and 210% of The Batman on a like-to-like basis.

    The Benedict Cumberbatch-led film managed to keep the top spot in the Asia Pacific, as well as European markets such as France, Italy, and Germany. It has also pulled in $3.5M in Mexico and $2.7M in Brazil, which puts it at $10.3M in all Latin American markets. It has already topped those territories while still being in its previews. Even Korea, which has been pulling back due to concerns with the pandemic, has managed to return to cinemas. It may have made an additional $14.7M which isn’t included in the $27.2M.

    We’ll see more releases in other international markets, and it looks like the film is going to be quite the crowd-pleaser. The rumors may give it some additional legs and while it probably won’t come near to what No Way Home managed, it seems like it’ll definitely be carrying the next month as more films start to release. It also is a good sign that Marvel Studios’ expansion into Disney+ may have not scared off people to still come in and see their latest entry. Word-of-mouth and its horror elements may be a key factor moving forward, especially as it may not quite pull in the usual four-quadrant market due to these elements.

    Source: Deadline

  • Hangar 13 Developing a ‘Mafia’ Prequel Game

    Hangar 13 Developing a ‘Mafia’ Prequel Game

    After 2K announced the departure of Hangar 13 studio head Haden Blackman, rumors began spreading over the project he walked out on. Hangar 13 is best known for the Mafia franchise, an open-world prohibition-era game franchise similar in a lot of ways to games like Grand Theft Auto. While Mafia may have never gotten the acclaim and popularity of its competitors, it does have a pretty dedicated fanbase and has seen some moderate success.

    It’s rumored that Blackman departed very early in the development Mafia project, which is expected to be a prequel to the franchise and will be running on Unreal Engine 5, unlike the recent remasters collections that ran on Mafia III’s proprietary engine. No more details are known about the game at this time as it is still not technically confirmed by Hangar 13 or 2k who publishes the franchise.

    After suffering two rounds of layoffs following Mafia III’s release and now losing not one, but two higher-ups, Hangar 13 has definitely been in a bit of a problem area for years now. While the studio head departing may not mean the project is in trouble, a lot of things are stacking up to have me guessing that something isn’t quite right. Hopefully, they are able to deliver on the new title and stabilize, a rocky development studio is almost never a good sign for a new game. Hangar 13 has been recently assisting other developers on their projects, including Gearbox’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. This has led many people to speculate that they may be moving into more of a support role, but we will see what the fate of the company is over the next few years.

    Source: Kotaku

  • EXCLUSIVE: Mohamed Diab On Layla’s Missing Ending in ‘Moon Knight’ Finale

    EXCLUSIVE: Mohamed Diab On Layla’s Missing Ending in ‘Moon Knight’ Finale

    The Moon Knight finale, “Gods and Monsters”, provided the MCU’s first Egyptian superhero in May Calamawy’s Layla, who became the avatar of the goddess Tawaret. As Tawaret’s avatar, Layla became the Scarlet Scarab and teamed up with the re-resurrected Moon Knight to stop Arthur Harrow from unleashing Ammit’s preemptive justice on the world.

    While the episode gave closure to central plot of the series and left Marc and Steven in a seemingly good place, what it did not give was any sort of closure to Layla’s arc, leaving fans wondering what’s next for the newly empowered hero. According to director Mohamed Diab, the open-ended nature of Layla’s journey was intentional:

    I would say that it’s left open so we can play with it the way we want. She can stay in Egypt. She can go back to London. She can be a superhero. I can’t wait for myself to see her and Taweret on a journey driving each other crazy. I think it’s left open for a reason because in the next journey, you need to think of all those things and flesh them out in a very thorough way.

    Diab’s creative decision is smart in that it doesn’t paint him, or whoever picks up the character next, into any corners. By letting Layla walk away without any hints as to where she might turn up next, there can be no sense of expectations on the part of audiences as to what “should” be next for the Scarlet Scarab, only myriad possibilities of what COULD be next, as Diab indicates. Whatever is next for the hero, Calamawy’s turn in Moon Knight has set her star in the sky and provided another new hero whose importance off-screen transcends whatever comes next on-screen.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Moon Knight’ Producer Talks Reimagining the Scarlet Scarab for the MCU

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Moon Knight’ Producer Talks Reimagining the Scarlet Scarab for the MCU

    The Moon Knight finale had more than a few surprises up its sleeve, but its biggest may have come in the form of May Calamawy‘s Layla El-Faouly. After being introduced as an original character, fans began to view Layla as an updated version of Marc Spector’s comic book love interest Marlene Alraune. However, the show’s final episode revealed her to be quite a bit more. A big twist has Layla bonding with the goddess Tawaret and transforming into a version of the Scarlet Scarab, an obscure character from Marvel lore and the first Egyptian superhero.

    In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, Moon Knight producer Grant Curtis explained how Scarlet Scarab came to be a part of the show and why Calamawy’s Layla was the perfect choice for the role:

    We had an incredible female protagonist. Whether or not she had wings in the previous episode, she was already a superhero in her own right. When you start looking at the Marvel canon for potential superheroes, we found the Scarlet Scarab. We learned that was Egypt’s first superhero and what an incredible actress in May Calamawy to lead that charge. It was a natural merging of two different stories into one character. I think it worked quite well.

    Grant Curtis

    In the comics, Scarlet Scarab is a man named Abdul Faoul, a version of whom is revealed to be Layla’s father in the MCU series. Faoul gains supernatural abilities from a mystical scarab amulet and vows to rid Egypt of all foreign invaders. He comes into conflict with the superhero Invaders during World War II but eventually sides with them against the Nazis. His amulet, and Scarlet Scarab title, are eventually passed down to his child, in a similar manner to Layla picking up her father’s torch in Moon Knight.

    It’s unknown if Layla will continue to appear as the Scarlet Scarab going forward, or if this was simply a one-time appearance. The character’s fate is left in the air at the end of the Disney+ series. If fans are lucky, though, Marvel will find a way to keep revitalizing this long-forgotten hero for years to come.

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Director and Executive Producers Have No Idea If a Season 2 Will Happen

    ‘Moon Knight’ Director and Executive Producers Have No Idea If a Season 2 Will Happen

    As Moon Knight’s six-part event came to a close on Wednesday, it left many fans wanting more. Oscar Isaac put in a stunning performance as Marc Spector and Steven Grant, while Layla El-Faouly became the MCU’s first Egyptian superhero. More importantly, though, by season’s end, a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that contains rich Ancient Egyptian mythology has just been broken open.

    The finale of the Disney+ series also created more questions than perhaps fans were expecting of a limited series. For example, the mid-credits scene finally gave the first look at the third personality, Jake Lockley, and it was quite the cliffhanger to end the show. Similarly, we had no epilogue or resolution to Layla’s story after her grand moments in the final episode. It all leads the audience to wonder—will there be a Season 2?

    It turns out that not even Moon Knight’s creators know the answer to that. In an interview with Deadline, director and executive producer Mohamed Diab said quite simply:

    We don’t know if there’s a next season.

    Mohamed Diab

    The director elaborated that he knows just about as much as fans do when it comes to Moon Knight’s future:

    I’m kept in the dark, just like the fans…Marvel doesn’t go with a conventional way, so even if they like the character and want to extend the world, it could be season 2, it could be a standalone film, or he can join another superhero’s journey…We never discussed it being a season 2, but one day there’s going to be an expansion, but I don’t know how it’s going to look like.

    Mohamed Diab

    Maybe the most interesting thing about Diab’s remarks is that a second season was never truly thought out. Obviously, Moon Knight was marketed as a limited series, so it is not surprising that Season 2 was never an absolute plan. But the fact that the creators of the show seem to have no indication as to where the character might be going is fascinating.

    Executive produce Grant Curtis agreed with Diab’s statements as well, noting that he wants to know Moon Knight’s future just as much as fans do. He stated:

    Where Moon Knight lands in MCU after this, I actually don’t know,” said Curtis, “As a fan, I want to know, because Oscar created such an engaging, emotional performance that people want to see more of the Steven-Marc-Jake story.

    Grant Curtis

    While even Marvel Studios creators are notoriously left in the dark about their own projects’ futures, Diab’s and Curtis’ comments certainly do not suggest that a Moon Knight Season 2 is a strong bet. Perhaps after the hype of the finale dies down, fans might get a better understanding of where the titular character is headed in the MCU future.

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

    Source: Deadline

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why Jake Lockley Was Saved For Last in ‘Moon Knight’ Finale

    EXCLUSIVE: Why Jake Lockley Was Saved For Last in ‘Moon Knight’ Finale

    Finally, after teasing his existence for six episodes, the final moments of Moon Knight’s post-credit sequence gave us our first look at the third personality hidden deep within Marc Spector, Jake Lockley. Khonshu was playing a long con with our new favorite protagonist, as while he promised to let Steven and Marc go, he still had one more trick up his sleeve.

    In an interview with producer Grant Curtis, Charles Villaneuva got the chance to ask what their approach was to introducing the third personality and they waited to do so until the very last second. It seems that they wanted to focus on Mar cand Steven before adding one more to the mix.

    It wasn’t a conscious effort. As you know, Jake Lockley is peppered throughout the whole series but it’s not until the final scene that you actually see him. It was our writer Jeremy Slater leading us on the most satisfying journey for Marc and Steven to go on. That’s how it played out. It was the best story to tell. Believe me, once he pitched and once we knew that’s where Jake was going to land, it was like, “Game on.”

    Grant Curtis

    It’s certainly an interesting approach, especially as the teases became more prominent throughout the series’ runtime. The final fight included another confirmation that someone else is in them, which may be the reason they are still chaining themselves to their bed even after they found peace with each other. Here’s hoping they really have a second season planned to further explore this storyline.

  • Oscar Isaac Open to Return for a ‘Moon Knight’ Season 2 With the Right Story

    Oscar Isaac Open to Return for a ‘Moon Knight’ Season 2 With the Right Story

    Oscar Isaac gave quite the performance in bringing Moon Knight to life, as he spent most of the final episode switching between the personalities of Marc Spector and Steven Grant at a whim. Yet, the ending also introduced us to his third personality Jake Lockley. While there’s still no second season announcement, it seems that if they have the right story in mind, the actor would be down to return to the world of Moon Knight.

    And let’s just put everything out on the table on this story. There’s definitely no official plans to continue it. I think it would depend on what the story is. That being said, I love being Steven. I just love it. It’s just like, physically, it’s so much fun to be him. So, you know, if there was a story that really made sense, I’d be happy to be part of it

    Oscar Isaac

    It’s still unsure what the future has in store for the character, but it would seem strange to end the season the way it did without any potential plans moving forward. There have been some hints that they may have plans to continue the story, but until we get an official announcement it is difficult to really say what the future has in store. So far, Loki is the only live-action Disney+ series from Marvel to get any season renewal, which makes it hard to know what exactly their plans are moving forward.

    Source: Radio Times

  • The Morning After Huddle: May 5, 2022 Edition

    The Morning After Huddle: May 5, 2022 Edition

    Welcome to another edition of The Morning After Huddle where we we bring you the top news from around the NFL. You might want to buckle up for today’s edition because we’re taking a trip across the pond.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • The NFL announced a slew of games in international locations, including the first ever regular season game in Munich, Germany. The game is setting up to be a showdown between Tom Brady and the Bucs and the Seattle Seahawks during what could be Brady’s farewell tour.
    • It’s never too early to get a head start on the 2023 NFL Draft Class, which promises to not only be robust, but deep at the QB position. Senior NFL Reporter, Albert Breer, takes a first look at who could potentially be the number one pick.
    • Speaking of QB’s, the Steelers, Lions, Eagles, and Falcons have all had recent conversations about what their futures will look like. It remains to be seen what the long term answer is for each team.

    That’s a wrap for today’s edition. Catch us on Friday for more news you want to know!

    ICYMI: Wednesday’s Edition – May 4, 2022

  • Xochitl Gomez and Victoria Alonso On the Importance of LGBTQ+ Visibility in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez and Victoria Alonso On the Importance of LGBTQ+ Visibility in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to add quite a bit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and perhaps its most important addition will be Xochitl Gomez‘s new young hero, America Chavez. The character, who can punch open portals to other universes, will undoubtedly be an integral part of Marvel’s superhero repertoire going forward, but it won’t be her abilities that mean the most to some viewers. Chavez is a Latina member of the LGBTQ+ community, raised by two loving mothers in her own timeline. Marvel Studios Executive Producer Victoria Alonso, herself raising a daughter with her wife, commented on what it would have meant to her had America been on the big screen in her youth:

    What it would’ve meant is to have had a tad more understanding of the person that I was and that I was growing into being was not invisible. I think visibility at any age is incredibly important whether you’re 10, 20, 30 or 80. To have your people and to have someone who says, ‘I am, and it’s OK. I am, and I am powerful. I am, and I belong.’ I think any young adult could have that today, [specifically] the 42 percent of LGBTQIA adults that consider suicide or those that do it, would probably think twice that maybe they’re OK [as they are]. My hope today is that—as a small gift from a bunch of filmmakers that want to tell great stories—if there are any kids out there thinking even minimally that their lives are not worth it, I can honestly tell you their lives are worth it and we will celebrate it with them.

    Victoria Alonso

    Alonso also commented on the film’s recent ban in Saudi Arabia:

    I understand that certain lands have certain rules and I live in a land where our rules are that of inclusion. And we will continue to fight for inclusion in every place, city, and state so that every kid that doesn’t see themselves can at least see a tiny little bit of who they can become.

    Victoria Alonso

    Gomez chimed in on the conversation as well, revealing her excitement to be part of what she considers to be something very important:

    It’s huge that I get to represent these communities that maybe haven’t felt seen before. And you really do see her—I mean, how do you miss her? She’s on the poster! How crazy is that?

    Xochitl Gomez

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6th.

    Source: Deadline

  • Rachel McAdams Explains How Christine Palmer Has Changed Since ‘Doctor Strange’

    Rachel McAdams Explains How Christine Palmer Has Changed Since ‘Doctor Strange’

    Despite taking place across infinite universes, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the return of quite a few familiar faces. Among them is Rachel McAdams‘ Dr. Christine Palmer, who has not been seen on the big screen since 2016’s original Doctor Strange movie. The last time Dr. Palmer made an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Sacred Timeline, she had discovered her on-and-off lover, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Dr. Stephen Strange, had gained magical abilities and was now saving the world from supernatural threats. In a recent interview with Fandom, McAdams was asked how the character has adjusted her life since learning about the existence of magic. According to the actress, Palmer will be in a pretty good place when audiences find her in the sequel:

    I think she’s just gone fully into it. She’s hooked on multiversal travel and she’s become a bit of an expert on it, I feel like. It’s very much something that she’s comfortable in now. So quite different from the Christine of the previous film, [where] this was all just happening for the first time.

    Rachel McAdams

    Palmer’s last MCU appearance was technically in last year’s animated What If…?. A variant of the character from a universe where she perishes in Stephen’s fateful car accident played a pivotal role in one of the show’s best episodes. McAdams returned as the voice of Palmer, but Multiverse of Madness will be the first time audiences learn what happened to her in the main timeline after Strange took up residence in the Sanctum Sanctorum.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters this Friday.

    Source: Fandom