Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • BREAKING: Melissa McBride Exits Daryl and Carol-Focused ‘Walking Dead’ Spinoff

    BREAKING: Melissa McBride Exits Daryl and Carol-Focused ‘Walking Dead’ Spinoff

    It looks like it’s the season to leave projects behind. Just the other day, Fast X lost its director spiraling the production into an instant halt. The same is now happening to the AMC’s The Walking Dead series as the upcoming Daryl and Carol spinoff has lost one of its main stars. Melissa McBride, who plays Carol, has left the project and will now only focus on Norman Reedus‘ Daryl. It seems that the decision for her to leave the project was a creative one.

    The original project was announced back in September of 2020 but not much was known about the project outside of it starring Reedus and McBride. They were long-time cast members of the original series and the dynamic between them was something that kept many watching. Yet, it seems that Daryl is going to have to be on his own in his next adventure that is being created by Scott M. Gimple and Angela Kang.

    It’s quite shocking when a production loses one of its main stars, especially as they were ramping up work on the project as the original The Walking Dead is coming to an end. We’ll see how they’ll tackle the project and what it might mean for Carol’s future in the franchise. They might either simply have them separated due to an event, or perhaps they could even simply have them set out towards different goals. We’ll have to see once they start work on the project.

    Source: TV Line

  • Johan Renck Boards ’Dune’ Prequel Series as Director

    Johan Renck Boards ’Dune’ Prequel Series as Director

    HBO Max’s Dune prequel series has set a director.

    Johan Renck will direct the first two episodes of the Duneprequel series. The news comes courtesy of Variety, with the outlet reporting Renck will also serve as an executive producer on the project. The current title of the series is Dune: The Sisterhood, although the title does not seem to be set in stone. Denis Villeneuve was previously attached to direct the pilot for the series, however, as he’s busy with the second Dune film, he’s had to step down.

    The events of Dune: The Sisterhood take place approximately 10,000 years prior to the events of Dune. It focuses on the Harkonnen sisters as they “combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.” Dune, of course, proved to be a massive success for Warner Bros. upon release last year. Despite being released day and date on HBO Max, the film went on to earn $400 million at the worldwide box office. 

    This is not Renck’s first time working with HBO. He previously worked on the critical darling, Chernobyl, where he directed the entire series and served as an executive producer. His work on that series earned him an Emmy in the Best Directing for a Limited Series category. Prior to Chernobyl, Renck also helmed episodes of The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and Vikings. 

    Diane Ademu-John serves as the writer, showrunner and executive producer for Dune: The Sisterhood. As of now, no cast members have been announced.

    Source: Variety.

  • Wong and Strange Fight Gargantos in New Footage Description of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ From CinemaCon

    Wong and Strange Fight Gargantos in New Footage Description of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ From CinemaCon

    While the Disney panel kicked off with a sizzle reel, it didn’t take long for Marvel Studios to take the stage and share some details. Yet, that isn’t all as they also had some footage of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ready for those attending CinemaCon. It seems that they include footage of America Chavez meeting a Strange, very likely Defender Strange, before heading out and accidentally dragging a monster into the mainline MCU, which leads to some great action sequences featuring Wong, as shared by ScreenRant.

    Erik Davis has also shared a description revealing they saw 20 minutes of the film, which includes a few multiversal battle sequences, confirming that the one they fight is probably Gargantos, the MCU’s Shuma-Gorath, and it even includes a Spider-Man reference.

    So, it seems that we might have a good grasp of how the film opens up. At some point in her travels through the multiverse, America Chavez is going to stumble upon a Variant of Strange before accidentally bringing it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we’ve grown accustomed to. Though, it does open up the question what exactly are the events that drag that version of Strange into the multiverse as a result of these events, and will Gargantos even have a bigger part in the story to begin with.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Already Made $42M in Pre-Sales

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Already Made $42M in Pre-Sales

    CinemaCon is the place to highlight the future of cinema, and it seems Disney is making a big splash with its even today. While we just got some footage showcased and even a tease for what the future has in store for fans. Yet, they also snuck in one major announcement as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has seemingly already made $42M in pre-sales to date according to the announcement made during the Disney panel.

    Our only comparison point for the presales is that Multiverse of Madness already outpaced The Batman, which was on its path to making around $800M. So, it seems almost like the film has a set path to manage a billion box office run. Yet, the film is also getting banned in some regions due to the inclusion of LGBTQ representation. Disney and Marvel Studios are staying true to their vision of the film.

    If there’s uncertainty, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to almost hit $2 billion without even releasing it in China. So, who knows if the international market is changing into a new generation as the pandemic is slowly calming down and things are returning to somewhat of normalcy for now. We’ll see just how big the film may end up being once it releases next week.

    Source: Twitter

  • Cinema Con: Marvel Studios Developing the Next Decade of the MCU

    Cinema Con: Marvel Studios Developing the Next Decade of the MCU

    For years, fans have heard about the legendary big board in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios office that lays out the future of the MCU. According to Feige, that board is about to get a little larger as he and the Marvel Studios Parliament have been working on the next 10 years of Marvel Studios projects.

    The news comes out of CinemaCon 2022 where Feige revealed that he had been attending a creative retreat where they have been hashing out the stories that will shape the shared cinematic universe over the next decade. Feige left the retreat to attend CinemaCon and was headed back after.

    The studio celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary in 2018 and the first decade and change was devoted to the Infinity Saga. COVID forced Marvel Studios’ 2020 slate into 2021 and has had quite a domino effect beyond that with films still feeling the full force of the delays. It is expected that the next 10 years of the MCU will consist of several streaming projects each year and as many as 4 films each year. It’s also believed the the Fantastic Four and X-Men, characters acquired by Disney in a merger with Fox, will have a huge impact on the stories told over the next decade.

  • First Footage Description of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ from CinemaCon

    First Footage Description of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ from CinemaCon

    It looks like Marvel is the first to present at Disney’s CinemaCon panel, and before Kevin Feige took to stage, they showcased some footage for their upcoming projects. It looks like that also included a brief snippet for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While it doesn’t reveal much, it seemingly included Nakia, Shuri and Okoye, who are at the frontlines for a battle, which may

    It was surprising that they haven’t shown more at the event, as there wasn’t even any tease for Thor: Love and Thunder. Most of the focus remained on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which is a given as it’s going to release soon. Still, the fact they are teasing a “major battle” that potentially could be where they take on an invasion by Atlantis and Namor.

    We likely won’t get a trailer until July or August, as there’s still some time before the release and Thor‘s next entry also changed the trailer release window between these projects. We don’t know if they might build up more suspense moving forward, or return to the more traditional release window. Only time will tell, but it looks like they are still working hard on the film so it can hit its November release.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Harley Quinn’s Kite-Man Spinoff Officially Ordered to Series

    ‘Harley Quinn’s Kite-Man Spinoff Officially Ordered to Series

    HBO Max is all-in with the upcoming Harley Quinn spinoff focused on the loveable “Hell Yeah” shouter, Kite Man. Titled Noonan’s, the series focuses on his time owning a bar and the many patrons that visit it from the DC Universe. Co-Creator of the original series Dean Lorey will act as the series showrunner. Suzanna Makkos, the executive Vice President of Original Comedy and Adult Animation for HBO Max and Adult Swim, shared their excitement for the spinoff.

    We love the wild and fun world of ‘Harley Quinn’ so much we just had to make a spin-off and who better to center it around than the outcast Kite Man. Justin, Patrick, and Dean have created the perfect local hangout for Gotham City’s not-so-finest at Noonan’s, where bar patrons can blow off steam after a long day of mayhem

    The project’s name may potentially change, but it’s great to see the fan-favorite character get his own spinoff out of Harley Quinn. The show took a hard R-rating to explore the DC universe in a unique way. It’s become quite the favorite with those that hoped to see their favorite characters cursing up a storm, and it never minced its words on what it’s about.

    Kite-Man is a perfect straight man. So, whatever other villain or hero shows up at his bar may perfectly bounce off of his “Hell Yeah” attitude. We also don’t know if it might even tie into the main series, as it’s busy preparing for the release of its third season.

    Source: Variety

  • Xochitl Gomez Teases the Opening Sequence of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez Teases the Opening Sequence of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains one of Marvel Studios’ most secretive films. With the release date for the sequel arriving soon, fans have been able to get a few more glimpses into the highly-anticipated MCU installment. In a recent interview with Marvel, America Chavez actress Xochitl Gomez seemed to tease the beginning of Multiverse of Madness:

    [The film opens with Chavez] literally running for her life in the gap junction space between universes with Doctor Strange.

    Xochitl Gomez

    While it is a short quote, it is interesting in its implications for the film. First, if the Doctor Strange sequel opens in this way, it seemingly sets the movie off to a quickly-paced start. Not much is known about the plot, but Gomez might have just allowed viewers to make more sense of the footage provided in trailers and other promotions.

    It makes sense for America Chavez’s character to be in this situation considering that her power set includes punching openings that create doorways between alternative universes. Her dimension-hopping abilities will certainly have a major and helpful role to play in Multiverse of Madness.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Marvel

  • New Comic-Inspired ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Promo Art Offers New Look at Gorr

    New Comic-Inspired ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Promo Art Offers New Look at Gorr

    Even with a trailer and poster out for Thor: Love and Thunder, our only real look at Christian Bale‘s Gorr the God Butcher comes through merchandise. We got the release which included some concept art with a very different design from the comics. Yet, a Funko Pop would tease that he may indeed have similar abilities to what he had in the comics, as the All-Black Necrosword can extend like a symbiote. A new round of promo images for Love and Thunder have found their way online that are inspired by classic comic covers, which also include a new look at Gorr.

    Mighty Thor gets a good focus alongside Thor, but the final image includes a great look at Gorr wielding his weapon. Yes, he is true quite a bit more humanoid with white robes covering his body, but it once again confirms that the All-Black has the ability to extend with some dark energy. Here’s hoping that means he’ll also get his iconic black hood as the film goes on. Perhaps he’ll become more and more alien over the course of using the blade, which may curse its user.

    Image

    As it’s a drawing, they may change quite a bit about the design but it does seem the tendrils of darkness are going to remain a consisting element of his design. The actual blade is a curious design, as it seems like a normal longsword rather than something that screams “alien.” It may have a different origin story in the film rather than in the comics and may actually have some kind of connection to the overarching storyline. Perhaps it even plays a bigger role in the MCU moving forward.

    Source: Twitter

  • Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is Younger Than In the Comics in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is Younger Than In the Comics in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    With the secretive Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness swiftly approaching, marketing and press for the MCU film is ramping up. With fan expectations all over the place, still one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel is a known character. Actress Xochitl Gomez will be bringing comics superhero and Young Avenger America Chavez to life in the film. Chavez’s dimension-hopping powers will obviously come in handy in the multiversal adventure, and it looks like she will be teaching the stubborn Doctor Strange plenty of things.

    Virtualy no Marvel character makes it to live-action exactly how they were written in the comics and often for good reason. In a recent interview with Marvel, Gomez revealed a difference between her live-action Gomez and the source material that has clear implications for the future of the character. Gomez explained that Chavez is about 14-years-old in Multiverse of Madness, which is years younger than the comics Chavez who fell in with the Young Avengers around 17. The actress explained the implications of the character’s age on her future in the MCU:

    You can definitely see the beginning stages of what future America might become…I took stuff that was in the comics, and kind of lightened it up since she’s less experienced. She’s younger than any of her known appearances in the comics, and I think you can see that. It was a fun challenge exploring what a younger and less experienced America might be, but also hinting towards the serious leader she would soon become. I wanted to keep that kid energy and a little bit of that fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence.

    Xochitl Gomez

    Considering a potential Young Avengers project might still be years away, making Chavez younger in the Doctor Strange film would make it easier for her to be a more comics-accurate age when she appears in a related project. Because the character is appearing now, allowing an extra few years of development not only suits the long-term development of the character but also potentially the real-life aging of the young actress.

    Fans can meet America Chavez when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when movie hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Marvel