Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Ewan McGregor Was “Scared” Facing Off Against Darth Vader for the First Time

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Ewan McGregor Was “Scared” Facing Off Against Darth Vader for the First Time

    In just a few more weeks we’ll get the next Star Wars series on Disney+. While we take a break from The Mandalorian Universe, we take a look back at the pre-A New Hope era in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ewan McGregor returns to the iconic role, as he also will get one more time to face off against Hayden Christensen‘s Anakin Skywalker. This time around, however, he will return as the fully formed Darth Vader.

    In an interview with Total Film, the actor revealed just how surprising it was to face off against Darth Vader. It seems that it left quite an impression on him, especially because he never got to meet the character in the Prequel trilogy. He goes on to say:

    I’ve never met Darth Vader. I had rehearsed the scene with Vader, but not with the helmet on or anything like that. When we came to do the scene, when they shouted ‘action’, he had to come from behind me. I turned around, and fucking Darth Vader was coming at me. It was like I was six again. I’d never acted into Vader’s helmet. I’d never looked him in the eye.

    Ewan McGregor

    It’s great to see just how much of an impression the suit and design left with the actor. Reminds many of the first time they were faced with the imposing force that is Darth Vader and how scary he was for many of us when we saw the force of nature. He even highlighted that it was his first time working off a Stormtrooper as the Clone Troopers were CG at the time.

    It scared the shit out of me. I’m not joking. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.’ And the same thing would happen with the Stormtroopers. I’d worked with Clone troopers before, but so many of them were CGI. I never worked with Stormtroopers, and, again, I was like seven years old again. Because when you’re actually faced with a Stormtrooper, with a blaster, it’s like: ‘Fucking hell.’

    Ewan McGregor

    It shows how much has also changed in the productions, as while CG still remains an important part of modern filmmaking, more practical elements are being integrated into the projects. his excitement and “fear” to face off against Darth Vader may hopefully even find their way into the production, as it’ll be the first time that Obi-Wan realizes what happened to his former Padawan.

    Source: Total Film

  • New CinemaCon Poster Offers First Look at ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’

    New CinemaCon Poster Offers First Look at ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’

    It’s been some time since the John Wick franchise grace the silver screen. The last entry of the revenge story hit theaters back in May of 2019 with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Of course, Keanu Reeves is set to reprise the role once again in John Wick: Chapter 4 but we’ve heard very little about the project. Luckily, a poster has found its way online offering our first look at the fourth entry.

    While it isn’t much, it is our first look at Reeve‘s return as Wick. He still has his trademark hair and beard, but he does seem a bit more disheveled from the last entry. Considering how that story ended, it’s no surprise that he might not have had time to visit a barber. This film and John Wick: Chapter 5 were originally set to film back-to-back but due to the ongoing pandemic those plans were abandoned by Lionsgate.

    Chapter 4 was originally intended to release next month but was delayed by an entire year for unknown reasons. It’s possible the studio wants to hold it so that the fifth film in the franchise has time to shoot so that they can release the films back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Yet, we haven’t gotten an update on the production start on the fifth entry.

    Many details for the film such as plot and characters remain under wraps but the film will see the return of Reeves alongside Ian Mcshane, Lance Reddick, and Laurence Fishburne. The film has added quite a few names like Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Anderson.

    Source: Twitter

  • Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Considering a Theatrical Release for ‘Batgirl’ After All

    Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Considering a Theatrical Release for ‘Batgirl’ After All

    The DC Extended Universe is in a bit of a workshop period, as the shared universe is reportedly getting an overhaul in the near future. It’s certainly a fitting timing given that The Flash will reportedly set the DCEU on a new path and see a new timeline with Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne now replacing Ben Affleck‘s version in this new universe. Along with Keaton comes a new Batgirl, one that many fans are excited to see. New reports may hint that we could possibly catch the film on the big screen after all.

    Puck is reporting that Warner Brothers Discovery is debating whether or not Batgirl should go theatrical. The film is currently set to be an HBO Max exclusive film as the company looks to strengthen its streaming content. The recent success of The Batman looks to be influencing this decision as it dominates on HBO Max after pulling in over $750 million in total at the box office.

    This would not be a decision that’s out of the ordinary as Warner Brothers made a similar move last summer with another DC film. Originally announced as an HBO Max exclusive film, Angel Manuel Soto‘s Blue Beetle is set to hit theaters in August of 2023. It was an exciting announcement as it also moves away from relegating smaller projects to streaming-only releases.

    This would definitely be a decision that would delight a lot of fans similar to what happened to Blue Beetle. The film has the star power to carry a theatrical release and draw the crowds with Leslie Grace, Keaton, and the possible big-screen return of Brendan Fraser. The film could make for the perfect Holiday 2023 release as it is set during Christmas and Warner Brothers Discovery currently has no DC films dated following the release of Blue Beetle in august.

    Source: Puck News

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Writer Teases Shadow as Sonic’s Biggest Challenge

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Writer Teases Shadow as Sonic’s Biggest Challenge

    The post-credit sequence for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 revealed that the few Sonic Adventure references weren’t just window dressing. It was unveiled that Robotnik’s past will come to haunt him, especially with the reveal of Project Shadow. The first tease of Shadow the Hedgehog is definitely something fans were excited to see in the live-action film series, and we got quite the confirmation in the post-credit sequence. Yet, it also opened up the question of just how they might tackle the character.

    While the second entry did introduce Knuckles on the villain’s side early on, he was more misled by Robotnik and his own honor code. Still, having a “bad guy who becomes a good guy” storyline in two films in a row might be overkill. Luckily, writer Pat Casey offered some insight into what makes Shadow stand out in his interview on The GHZ Podcast.


    He’s a match for Sonic, but like with such a different personality. And not like Knuckles, who is sort of mislead. Shadow is driven by anger and revenge, you know? I almost feel like Sonic, when he encounters Shadow, he’s like: “Well, I’ll just teach him about the power of friendship like with Knuckles, bada bing bada boom,” but that not going to work on Shadow, you know? This is like, Sonic’s never had to deal with someone as emotionally damaged as Shadow but he has with Robotnik.

    Pat Casey

    It definitely sounds like they are fully embracing Shadow’s character from the original films. Sonic having a family and a few victories against Robotnik might put him on a high horse. Especially as it’ll be his first time seeing another hedgehog-like him, which may add to his hope to befriend him. We don’t know if we might expect other new characters to get introduced like Rogue or Amy, but there’s definitely the possibility that the cast will grow. So, it’ll be exciting to see what the third entry has to offer and maybe even a more mature storyline as Sonic faces his biggest challenge yet.

    You can watch the full interview with writer Pat Casey here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YExgbNku6JQ

    Source: YouTube

  • First ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Synopsis Teases A New Anti-Supe Weapon

    First ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Synopsis Teases A New Anti-Supe Weapon

    The Boys is definitely one of Amazon Primes’ most popular original series. It adapts the comic book series of the very same name written by Garth Ennis. The series’ third season is set to return on June 8th with a three-episode premiere. The rest of the eight episodes will release weekly on the streamer, similar to what they did with the second season. As the debut gets closer and closer, we finally have a synopsis that gives us a bit more context on what to expect this upcoming season.

    It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.

    When we last left the gang they’d been recruited by the government to do some similar business by the books, keeping the Supes in check. This season will see the playing field a bit leveled as it was previously revealed that Billy Butcher will be getting some abilities of his own. The interesting piece of this synopsis is the “Anti-supe weapon”, which seems like it’ll be causing quite the fuss amongst the characters.

    This season will see the debut of many new Supes from the comics like Crimson Countess, Blue Hawk, and the long-awaited arrival of Soldier Boy, who is the very first superpowered individual and is set to be played by Jensen Ackles. Somehow he’s made a mysterious return after being presumed dead. Fans will have to wait just a little longer before what will surely be another bloody good time.

    Source: Amazon Prime

  • Pom Klementieff Wrapped Filming on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Pom Klementieff Wrapped Filming on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    It looks like principal photography is slowly coming to a close on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as Pom Klementieff took to her Instagram account to share that she has finished her work on the project. Of course, the film won’t release until May 5th, 2023 and they might definitely plan some reshoots in the coming months. Still, Klementieff, who plays Mantis that became a permanent member of the Guardians after the second entry, shared a cake with the iconic “We are Groot” line as a way to celebrate finishing up her work on the threequel.

    Her saying “We are Groot Forever” continues to highlight that this film is very likely wrapping up the franchise or at least the version that we’ve been following since 2014. We don’t know how exactly it’ll warp up the storyline and what members might continue their journey across the galaxy afterward.

    Sadly, there have been hints that a good amount of members might end their time with the MCU in the upcoming project, but many things can get adapted throughout the production process. Yet, Gunn has envisioned this film for quite some time and is gladly returning to finish what he started. Still, it definitely feels like it’s going to leave us with an emotional gut-punch once the film ends up.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s Ray Porter on Why Darkseid Never Returned to Earth

    ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s Ray Porter on Why Darkseid Never Returned to Earth

    2021 saw the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a film that definitely caused some ruckus upon its initial release back in 2017. The theatrical cut of the film by Joss Whedon saw many crucial elements and character arcs cut in order to meet a two-hour studio-mandated runtime. One element, in particular, that was cut revolved around the Lord of Apokolips himself, Darkseid. Reduced to only a few mentions within the film the character was nowhere to be seen until Snyder got back to work.

    One thing that’s still causing a lot of folks to scratch their heads, even a year after the release of the film, was how Darkseid did not remember that the anti-life equation was on Earth. Following a brutal defeat by the tribes of man and their allies, the then-called Uxas and his army of Parademons were chased back to Apokolips, and simply never returned. Luckily, actor Ray Porter, who lent his voice to the character, recently sat down with FandomWire to chat where he gave his take on the subject.

    Consider the fact that he’s turned a hundred thousand worlds to dust; it was so long ago that he found this equation and then it was taken from him in battle and he always wanted to ‘re-find’ it. We are talking so many thousands of years, so many planets, universes, and possible Earths. Uxas, the person who became Darkseid has also changed so much in that long timespan. So, for someone whose knowledge spans so much, maybe the knowledge got lost in the vastness that it was on this Earth in particular. And then, Steppenwolf, of all people approaches him about this.

    Ray Porter

    One day we may see Darkseid return to DC Extended Universe but it looks like it could be a while before he makes his way back to earth. For now, all we get is his short appearance in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

    Source: FandomWire

  • James Gunn Requested A Few Adjustments to the Guardians in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    James Gunn Requested A Few Adjustments to the Guardians in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is still some time away, but that doesn’t mean we’ll have to wait too long for them to make their return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As the Thor: Love and Thunder trailer revealed, we got a glimpse at the team’s return alongside their latest addition, the God of Thunder. While it seems their paths won’t cross for too long, it does seem like this film will lead into the upcoming third entry of the film. As such, it would make sense for its director James Gunn to have some input.

    Luckily, Twitter user @NerfSolo asked the director if he might have had some say in how Taika Waititi tackled the team, and the director swiftly answered that he asked for them to make a few adjustments. As a lot of these projects are a collaborative effort, it seems that Waititi made the requested adjustments from James Gunn.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1517867561706266624

    Of course, we’ll likely never find out what exactly he requested to change, but it highlights that the directors still continue to exchange notes as they work on the various projects. Perhaps some of the adjustments were made to ease in viewers from that project into the third entry, but Vol. 3 might be mostly disconnected. Last time we saw the Guardians in Avengers: Endgame, they were making their way to find the displaced Gamora, who originated from a different timeline. Going by trailer, it seems they are still doing some work for hire, but it’s uncertain if that may still play into the film in any way.

    Source: Twitter

  • Family and Indie Films Show Strong Performance Over the Weekend as ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Fumbles

    Family and Indie Films Show Strong Performance Over the Weekend as ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Fumbles

    The box office numbers are once again here, and it’s been quite an interesting weekend. Smaller programming has been on a raise as The Northman pulled in $12M and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent managed $7.1M. What is interesting is that the former had a worse audience score with a B but still had the stronger pull. Robert Eggers‘ film may get hit a bit in its second weekend with word-of-mouth but it still had a stronger pull and will secure its audience. As Deadline points out, these two films share a similar audience which ends up cannibalizing each other. In the era of Netflix losing its momentum, it may be a showcase of the importance of counter-programming to streaming offerings.

    The smaller pull and adding non-four-quadrant programming also add some momentum to the theater that may become an advantage for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness once it opens in just a few weeks. Speaking of Multiverse, Everything Everywhere All at Once has been continuing to expand and is climbing up the ladder to become one of A24’s most successful releases. So, it’s definitely an uplifting trend to see these titles gain more momentum once again, as smaller budget films pulling in an audience.

    The weekend’s top performer ended up being The Bad Guys, as the Universal and Dreamworks Animation’s film is overperforming. Initial expectations saw it at $15M but it ended up ending the weekend with $24M. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had a stronghold as well, as it now is nearing $150M with a $15.2M weekend. So, the weekend has been quite strong for indie and family showings. The Sonic sequel is also currently further moving towards $300M worldwide as it holds strong as the best performing video game adaptation.

    Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has managed to hold on to the third spot, but it’s the worst second-weekend drop for any entry of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but it’s the second-worst for the Harry Potter franchise which had a 72% drop. To be fair, it was also coming off of a $169M opening weekend. Yet, it must be highlighted that the film has been doing strong international, which is becoming its saving grace but might not be able to balance out its current standing as part of the Wizarding World franchise.

    Source: Deadline, Deadline (int.)

  • EXCLUSIVE: Every ‘Moon Knight’ Easter Egg is Intentional Says Production Designer

    EXCLUSIVE: Every ‘Moon Knight’ Easter Egg is Intentional Says Production Designer

    Easter eggs can oftentimes be a double-edged sword for fans. In the case of Wandavision, the rabid hunting of easter eggs from fans proved to be a source of weekly disappointment. And because Moon Knight is a similar mystery box, fans are debating heavily whether an object onscreen is an easter egg or just a coincidence to avoid disappointment. For example, the Kang logo on one of the bad guys’ shirts.

    In our interview with the show’s production designer Stefania Cella, she revealed that every easter egg fans see on screen is intentional and not a happy coincidence.

    All deliberate. There are no accidents. Marvel is very cautious and very aware of what are the [easter eggs]. That was an educating curve for me; what [easter eggs] can be involved and what are the things to leave out. There are the usual easter eggs for comic lovers. I put them in there personally.

    Whether those easter eggs are purely aesthetic or a teaser of what’s to come, it’s nice to see the amount of detail put into the show. Compared to Wandavision where the people making it admitted that some of them weren’t intentional (the aerospace engineer, for example), the people making Moon Knight seemed to have learned from Marvel Studios’ previous mistakes.