Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Unreal Engine 5 is Officially Available to All Developers Starting Today

    Unreal Engine 5 is Officially Available to All Developers Starting Today

    The era of Unreal Engine 4 is officially over. Starting today, all video game developers will have access to the new Unreal Engine 5 to create new next-generation gaming experiences across PC, Console, and Mobile. We have seen a lot of Unreal Engine 5 over the last few years, starting with the announcement and showcase of the engine during PlayStation’s initial marketing campaign for the then-unreleased PlayStation 5.

    The engine promised jaw-dropping visuals, incredible lighting tools, and is easily the most advanced game engine to date. For those that don’t know what an engine is, they are essentially the tools that developers use to create their games. For example, if every game that someone makes requires lighting, whether that be the sun or from an indoor source, it makes no sense to create the tools to do that from scratch for every single project. Instead, it can be added to the engine so when the next game is being made, you have the tools prebuilt to make those lighting effects come to life without the need for the labor and budget-intensive task of creating those tools.

    With Unreal Engine 5 now being released to all video game developers, we should start seeing games running on the engine very soon from partners that have had access to the engine early, like PlayStation for example. For everyone else, we can expect to see UE5 become the staple engine of choice for many game developers, similar to how UE4 became the go-to engine for most studios. I cannot wait to see more games on the engine to showcase the true capabilities of next-gen video games, hopefully, UE5 is a stepping stone to get to the experiences that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles are capable of.

    Source: Twitter

  • Crystal Dynamics Confirms Work on New ‘Tomb Raider’ Game

    Crystal Dynamics Confirms Work on New ‘Tomb Raider’ Game

    It seemed inevitable, but Crystal Dynamics has finally confirmed they’ve started working on the fourth entry of their Tomb Raider franchise. The developer took to Twitter to share a small video also announcing that they’re currently focusing their work with the new title to bring it to life with Unreal Engine 5. The new franchise kicked off back in 2013 and went on to spawn the sequels Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

    Tomb Raider is one of the franchises that defined the modern gaming industry. It wasn’t an easy task to reboot such an iconic franchise, especially with the new direction they took. They brought the game into some familiar territory, as it was compared to Uncharted at the time quite a bit, which also reinvented the modern take of adventure, tomb raiding gaming styles.

    Indiana Jones is also scheduled to get a game at some point in the future. So, it seems we’re seeing another resurgence of this genre. There’s no word if we’ll see a new entry from Naughty Dog, as they recently wrapped up Nathan Drake’s story. So, Crystal Dynamics might be the one to fulfill that hole the ending of that franchise left in our hearts.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Jude Law May Have Joined a Secret ‘Star Wars’ Series 

    RUMOR: Jude Law May Have Joined a Secret ‘Star Wars’ Series 

    The Star Wars universe has only been expanding since its return in 2015, and a new rumor suggests it may be getting even bigger. Bespin Bulletin is reporting on some emerging whispers that Jude Law has joined the cast of a secret project, which may be a series filming in Culver City, California this June.

    The outlet explains that the information comes from the Instagram account DeuxMoi, which posts semi-reliable celebrity gossip and boasted it received a tip that “a prime British early-2000s film stud” is “adding to his recent nerdgasm resume (Marvel, Wizarding World)” and was “recently cast in an unannounced Star Wars extended universe Disney+ show”.

    Fans were quick to identify the mystery person as Law, who has spent the last few years playing characters like Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel and Albus Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series. While it’s unknown what project he could potentially be participating in, the most likely option is Grammar Rodeo, the aforementioned unannounced series that’s already entered pre-production. That show will reportedly take place during the High Republic era and center around a group of pre-teens.

    The Illuminerdi reported a while back that Rodeo was also looking for a male in his thirties or forties to star alongside the youthful protagonists. Law is slightly older than the casting call was looking for, but still a solid possibility for the Jon Favreau-produced series. It’s important to note all of this is still speculation and conjecture, even if the math is starting to add up. No official announcements have been made as of yet, but keep a lookout for news in the near future.

    Source: Bespin Bulletin

  • Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Seemingly Confirmed for ‘Echo’

    Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio Seemingly Confirmed for ‘Echo’

    Alongside Kate Bishop, Echo was one of the characters introduced by Hawkeye into the MCU. Played by Alaqua Cox, the character is slated for a self-titled spin-off in the near future. Information on the show has been kept under wraps but a new listing indicates that there are some major MCU appearances waiting to happen in the show. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are two of the names listed on the resume of the show’s costume designer Stacy Caballero.

    Those two names shouldn’t come as a surprise given their character’s history in the comics. With the way Wilson Fisk’s stint in Hawkeye abruptly ended at the hands of Maya Lopez, it makes sense to see the character make a return. As for Daredevil, where there’s Wilson Fisk, there’s Matt Murdock.

    This isn’t the first time some key information has been accidentally revealed through a personnel’s resume. Avengers: Endgame was infamously listed on the film’s cinematographer’s online resume which fans thought dubious at the time of the leak. Of course, there’s a slim chance this could be conjecture on Caballero’s part but all evidence points otherwise.

    Source: Cinegeek

  • ‘Black Widow’s O-T Fagbenle Teases an MCU Return

    ‘Black Widow’s O-T Fagbenle Teases an MCU Return

    Black Widow was the first time that the MCU really explored a prequel on what Natasha Romanoff was up to before the events of Avengers: Infinity War. While it technically set up quite a few important characters for future returns, such as Florence Pug‘s Yelena Belova, there were some minor characters we haven’t heard much from since. One of them is O-T Fagbenle‘s Rick Mason, who many believed was going to turn out to be Taskmaster. Yet, the film caught us off-guard and decided to go in a different direction. Luckily, it seems that Mason might return.

    In an interview with SlashFilm, the actor has revealed that when he was initially cast in the role, it wasn’t as part of a one-time conversation. As an informant, there are many locations where he could end up making his return with Armor Wars being one strong possibility. Who knows if they might have bigger plans for his character as well, especially with Romanoff’s death pushing him into a new direction.

    I mean, you know what, with Marvel, I’m never sure how much they can say about stuff, but I’ll just say that it wasn’t a one-and-done conversation.

    O-T Fagbenle

    It would be interesting to see if they might revisit his original development in some way, as they definitely still planted some seeds. Mason had a habit of constantly sleeping and was quite the informant. His character’s suddenly getting his hands on the Taskmaster technology would make for an interesting development, as we see harsh times potentially also push people to embrace their darker sides. So, the Snap could become a catalyst for exactly that.

    Source: SlashFilm

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Takes a World Record Spot from ‘The Grinch’

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Takes a World Record Spot from ‘The Grinch’

    We’ve been keeping a close eye on what the future has in store for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as director James Gunn has been busy working on the project. While he has continued to tease the appearance of various Rick and Morty characters, we still know very little about the project. Yet, he surprised many when he took to Twitter to announce that the 2023 release has broken a World Record that was previously held by How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They took the top spot for the World Record of the Most Makeup Appliances Created for a Single Production.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1511091202547924996

    There have been quite a lot of discussions on the internet on Marvel Studios’ general use of CG. While they still rely on a mixture of practical elements and CG but also were forced to adapt given the circumstances created through COVID. They’ve also started giving their directors more creative control ever since Kevin Feige and his team moved away from Marvel to work more closely with Disney.

    In a follow-up tweet, Gunn confirms that he has 100% control over how many practical effects are used. So, his involvement also likely played a big role in reaching this world record. It’ll be fun to see if they promote it, or simply stick with his tweet on the matter, as many might not have realized The Grinch was holding on to that record since 2000. It was quite the make-up effects marvel of its time and no wonder it wasn’t an easy one to surpass.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Moon Knight’ 5-Day Viewership Beats Out ‘WandaVision’ and ‘Hawkeye’

    Moon Knight finally premiered and early data hinted at it potentially being one of the service’s strongest releases. SambaTV remains our best comparison point to get a glimpse into how exactly the Disney+ series are performing. Disney won#t release the data themselves. So, we’re dependent on external analytic firms to offer a glimpse behind the curtain. Their latest release reveals just how popular Moon Knight was within its first five days of streaming.

    According to SambaTV, the premiere managed to reach 1.8M US households within the first five days. As a point of comparison, it is the same amount of viewers that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s premiere episode. Currently, it has managed to surpass WandaVision and Hawkeye, which is in line with what we saw earlier with its trailer viewership. So, the early predictions were pretty on point.

    Loki remains the reigning champion for Marvel’s TV venture with 2.5M according to SambaTV’s household panels. We just recently learned that it alongside The Mandalorian remains the best performing series on Disney+. Moon Knight can definitely be seen as a success for Marvel though, especially with the possibility of its mind-bending aspects pulling in new viewers as it goes on.

    The numbers aren’t the full picture, as there’s always the possibility that they look quite a bit different on Marvel and Disney’s side. Still, these numbers are impressive if you consider how unknown Moon Knight is to the general populous and it’s competition with well-established characters is a good sign for Marvel Studios’ venture on expanding through Disney+. Ms. Marvel is going to be an interesting test to see just how powerful this brand is.

    Source: Twitter

  • Karen Gillan Promises More Improvisation in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Karen Gillan Promises More Improvisation in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Karen Gillan has been busy promoting her newest film, The Bubble, where she teamed up with Judd Apatow to offer a meta film about film-making. It seems her work on that project has inspired her to push a bit more to try and improvise her work. In an interview with The Wrap, she’s talked about her approach to acting and made a promise that Nebula is improvising “a lot more lines” in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    This time around in ‘Guardians 3’, she’s, yeah, she’s improvising a lot more lines.

    Karen Gillan

    Of course, she doesn’t give away what she may have improvised throughout the production but did highlight that a big part of the opening for Avengers: Endgame was her doing just that alongside Robert Downey Jr, as Nebula and Stark bonded while adrift in space.

    I will say, I’ve improvised a fair bit of Nebula because I don’t know if you saw ‘Endgame,’ which seems like. That’s a ridiculous question. But basically, all of the stuff with Robert Downey Jr. at the beginning was like, that whole montage was improvised.

    Karen Gillan

    Some of the most memorable lines in cinematic history have been improvised. So, it’s great to also see James Gunn giving his team the freedom to add their own touches to further develop the characters they’ve played for so long. Nebula’s interactions with Stark were quite memorable, especially in how they added quite a bit more to her personality after just losing her sister, who she finally built up a connection with.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Receives the MCU’s First TV-PG Rating

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Receives the MCU’s First TV-PG Rating

    While there has been plenty of discourse on whether or not Marvel Studios should be tackling darker and more violent stories, the MCU’s home on Disney+ has made that more contentious than it has been in the past. With the recent re-homing of Marvel properties such as Daredevil and The Punisher to the streaming service, there has been some discussion on whether Disney+ should be sticking to more “family-friendly” offerings. The currently-running MCU series, Moon Knight is being hailed by many to be Marvel Studios’ most violent to date.

    Those looking for an MCU installment that is geared to younger or more wholesome audiences are in luck. Disney+ revealed that the next MCU series, Ms. Marvel, will be rated TV-PG, making it the first time that any Marvel Studios movie or series has received a rating this low. All MCU movies to date have been rated PG-13, and every Disney+ MCU series to date has been rated TV-14, which is the television equivalent of a PG-13 rating.

    Ms. Marvel Rating

    Ms. Marvel recently unveiled its first trailer and set up a story focused on Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan. It is perhaps not too surprising that a series about a teenage girl set in a high school-type setting would be the first series to nab a PG rating, though the MCU has dealt with similar ages and setting in its Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy.

    The battle over the streaming service’s ability to provide a family-friendly service while also showcasing its incredibly successful range of more mature properties will surely rage on. Recently, some fans spotted shots in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier that had been edited to be less violent, but Disney+ quickly retracted the altered scenes. At the very least, it does not look like Ms. Marvel will pose much of a challenge for the streaming service on that front.

    Ms. Marvel premieres on Disney+ on June 8, 2022.

    Source: Disney+ via The Direct

  • FKA Twigs Joins Bill Skarsgard-Led ‘The Crow’

    FKA Twigs Joins Bill Skarsgard-Led ‘The Crow’

    Just a few days ago, we learned that Bill Skarsgard will spearhead a new attempt at reviving the cult classic The Crow for a modern audience. Rupert Sanders will take on directing duties on the project with the former Pennywise taking on the iconic role. Well, the project is moving at a fast speed, as The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that musician FKA Twigs has joined the reboot and will co-star alongside Skarsgard as the main love interest.

    What is interesting is that THR’s Borys Kit also added some additional information on Twitter highlighting that it’s unclear if they’ll go down the resurrection storyline, or it becomes a personification of the crow. We might not know until we get the first trailer, as the production is eyeing a June production start in Prague and in Munich.

    While many mainly remember the film starring the late Brendan Lee, the story is actually based on James O’Barr indie comic by the same name. After being assaulted by a gang, a man is resurrected by a mystical crow and enacts his revenge plan on those that took his life and that of his love, who will be played by FKA Twigs. It’s unclear if they might make more changes to adapt it to the modern age or stick to a more Victorian-inspired design like the first film did. For now, it’s kind of a miracle that the production is picking up speed, to begin with given how cursed any previous adaptation has been.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter