Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Jeremy Slater Set to Write ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel

    Jeremy Slater Set to Write ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel

    In 2021, the pandemic shifted the way most studios released titles. While many continued to push out releases, Warner Bros. attempted a new release strategy by shifting its entire theatrical slate to a day and date release that saw the film’s debut on HBO Max, alongside theaters. One of those films was the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat reboot. While the film didn’t smash any box office records with just $83.8 million worldwide, it did perform well on HBO Max, pulling in 3.8 million streams during its debut weekend. This led many to question whether or not Mortal Kombat would receive a sequel.

    Thankfully, it appears the story isn’t over yet. Deadline is reporting that New Line is officially moving forward with a sequel to the 2021 film. Jeremy Slater, who most recently worked on Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, has been tapped to write the script for the sequel. Producer Todd Garner and Lewis Tan have confirmed that they will return for the sequel. 

    https://twitter.com/todd_garner/status/1486393378702987264?s=21

    The first film saw the introduction of an original character Cole Young, revealed to be a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion. Cole is recruited to help repel the forces of Shang Tsung, who has sent his fighters to Earthrealm to kill Raidens champions so that Outworld will be able to secure its tenth victory in the Mortal Kombat that it can invade Earthrealm. With a sequel on the horizon, it looks as if we could see that Johnny Cage tease come to fruition.

    Mortal Kombat 2 currently has no set release or director and, outside of Tan, it’s unknown just cast members will be returning.

    SOURCE: Deadline, Twitter

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merch Features All Three Spider-Men

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Merch Features All Three Spider-Men

    It looks like it took some time until we finally got some merchandise featuring all three Spider-Men from Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s been dominating the box office since its December release, but Sony wanted to keep it a secret for long as possible. Luckily, the wait is over, as new merchandise has found its way online featuring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland‘s take on the characters finally united. The first t-shirt replicates the iconic “I love you guys!” moment from the finale.

    Spider-Man trio t-shirt

    Always wanted socks featuring each Spider-Man’s iconic logo in addition to the numbering they are given in the film’s finale as Peter 1, Peter 2, and Peter 3.

    Spider-Man socks

    There’s also a great one featuring everyone’s iconic design with the statement that “The Multiverse is Real!” Doctor Strange certainly isn’t going to be happy about that aspect once his film releases in May of this year.

    Multiverse t-shirt

    Probably a personal favorite is an overlay of all three Spider-Man logos, which ironically had a fake leak around a month before it’s release, as the discussions surrounding their arrival in the project was at its peak without a confirmation.

    Stacked Spider-Man shirt

    The new merchandise showcased on the Marvel site includes quite a bit more, as the various villains also got their own focus, such as some new logos designed inspired by Electro, Green Goblin, and Dock Ock. There are some great designs and Marvel is certainly banking on some of the iconic moments from the film. We’ll see if this is just the beginning of their merchanidse roll-out as they milk this cash cow as much as they can.

    Source: Marvel

  • Matt Reeves Shares How Nirvana Inspired ‘The Batman’s Script

    Matt Reeves Shares How Nirvana Inspired ‘The Batman’s Script

    There are always some surprising influences on various projects. Sometimes a music cue or even a painting could become the center point of one’s approach to storytelling. In the case of The Batman‘s director Matt Reeves, it seems that his biggest influence was the music by Nirvana. It seems that the songs and lead singer Kurt Cobain became a main point of influence while writing his take on the Caped Crusader, who will be played by Robert Pattinson. He goes on to say that:

    Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about [Nevermind song] ‘Something in the Way’, which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character. When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?’ And the truth is that he is a kind of drug addict. His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.

    Matt Reeves

    As he points out, the song was a highlight of the initial trailer that was revealed during DC FanDome. It set quite a tone, as we got our first true look at the film’s new take of the Dark Knight and its detective noir storytelling. It’ll be interesting to see if we see any of Nirvana’s songs scattered across the film’s now confirmed 3-hour runtime. As such, we get the longest entry in the iconic comic book adaptation with the most unique take on the franchise.

    Source: Esquire

  • ‘The Suicide Squad’s Flula Borg to Reprise ‘Pitch Perfect’ Role in Spinoff Series

    ‘The Suicide Squad’s Flula Borg to Reprise ‘Pitch Perfect’ Role in Spinoff Series

    It looks like the Pitch Perfect franchise is ready to get its first spinoff with the German actor Flula Borg returning to reprise his role of Piëter Krämer from the second film entry. He’ll join Adam DeVine in the new Peacock original series, where he signs Bumper Allen, DeVine‘s character, as his client and tries to make his dreams a reality after one of his songs becomes a hit there.

    Borg has been making quite a name for himself with his short-lived but memorable tenure as Javelin in James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad. He also appeared in Trolls World Tour, Ferdinand, and Buddymoon. He’s also has worked with DeVine in the past, such as on Workaholics.

    Megan Amram will write the spinoff series and also act as showrunner and executive producer on the piece. Brownstone Productions is also executive producing with Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman involved alongside Gold Circle Films’ Paul Brooks and Scott Neimeyer. DeVine also has an executive producing role. It seems the project doesn’t have a name as of yet.

    Source: Variety

  • Lucy Liu to Star in Stephen King’s ‘Later’ Adaptation by ‘True Blood’s Raelle Tucker

    Lucy Liu to Star in Stephen King’s ‘Later’ Adaptation by ‘True Blood’s Raelle Tucker

    Stephen King‘s 2021 novel, Later, is going to be turned into a limited series with Lucy Liu set to take on the main role. Raelle Tucker will act as showrunner and wrote the script for the pilot. She previously worked on HBO’s True Blood and the Sacred Lies anthology series together with Blumhouse Television who landed the rights for the project and are spearheading the project moving forward. She shared her excitement about getting another chance to work with Jason Blum.

    I’ve wanted to work with Jason Blum for years, and now we have two projects together. Go, me! Later is terrifying and touching and wonderfully weird — of course it is, it’s Stephen King. Adapting one of my favorite writers of all time, with an incredible partner like Blumhouse and the incomparable Lucy Liu, is a dream come true

    Raelle Tucker

    The adaptation will explore the story of Tia (Lucy Liu), the owner of a literary agency, is facing the end of her career due to the death of her star writer. Without his promised work, she’s about to face bankruptcy and is alone raising her son Jamie. Luckily, he has the ability to speak to the dead – as one does – and is able to help her finish the book after uncovering the original plans by its original author post-mortem. Yet, it wouldn’t be a story without any conflict, as Tia’s girlfriend finds out and he might be over his head.

    Source: Deadline

  • Ivory Aquino Confirmed as Alysia Yeoh in ‘Batgirl’

    Ivory Aquino Confirmed as Alysia Yeoh in ‘Batgirl’

    Even as cameras are rolling on the upcoming Batgirl solo film in Glasgow, thw cast continues to grow. A ton of set photos have made their way online recently, giving us countless new looks at the set and Batgirl herself. Photos last week revealed that actress Ivory Aquino looked to be a part of the film, as she was seen in many scenes with Leslie Grace. We first reported on these photos and speculated that Aquino could be playing the role of Alysia Yeoh.

    Variety has confirmed that Aquino is indeed playing the role of Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s best friend and roommate. The character was created by Gail Simone and Adrian Syaf, first appearing in Batgirl Volume 4 issue #1. It was first speculated that Yeoh could be playing a role in the film when the project was casting an Asain transgender actress under the name of “Alanna”. It seems like the project could be setting up a strong friendship between the two.

    Aquino is best known for her work in When We Rise and Tales of the City. This will be her first role in a comic book film and will also be the first transgender character in the DC Extended Universe.

    Batgirl currently has no set release date but is slated to release sometime in 2022.

    SOURCE: Variety

  • Disney Responds to Peter Dinklage’s Scathing ‘Snow White’ Criticism

    Disney Responds to Peter Dinklage’s Scathing ‘Snow White’ Criticism

    Today, Disney issued a statement in response to sharp criticism by Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage regarding the upcoming live-action remake of Snow White. The Game of Thrones alum spoke harshly about Disney’s intention to retell the 1937 animated film on the WTF podcast on Monday:

    Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White — but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the  Seven Dwarfs,” Dinklage told Maron. “Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way, but then you’re still making that fucking backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the fuck are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.

    Peter Dinklage

    Dinklage’s comments come after the lauded casting of West Side Story star Rachel Zegler as the titular princess Snow White.

    Disney was quick to respond with an attempt to defend against the cirticism. A spoesperson for the company told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement:

    To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community. We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.

    Disney

    While the Snow White remake is still years away, it will employ cultural consultants similar to the live-action Disney reimaginings Aladdin and Mulan. Alongside Zegler, Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot is set to play the Evil Queen with Marc Webb directing.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Features the Return of Mysterio

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Features the Return of Mysterio

    Despite a global pandemic that has prevented many films from finding financial footing, Spider-Man: No Way Home is still going strong in movie theaters across the nation. Much of this success is due to the excitement of moviegoers over the comeback of multiple characters fans thought to be long dead or past the point of return. While a fair share of Spider–Man characters returned, one of the few past Spider-Man villains who wasn’t included in this roster was Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Mysterio, a master illusionist and the main antagonist of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. It would now appear, however, that the rogue wasn’t always going to be excluded from the latest smash-hit superhero film.

    A brand new piece of concept art has been making the rounds on social media, depicting the supposedly deceased villain doing battle with Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Doctor Strange above the Statue of Liberty.

    https://twitter.com/GeekVibesNews/status/1486045873612247055?s=20

    This is, of course, where the climactic final battle of the film took place. This would insinuate that there was at one point an idea to bring Mysterio back alongside the other bad guys to cause his specific brand of trouble. It’s likely this was a very early thought, and abandoned long ago. Still, it’s interesting to think what might have come of his return. One would think Strange would immediately wipe the floor with someone who isn’t capable of actual magic, but it’s possible this version of Mysterio could have been from one of the many open alternate universes featured in the movie. Perhaps this Quentin Beck was able to cast real spells of his own. Unfortunately, it’s more than likely fans will never know for sure.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Percy Jackson’ Series Reboot Headed to Disney+

    ‘Percy Jackson’ Series Reboot Headed to Disney+

    After an abridged and lukewarm movie franchise, Disney+ has decided to breathe new life into the Percy Jackson franchise. Author Rick Riordan announced today in a video that the series pilot would be helmed by The Mysterious Benedict Society director James Bobin. Riordan is also expected to be closely involved with the series.

    While this official announcement is new, the prospect of Disney+ being home to the beloved book series isn’t. Riordan and his wife took to Twitter two years ago to reveal that the series was being shopped to DIsney+.

    The executives at Disney+ put out the following statement in light of the announcement:

    With Rick Riordan, Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz leading our creative team, we’re deep into creating a compelling TV series worthy of the heroic mythological characters that millions of Percy Jackson readers know are well-worth caring about. We’re eager to invite Disney+ audiences into stories that are true to the blockbuster franchise and full of anticipation, humor, surprise, and mystery.

    There’s no word yet on who will fill in the ranks of the beloved ensemble of characters but rest assured that’s something we will hear in the coming months.

  • Sam Raimi Reveals Status of ‘Doctor Strange’s Production and What It’s Like to Work With Marvel Studios

    Sam Raimi Reveals Status of ‘Doctor Strange’s Production and What It’s Like to Work With Marvel Studios

    The man who helped begin the superhero movie craze is back, and he’s ready to talk about working with the machine keeping his trend alive. In a recent interview with Variety, acclaimed director Sam Raimi discussed the current status of the latest Marvel project and what it was like to develop a film alongside Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios. The filmmaker has been hard at work on the highly-anticipated sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for a long time now, and had this to say when asked if filming was yet to be completed:

    I wish I knew the answer to that question. I think we’re done, but we just cut everything. We’re just starting to test the picture and we’ll find out if there’s anything that’s got to be picked up. If something’s unclear or another improvement I can make in this short amount of time left, I’ll do it. One thing I know about the Marvel team is they won’t stop. They’ll keep pushing it until it’s as close to being great as it could be.

    Sam Raimi

    He continued to put an emphasis on just how great his experience with the cultural juggernaut has been:

    Marvel’s been a great team to work with. I think that was a not-surprising surprise. I’ve been super-supported by the whole Marvel operations, starting at the top with Kevin Feige, and working all the way down to the crews that they work with. [They’re] super professional and have supported me every step of the way.

    Sam Raimi

    These comments should be thrilling for fans who were afraid Raimi, noted for his signature style, would be creatively stifled by Marvel. His last outing with a comic book hero, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, was famously affected by studio mandates and interference. Here’s hoping the future is brighter for the fan-favorite maestro.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Variety