Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Peter Billingsley Returning for ‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel

    Peter Billingsley Returning for ‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel

    Here’s a sequel I am sure no one ever asked for, but it looks like Legendary and Warner Bros. are making a sequel to the Holiday classic, A Christmas Story. Deadline broke the story that Peter Billingsley is also set to return as Ralphie for the sequel, which is creatively titled A Christmas Story Christmas and it will premiere exclusively on HBO Max. They also believe that Julie Hagerty will return to play his mother, but nothing else is known about the rest of the cast.

    The film follows Ralphie in the 1970s, who wants to give his children the same magical Christmas that he had years ago. He reconnects with his old childhood friends while also getting over the fact that his old man has passed away. It’s not the first time the story was revisited, as Billingsley was also involved with a Broadway musical version known as A Christmas Story The Musical, which went on to nab three Tony nominations.

    Nick Schenk, who is known for his work with Clint Eastwood on films like Cry Macho or Torino, will write the script and is set to executive produce the film. Christmas Chronicle‘s director Clay Kaytis has been attached to direct the legacy sequel. Wild West Picture Show productions will oversee the project with Billingsley and Vince Vaughn set to produce. Legendary’s Cale Boyter and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee the project, which is set to start production in Bulgaria this February.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Godzilla’s MonsterVerse Continues In New Apple TV+ Series

    ‘Godzilla’s MonsterVerse Continues In New Apple TV+ Series

    It looks like the Monsterverse will live on, as we’ve been anxiously awaiting an update since the release of Godzilla vs. Kong. Turns out, Apple TV+ has made a massive deal for a new series that takes place in Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise that will explore the aftermath from when San Francisco was destroyed in a battle between Godzilla and the Titans. The story focuses on a family that starts to uncover how their legacy connects to the mysterious organization known as Monarch.

    The project is currently untitled, but Chris Black will serve as showrunner. It seems that Legendary has been searching for a potential buyer to carry on the franchise through a TV series, as they work on a film in the meantime. Apple has been struggling with a lack of IPs, and it seems they were the ones to get their hands on it. What makes this a surprising direction is that the Monsterverse was part of Warner Bros.’ IP, especially with Godzilla vs. Kong releasing simultaneously on HBO Max. Justin Kroll offered some insight into why they decided ended up with Apple TV+.

    Matt Fraction is also a co-creator of the series and will produce alongside Safehouse Pictures’ Tory Tunnell, and Joby Harold. Toho is also involved with Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita acting as executive producers. Their involvement confirms that the series will include Godzilla in some capacity. It’s great that the franchise will continue, but does raise some questions regarding their relationship with Warner Bros. moving forward, as they are also working on a Dune spinoff series with HBO Max. We’ll see what the future has in store.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Musical Prequel Adds Broadway’s Jelani Alladin

    ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Musical Prequel Adds Broadway’s Jelani Alladin

    Luke Evans and Josh Gad‘s upcoming Beauty and the Beast prequel has found another actor to join its line-up, as The Walking Dead: World Beyond actor, Jelani Alladin, has joined the project. We just recently learned that Fra Fee was also going to have a role in the story, as the series slowly is starting to come together ahead of its production. The musical series will run for eight episodes and continue the stories of Gaston and LeFou after the events of the 2017 original.

    The story follows LeFou’s step-sister Tilly, who will be played by Briana Middleton, as her past comes to haunt her and the three are off unto an unlikely adventure. Alladin will play a quick-witted artist, who goes by Jean-Michel. The actor is no stranger to working with Disney, as he played Kristoff in the Broadway rendition of Frozen. He worked on various TV series such as Law & Order: SVU, and FBI. Given his stage background, he’s a great addition to bring the musical to life.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Daredevil’s Viewership Skyrockets After Vincent D’Onofrio’s Return in ‘Hawkeye’

    ‘Daredevil’s Viewership Skyrockets After Vincent D’Onofrio’s Return in ‘Hawkeye’

    Marvel’s expansive plan to continuously grow with the many characters at its display has always been its biggest strength. Once a character makes a surprising appearance in one project, it creates a wave of interest for others. In a way, Marvel Studios can make years-old series or films become trending again. Exactly that has happened, as Nielsen ratings revealed that Netflix’s series Daredevil has seen a massive uptick in viewership. Three years after the final episode aired, it has suddenly joined Nielsen’s SVOD Top 10 list shortly after Charlie Cox made a memorable cameo as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Vincent D’Onofrio returned as the Kingpin in Hawkeye.

    The synergy also gave Hawkeye quite the boost, as the Disney+ series managed to also get the third spot in the list with its highest-viewed week. It was watched 938M minutes over its six-episode run while Daredevil garnered 195M minutes with 39 episodes. The Witcher still was the most dominant release during that time period of December 20th until the 27th with 2.2B minutes over its opening weekend alone. Emily in Paris, which was recently renewed, garnered 938M to take the second spot.

    Source: Variety

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Warm Bodies’ Jonathan Levine to Direct Hulu’s ‘Tell Me Lies’ Pilot

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Warm Bodies’ Jonathan Levine to Direct Hulu’s ‘Tell Me Lies’ Pilot

    Hulu has been quite busy preparing its new shows to take the streaming market by storm. Among their line-up of new productions is Tell Me Lies, a drama series that is developed as part of a first-look deal made with Emma Roberts and her Belletrist TV banner. It’s an adaptation of Carola Lovering‘s book by the same name. We can exclusively share that the pilot episode will be directed by Jonathan Levine.

    The director is well-known for his movie work with 50/50, Warm Bodies, and the 2019 release of Long Shot. He has started venturing more into TV productions, such as 2010’s Hot to Make It In America for HBO and Nine Perfect Strangers. What is noteworthy about the latter is that it’s another Hulu production. So, he’s no stranger to working with the streaming service.

    Tell Me Lies is currently eyeing a February production start. The series has added Jackson White and Grace Van Patten in the title roles of Stephen DeMarco and Lucy Albright. The story will follow Albright’s time in college, as she tries to leave her past behind her only to get swept up into DeMarco’s. Karah Preiss, the co-founder of Belletrist, is working on the project as an executive producer, while Meaghan Oppenheimer takes on the role of showrunner. Roberts is also attached as a producer on the new series. It’ll be great to see what Levine‘s style might bring to the adaptation.

  • New ‘Moon Knight’ Promo Art Offers New Look at Costume

    New ‘Moon Knight’ Promo Art Offers New Look at Costume

    We only recently got the confirmation that Moon Knight will finally premiere at the end of March. The first trailer teased Oscar Isaac‘s take on the character and his split mental state. We also got a great look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s take on the character’s costume, which seems heavily inspired by his Egyptian roots, especially with Khonshu wearing something similar during his brief appearance in the trailer. While we got a good look at his costume, new promotional artwork has found its way online offering a new look at the costume and its many details, as shared by @cosmic_marvel:

    The promo image actually lets you see some of the details that are at play with the logo. The moon on his chest has a few binds going through it, and you can even see some gold plating behind them. It looks like it isn’t a costume entirely made of those binds but there’s also a layer underneath to protect Marc Spector when he is confronted by any threats.

    The eyes are definitely quite different from live-action, which may get adjusted once the series releases to give him more expressions over the glowing eyes. Here’s hoping we get more teases on what the full design looks like and even Mr. Knight, who was briefly teased during Disney+ Day.

    Source: Twitter

  • Director Matt Reeves Teases ‘The Batman’ as ‘Almost a Horror Movie’

    Director Matt Reeves Teases ‘The Batman’ as ‘Almost a Horror Movie’

    The Batman is about to reintroduce the world to the vastness that is the Caped Crusader’s range of interpretation. We had hyper surrealism with Christopher Nolan‘s take and a gothic look at the series with Tim Burton. Director Matt Reeves will introduce a new introduction that seems to dive deeper into the detective side of the character. However, it seems that we might expect a much darker take on the character with what he is describing as “almost a horror movie, and a thriller” in an interview with MovieMaker. In his full quote, he states:

    This idea of a place that is corrupt, and you try to swim against the tide in order to fight against it and make a difference, is quintessential Batman. And at the center of those noir stories is almost always the detective, right? And that’s why he is the world’s greatest detective. And so this story is, in addition to being almost a horror movie, and a thriller, and an action movie, at its core, it’s also very much a detective story. It’s very narrative.

    Matt Reeves

    It’s been a long-running joke that almost everyone is corrupt in Gotham. Outside of a few good eggs, most everyone falls to the temptation of some kind, may it be the amount of mafioso that live in the city or how many cops take payments. Nolan’s take in The Dark Knight explored that aspect through the eyes of Harvey Dent, but it seems we’ll get a much darker look at Gotham’s corruption and the horrors that are lurking in the dark. The fact that the Riddler is inspired by the Zodiac killer probably should’ve been our first hint that something sinister is heading our way..

    Source: MovieMaker via The Wrap

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals a Sick Doctor Strange

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals a Sick Doctor Strange

    It’s not uncommon that films are rewritten as production continues. Reshoots have become such a mainstay in the industry, as it supports directors to adjust plot points or pacing issues they noticed in the rough cuts. Marvel Studios’ films are famous for going through many different stages, and it seems Spider-Man: No Way Home almost featured a very different meeting between Doctor Strange and Peter Parker.

    Artist Sean Hargreaves has published some concept art that has some curious implications about the film’s original plot. Early on, Peter asks for Strange’s help before their views start to head in different directions. Yet, it seems that Strange was going to be sick at some point in the story, and Peter come to visit him as he rests in his chambers. His description reveals that:

    Peter talks to a sick Strange as Stranges cloak sits as guard at the foot of the bed. Struck from the final film.

    He highlights that this was cut from the film, and it could be a scene after the spell goes wrong. Perhaps the energy he used would’ve weakened the sorcerer. Yet, one could also look at it as a connection to his film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Originally, the multiverse-spanning adventure was going to release first. Perhaps the events of that film weakened him and he ended up bed-bound as shown in the artwork. It’s certainly up for interpretation, but this one piece of concept art could be a hint at a grim fate for the doctor.

    Source: Art Station

  • ‘The Batman’s Eyeing a 3-Hour Runtime

    ‘The Batman’s Eyeing a 3-Hour Runtime

    It looks like Matt Reeves is all in with his upcoming adaptation of The Batman, as a Czech film distribution site has confirmed the long-rumored three-hour runtime for the latest adaptation featuring the Dark Knight. Robert Pattinson‘s take on the character will run for 176 minutes, or around 2 hours and 55 minutes according to the site, which was first shared on Reddit in the form of a distribution list. What makes this so noteworthy is that this makes the film the longest in the Batman franchise. THR has now confirmed the runtime in a new piece.

    The upcoming DC film, which will premiere on March 4th, is the second-longest entry in the franchise, as it’s only beaten out by Zack Snyder’s Justice League with its 4+ hour runtime. It’s even longer than the recently released Eternals, which had quite a bit of discussion surrounding its extended runtime. Reeves is very thorough in how he approaches his films, and its length may reflect just how dense the project ended up being. The central mystery might unravel in interesting ways that are only hinted at in the trailers.

    Source: Vertical via Reddit, THR

  • Latest ‘Batgirl’ Photos Offer First Look at Brendan Fraser on Set

    Latest ‘Batgirl’ Photos Offer First Look at Brendan Fraser on Set

    There was a barrage of news on Batgirl in the last week. Every day brought more and more set photos from the film. Production is currently underway in Glasgow where the city has been transformed into Gotham City. We’ve got some pretty good looks at the cast, which included Leslie Grace, Jacob Scipio, Ethan Kai, and the potential reveal of Ivory Aquino‘s involvement. Still, we haven’t seen J.K. Simmons, Michael Keaton, or Brendan Fraser. Luckily, the latest set photos managed to give us one more first look.

    The latest batch of set photos features Fraser in casual clothing walking out of a building overflowing with smoke. He was cast as a familiar Batman villain Garfield Lynns, who is better known as the arsonist Firefly. While we don’t have our first look at him in his costume, the photos are our first hint.

    The film seems to be adapting aspects from Batgirl: Year One and Batgirl of Burnside. Although there doesn’t seem to be any current word on if Firefly will be joined by any other villains like Killer Moth, as he was the reason Lynns became Firefly in the original comic. We’ll see if any more set photos might offer a clearer picture of where this story is heading. Batgirl currently has no set release date as production rages on over in Glasgow. The film will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with Leslie Grace starring as the titular hero.

    Source: Twitter