Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Marvel Comics Reveals New Comics For Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson

    Marvel Comics Reveals New Comics For Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson

    Marvel Comics has a long history of mantles and legacy characters. In 2014, former Falcon Sam Wilson joined this tradition after taking up the title of Captain America for a then-decommissioned Steve Rogers. The move was a big deal for fans and creators alike, but as is often the case with comics, it wasn’t permanent. Steve Rogers eventually returned to his iconic role, and Sam Wilson’s future was left in a state of limbo. Now, however, Marvel has announced that it will allow both character to maintain the identity moving forward.

    Two new comics, Captain America: Symbol of Truth and Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, will follow the adventures of both men as they navigate what it means to be a hero in modern times. Symbol of Truth will arrive first, in May, and will be written by Tochi Onyebuchi with art from R.B. Silva. The series is set to center around Wilson as the “public-facing” Captain America, or “the one people think of as holding that title.” The story will see the air-born Cap trying to untangle America’s messy, and sometimes shady, foreign policy.

    Onyebuchi confirmed the plot is based heavily on action thrillers, with Sam finding himself in the middle of a government conspiracy. Highlighting the “truth” aspect of the title, he continues:

    We’ve seen Sam Wilson deal with the legacy of Captain America and race in very inward terms with regards to America: What does it mean for America to accept a Black Captain America? One of the things I’m teasing in my book is, what does it mean for the rest of the world to accept a Black Captain America? That’s another part of the equation. If Captain America is in many ways a mimesis of America, with all the good and bad pathologies, what does that mean for the way in which America interacts with the rest of the world?

    Tochi Onyebuchi

    Meanwhile, Sentinel of Liberty hits shelves in June. That comic, written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Carmen Carnero, will focus on Rogers and his quest to figure out who he really is. While Sam acts as the main event, Steve will take time to determine how he fits into the world and the impact of his legacy. Lanzing explains:

    In our book, he is going to be really looking at what it means to be Steve Rogers. We’ll see what it means when he finds a threat that truly needs his version of Captain America, and what he has to step up to become that. What does Captain America mean to Steve beyond being the leader of the Avengers and answering to the government? Since he feels he’s handed that off. So what is Steve building? What is he organizing? What do his friends need from him specifically? What does Bucky need from him?

    Jackson Lanzing

    The new books will be preceded by Captain America #0, co-written by Kelly, Lanzing, and Onyebuchi with art from Mattia De Lulis.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • EXCLUSIVE: Robert Downey Jr.-Led Series ‘The Sympathizer’ Eyeing June Production Start

    EXCLUSIVE: Robert Downey Jr.-Led Series ‘The Sympathizer’ Eyeing June Production Start

    We were all surprised when it was announced that Robert Downey Jr.’s next major project was an HBO series adapting The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Park Chan-wook was attached to direct the series, which explores the tale of a Vietnamese communist spy during the end of the Vietnam War, as he is exiled to the United States. While not much has been reported since the announcement, we can exclusively reveal that the series is being developed with multiple seasons in mind.

    The production is still actively casting its co-lead to tar opposite Downey Jr. and is currently scheduled to begin a nearly year-long production this June. The project is actively casting actresses and actors with a Vietnamese background to ensure the authenticity of the project. As such, they will also film parts of the project in Vietnam and Los Angeles once they get the cameras rolling.

    It’s great to see the production focus on the book’s cultural background and shoot on location in Vietnam, which generally also helps boost the local economy. The production will also have a predominant Vietnamese cast with Oldboy director Chan-wook also acting as a co-showrunner alongside Don McKellar. HBO, A24, and rhombus Media are producing in association with Cinetic Medi and Moho Film.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Tony Todd to Star in ‘Werewolf Game’

    EXCLUSIVE: Tony Todd to Star in ‘Werewolf Game’

    Horror icon Tony Todd has stayed very busy over the past several years. The actor reprised his role as Candyman in Nia DaCosta’s 2021 thriller, voiced Scare Glow in Netflix’s Masters of the Universe: Revelations and has nearly half a dozen projects in post-production. And now we can add one more project to the mix as Todd has signed on in a lead role in the upcoming horror film Werewolf Game.

    Written by Jack Payne II, and directed by Payne and Cara Brennan, Werewolf Game is based on the game Mafia, also known as Werewolf, created as a social experiment by Dimitry Davidoff, in which a group of people portray villagers and try to deduce who among them is a “werewolf” while the werewolves choose who to kill. Todd will play the film’s antagonist, The Judge, and is also serving as an executive producer on the film, which is set to debut in 2023. Casting is currently underway for nearly a dozen lead roles and production is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles in late-March. The film’s storyline, according to IMDB, is included below:

    Adapted from the adult party game of social deduction, created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986, Werewolf Game is a death-game, horror mystery film. Twelve kidnapped strangers must play a game where they vote on who amongst them to murder. At night, the “werewolves” hidden among them come out to brutally kill one of the 12 “villagers” in return. The days repeat until one winning group remains.

  • Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s long-gestating Lord of the Rings series now has an official subtitle and a confirmed release date. The streaming network revealed today that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut this Fall on September 2nd.

    The series, which has been in development since 2018, will debut with an 8-episode first season set during Middle-earth’s Second Age, the time that saw the rise of Sauron and his eventual defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Pre–production on a second season is underway and filming is expected to take place in the UK this Spring. Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi and Tom Budge lead a huge, ensemble cast.

  • UPDATED: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Production Reportedly Restarted After All

    UPDATED: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Production Reportedly Restarted After All

    UPDATED: So, there has been some confusion surrounding the current state of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s production. In the THR article, it was included with the statement that “production was set to restart this week” without a confirmation it was able to do so. It’s uncertain if this was a statement based on old information, but The Direct’s Jack McBryan has offered an update stating that production is currently underway:

    While he mentions something that happened earlier this month, the implication is on a report from January 14th – last week – by THR. It’s when the production wasn’t able to restart as planned that Monday and includes the reference to the cast and crew, as well as Lupita Nyong’o, contacting COVID. At the time, the report was accidentally overlooked, which is why the latest entry was mistakenly written as the first update on her condition. For now, it seems that the latest THR piece published on the 18th may have been based on old information, or they were able to restart today. No matter if they did or not, hopefully everyone affected by COVID was able to recover.

    Source: THR, Twitter

    It seems like just a few days ago, we were reporting that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was able to start up production again after a long vacation break so that Letitia Wright‘s severe injury can heal. Sadly, it seems that in a new piece by The Hollywood Reporter the production was forced to close down again, as cast and crew members were tested positive for COVID. It was originally going to start up production this week again, which will once again face further delays. Among those tested positive is also one of its stars Lupita Nyong’o.

    This news is sadly becoming common once again, as Star Trek Picard also was closed down after over 50 people involved with the production were tested positive. As a result of this rise in numbers, it seems a new deal was struck for new COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that this cannot happen further with the spread of the Omicron variant.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Eyeing a Spring Premiere

    ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ Season 2 Eyeing a Spring Premiere

    With the increasing amount of exclusive Disney+ content coming from Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios in 2022, it has become somewhat of a puzzle to figure out how to fit everything they have to offer a single calendar year with the least amount of overlap. With this in mind, the latest issue of Star Wars Insider managed to add another piece to the said puzzle, as it announces that Star Wars: The Bad Batch season two will start streaming this spring, as shared by @WookieNews on Twitter

    The first season of the Lucasfilm animated show made its debut on May 4, 2021, a.k.a. Star Wars Day, something that could happen again in 2022. That same date for this year has long been rumored to be connected to the Obi-Wan Kenobi series debut, but it was never officially confirmed. Considering other Disney+ exclusives, May 4th is the expected day for Marvel Studios‘ Moon Knight to stream its finale after a six-episode season that starts on March 30th. This would depend if, unlike WandaVision and Hawkeye, Moon Knight sticks to a one-episode premiere, something that hasn’t been confirmed.

    There’s precedent for Disney+ to be streaming content from their two biggest franchises at the same time, as long as one property is animated. This happened last year when the aforementioned The Bad Batch season one streamed alongside the entirety of Loki‘s first season. This means that a May 4 premiere for the animated show might still be on the table, even with the Marvel Studios series led by Oscar Isaac streaming that same day. With Disney+ usually releasing trailers for its upcoming shows two months ahead of its release, the release of The Bad Batch season 2 trailer might give us a better idea of when its premiere might actually be.

    Source: Star Wars Insider 208 via Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ to Feature Din Djarin’s New Ship

    RUMOR: ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ to Feature Din Djarin’s New Ship

    Chapter Four of The Book of Boba Fett hinted in a big way at the return of a familiar Mandalorian, Din Djarin, in one of the final episodes of the season. Boba is in need of some help facing up against the Pykes and his former ally, who he met during the events of The Mandalorian‘s second season. Let’s be honest, featuring the Ludwig Göransson score makes it pretty crystal clear Djarin will indeed be showing up.

    It has long been rumored this cameo would occur, and the fact that Djarin is constantly wearing his helmet makes it easier for him to be featured since Pedro Pascal‘s presence on set would not be necessary. All he has to do is voice the role at a later date. This does not mean that it won’t be Pascal portraying the character, just that it wouldn’t be something a schedule conflict between production and the actor would be able to prevent. What remains to be seen is just how Djarin will travel through the galaxy after we witnessed the destruction of his ST-70 Assault Ship, the Razor Crest, at the hands of Moff Gideon’s artillery.

    A rumor being shared by The Bespin Bulletin, following on-set reports going back over a year, states that Djarin will be seen piloting a Naboo N-1 Starfighter, first seen in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace back in 1999. This could mean that Djarin would have left his bounty hunting days behind him as this ship isn’t exactly well known for its storage capacities. It would make it difficult to transport prisoners and carbonite slabs. Another possibility is that he might still be on the market for a ship similar to the Razor Crest, and the Naboo Starfighter is just a temporary means of getting around. It would certainly be interesting to see the ship ditching the usual yellow keeping its chrome look throughout, mirroring Djarin’s beskar armor.

    If this rumor pans out it would be an extremely cool addition to the series and to this particular place in the timeline, as the ship has always been a fan-favorite ever since its debut on the big screen. It could even help to tease more prequel references, characters, even or locations in the upcoming The Mandalorian‘s third season, which is set to debut in the not so near future.

    Source: The Bespin Bulletin

  • ‘Eternals’ Takes Top Spot as Marvel Studios’ Biggest Disney+ Debut

    ‘Eternals’ Takes Top Spot as Marvel Studios’ Biggest Disney+ Debut

    Eternals has finally released on Disney+ and offered many a chance to check out the Chloé Zhao-directed film that didn’t get a chance to see it in theaters. Of course, a release on any streamer is bound to get the attention of people that want to see just how much of a second life a streaming service can give a project, and it looks like Marvel Studios’ take on an Indie film has garnered quite the attention in its home release.

    SambaTV, who has shared data on various projects in the past based on internal study panels, has revealed that 2M households in the United States alone viewed the film within five days of its release. As pointed out by @Luiz-Fernando_J, this is the biggest film debut from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it has surpassed Shang-Chi‘s 1.7M debut.

    The film had a strong run at the box office, ending its run almost hitting the $400M benchmark without a Chinese release. While it didn’t have the momentum that other Marvel Studios projects had, it still had an impressive run. So, it getting a second life on Disney+ is a sign that the film still had a strong showing and may finally give Marvel Studios a push to hint at what the future has in store for the franchise.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • Paramount+ Unveils Release Dates and Renewals for Several ‘Star Trek’ Series

    Paramount+ Unveils Release Dates and Renewals for Several ‘Star Trek’ Series

    It looks like Paramount+ is about to boldly go into the next year, as the official Star Trek Twitter account shared quite a few announcements in one major wave. The new year will see the release of Discovery‘s fourth season as of February 10th, followed by Picard‘s second season on March 3rd, Strange New Worlds then on May 5th. That is quite the line-up of heavy hitters one after another. The Nickelodeon series Star Trek: Prodigy also will have new episodes from the first season through February 3rd with new ones announced for later in the year. It also looks like the third season of Lower Decks will return in the summer of this year.

    That is not all, as the announcements also include quite a few renewals. Lower Decks will get a fourth season, Discovery will also make a return with a fifth season while Strange New Worlds gets a second season renewal. Picard, surprisingly, did not get a renewal which may hint at it potentially ending in the second season, but they may also want to be keeping the door open to catch viewers by surprise. Still, it’s a massive move to renew three series on the same day, but they announced it with a set of great visuals highlighting each series, which you can check out here:

    It’s crazy to think just how many shows are currently running that explore different corners of the Star Trek universe. Lower Decks takes a comedic look at what it’s like living in a ship that travels through the galaxy to explore undiscovered parts of the galaxy. Discovery was part of the current revival of the franchise through TV series, which had mainly expanded in cinemas. It’ll be interesting to see if they have other projects cooking to further expand their franchise.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Tynion IV To Write ‘Sandman’ Spinoff Comic ‘Nightmare Country’

    James Tynion IV To Write ‘Sandman’ Spinoff Comic ‘Nightmare Country’

    The Sandman Universe is all the rage these days as it starts to expand through different mediums. While we don’t have an exact release date for it yet, the live-action adaption of the classic Sandman comics is set to hit Netflix at some time this year. Turns out, that’s not the only project heading our way, as a new comic series set within the universe is hitting shelves in April, as James Tynion IV is making his grand return to DC to tackle a new entry in the expanding universe.

    Sandman

    Tynion IV, best known for his work on Batman, Something is Killing the Children and Detective Comics will write Nightmare Country under the DC Black Label, which is part of the Sandman Universe series. It’ll follow the Corinthian, the personification of a nightmare with rows of teeth for eyes. He is a creation of the lord of dreams, Morpheus. He had the following to say on his new project:

    I spent my teenage years reading and rereading the volumes of The Sandman, trying to absorb all of their secrets. The series taught me that anything and everything was possible in the comic book medium, and set me on the inexorable path of becoming a comic book writer.

    James Tynion IV

    Lisandro Estherren will draw the series after previously working on Redneck, a Skybound horror comic about vampires. Each issue will also feature nightmare dream sequences drawn by a guest artist with the first issue locking down Yanick Paquette. Nightmare Country is set to hit shelves on April 12 at your local comic shops.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter