Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Michael Starrbury to Adapt David F. Walker’s ‘The Hated’ for Netflix

    Michael Starrbury to Adapt David F. Walker’s ‘The Hated’ for Netflix

    Netflix’s main strategy has been to purchase various existing IPs to bring them to life. While they’ve seen quite a bit of success through their original adaptations, it never deterred the streamer from finding that property that’ll put them on the map in new ways. Well, it seems their next project will be an adaptation of David F. Walker‘s comic The Hated as a Western series. Michael Starrbury, who worked on When They See Us and Black & White.

    He’ll take on the role of executive producer alongside Prime Universe Films’ Adrian Askariah, David F. Walker, and Sean Owolo. The project is part of Starrbury’s multi-year deal with the streamer, as he’s also bringing out a comedy The Come Up soon. The series will take place during a post-Civil War revisionist history, where we follow the bounty hunter Araminta Free. The U.S. didn’t unite but separated and she’s one of the few people specialized in crossing the border. It’ll be interesting to see this different take on history and how they tackle the project.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Hawkeye’s Latest Episode Confirms [SPOILER] as Maya’s Uncle

    ‘Hawkeye’s Latest Episode Confirms [SPOILER] as Maya’s Uncle

    The fifth episode of Hawkeye has finally arrived and includes quite a few great moments. Florence Pugh‘s return as Yelena Belova is quite the highlight as we get to spend some time with her, but she isn’t the only major return of the episode. While a bit underwhelming, as it was through a surprisingly bad quality video – Val should get Yelena a better burner phone – we finally got the confirmation that all the teases so far were indeed for the reveal of Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk. He even seems to be wearing an outfit similar to the one he had in Daredevil‘s third season. He also seems to be holding a cane in his hand, which he frequently had in the comics.

    When we first heard his chuckle in the third episode, it seemed that his return was a definite at some point in Hawkeye. The actor sharing the series and his excitement for it also helped add more to his potential return. While we still have to wait a week until he has a speaking role (hopefully), it’s great to finally get a confirmation and it’s quite the tease. Interestingly enough, Hawkeye doesn’t mention Fisk by his name but by the name many comic fans know, the Kingpin. While it was strange we didn’t get a post-credit sequence, I did quite enjoy the visual of him hanging over our two heroes to highlight the danger he represents.

    It’s going to be a lot in the finale and here’s hoping the series can tie it all together, especially with D’Onofrio getting quite a bit more attention after all that build-up. As what Kate got from Yelena was a video, it seems very likely that we’ll start off the next episode watching the video alongside them. We did get quite a few flashbacks in this series. So, perhaps we’ll also get one teasing Fisk’s involvement in the past and it’ll be interesting to see how the watch storyline might connect to the bigger picture.

  • Amazon Studios Adapting Olivie Blake’s ‘The Atlas Six’

    Amazon Studios Adapting Olivie Blake’s ‘The Atlas Six’

    It looks like TikTok has become quite the jumping-off point for some new talent, as there were quite a few bidders for the rights to adapt TikTok sensation The Atlas Six. The book by author Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known as Olivie Blake, alongside the production company that brought The Crown to life, Brightstar. Amazon won the bidding war for the rights and will release it on its streaming platform as a series.

    It’ll adapt the story of six young magicians who are selected to become part of The Alexandrian Society, a secret society of the world. Each decade, only six are chosen to join as trust and eventual betrayal develops between the participants to join the elusive ranks. It was self-published through Kindle Digital Publishing but became viral on the social media platform, which led to a publishing bidding war. Tor is currently working on a revised and edited version to release in March 2022.

    Follmuth will act as an executive producer alongside Brightstar founders Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward. It’s quite interesting to see how Amazon Studios is trying to create a niche with fantasy productions to combat the likes of Netflix’s The Witcher adaptation. They just recently released The Wheel of Time to critical acclaim and are in no way slowing down.

    Source: Deadline

  • Sony Expecting a $150M Domestic Opening for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Sony Expecting a $150M Domestic Opening for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    We’ve been covering the box office for quite some time now. It’s been a rough year with the pandemic closing down cinemas for extended periods. After 2020, the new year started with a bang as Godzilla vs. Kong, F9: The Fast Saga and Black Widow started the return for the local box office to recover. So far, only Venom: Let There Be Carnage managed to inch close to it with around $90M in October. It seems like Spider-Man: No Way Home is pretty much set to break pandemic records, but it seems there’s some debate between predictions.

    Sony seems to be taking a more conservative route, which makes sense. You never know how the box office may play during these uncertain times. As such, Sony is going in with a more conservative approach and predicting the film will make at least $100M with a potential high at around $150M. If you remember, we’ve shared predictions that saw the film even managing upward of $250M even during earlier predictions. Exhibitor Relations’ Jeff Bock, a senior analyst, believes that the impressive aspect will be its legs going into the new year:

    Spider-Man: No Way Home’ isn’t just the most anticipated movie of the holiday season, it’s the most anticipated movie of the year. As we’ve seen from countless other superhero flicks in 2021, audiences will not only break the box office opening weekend, but have legs for months

    Jeff Bock

    Some time ago, early predictions and pre-sales already had the film en route to pass the $200M benchmark, which would be quite impressive even during non-pandemic times. Spider-Man: Homecoming made $117M back in 2017 with Spider-Man: Far From Home gaining $92M. Yet, even with a weaker opening weekend, the film managed to surpass the previous entry and even race past the $1B mark. Still, in these times it’s difficult to say if No Way Home would even manage a similar feat. You can be sure everyone’s going to keep a close eye on its release.

    Source: CNBC, The Numbers

  • Marvel Unveils Their New Sorcerer Supreme in New ‘Strange’ Comic Series

    Marvel Unveils Their New Sorcerer Supreme in New ‘Strange’ Comic Series

    It looks like Marvel Comics has found its new Sorcerer Supreme. Doctor Strange has recently passed away and someone new has taken on the mantle. It turns out that person will be the Mistress of the Dark Dimension, Clea, who will lead her own comic titled Strange. Jed MacKay is set to write the new series right after his work on Death of Doctor Strange with Marcelo Ferreira bringing his Amazing Spider-Man artistic talents to the project. Marvel has shared the following synopsis:

    Haunted by her recently returned memories, Clea longs to bring Stephen Strange back from the dead! But when a mysterious group attacks the magical realm, Clea, now the sole protector of Earth against magical threats must rise to the duties of Sorcerer Supreme. Don’t miss the shocking twists, new villains, and unbelievable magical feats as Clea takes Marvel magic to places it’s never gone before!

    It’s a great direction for the character, and MacKay highlights that “there’s a new Sorcerer Supreme in residence at 177A Bleecker Street, and a new Doctor Strange—Clea Strange. And she’s got her work cut out for her—when she’s not fighting off the magical gangsters of the Blasphemy Syndicate, or battling undead super-monsters, she’s going after what’s hers: the late Stephen Strange.” So, her fight with the need to revive the one she lost will put her into a very different situation from the previous holder of the mantle and we’ll see what her struggle might mean for the future of the Marvel universe. The comic is going to release on March 2nd.

    Source: Marvel

  • Scarlett Johansson Talks her Upcoming Producer Role for Marvel Studios

    Scarlett Johansson Talks her Upcoming Producer Role for Marvel Studios

    Just a month ago, Kevin Feige announced that he was working with Scarlett Johansson on an untitled project for Marvel Studios. She is moving on to a new role s producer after her first solo outing in Black Widow. There has been a lot of speculation as to what project this might be about, such as a film inspired by the comic series A-Force or a spin-off to Black Widow movie. In a recent interview with Collider, Johansson shared her motivations for being a producer for multiple films as well as working for Marvel.

    I have worked for 30 years, which is insane when I say it out loud, but I think I just understand the efficiency of how productions run and how you thin the fat on a production and make things well oiled.

    Scarlett Johansson

    With that much experience, it seems like a natural move to tackle a project as a producer, and it seems that the freedom Marvel Studios offers is exactly the kind of thing

    As far as Marvel goes, it’s like working with family there. Marvel has some of the best IP ever and you can really dream big there and nothing’s ever off the table and you kind of throw all these blue sky ideas around and see what sticks. It’s like a creative playground that’s just like a dream. Again, I have that shorthand with my fellow creatives there that comes from being in the world for 10 years with those guys.

    Scarlett Johansson

    Sadly, she still doesn’t give away what project she is working on, but she certainly seems excited about tackling the new project. Of course, it seems very likely that she’s tackling a film next, but there is a chance a Disney+ series is also involved in some capacity. Some Marvel Studios actors have been moving into producing or even directing roles and it’ll be interesting to see who else might join her.

    Source: Collider

  • James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on 2009’s Avatar film. No, not The Last Airbender but James Cameron‘s science fiction space opera that he was working on for many years. It’s been over ten years and the ambitious director teased that he’s not only working on one but four sequels of the original. The brand is now under the Disney umbrella after they purchased 20th Century Fox. After a long bout of silence, Cameron has finally opened up on the sequel and even offered some insight into the upcoming projects.

    It sounds kind of nuts, the process. I mean, if Avatar hadn’t made so much damn money, we’d never do this — because it’s kind of crazy

    James Cameron

    While we still don’t have an official title, the story of the first sequel will take place 14 years after the original. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in his new homegrown Na’vi body, has settled down with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and has started a family. The film this time around will be less bout them but their children. Producer Jon Landau shared that family will be at the heart of these sequels moving forward:

    AVATAR 2

    Ultimately, the sequels are a story about family, and the lengths parents will go through to keep that family together and keep them safe. I always say that Jim’s movies have universal themes — and really, there’s no more universal theme than family

    Jim Landau

    The long-held rumors are true as the first two entries will focus on the ocean and introduce a clan of reef-dwelling Na’vi, who goes by the name Metkayina. The Titanic director is well known for his work in ocean conservation. So, he wanted to combine his love of filmmaking and exploring the ocean into one project. The reason production took so long was that their performance-capture technology wouldn’t work underwater, which they had to adapt.

    AVATAR 2

    Production has wrapped on the first two entries of the franchise with Avatar 3 heading for a 2024 release. The reasoning it’s still planned to release this late is due to the focus on giving Weta enough time to bring the effects to life. The last two entires won’t release until 2026 and 2028 respectively.

    What we are doing now, from a story standpoint and a world standpoint, is on a much larger scale. That’s both exciting and challenging. We are putting much more detail, first and foremost, into the performances of the cast, but we’re [also] putting much more detail and diversity into the world that we are creating.

    Jim Landau

    Cameron has shared his fear that the films may not make the money he hopes they will, especially with how much money they’ll cost to make. Yet, 20th Century Fox and subsequently Disney have put a lot of trust into the director to bring four high-budget sequels together. Avatar was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame as the highest-earning film of all time only to take it back with a China re-release. It’ll be interesting to see if the wait was well worth it for everyone involved.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle to Adapt Donny Cates ‘God Country’ for Netflix

    ‘Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle to Adapt Donny Cates ‘God Country’ for Netflix

    Jim Mickle made a name for himself as the co-creator of Netflix’s hit series Sweet Tooth. Now, he’s locked in his next project as he’s going to adapt Donny Cates‘ God Country for Netflix with Legendary, who is also working on the Enola Holmes and live-action Gundam films. and AfterShock Media developing the project. He’ll direct the project and is co-writing the script alongside Cates.

    The story is about Emmet Quinlan. A widower who suffers from dementia is brought back to his prime through a magical sword that he found in the wreckage after a tornado hit. Now, it’s his only tool to protect his family after creatures from another world start threatening his home in search of his newfound powers. Cate‘s has made a name for himself for his work on the Venom series and wrote the six-issue series with Geoff Shaw bringing it to life with his art.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Disney Adds Wilmer Valderrama as its New Zorro

    Disney Adds Wilmer Valderrama as its New Zorro

    Disney has been building its filmography on classic Intellectual Properties it had garnered over the last few years. Among them, they’ve been eyeing a revival of the iconic Zorro franchise. The original vigilante that inspired Bob Kane to create Batman is quite the icon since 1919. Disney has now set their eyes on reviving the character in a new series and they found the actor to play the character, Wilmer Valderrama.

    The series is in development by Disney TV, which will be a period piece during Pueblo de Los Angeles, which would eventually become the modern-day L.A. It’ll even adapt a contemporary telenovela style, which will certainly make the series stand out. Valderrama shared his excitement for the new project:

    Growing up, Zorro was the one character that made me, as a Latino, feel like I could be a hero. As an adult and a storyteller, I have a responsibility in the stories that I help bring to life. To partner with Gary [Marsh, executive producer] and Disney to bring Zorro back into the family after 60 years and be a part of the legacy for other children to know they too can be the heroes of their own stories is a dream come true

    Wilmer Valderrama

    There have been countless adaptations of the masked vigilante, and he’s no stranger to television adaptations. Disney had a series featuring Guy Williams in the titular role that ran for 78 episodes and for over two years. There were even some specials for The Magical World of Disney in the 1960s. It’ll be interesting to see if this new adaptation of Zorro will also include references to the past.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • Neil Gaiman’s ‘Anansi Boys’ Adds Amarah-Jae St. Aubyin and Grace Saif

    Neil Gaiman’s ‘Anansi Boys’ Adds Amarah-Jae St. Aubyin and Grace Saif

    It looks like the upcoming adaptation of Anansi Boys is picking up the pace, as the six-part series has found its female leads. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyin, who some might know from Steve McQueen‘s Lovers Rock, and the Small Axe anthology will play the role of Rosie Noah. She’ll be joined by 13 Reasons Why‘s Grace Saif, who’ll play the character of Detective Constable Daisy Day. Neil Gaiman, the author of the original novels and producer of the series, shared his thoughts on the casting in The Hollywood Reporter piece on their casting:

    When you are casting something on the scale of Anansi Boys you need female leads who are as accomplished, charming, and brilliant as, well, Malachi Kirby in both his incarnations. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Grace Saif are those women. [They’re] both funny, honest, brilliant actresses, and you will fall in love with both of them.

    Neil Gaiman

    The series is currently filming in Scotland, it’ll follow Malachi Kirby‘s Nancy, who discovers that his father was the trickster god of stories, the titular Anansi. He also uncovers that he has a brother named Spider (also played by Kirby), who is going to make his life quite a bit more troubling. Endor Productions and RED Production Company are involved in the project with Gaiman and Sir Lenny Henry co-writing the series. Douglas Mackinnon is acting as showrunner alongside the original author.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter