Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Jason Momoa Reveals New Stealth Suit for ‘AQUAMAN’ Sequel

    Jason Momoa Reveals New Stealth Suit for ‘AQUAMAN’ Sequel

    The first Aquaman film was quite the hit, bringing in over a billion dollars at the box offices with praise from critics and fans alike. It wasn’t long before a sequel was announced and that Jason Momoa and James Wan would be back. Now, with filming underway on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Momoa and Wan took to Instagram to reveal Arthur Curry’s brand new suit for the upcoming sequel.

    In a new post on Instagram, Momoa showcases the armor of Atlan that appeared in the first film, but alongside that was a new look at the stealth suit. The new suit is quite the vast departure from the other with a dark blue look with silver armor plating.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CTcibM2sBii/

    In Wan’s post to Instagram revealing the stealth suit, he went into further details explaining how the suit works and what inspired them to make the suit. The suit is Atlantean tech is based on a Cephalopod’s ability to camouflage with its surrounding area. Wan stated that he and writer David Leslie Johnson were inspired by the Aquaman mini-series from the 80’s, written by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton.

    Plot details for the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom remain under wraps but it seems likely that Arthur would be using a suit such as this to sneak around in said kingdom, without the bright orange and green giving him away like a construction worker on a busy road. The reveal of this suit may also mean we may see some filming take place outside and get us a better look at what’s going on in the film.

    SOURCE: Instagram

  • EXCLUSIVE: How Kevin Feige Assigns Projects to the Marvel Studios Parliament

    EXCLUSIVE: How Kevin Feige Assigns Projects to the Marvel Studios Parliament

    We’ve previously written about the Marvel Studios Parliament, the group of executive producers who marshall the shared universe of the MCU alongside Kevin Feige himself. While talking with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz, we asked him a bit more about how Parliament works. and specifically how each producer joins the film or series they work on from conception, hiring of writers and directors, to production and release. 

    It’s not really a genre thing or a speciality thing. We all sort of go off together and talk about who wants to do what and what’s coming up, and we all kind of end up working on stuff we’re excited about. I just like martial arts movies and Shang-Chi felt like the right character to bring a martial arts movie to life, and so that was that I put my hand up and said I wanted to do Shang-Chi. That’s more or less the way it tends to happen, there’s a character we all want to do, or there’s a character one of us one of us wants to do, and we just talk about it and divide it up and things generally work out where people get to work on things they’re excited about.

    Schwartz went into a little more detail about how some of those group talks play out, hinting at a very collaborative atmosphere under Kevin Feige‘s purview.

    There definitely is a camaraderie for a lot of us who have been around for a long time just throwing ideas back and forth […] It’s great when you have people who have been through the process, and who you trust, and whose creative taste you trust, and everyone’s taste is different, and that’s part of what’s really useful about it. Not all of us see movies the same way, so we’re all able to bring something a little bit different. 

    The long-term togetherness and mentions of process and trust suggest the hallmarks of a high-performance team. Through Marvel Studios’ results and the way members of the Parliament talk about it, it’s clear the studio’s producing process is both organic and managed in a way that keeps things fresh and diverse. With the streaming TV and film combination creating new shared universe narratives, and new media formats on the horizon for Marvel Studios to adapt to, it will be exciting to see how the Parliament evolves. 

  • ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Despero

    ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Despero

    Season 8 of The Flash is set to kickoff with a multi episode crossover over titled “Armageddon.” The crossover will see many popular and familiar faces from across the Arrowverse return for a team-up alongside Barry Allen. The five part crossover event will see the return of Brandon Routh as the ATOM, Javicia Leslie as Batwoman, Cress Williams as Black Lightning, and Kat McNamara as Mia Queen. The characters will return to help Flash face Despero, a galactic warlord who has made his way to earth.

    New set photos from the set of Flash have given us our very first look at Despero, played by Tony Curran. While it isn’t exactly a full look at the villain, some tracking cut outs give us a look at his shoulders and up, sporting a classic pink look with elf like ears and a large fin. The only thing that seems to be missing is the third eye that allows him to use his Psionic abilities.

    https://twitter.com/pagmyst/status/1432554527115251714?s=21

    Despero is quite the foe. For those unfamiliar with the character he first appeared all the way back in 1960’s Justice League of America #1, and was created by Mike Sekowsky and Gardner Fox. Despero hails from the planet of Kalanor, which he rules with an iron fist as a tyrant. Despero made travels the galaxy looking for foes worthy of a fight, and may explain why so many past characters will return in this years crossover event to help defeat Despero and send him back to Kalanor.

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why Marvel Studios Created New Characters For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: Why Marvel Studios Created New Characters For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    The MCU has had its fair share of original characters created for the films prior to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Once upon a time, before he starred in his own 7-season series, Phil Coulson was an original character they made for Iron Man. Darcy Lewis, one of the runaway stars of this year’s Wandavision, was created for Thor.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has the distinction of being the MCU film with the most original characters and for good reason. Producer Jonathan Schwartz shared with us why and whether it’s something we will see more of as they adapt obscure characters.

    I think it will always be case by case. Some of those characters, even if they’re obscure, have either a cool supporting cast or a supporting cast where you can find some cool element and update it. I think Shang-Chi in particular was in need of a refresh due to some of the comic elements that are a little more problematic. So we took more liberty to invent a little and bring more to it.

    Interestingly enough, Shang-Chi originally has a notable supporting cast in the comics in the form of certain MI6 agents. Schwartz elaborated why they scrapped the MI6 characters saying, “It would’ve loaded the movie up British Caucasian characters rather than having a movie that is primarily Asian.” Nonetheless, it’ll be interesting to see how they reinvent lesser-known characters for future properties.

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eviscerates Labor Day Box Office Record, Now Targeting $85M+ Opening Weekend

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eviscerates Labor Day Box Office Record, Now Targeting $85M+ Opening Weekend

    Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legends of The Ten Rings is on pace to potentially double early opening weekend box office predictions, destroying the previous Labor Day record along the way. Good word of mouth and return viewers have pushed the predictions, which were originally set around $45M range, to an expected $85M or more for the long 4-day weekend. The film has already surpassed the opening weekend take for The Suicide Squad and now has Black Widow in its sights.

    Shang-Chi took in a combined $29.6M between Thursday night previews and Friday’s full day. With it being a holiday weekend in the U.S., even one where audiences traditionally don’t flock to theaters, the buzz around the film could lead to some pretty impressive numbers Saturday and, especially, Sunday, given that people don’t have to head back to work on Monday.

    The origin story has been equally popular with fans and critics, holding at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a 98% audience score. That score lines up nicely with the the A grade from Cinemascore. All this comes at a time when studios are divided between exclusive theatrical and hybrid releases. Shang-Chi’s success (it’s still possible it could beat pandemic box office champ F9’s opening take) will be a significant data point in the discussion about how to proceed for the remainder of 2021 and early 2022 as the Delta variant surges around world will impact theaters.

    Source: THR

  • EXCLUSIVE: How The Strange Supreme Fight Scene Was Developed

    EXCLUSIVE: How The Strange Supreme Fight Scene Was Developed

    This week’s episode of What If…? wowed audiences for a slew of reasons, not the least of which was the amazing fight Doctor Strange had with his evil self, Strange Supreme. With the fate of existence at stake, the fight delivered the same kind of thrills found in some of the biggest Marvel films like Avengers: Infinity War.

    We sat down and spoke with What If…? editors, Joel and Graham Fisher, on how exactly this amazing fight scene was brought to life in the production offices of Marvel Studios. Turns out the fight scene was the brainchild of showrunner Bryan Andrews and storyboard artist Aram Sarkisian.

    As far as the action sequences go, it’s all Bryan Andrews [director] and his right hand, Aram Sarkisian, who is now the Head of Story for the series. Bryan actually storyboarded that Infinity War sequence that you’re referencing. When the two of them are in a room, it’s amazing to watch. It’s a nonstop rapid fire of ideas.

    All the best fight scenes are dynamic; they tell a story through means of punching and kicking. In Doctor Strange’s case, it’s all about using the visuals of conjuration and sorcery as a storytelling device. This episode of What If…? has the two Stranges doing all kinds of things in all sorts of ways.

    Aram, as he was originally boarding it, was keeping the battle on the ground to a certain extent. And Bryan was like, “We gotta get elevation [gestures vertically]. This dance has to keep changing and can’t be all in the ground.” So they took Strange up and then took him down. All these different ways to make this fight scene flow in an organic way. And then there’s the capes fighting each other [laughs].

    With great action comes great stakes and the stakes for this episode are immense. Not only is the universe in peril in the fight but Strange’s humanity is at stake as well. The Fishers shared the production’s insistence on keeping everything about the story.

    It’s just an amazing collaboration between the director and the storyboard artists that drew it. But also the collaboration within the animation department is amazing because we got to a point where we went, “This is great but we’re gonna get battle fatigued if we keep doing action. We need to ground it within the story. What are the stakes?” So Strange needs to get into his head. We had that whole shadow moment that got storyboarded. He has to have that last temptation. Will he give in and bring back his love?

  • The Russo Brothers Negotiating Their Return to Marvel Studios

    The Russo Brothers Negotiating Their Return to Marvel Studios

    Two years after they completed an incredible 6-year run in the MCU, Joe and Anthony Russo have entered into negotiations to return to Marvel Studios. The Russos struck gold for Marvel Studios with 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and completed the Captain America trilogy with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War before moving on to helm the 2-part conclusion to the Infinity Saga in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The tandem made it clear that they had planned to take a break from the MCU but now, according to The Wall Street Journal, they’ve begun planning their return.

    As exciting as that sounds, however, it is worth noting that negotiations with the directing duo recently reached an impasse in the wake of Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney following the hybrid release of Black Widow. WSJ reports that the uncertainty about how films will be distributed and how the talent will be paid in the new landscape carved out by COVID has become a speed bump in the Russos’ return.

    In 2019, the brothers made no bones about the project that would be most apt to entice them to return: Secret Wars. With Loki openly teasing a multiversal war and the multiverse breaking open in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a Secret Wars film seems like more and more of a sure thing. Indeed, I’ve heard on several occasions-ranging from 2018 to just a few months ago-that an adaptation of Secret Wars is on the big board at Marvel Studios.

    As both studios and creatives navigate these uncharted waters, it’s no surprise that one side or the other (or both) would have concerns about how to share the financial pie. There’s still not enough of a sample size to prove whether or not Disney’s Premier Access strategy, which they employed with Black Widow, can work; on the other hand, it’s hard to imagine large studios continuing to sit on films for years while waiting for the COVID pandemic to “end.” Given the Russos passion for Marvel Comics and their past successes with adapting comic book story lines, let’s all hope Disney can find a way to bring them back into the fold.

    Source: The Wall Street Journal

  • EXCLUSIVE: Why Abomination Was Redesigned For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: Why Abomination Was Redesigned For ‘SHANG-CHI’

    One of the biggest surprises in an MCU trailer has to be the shot of Abomination fighting Wong in a cage match in one of the trailers of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The appearance sent fans into a frenzy not just by the mere appearances and odd pairing of both characters but also the new comic faithful design of Emil Blonsky.

    Producer Jonathan Schwartz gave us a simple answer when asked why they decided to redesign the character after more than 10 years of absence.

    It felt time to update him a little bit and give him a refresh. We just like the new design better.

    The MCU has slowly leaned towards more audacious comic accurate designs over the years for the better. It’s always odd to watch comic book films from more than a decade ago and see how embarrassed the makers were of the source material’s design and aesthetics. As the MCU tackles crazier comic concepts, their designs get better and better. As Banner would put it, this new Abomination look is an absolute win.

  • ‘DOOM PATROL’ Spinoff ‘DEAD BOY DETECTIVES’ In The Works at HBO Max

    ‘DOOM PATROL’ Spinoff ‘DEAD BOY DETECTIVES’ In The Works at HBO Max

    The third season of Doom Patrol is quickly approaching, as the season premiere rears its face on September 23rd, exclusively on HBO Max. The Titans spinoff has made quite the name for itself, with its off-beat and distinct comic book sensibilities. This popularity seems to have paid off as a spin-off of the spin-off is now in the works at HBO Max, and will follow the adventures of Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine in the Dead Boy Detectives.

    HBO Max has ordered a pilot for what could be a potential new property for the franchise. The project is being written by Steve Yockey, who will serve as an executive producer on the project alongside Jeremy Carver. This will mark yet another DC property to fall under Greg Berlanti’s umbrella with Berlanti Productions, who is also set to produce the pilot.

    Though the pilot is currently set to begin filming in November, no names are currently attached to the project. Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant are will play Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine in the upcoming season of Doom Patrol, but neither actor is currently believed to be attached to the project.

    This wouldn’t be the first time an actor was recast for a spin-off, with actor Bruno Bichir was replaced by Timothy Dalton as Niles Caulder when the show scored its spin-off. The series will follow the characters, created by Neil Gaiman, as they remain in the world of the living to solve paranormal crimes, instead of moving on into the afterlife.

    SOURCE: Variety

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Wants to Make a Sequel

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Director Destin Daniel Cretton Wants to Make a Sequel

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings officially releases today after a long wait due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic. While somewhat under the radar compared to other MCU films on the horizon, the film has been met with high praise form critics across the board and is even eying a Labor Day weekend box office record.

    While audiences are still just beginning to experience the phenomenal film that is Shang-Chi (read our review here), it seems like it’s never too early to start talking about a sequel. Writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton, when asked by Chicago’s the Big Reviewski if he would want to make another Shang-Chi film, said, simply enough:

    Yes, I would.

    He goes on to say that making Shang-Chi was an “extraordinarily positive experience.” While we likely won’t know for certain for some time, it’s probably a safe bet to guess that Marvel Studios will keep going after the success and creativity Shang-Chi achieved for any sequels or future projects.

    Source: The Big Reviewski