Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Emily Blunt Talks How ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Romancing the Stone’ And More Inspired ‘Jungle Cruise’

    Emily Blunt Talks How ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Romancing the Stone’ And More Inspired ‘Jungle Cruise’

    Finally, Jungle Cruise has released on Disney+ Premier Access and in theaters. Disney has been attempting a resurgence on their films based on popular theme park rides. Pirates of the Caribbean was one of their most successful ventures that managed to turn it into a franchise with five installments ending in 2017 and a reboot in the future. The latest attempt takes us on an adventure into the jungle during the first World War with Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. In the press junket, Blunt talked about the many inspirations that helped bring this adventure to life.
    And was made in the spirit of the films that we all grew up watching. And just, I mainline those movies into my veins. I just loved Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, African Queen. Like, they are just joy bombs, and they’re nostalgic, and I think we just needed to pierce people’s hearts directly with the spirit of those films that we all loved as children. Um, and it just took a lot of tempering and c-beautiful conducting from Jaume, who was just extraordinarily free-spirited with us.
    The first trailers did tease that Romancing the Stone and Indiana Jones vibe, which is perfect for this kind of adventure. During the junket, the actors also discussed how they took the concept of the ride and add layers to it while crafting this story but kept the silly aspects of the ride intact, according to Jack Whitehall. They even shared their experience riding the original theme park ride for the first time. Blunt confessed she only rode the ride a few days before the premiere.
  • Taika Waititi’s ‘Flash Gordon’ No Longer an Animated Film

    Taika Waititi’s ‘Flash Gordon’ No Longer an Animated Film

    It looks like Taika Waititi isn’t done with wacky space adventures, as his Flash Gordon project will no longer be animated, but rather a live-action film. In an interview with producer John Davis, Collider has learned that the project, which initially got revealed two years ago, will switch gears. He revealed that the decision came while preparing the script that it might work better in live-action.

    Taika is writing it. It was a movie that was a huge influence on him growing up. It is one of his favorite movies. He initially said to me, ‘Let’s do it animated.’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then we got into it and started developing it and he said, ‘No, let’s do it live-action.’ I said, ‘Even better.’

    In the interview, he also hinted at how Waititi’s vision might be closer to the original 1930s comic series rather than the 1980 space opera film starring Sam J. Jones.

    He has the most fantastically interesting vision for this movie. And you can only know it is Taika. It is what he does. It is the way he looks at the world. He is the greatest guy in the world. He is the funniest guy in the world. And he thinks on a different plane. And this movie embraces everything that’s special about Taika, and his vision. It harkens in a very interesting way to the original conception from the comics.

    Technically, the director already gave people a glimpse of what his take on the franchise would be through his Thor films. Ragnarok, in particular, seems to take some inspiration from the space opera, with the sequel potentially dipping its toes even more into this era. We’ll see what the future holds, but the move to a live-action adaptation is certainly interesting and has a lot to live up to for long-time fans of the cult classic film.

    Source: Collider

  • Report Hints at Internal Strife Between Kevin Feige and Disney Over ‘Black Widow’s Release

    Report Hints at Internal Strife Between Kevin Feige and Disney Over ‘Black Widow’s Release

    It looks like the Black Widow drama might leave its scars internally. There have been various hints that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was a strong contender for Disney to wait out the pandemic for a pure theatrical release. Yet, Disney moved forward with pulling it on their streaming platform. This decision has now recently led the film’s lead, Scarlett Johansson, to file a lawsuit against the company. Disney’s backlash by calling out her actions may have stirred up some discomfort within the company. Hollywood Reporter’s Matthew Belloni shared a “What I’m Hearing” newsletter that hints at Feige being unhappy with the overall release and seemed to have predicted the potential lawsuit.

    [Feige is] a company man, and not prone to corporate showdowns or shouting matches. But I’m told he’s angry and embarrassed He lobbied Disney against the day-and-date plan for Black Widow, preferring the big screen exclusivity and not wanting to upset his talent. And then when the sh-t hit the fan, the movie started tanking, and Johansson’s team threatened litigation, he wanted Disney to make this right with her.

    This report matches what has been talked about for some time and opens up the question about Disney and Marvel Studios’ relationship moving forward. It also doesn’t bode well for Disney CEO Bob Chapek‘s current run as the new head of the company, after only recently taking over from Bob Iger. The hope of utilizing the streaming service within the pandemic made sense, but it seems they simply moved forward without consulting internally.

    Of course, it’s not an easy decision to make, but this move could leave some scars between the house of mouse and its subsidiary. It also reveals the limitations of what Feige can decide and with backlash after backlash, Jungle Cruise may lead to similar events. It’s Disney’s hands to do the right thing, but their first legal and public action left a sour taste. So, we’ll keep an eye out on how this develops.

    Source: What I’m Hearing Newsletter via Comic Book

  • Disney Fights Back Against Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit

    Disney Fights Back Against Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit

    It’s not every day we get to discuss legal actions on this site. In a sudden move, Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for breaching her contract on Black Widow being a theater-only release. The claim is that this would keep her from gaining the benefits written within her contracts. The film was released in theaters, but also on Disney+ Premier Access. We don’t know if she originally was set to receive a specific type of percentage from the Box Office income, which has been hampered by the digital release.

    It looks like Disney wasn’t going to sit there and take it, as they already gave a public statement in regard to this legal action. It confirms that her bonuses were tied into its Box Office earnings. They offered a public statement regarding their contractual obligations and that she received $20M for her work with additional compensation on top of the digital release. Disney’s statement is as follows:

    There is no merit whatsoever to this filing.  The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Of course, we have no further details on the matter. To some degree, it seems like a public display rather than an actual lawsuit. We’ve seen open discourse regarding contracts and combined releases. HBO Max and Warner Bros. are no strangers to this discussion. The bigger question is if this will end the working relationship between Disney and Johansson for future projects. It seems very unlikely we might see her return in any capacity if they burn bridges with this lawsuit. Here’s hoping they come to a consensus, and it doesn’t put the final nail in the coffin on Natasha Romanoff’s time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Source: Variety, Variety (Disney)

  • J.K. Simmons Eyeing Return As Commissioner Gordon In HBO Max’s “BATGIRL”

    In the immortal words of the Daily Bugle, he’s back! The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively revealed that J.K. Simmons is in negotiations to reprise his role as Commissioner James Gordon in HBO Max’s Batgirl film. The tremendously popular actor first appeared in the role for 2017’s Justice League, with more of his scenes being revealed in this year’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League expansion. It had previously been a topic of debate as to whether or not Simmons would ever play Gordon again, with Warner Bros seemingly moving away from the cinematic universe established by Zack Snyder. For example, actor Jeffrey Wright is set to take over the role in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Simmons has mentioned before that he had a desire to return to the role, and already had a contract for more movies, so it’s good to see those promises may actually be fulfilled.

    Batgirl will be helmed by directing partners Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who are best known for reviving the Bad Boys franchise with Bad Boys For Life. The script was written by breakout Christina Hodson, who previously wrote the screenplays for Birds of Prey and the upcoming The Flash project. It was confirmed just days ago that up-and-coming actress Leslie Grace will don the cape and cowl for the film, becoming the first Batgirl on film since Alicia Silverstone held the role in 1997’s Batman & Robin. It’s unknown what the plot of the film will entail, but the consistent flow of casting updates is good news for those of us who can’t wait for new information much longer.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: New Story Details Revealed for Black Panther’s ‘War for Wakanda’ Expansion

    We’ve finally gotten the confirmation on when Black Panther will join Marvel’s Avengers. He is releasing on August 17th and will be fully playable alongside a unique story titled war for Wakanda. In the past few weeks, we got some teases of the story and even a word from his voice actor, God of War’s Christopher Judge. With the official release date, we also got a bit more details on what the expansion entails, which was called the biggest content drop since the game initially launched last year.

    The official press release by Square Enix confirms that the free update will get a special War Table showcase that includes trailers and insight into the expansion on August 16th. We’ll also get an in-game event that will also add to the overall world-building, which is a curious tease. We also get our first story summary, which teases betrayal in T’Challa’s future.

    The story of the free War for Wakanda expansion revolves around King T’Challa, the Black Panther, devoted protector and current ruler of Wakanda. Blindsided by a betrayal and the resulting tragedy, T’Challa finds it difficult to entrust his duty to anyone else, even his sister Shuri, while also confronting those who wish to do Wakanda harm. When arch-villain Klaw’s forces threaten Wakanda’s safety, T’Challa must take the fight right to them to defend everything and everyone he holds dear.

    The mission will let you explore the jungles of Wakanda and various new environments, which were teased in an exclusive developer stream some weeks ago. To celebrate, the game also offers a free-to-play weekend from 29th of July up until the 2nd of August on PlayStation, Steam, and Stadia. All players get a resource grant, and you earn XP four times faster than usual. A new PlayStation tweet offered a tease of the new content:

    Source: Square Enix Press, Play Avengers, Twitter

  • ‘Hawkeye’: Jeremy Renner Teases Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop’s Motivation in the Disney+ Show

    ‘Hawkeye’: Jeremy Renner Teases Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop’s Motivation in the Disney+ Show

    After a long wait, we finally got the official release date for Marvel Studios Hawkeye series. It’ll take inspiration from the famous My Life as a Weapon run by Matt Fraction. In addition, it’ll see the return of Black Widow‘s Yelena Belova. We still know very little about the story, but luckily Entertainment Weekly got a chance to talk to Jeremy Renner. He offered some insight into Clint Barton’s new protégé, Kate Bishop.

    She will be played by Hailee Steinfeld and bring new energy to the retired archer’s life after the Avengers. He offered some insight and confirmed she will retain her Hawkeye fandom from the comics when they first meet.

    [Kate is] a 22-year-old kid and she’s a big Hawkeye fan. She has a wonderfully annoying and equally charming manner about her, because she’s such a fangirl of Hawkeye. The relationship grows from that, but the biggest problem for Clint is Kate Bishop and the onslaught of problems that she brings into his life.

    He also shared that he took Steinfeld under his wing to introduce her to the world of working in the Marvel Cinematic universe. It also seems to hint that her entering Clint’s life is what drags him out of his never-beginning retirement. We’ll find out what trouble is haunting her when it releases on November 24th on Disney+. With the official announcement, there’s a good chance we’ll get a trailer shortly after What If‘s August premier.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Hawkeye’: First Look at Disney+ Series Released as Marvel Studios’ Confirms November Premiere

    ‘Hawkeye’: First Look at Disney+ Series Released as Marvel Studios’ Confirms November Premiere

    Marvel’s mighty marketing machine is finally revving up its engines for Hawkeye. Entertainment Weekly has released the first official image of Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner as Kate Bishop and Clint Barton in the upcoming Disney Plus series. The image doesn’t reveal much in the way of the plot for the Disney+ show, but it does give us a look at what appears to be some sort of Hawkeye hideout or training ground.

    Clint Barton is wearing the same outfit that Murphy’s Multiverse exclusively captured in the series’ first leaked set video, which would indicate the room is located in New York City and belongs to Bishop herself. The tweet by Marvel Studios with the image also confirms a November release date on the 24th.

    Marvel’s Hawkeye is set to draw heavily from Matt Fraction’s iconic 2012 run on the character. Not only will we see Barton form a mentorship with Bishop, but villains like Fra Fee’s Clown and the rumored Madame Masque will help bring the series to life as well. Other cast members confirmed to appear are Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Tony Dalton as the Swordsman, Vera Farmiga as Bishop’s mother, and Alaqua Cox as the deaf assassin Echo.

    Also, soon-to-be-superstar Jolt will appear as the fan-favorite Lucky the Pizza Dog. The series will be helmed by Rhys Thomas and the directing duo of Bert & Bertie. The script comes from Jonathan Igla, filling the controversial “head writer” position Marvel has embraces as opposed to the traditional showrunner.

    Source: Twitter

     

  • REPORT: Sony Eyeing Jodie Turner-Smith as ‘Kraven the Hunter’s Calypso

    REPORT: Sony Eyeing Jodie Turner-Smith as ‘Kraven the Hunter’s Calypso

    It’s gotten quiet on the Kraven the Hunter front. It’s been two months since Aaron Taylor-Johnson joined the project as the titular villain. The film is eyeing a release in 2023 but Sony has been rather quiet overall during the pandemic. Illuminerdi did run a story that they are interested in adding the Russian master of disguise Dmitri Smerdyakov. Marvel fans will instantly recognize the pedestrian name of the Chameleon, who is related to the infamous hunter. It looks like they got one more bit of news, as the film is eyeing Jodie Turner-Smith in the role of Calypso.

    Turner-Smith has been building up her career throughout the last few years which includes appearances in 2017’s The Last Ship, 2019’s Queen & Slim, and 2021’s Without Remorse. She recently starred in the Channel 5 psychological thriller Anne Boleyn. She would take on the role of Calypso, the Haitian voodoo priestess. In the comics, she sacrificed her younger sister to become more powerful and pushed Kraven into his madness. The character first premiered in Amazing Spider-Man #209 in 1980.

    We still know very little about the upcoming film. It’s uncertain how they’ll tackle the character, who has strong ties to Spider-Man. There’s always a chance that Sony wants him to appear in the film, which may act as Kraven’s origin story before he became obsessed with the friendly neighborhood spider. They might even connect his franchise to Venom, which would add a very unique flair to the character’s obsession with defeating the strongest beasts.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • Justin Simien’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ Eyeing Tiffany Haddish and Laketih Stanfield

    Justin Simien’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ Eyeing Tiffany Haddish and Laketih Stanfield

    It looks like Disney is ready to expand its theme park-inspired film series. Jungle Cruise will open in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access this Friday. Without losing any momentum, they are already eyeing Tiffany Haddish and Lakeith Stanfield to lead a new Haunted Mansion film. It’s not the first adaptation of the famous Disney ride, as Eddie Murphy led a horror-comedy adaptation back in 2003. Dear White People and Bad Hair‘s Justin Simien joined the project to direct the big-budget franchise film based on a script by Katie Dippold. The news got reported by Illuminerdi a few days ago with THR confirming it.

    The story would follow a family that moves into the iconic haunted mansion. They also shared some casting details. Stanfield will play a widower who once believed in the supernatural while Haddish will communicate with the dead as a psychic. It’ll film in Louisiana, which will definitely add some beautiful iconography to the film. They also confirm that it will not connect to the 2003 original.

    Haddish recently starred in the Netflix comedy Bad Trip and is finishing work on Easter Sunday. Stanfield is well-known for his role in FX’s Atlanta, Judas and the Black Messiah, as well as the upcoming The Harder They Fall Western. It’s uncertain if the film will embrace the horror elements or end up returning to the comedy route. Haddish‘s filmography would hint at a more comedic direction, but they may try to balance the genres. The 2003 film was more comedy than horror. So, we’ll see how Disney tackles this new adaptation.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter, Illuminerdi