Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Black Widow’: O-T Fagbenle Initially Auditioned for a Different Role

    ‘Black Widow’: O-T Fagbenle Initially Auditioned for a Different Role

    If you are still wary of spoilers, the following article will discuss the twist involving Taskmaster. Only continue reading at your own risk.

     

     

    There has been much debate online regarding the Taskmaster twist in Black Widow. For a long time, we’ve kind of expected it to be O-T Fagbenle to reveal he is behind the skull-inspired mask. Well, the film certainty surprised us when it turned out to be Olga Kurylenko‘s character of Antonia, the daughter of the film’s main antagonist. After being used as a human bomb in Natasha’s darker years, she ended up surviving and getting outfitted with a chip that lets her copy everyone’s abilities.

    It was certainly a surprise and a far removal of the original character known as Tony Masters in the comics. So, some wondered if the character may have changed throughout the filming process, as there were some rumors of a male antagonist getting cast. In an interview with Buzzfeed, Fangbenle revealed that he indeed originally was auditioning for a different role.

    You know what? The audition process was funny, because my character was very different. The character I auditioned for was very, very different. I had a different accent and everything. Then the character changed and Cate liked me, so I thought I’d have to audition again. But she was like, “Nah, just come” and I was like, Alright, sure, okay.” The funny thing is there was a time I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. At the time, I was writing and directing my own TV show called Maxxx on Hulu. It looked like there was going be a clash and I’d have to decide which one I’d be able to do. Luckily, they managed to make it happen, so I got to do both.

    It sounds like he originally got cast for the role of Taskmaster. We don’t know why any changes happened, but it seems like they shifted towards the current incarnation at some point in production. In the end, he did get a Marvel comics-inspired role as the character Rick Mason, who is better known as the Agent. Perhaps the original casting was a misdirect to avoid the twist finding its way online.

    He primarily has a support role throughout the film supplying Natasha with whatever she needs. It’s an oddly underused character that still adds some fun scenes to the film. Of course, he might be building up to a bigger role moving forward in the MCU. We also don’t know if Taskmaster will make a return. They may pass the torch to a brand new character.

    Source: Buzzfeed, That Hashtag Show

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: Black Panther’s Wakanda Won’t Reuse Art Assets

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: Black Panther’s Wakanda Won’t Reuse Art Assets

    We’re so close to finally playing as Black Panther in Marvel’s Avengers. It’s been a long wait, but the first teases have promised what seems like a whole new chapter in the game. Last week, we got a first look at some of the concept art for the War for Wakanda expansion. Tore Blystad, Crystal Dynamics Experience Director, offered some small insight during the dev stream, as they would go into more detail with a developer blog. It has finally arrived, and there are quite some curious details alongside new concept art.

    • Many of their designs are directly inspired by the comics, as they seek to recreate the “Marvel DNA.” As such, they used comic panels as a direct reference for some of their concept art.
    • Their main focus was also on making the new biome, the Wakandan Jungle, stand out. As we saw in the already released artwork, they want the sun to pierce through the plant life. They added many nooks and crannies to offer some worthwhile explorations.
    • A new artwork teases the Warrior’s Gate, which is part of a trial to re-enter Wakanda. Their goal with the designs was to combine traditional elements from ancient civilizations but showcase they were still millennia ahead of many other civilizations.

     

     

    • Crystal Dynamics’ goal was to ensure Wakanda is a contiguous space. Unlike other biomes, you’ll be moving from the crater rim staring at the Golden City, and the next scene will have you in the city.
    • They highlight that no art is recycled, which includes gameplay objects and resources. As the nation is unconquered, it’ll feel fresh and new. You’ll even be able to interact with elements, such as unique puzzle mechanisms, transportation devices, or defenses, such as a Wakandan turret or monorail.

    The description of the biome promises not one but multiple unique environments. Hawkeye’s Wasteland biome was a fun addition to the game with its orange post-apocalypse, but it was a repetitive view from one location into the next. The fun aspect was looking for the various comic references, such as the Kree heads scattered across the sand. Crystal Dynamics worked alongside Virtuous Shanghai and Nixxes to bring this unique biome to life.

    They tease many comic references, and it’s going to be exciting to explore the various new locations that add some needed variety to Marvel’s Avengers. The best part, this is only the first part that’ll explore the upcoming War for Wakanda DLC. So, it’s going to be exciting to see what else they reveal on the game’s first expansion.

    Source: Play Avengers

  • ‘What If’: Andy Serkis Confirms Return as Ulysses Klaue in Disney+ Series

    ‘What If’: Andy Serkis Confirms Return as Ulysses Klaue in Disney+ Series

    What If‘s latest trailer shocked people when Tony Stark appeared on screen not voiced by Robert Downey Jr. While there were rumblings that not every MCU cast member was open to returning in the animated series, it still was strange to see it happen. Especially if you consider how many iconic stars are returning to reprise their roles. All the way when the first cast listing was announced during SDCC 2019, we wondered if they purposely left some out. It seems we were right, as Andy Serkis just confirmed via his Instagram page that he’ll return in the upcoming series as Ulysses Klaue.

     

    Klaue made his MCU debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron before stealing every scene in Black Panther. Sadly, the character met his untimely doom at the hands of Killmonger. He is getting an episode focused on his unlikely alliance with Tony Stark. We got a brief snippet of how they meet in the latest trailer and even see him in Wakanda. A toy leak may have also confirmed he might take on another mantle in the series. Klaue might once again be his entry point into the African metropolis, as he is the only one who knows how to break into the secure city.

    It’s fantastic seeing Andy Serkis return, as he was a personal highlight whenever he was on screen. Exploring the multiverse also opens up many possibilities to revisit these characters in new and curious ways. There was always hope they might revisit T’Chaka’s early years where Klaue first got his hands on the rare metal Vibranium. There’s a lot of history that is worth exploring. It could be worth exploring in the untitled Wakanda Disney+ series. Here’s hoping his return might signal more in the MCU’s future.

    Source: Instagram, Twitter

  • Dwayne Johnson Shares New Destruction-Filled ‘Black Adam’ BTS Image

    Dwayne Johnson Shares New Destruction-Filled ‘Black Adam’ BTS Image

    It’s crazy to think that we’ve seen more from Shazam: Fury of the Gods‘ set than from Black Adam. The latter started quite a bit earlier but has been kept tightly under wraps. Around five days ago, Sarah Shahi did confirm that we’ll meet the Intergang in the upcoming film. Yet, their exact role remains uncertain. In last year’s DC FanDome, we got a tease of Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam facing down the Justice Society of America, which includes Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate.

    With a stellar cast, the film is already a promising entry in the ever-expanding DCEU. Luckily, Johnson shared a new BTS image that teases the size of the sets they are working with and a glimpse at the detailing of his iconic black suit. Of course, it wouldn’t be an anti-hero film if he didn’t leave quite a bit of destruction in his wake.

     

    Johnson has been a strong force behind Black Adam’s strong marketing campaign. Unlike most films that keep a lot of things tightly under wraps, he’s openly shared images from the set and various teases to hype up his DC premiere. It’s a character that he is personally very invested in, which is always a good sign for a project.

    We do not know if there are any plans for Shazam and Black Adam to crossover into each other. They both gained their abilities from the same wizard with Adam taking a darker turn. We even got a brief glimpse of his appearance in the first Shazam film when Djimon Honsou as the wizard explained the history of these abilities. Here’s hoping we get the showdown of a century. The battle between him and Henry Cavill‘s Superman would also be an iconic cinematic event.

    Source: Instagram

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Loki’ Production Designer Reveals Time Keepers and TVA Design Secrets

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Loki’ Production Designer Reveals Time Keepers and TVA Design Secrets

    More than any other Marvel Disney+ show so far, it’s Loki that truly feels like the first one to live up to Marvel Studios’ scope and scale, mostly in due part to the impeccable production design. Led by Kasra Farahani, the Loki production design team set out to create unique worlds and sets that felt not only distinct but also believably lived-in. The result is a truly awe-inspiring journey across crazy alternate realities and brutalist anachronistic offices. I spoke to Farahani who was kind of enough to share some details regarding the visual philosophy that held this show together.

    One thing that was clearly stated from Kate Herron and Kevin Feige was that this was a journey through many different worlds. That was what they wanted to offer fans. Having this base of the TVA but then going along on case studies with TVA analysts and hopping through time and going deeper into the origin of the TVA. It was very clear early on that the TVA was going to be the anchor of the series but that there would be lots of worlds to build to convey a broad spectrum of visuals. Hopping out and seeing a fully realized world even if it’s for one episode makes the universe feel larger. 

    With so many stylistic choices, pop culture nods, artistic references in their production design, it’s fair to wonder what exactly Loki’s art department had in mind as far as influences go for the series. Turns out, they picked some of the best work to jump off from.

    In the original brief, the writers had mentioned two things: Blade Runner and Mad Men, which I thought was a very evocative starting point. Kate and I were immediately drawn to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, another very strong influence as it had the anachronism that was relevant to our show but also depicted the monolithic bureaucracy the TVA was. So brutalist architecture, Eastern European mid-century modernism, West Coast mid-century modernism, and many more all contributed to this look we had in our minds. 

    The latest episode of Loki saw all the titular variants take refuge in a very unusual place in the middle of the wasteland known as the Void: a bowling alley. Because of its specificity, I had to inquire just why they decided to use such a conceptually mundane but visually striking location.

    It was one of those sets that took a long time to figure out. It might have even been the set that took the most thinking. Ultimately, the script just referred to it as a temple. The art department proposed the idea of a bowling alley because in the end, The Void is basically a dumping ground of discarded realities that is overgrown by this damp environment. So if you go below the surface, it stands to reason you’ll see layers and layers of different realities that have been deleted over time and stacked over each other. 

     

    What I liked about the bowling alley was that it had these lanes and that I could create a throne room and visually use the lanes of the bowling alley to direct the eyes to the throne. In our own minds, this bowling alley was this not-quite-human bowling alley from Earth that had been deleted. Next to it, there were these alien vines that were growing into the alley from another deleted reality. None of these are in the script. These are the micro-narratives we come up with in the art department to help us flesh out the designs and make them specific to avoid generic designs. We fill in the blanks ourselves.

     

    We had the notion that somewhere in the Void was a mall that the Lokis discovered. In that mall, they see a Santa Claus Christmas chair and bring it to their lair which is why the room has a Christmas look to it. Part of the goal of the set was to demonstrate this idea of eclectic randomness. 

    One-take sequences or “oners” aren’t new to the MCU as they’ve been around since the first Avengers. And while the idea isn’t novel, Loki has a particularly impressive oner in the Lamentis episode where Sylvie and Loki run through the town of Sheroo as a riot breaks out on the streets while the city gets bombarded by meteors. It’s a great sequence that flexes the technical prowess the production has over the material. Farahani elaborated on the collaborative process they had and what role the production design team had in the sequence.

    It was a huge and complex collaboration. It began in the early days with our DP Autumn Durald and Kate. They were heavily inspired by the sequence at the end of Children of Men. Based on that, we were able to back into how long the shot needed to be. So we created a foam model for them to play around with to figure out if this was the duration and so on. And based on that information, we began designing this city, which we built practically on set. Everything up to 16 feet was an actual set. 

     

    And then once we got further along, it became a bigger collaboration with Monique Ganderton, our stunt coordinator, and Richard Graves, our first AD. It was many meetings and scouting to fine-tune and tailor the set and location of VFX flourishes like explosions and camera wipes. It was very challenging but very smooth considering all the different parts.

    Easily one of the more esoteric locations in the show is the Time Keepers throne room, which we got to see in its eerie glory in Episode 4. It was surprising to learn that a chunk of the set was practically done and that they took inspiration from real-life structures in India.

    A lot more is practical than you think. We designed the Time Keepers throne room early in pre-production and it was very much inspired by the stepwells in India. Beautiful fractal ancient art-deco structures. We put the stepwells on its side and imagined they were mirrored into space with different dimensions. From a practical standpoint, we built the entire surface the cast is moving around on from the elevator. The wall behind the Time Keepers was also practical.  

     

  • REPORT: ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ Villain to Join ‘Hawkeye’ Cast

    REPORT: ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ Villain to Join ‘Hawkeye’ Cast

    Just recently, we’ve may have accidentally gotten an estimation on when Disney+’s Hawkeye series might finally drop this year. It seems likely it is eyeing a potential November release date, but nothing is set in stone. We haven’t heard much on it since around two months ago images leaked online revealing Jeremy Renner wearing Clint Barton’s iconic costume from the comics alongside Alaqua Cox‘s Echo. It looks like we might have gotten some more news as Cosmic Circus is reporting that Simon Callow has joined the series.

    Sadly, the information on his role is sparse but supposedly will have a key role in the earlier episodes. He may have ties to Tony Dalton‘s Jack Duquesne, who is better known as Swordsman. Cowell has a long history with cinema and TV, which goes as far back as 1975’s Get Some In! and 1984’s Amadeus. The British actor has also appeared in films like 1998’s Shakespeare in Love and even 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. In the latter, he played the main antagonist of the film, Vincent Cadby. He also appeared in some pop-culture favorite franchises like the BBC series Doctor Who as Charles Dickens and Netflix’s The Witcher.

    It’ll be interesting to see what role he has in the series. If they use this show to explore Hawkeye’s past before he joined SHIELD, it wouldn’t be too surprising for him to play Ringmaster. It would make the most sense, but the Disney+ series has surprised us in the past. He may even be a father figure to Echo, who’ll have a prominent role throughout the series and could also connect to Swordsman in some way. Marvel Studios has kept the series’ plot under wraps and here’s hoping we get a trailer in the near future to offer some more insight on what we can expect from the archer’s grand return.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • Disney Shares ‘Black Widow’s Disney+ Numbers As It Garners $215M Worldwide

    Disney Shares ‘Black Widow’s Disney+ Numbers As It Garners $215M Worldwide

    It looks like the $100M projections were a bit optimistic after all. Black Widow is now looking at an $80M domestic opening weekend. It is far from its high-end predictions but still ahead of F9‘s $70M. As such, it is the highest-grossing weekend since the pandemic started. As Forbe’s Scott Mendelson points out, it had a low-bar multiplier over the weekend that is below other Marvel Studios releases and may hint at a stunted long-tail growth. Still, Disney also proudly proclaimed it as their third-best origin story opening after Black Panther‘s 202M and Captain Marvel‘s $153.4M.

    In the best case, the film continues to garner numbers throughout the summer even with a lower opening than expected. Still, Disney has surprisingly shared its income from the Disney+ Premier Access, which adds another $60M to its overall opening weekend. So, it did pass the $100 domestic mark, but not in the traditional sense. In total, the film passed $215M worldwide, as it also garnered $78M in international markets (excluding China and India). No matter what, Disney sharing their Premier Access numbers is a motivating sign of more transparency for the future.

     

     

    Even with Disney+ income being 100% pocketed by Disney, it isn’t the usual Marvel Studios’ Box Office. They’ve performed better in the past, but there are many contributing factors at play. Mendelson believes that many have left the franchise after Avengers: Endgame as its “closing chapter,” but one could argue Spider-Man: Far From Home‘s numbers would negate that effect. The success of the Disney+ shows has also shown that the interest in Marvel Studios projects continues to remain strong, but perhaps its more grounded story had some rough competition against Loki exploring the multiverse.

    The pandemic certailny showed its effect with cinemas only slowly increasing their peak numbers with each new film. We also have the fact that Black Widow has been marketing its release for almost two years now. It’s hard to keep up that kind of momentum without spoiling many of the film’s plot beats through repeat trailer releases. Disney+ may have also pushed its overall weekend income but hurt the later release.

     

    Black Widow movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert

     

    Repeat viewings seem cheaper through the streaming service, which may also show its fangs next weekend. The general audience visits cinemas in the Saturday to Sunday time window but opted to remain at home. It’s why the film’s weekend got frontloaded on Friday with $40M. For now, Black Widow seems on track to make around $500M to $800M. Currently, the lower-end seems the more realistic option for now. It’s not a bad performance by a long shot and could still make what it would’ve done pre-pandemic.

    Technically, Disney is the big breadwinner here as they get to pocket the full $60M from Disney+. So, even if the film isn’t performing up to Marvel Studios’ usual standard, the film is still quite profitable. By the time September rolls around, there’s a chance Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings might be a big hit at the Box Office. It’s certainly a good start, and we’ll keep a close eye on its development.

    Source: Forbes, Deadline, Twitter, Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Black Widow’s Friday Domestic Box Office Soars to $40M, Currently Eyeing $89M+ Weekend

    ‘Black Widow’s Friday Domestic Box Office Soars to $40M, Currently Eyeing $89M+ Weekend

    We’ve all been keeping a close eye on Black Widow‘s Box Office performance. The industry has been slowly recovering but things weren’t always clear-cut moving forward. As future Marvel Studios’ entries aren’t announced with a Disney+ simultaneous release, its opening weekend could be the signifier if cinemas have recovered enough to focus on cinema-only releases for the rest of the year. Luckily, its Thursday screenings already had a record pandemic number with $13.1M. It broke F9‘s release even with the availability through Disney+’s Premiere Access that offers moviegoers to buy the film on their streaming service. It looks like it hasn’t lost any momentum, as it has now pulled in $39.5M on Friday.

     

    Black Widow": Rasanter Trailer zur Marvel-Verfilmung mit Scarlett Johansson

     

    At its current rate, a minimum of $89 seems like a definite over the three-day weekend. Yet, if it keeps up the momentum it could potentially pass the $100M mark. It is their first release since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The first trailer for Black Widow was released around two years ago. So, it’s also being affected by how late Even at its lower prediction, the film will be the best domestic opener in the pandemic. Even better, this will be the first Box Office weekend to pass the $125M mark since the pandemic started.

    Overall, the film is on par with some of Marvel Studios’ pre-pandemic releases and the only worry is that current predictions see a drop in its Saturday earnings. Keep in mind that the Friday earnings also include Thursday’s 13.1M. So, the film earned 23.3M on Friday alone. Tomorrow will be the big test for its chances at passing the $100M mark, but its release on Disney+ also adds some uncertainty. There’s a chance that Disney has also made considerable earnings in addition, which goes directly into their own pocket.

     

    Black Widow Director Explains How the Movie Differs From the Rest of the MCU

     

    As of now, its momentum is on par with Ant-Man and the Wasp as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming. Forbes’ Scott Mendelson points out that this opening is pretty on par with pre-pandemic expectations due to some key factors. The big question is how the film’s legs will be post its release weekend. Even if it has a middle-tier Marvel Studios opening, it could have the same legs as the previously mentioned film sand eye a potential $245M domestic run. It might even manage around $305M. The only uncertainty remains if the film will even get a Chinese release, which could boost its overall performance. For now, only time will tell and the rest of the weekend will determine where it ends up.

    Source: Collider, Deadline, Forbes, Variety

  • ‘Black Widow’: David Harbour Hints at More Red Guardian in the MCU’s Future

    ‘Black Widow’: David Harbour Hints at More Red Guardian in the MCU’s Future

    The following article contains spoilers for the end of the Black Widow film. If you want to remain unspoiled, please only continue at your own risk.

     

     

     

    After a long wait, we finally had a chance to watch Black Widow. We got the last adventure of Scarlett Johansson‘s Natasha Romanoff before her untimely end in Avengers: Endgame. The film also set up some curious new players for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future, as we Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz‘ Melina, and David Harbour‘s Red Guardian.

    The latter was a show-stealer throughout the film, as we meet a washed-up super soldier that is trapped in his delusion of grandeur. At the end of the film, he is seen flying off with the others as Natasha faced General Ross’ arrival. It made us wonder if Alexei might have a future in the franchise and it seems there have been some ideas going around. Harbour hinted at some rumblings behind the screens at Marvel studios in an interview with Collider.

    There is some chatter around certain things. We were pretty focused on just this. They also have a lot of stuff in the pipe that, it seems like in this particular phase, there’s a lot of different… There’s like Eternals… There’s different elements to this universe that I think they’re branching out at this point until they start to do this. I knew I wasn’t involved in that branch. The discussions were… They didn’t really give a sense of what was up next. It was more just really focused on this movie, and some speculation of possibilities.

    There’s a lot of potentials to explore Red Guardian in a Disney+ series. We got some references to other famous members of a Russian superhero group that includes Mikhail Ursus, better known as the mutant Ursa Major, and a name drop of Crimson Dynamo. The latter was quite an interesting reference, as they combined the original character with Whiplash in Iron Man 2.

    Perhaps there is a future for the character in the upcoming Armor Wars Disney+ series. It would be fun to see Alexei form a Russian copy of the Avengers to face Captain America. Yet, he ends up facing US Agent and joined a very different cause. There’s a lot of potential with the character. So, hopefully, we’ll get more of Harbour in the MCU’s future.

    If you want to check out the interview with Collider, you can watch the video here:

     

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Loki’: Chris Hemsworth Recorded Throg’s Grunts

    ‘Loki’: Chris Hemsworth Recorded Throg’s Grunts

    It looks like Chris Hemsworth ended up playing a role in Loki after all, just not the one any of us expected. In a recent interview with the podcast Views from the 616, the series head writer Kate Herron revealed that the Australian actor did, in fact, return to record lines as Throg, the Frog of Thunder. Well, he made grunts to be exact.

    The amphibious Norse God made a surprise cameo appearance during the latest episode of Marvel’s new Disney+ series. He was quickly shown as an inhabitant of the otherworldly Void, desperately trying to escape a glass jar buried beneath the dirt. Herron confirmed on the podcast that Hemsworth actively participated in the show, and old audio was not used for the bit as some may have assumed.

    Throg made his first comic appearance in Thor Vol. 1 #364 back in 1986. A new version got introduced in 2009’s Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1. He originated as a man named Simon Walterson, who found himself cursed to live life as a frog after an encounter with a witch. A wild story follows this, but it ends with Walterson wielding a version of Mjolnir that transforms him into Throg, an amphibian with the powers of Thor.

    The character has since been a favorite joke among Marvel fans, so it was nice to see him appear in the show alongside another comical Easter egg, the Thanos Copter. Loki producer Eric Martin recently confirmed the character, presented as a Thor variant on the show, was originally meant for a larger role. Perhaps this means there’s still a chance we’ll one day see Hemsworth give the role some life on a larger stage.

    Source: Twitter