Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Mortal Kombat’: Cole Young was a Studio-Mandated Addition

    ‘Mortal Kombat’: Cole Young was a Studio-Mandated Addition

    The addition of a unique character in this long-running franchise is surprising, but it does allow them Since the trailer dropped for the first Mortal Kombat film, we’ve all wondered who the hell is Cole Young? The character played by Lewis Tan is a new addition to the franchise. We’ve come to expect either Liu Kang or Johnny Cage to take the role of audience surrogate, but they’ve included this new character instead. Cage is noticeably absent in the trailer, which adds another level of confusion on why Cole got included. In an interview with Inverse, the film’s screenwriter, Greg Russo, revealed that this inclusion was a studio mandate.

    It was something the studio wanted. The new protagonist was an idea loaded in prior to my involvement.

    Producer Todd Garner does point out that the character offers a new perspective into the complicated world of Mortal Kombat. Cole’s role as the audience surrogate allows him to ask the questions necessary to explain why the tournament is taking place, where these humanoid creatures come from, and how Liu Kang can summon fire. They also point out that they could add a unique story instead of being held back by the expectations combined with the series’ staples.

    We needed somebody to completely manipulate, so there’s not 30 years of people going ‘You can’t do that.’

    As strange as the appearance of a unique character is in this long-running franchise, it does allow them to take a unique angle with the story. Of course, we’ve theorized that Young could actually have close ties to an existing character that will be revealed later down the line. Inverse’s article does point out that he will definitely tie into the franchise’s overarching universe. We’re very curious to see where the franchise is heading once it releases April 23rd on HBO Max and in theatres.

    Source: Inverse

  • ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Gabriel Luna Joins HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

    ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Gabriel Luna Joins HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

    The fungal apocalypse just added a new survivor. It’s being reported that Gabriel Luna has officially joined the cast of HBO’s The Last of Us, in a role many fans know to be a key part of the franchise’s story. The actor is set to play Tommy Miller, the younger brother of Pedro Pascal‘s Joel Miller and a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world. Tommy appears in both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, where he is shown to be the leader of a community in Jackson County, Wyoming, alongside his wife Maria.

    He joins a cast that, so far, only includes the aforementioned Pascal and the up-and-coming Bella Ramsey, best known for her work on Game of Thrones. That duo will portray Joel and Ellie, the iconic protagonists of the series, as they journey across the United States two decades after a viral fungus caused society’s collapse. The live-action adaptation will be produced by Neil Druckmann, director and writer of both Naughty Dog video games, and Craig Mazin, who brought the story of Chernobyl to life for HBO in 2019.

    While Luna may be a new face for some, the thespian is no stranger to fans of Marvel Comics. He rose to prominence playing Robbie Reyes during the fourth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., becoming only the second actor to bring Ghost Rider to life in live-action. Luna was at one point set to reprise the role in a solo series, but that project never saw the light of day. He went on to receive a starring role in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate and appear in other hit shows such as True Detective.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Surprise Character Was to Debut in ‘Black Widow’

    ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Surprise Character Was to Debut in ‘Black Widow’

    Falcon and the Winter Soldier gave viewers quite a surprise in the latest episode, as Seinfeld actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus made a grand entrance. After John Walker hit a low point, she arrived on the scene introducing the world to the MCU’s debut of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. The character might be familiar to long-time fans of the comics. Introduced in Strange Tales #159 by Jim Steranko, Fontaine was a love interest of Nick Fury and a leading member of SHIELD. Dreyfus was actually inspired to take on the role by Veep showrunner, David Mandel as pointed out by her co-star Tony Hale:

    It was Mandel, specifically, who suggested she might play a Marvel villain. Louis-Dreyfus had no choice but to play along saying: “Swinging around on wires and kicking people in the face…shooting fire out of whatever you shoot fire out of. I would dig that.

    In a report by Vanity Fair, it seems that Dreyfus was going to be introduced in Black Widow initially. As we know, the film continuously got postponed and will now release in July. The way she was introduced would hint at her being a villain, which automatically connects to Contessa’s other alter-ego. In the comics, she turned out to be a Russian mole and takes over the mantle of Madame Hydra. Now, that might be why she was chosen to first appear in the Black Widow.

    Vanity Fair does point out it is uncertain if she was potentially edited out of the film with her introduction in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Her appearance and offering Walker a card could be our first set-up for a potential Thunderbolts team-up in the future. She could connect the various projects to form her own team as a counterpoint to Fury’s Avengers Initiative.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • ‘DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS’ to Wrap Filming This Week

    ‘DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS’ to Wrap Filming This Week

    With so many Marvel Studios productions going on simultaneously, it’s often hard to keep track of which project is at what point. Thankfully, Marvel Studios The-One-Above-All has our backs. In an interview with The Undefeated, Kevin Feige mentioned that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will complete principal photography in the UK this week.

    Production on the sequel began last November and was, at one point, delayed by a COVID surge in London. As noteworthy as the impending end of production is the new hat being sported by Feige. The Sanctum logo on the front looks to be an allusion to the multiverse and perhaps the idea that the Sanctums are focal points of it; additionally, the star on the side of the hat is a clear nod to America Chavez’s role in the film and the star-shaped portals she uses to travel through the multiverse. The film’s working title, Stellar Vortex, seems to also have been in reference to Chavez’s unique abilities.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Xochitl Gomez and is currently slated to hit theaters on March 25, 2022. Find out everything we know about the film right here!

    Source: The Undefeated

  • REPORT: ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3 Finds its Dead Boy Detectives

    REPORT: ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3 Finds its Dead Boy Detectives

    The third season of Doom Patrol is definitely one that fans have been clamoring for since last year. It will pick up there where we left our miserable band of “heroes.” At the end of the series the second season, they were quite literally in pieces and at the mercy of the Candlemaker. For those who weren’t aware, the second season met an abrupt end last year in March, as the pandemic had begun to cause almost if not all productions around the world to cease filming due to health concerns. Doom Patrol was no different, as its tenth episode got cut and left the series on one hell of a cliffhanger. Now that filming has been able to resume, it seems we’ve gotten another addition to Doom Manor, in the form of the Dead Boy Detectives.

    The Direct has unveiled that actors Sebastian Croft and Ty Tenant have joined the upcoming season. They will be playing Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, who are better known as the Dead Boy Detectives. For those unfamiliar with the characters, they were created by Neil Gaiman. The pair are exactly what you think they are, undead boys who instead of moving into the afterlife, remain on Earth to solve the mysteries of the living. Doom Patrol‘s third season currently has no set release date and is still filming. The season will feature the return of everyone’s favorite moody science experiments including Brendan Fraser, Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Jovian Wade, Matt Bomer, Timothy Dalton, and newcomer Michelle Gomez.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Game of Thrones’ Pilou Asbaek Joins ‘Aquaman 2’

    ‘Game of Thrones’ Pilou Asbaek Joins ‘Aquaman 2’

    With filming on the highly anticipated sequel to 2018’s billion-dollar blockbuster looking to ramp up its production in June, we were bound to hear some news on it sooner than later. Plot details for the film have been kept under wraps and it’s unknown as to who or where we’ll see our new king of Atlantis off too next, but it seems that we have a new addition to the film. Deadline has unveiled that Game of Thrones actor Pilou Asbaek, best know for his role as Euron Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, will come to face former Khal Drogo, Jason Momoa, in the upcoming sequel for the film.

    It’s unknown who Asbaek will be playing in the film, as they remain secretive. Just a few weeks ago, we reported on casting breakdowns for the sequel going around. One character in particular named Kore. The role was for an actor in the 40-50-year-old range and looked to be for a villain as he was described as “domineering and cunning,” which could be a perfect role for Asbaek. The role in question I believe to be that of Corum Rath, an Atlantean eco-terrorist who sought to bring the war to the surface world who sought to overthrow Arthur.

    Aquaman 2 is currently set to release on December 16th, 2022 with James Wan returning too direct. The film will also feature the return of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Willem Dafoe.

     

    Source: Deadline, DiscussingFilm

  • Untitled ‘The Boys’ Spin-Off Casts Reina Hardesty as Lead

    Untitled ‘The Boys’ Spin-Off Casts Reina Hardesty as Lead

    It looks like the still-untitled The Boys spin-off has found its lead actress. Deadline has just revealed that Brockmire actress Reina Hardesty will tackle the lead role of the upcoming college-focused series. It seems that it is already nearing a green light by Amazon Studios, which will want to continue banking on the success of their R-rated superhero franchise. The story will focus on America’s college for superheroes. Of course, it is run by Vought International and aims to prepare the new generation of Supes for their big debut. As to be expected, the story will push their sexual and moral boundaries to a test to get the best contracts.  It will be written by The Boys executive producer Craig Rosenberg.

    The third season is still in production for the popular series, as it has recently cast Katia Winter as Little Nina. The spin-off has also been quite busy, as it has added Shane Paul Mcghie, Maddie Phillips, Aimee Carrero, Jaz Sinclair, and Lizzie Broadway. It will be quite the stacked cast, which will take a very different approach from the mainline series. The Boys focused primarily on a group of non-powered individuals while intersecting stories from the Supes now and then. This series will primarily focus on a group of young adults and very hormonal superheroes at its core. The Brockmire actress might end up being the only hero without powers to add that human element, but there is no word which role she is tackling. It’ll be interesting to see if we get any potential crossovers between the series in the future.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ Adds ‘The Serpent’s Fabien Frankel

    ‘House of the Dragon’ Adds ‘The Serpent’s Fabien Frankel

    It looks like HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off is still casting some key characters. House of Dragon will explore the times of Viserys Targaryen’s rule. Of course, a good leader requires his Kingsguard and it seems that the Last Christmas actor, Fabien Frankel, will take on that role as Ser Criston Cole. Author of the original novel series, George R.R. Martin, took to his blog to reveal the news of Frankel‘s casting teasing his rather important role in these series. In it, he describes the character as followed:

    He is the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven. He has no claim to lands or titles, all he has is his honor and his skill with sword and lance. He is a challenger, a champion, cheered by the commons, beloved of the ladies. He is a lover (or is he?), a seducer (or is he?), a betrayer (or is he?), a breaker of hearts and a maker of kings.

    It seems his character will have an important role in starting the civil war that will end the era of dragons. Frankel has built up quite a reputation in a short amount of time with his work on The Serpent, NYPD Blue, and alongside former Targaryen Emilia Clarke in Last Christmas. It’ll be interesting to see what the actor has to offer and how Ser Cole’s relationship with Viserys might shape the spin-offs story.

    Source: Not a Blog via The Hollywood Reporter, IMDb

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: First Details and Release Date Revealed for Tachyon Anomaly Event

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: First Details and Release Date Revealed for Tachyon Anomaly Event

    Finally, it has been a long-time coming, but Marvel’s Avengers is kicking off its first event. Around a month ago, we got our first glimpse at a roadmap for the upcoming months, and it will kick off with the Tachyon Anomaly. After teasing its release date last week, they have announced that it will begin on April 22nd. The event will last for around two weeks and end on May 3rd. Next week, you’ll be able to play as a group of four Hulks or Iron Man if you’re in the mood for it. Now, they’ve also offered some insight into what to expect from the event.

    As the name implies, the Tachyon Rifts have been growing since AIM keeps tampering with them. The results led to Avengers crossing over from different timelines, and it allows your strike team to consist of whatever mix-up you can imagine. This part of the event is titled Temporal Assault. Interestingly enough, it calls this event the first Tachyon Anomaly. So, we might see this as a recurring event throughout the year. They also shared a comic-inspired image in the official discord:

     

     

    You’ll be able to unlock Hivemind gear sets from this event alongside priority set gear through daily missions. It will also introduce animated nameplates. They are exclusively available during the event and are unlocked when you complete the weekly mission chain for the first time. It’s not restricted to a specific hero, but we can also expect hero-specific ones in the marketplace:

    • April 22 – 29: Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Hulk
    • April 29 – May 6: Iron Man, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop

    That is not all, as we’re also getting multiple Tachyon Rift missions at the same time. They will also be playable for players with a power level up to 100, which will rotate daily with relevant rewards. “And We’re Back” is the title of the newest Tachyon Mission getting added into the game. Crystal Dynamics has pointed out that if this event is popular enough, it might become a mainstay moving forward. So, let’s enjoy what is just the beginning of a lot more content moving forward.

    Source: Play Avengers

  • ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Adds Mads Mikkelsen

    ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Adds Mads Mikkelsen

    It looks like Lucasfilm is full-throttle on their fifth installment of Indiana Jones. Not even a week ago, it was revealed that Phoebe Waller-Bridge was joining the production. Now, it looks like they have already added one more. Deadline has exclusively learned that Hannibal‘s Mads Mikkelsen will have a role in the upcoming film. They do not elaborate on what role he might be playing, as plot details are still vague on Jones’ next adventure set to release July 29th, 2022.

    Mikkelsen has been adding quite the list of franchises under his belt. He just recently joined Fantastic Beasts replacing Johnny Depp. The actor also had a starring role in Doctor Strange and Star Wars: Rogue One. His Danish film Another Round has also been garnering a lot of award buzz with Oscar nominations for best foreign film and best director. So, things are really looking up for the Danish actor.

    Indiana Jones is making a grand comeback with this film, as Steven Spielberg passes on directing duties for the first time since the franchise started. James Mangold will take on the responsibility after his success with Logan. It’s crazy to think that the last entry was released back in 2008, s Shia LeBeouf played Indy’s son. We don’t have an idea how the story will come together in this one. They might be trying to kickstart a new franchise, as Disney has been very keen on keeping their legacy properties going. So, we’ll see if this might just be the beginning for a new Indiana Jones or it’s a farewell to Harrison Ford‘s tenure as the character.

    Source: Deadline