Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Pyra and Mythra Join ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’

    ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Pyra and Mythra Join ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’

    I really did not expect that announcement for the latest fighter joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The latest Nintendo Direct started with a drawn-out cutscene from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It build-up to a sudden revelation that the character Pyra has officially joined the Super Smash Bros. game’s second character pass. Not just that but the trailer also confirms that you will be able to play as Mythra. You have the ability to switch between both characters at any time during combat, so they aren’t just separate skins.

     

     

    A long time ago, the game’s director Masahiro Sakurai did confirm that they originally wanted to include a character from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as the original game’s roster. So, it looks like he was finally able to accomplish that task. It is a bit strange to follow-up Sepiroth with another anime-styled sword fighter. Their addition has been a long-running joke for many that enjoy the iconic game.

    Still, she looks like a fun addition and could bring something unique to the table, especially as you can switch between two unique characters throughout the combat. Here’s hoping that the leftover fighters will embrace more of gaming’s history. I hope to see Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Ninja Gaiden’s Hayabusa join the fray at some point. There is a wide variety to choose from in gaming history that it must be difficult to choose the right characters to include. Let’s be honest, at this point anything is possible with the iconic Super Smash Bros. franchise.

    Source: YouTube

  • First Look at HBO Max’s ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ Revealed

    First Look at HBO Max’s ‘Aquaman: King of Atlantis’ Revealed

    In January of 2020, before the world descended into madness, HBO Max revealed a new original was in the works for the service titled Aquaman: King of Atlantis. The series will follow the new king of Atlantis, Arthur Curry, as he starts his reign of the underwater civilization. Aquaman is joined by his friends Mera and Vulko. They are there to help him learn the Atlantean ways so that he’ll become the best king he can be. He tries his best to gain the love and trust of his people. He will also have to face his evil half-brother, evil elders, and surface dwellers. After a long wait, a trailer for Cartoon Network’s rebranding gave us our first official look at the upcoming series.

    We got our first look at the upcoming series, with no release date and no voice cast, its interesting to see that production on the series seems to have already ramped up. The short snippet gives us our first look at Aquaman and Mera, as the two seem ready for combat. The animation seems to be incredibly similar to Thundercats ROAR!, a CalArts-style reboot on the classic feline warriors from the ’80s.

     

     

    The image is taken

    https://twitter.com/awschedules/status/1362108932219543553?s=21

    The series currently has no release date but is set to release exclusively on HBO Max. It is unclear if Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, or Willem Dafoe will be reprising their roles from the film since it’s supposed to serve as a follow-up. The only real concrete creative information known is that James Wan is involved and s serving as executive producer. Hopefully, we will get a full trailer with more cast details soon to get a feeling for which direction the show is heading and how it may tie into the overarching DC Extended Universe.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘The Old Guard’s Marwan Kenzari Confirmed for ‘Black Adam’

    ‘The Old Guard’s Marwan Kenzari Confirmed for ‘Black Adam’

    While Black Adam may have gotten removed from the studio’s release slate, nothing seems to be slowing down its production. Recently, news on the film has been scarce, as many fans were waiting on the edges of their seats to hear who else will join the film. It seems the most recent update is confirming a report we’ve known a few months back on the film’s villain. Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Illuminerdi’s story from October that Marwan Kenzari is joining the production.

    While the official report states that Kenzari‘s role is still under wraps, we knew from just a few months ago that the studio was eyeing the actor to play Sabbac. He will be the main antagonist in the film’s ongoing story. The villain had three different comic iterations over the years, but the film will focus on Ishmael Gregor. He is the most well-known identity of Sabbac for those that read his short run. He was a Russian immigrant who made his way to New York, where he becomes a mob boss. Ishmael initiates a demonic ritual in which he sacrifices innocent people to gain the powers of the demon. His name is an acronym for Satan, Aym, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Crateis, the beings that give him his powers. This naming is quite similar to how Shazam’s name in the comic derives from six immortal elders. Those were Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.

    Black Adam currently has no set release date. Jaume Collet-Serra is directing the film, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will star as the titular character. Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, and Quintessa Swindell will round out the cast. We are still waiting on the casting for Doctor Fate.

    Source: Illuminerdi, Hollywood Reporter

  • First ‘Cruella’ Trailer and New Poster Teases a Punk Rock Origin

    First ‘Cruella’ Trailer and New Poster Teases a Punk Rock Origin

    Just yesterday, Disney teased the next live-action reimagining of one of its iconic villains from Disney’s past. This time around, the One Hundred and One Dalmatians franchise is returning with an all-new style. We will explore the origin story of Cruella de Vil. Academy Award® winner Emma Stone will play the iconic villain and will be joined by Emma Thompson in the Craig Gillespie-directed film. It is set to release on May 28th. Now, the first trailer has finally released that showcases Cruella’s early beginnings as she embraces London’s punk rock revolution and becomes the icon we all know and love.

     

     

    The new trailer is also accompanied by a brand new trailer and some new stills from the upcoming film:

     

     

    Emma Thompson as the Baroness in Disney’s live-action CRUELLA. Photo by Laurie Sparham. © 2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

     

    Emma Stone as Cruella in Disney’s live-action CRUELLA. Photo by Laurie Sparham. © 2021 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserve

     

    Emma Stone as Cruella in Disney’s live-action CRUELLA. Photo by Laurie Sparham. © 2021 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.

     

    Cruella is set in the 1970s and follows the story of Estella. She is trying to make a name for herself with her designs in the competitive fashion world. Her appetite for mischief gets her involved with two young thieves as they start to build a life on the streets of London. One day she is scouted by the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend, which will set in motion Estella’s path down a darker path into a revenge-bent Cruella de Vil. The film is based on a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara. The original story was by Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marce, and Steve Zissis. The costume designs teased in the trailer are from Two-time Oscar® winner Jenny Beavan, who has worked on Mad Max: Fury Road and A Room with a View.

  • Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ and Richard Donner’s ‘Superman’s Return Through Comic Sequels

    Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ and Richard Donner’s ‘Superman’s Return Through Comic Sequels

    The worlds of Tim Burton‘s Batman and Richard Donner‘s Superman will finally continue. They are receiving sequels in the form of comic books this summer. DC Comics announced that they are adapting the universes that started the comic book movie craze in two separate series, Batman ’89 and Superman ’78. They will play out throughout six digital issues. The first installments will drop on July 27th and will continue to release weekly. The books are similar to the continuations of television classic with Wonder Woman ’77 and Batman ’66 from a few years ago. It’s a move by DC that is sure to make fans excited, as both film franchises ended on sour notes.

    Batman ’89 will be written by screenwriter Sam Hamm, who wrote the scripts for both Tim Burton‘s Batman films. Joe Quinones, of Dial H for Hero fame, will take over the art and help Hamm pick up the gothic adventures of Michael Keaton‘s Bruce Wayne right where they left off at the end of Returns. The series promises to tie up several loose threads left open by Tim Burton, including the return of Michelle Pfieffer‘s take on Catwoman and the debut of a new Robin, who potentially is based on Damon Wayans unrealized version of the character. Quinones is also creating a universe-accurate Two-Face, once intended to be played by Billy Dee Williams, that is “as close to movie magic as a comic can get”.

    Superman ’78 will feature art by Wilfredo Torres, who previously worked on Batman ’66, and a story from Robert Venditti, who has operated in the world of DC before with a run on Hawkman. Set within the universe that made Christopher Reeves an icon, the book will tell stories that prove to fans that a man can truly fly. The timeline of the series is a little vaguer. The announcement did reveal that we will see a Lois Lane who does not yet know Clark Kent and Superman are the same. Plot details are also a little less ample. We may see classic Superman villains and other characters that didn’t get adapted in the film that would reflect Donner‘s vision.

    The creative team took to Twitter and share some of the artwork for the upcoming projects, which truly show that these designs will forever be iconic:

    https://twitter.com/joe_quinones/status/1361771925777887232?s=21

    https://twitter.com/mightyfineline/status/1361787931002830850

     

    Source: Nerdist, Twitter (DC Nation), Twitter (Batman), Twitter (Superman)

  • UPDATE: Disney Will Not Recast Gina Carano’s Cara Dune

    UPDATE: Disney Will Not Recast Gina Carano’s Cara Dune

    UPDATE: The moment we dropped the news, it seems that THR has updated their article and states that they won’t be recasting Cara Dune moving forward.

     

    Source: THR, DiscussingFilm

     

    It was only a week ago that Disney fire The Mandalorian star Gina Carano from her role in the galaxy far, far away. It came after months of scrutiny from fans. Carano has been divisive due to her questionable social media posts. The final straw for Disney was an Instagram post that many viewed as anti-semitic, but the former MMA fighter maintains it was a call for unity. Whatever the case may be, the future of Cara Dune is in doubt. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Carano was to headline a Disney+ spin-off series. As such, their insiders claim they are considering a recast of Cara Dune for a story and merchandising reasons.

    Initially, it seemed as though we’d seen the last of Dune. After a recurring role over two seasons led her character to the ranks of New Republic officer, it did not appear that any future appearances were vital to the series’ plot. However, the news that Disney is considering a recast would indicate that they have big plans, which may correlate with the recently announced Mandalorian spin-off Rangers of the New Republic. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Carano was supposed to be part of the Disney Investor’s Day roll-out that revealed the show to the public. However, the backlash over previous Twitter comments led to her getting booted from the event. If Carano was to play a role as Dune in any of the projects announced that day, New Republic would have been the one that made the most sense.

    Hasbro has halted the production of Cara Dune-based toys. Even Amazon has removed almost all of its merchandise for the character. A recast would most likely allow the companies to salvage some of the potential losses from any toys they’re currently unable to sell with a new face and re-branding. There are no details given if Carano also gains a licensing fee for their use of her image through the toys, so there might be some legal discussions are happening behind the scenes. It will be interesting to see how it develops as Star Wars rolls out their future Disney+ slate.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: HBO Max Seeking a Riz Ahmed Type for ‘Constantine’s Titular Role

    RUMOR: HBO Max Seeking a Riz Ahmed Type for ‘Constantine’s Titular Role

    It looks like HBO Max has some grand plans for its DC line-up. They took over the series that started on the original DC Universe streaming service, such as Doom Patrol and Titans. Now, they will expand their DC catalog. We are about to get next month’s Zack Snyder: Justice League release, and a Green Lantern Corps series is in active development. They are working on another brand new series that will explore the darker side of the DC Multiverse. Last September, it was revealed that shows focused on Zatanna and Constantine are in development. HBO Max is developing them alongside J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot Productions. Illuminerdi learned a few details on the Constantine show. They state it will be different from previous incarnations, as it will be more horror-focused. That is not all, as it seems casting has already started.

    They are switching it up with their casting, as they are looking for a BIPOC actor in his late 20s. The description hints at them looking for a Riz Ahmed type in the titular role. Keep in mind, it doesn’t mean they are casting the actor but looking for someone who fits his description. It certainly sounds like they want to mix up the casting to distinguish it from Matt Ryan‘s run with the character. Guy Bolton will write up the horror story. It is a great angle to take, as they could use this chance to connect it to DC Universe’s canceled 2019’s Swamp Thing show. As they point out, previous incarnations were more focused on the religious angle of the character. It is still a defining trait of his characterization. So, it might play just take a backseat in the series. I am excited to see where they could potentially take this storyline and can’t wait to see who nabs the iconic anti-hero role for the series.

    Source: Movieweb, Illuminerdi

  • Rian Johnson’s ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Still in Development

    Rian Johnson’s ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Still in Development

    Star Wars has entered a new era. After the new trilogy has ended, the franchise tested new forms of storytelling with its first Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Its success led to the announcement of a slew of various titles that will premiere on the streaming service. Among them, we got the reveal of a live-action Ahsoka Tano show. They also revealed two brand new films, an unnamed project by Taika Waititi and Rogue Squadron by Patty Jenkins. However, there was one absent film announcement. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson was originally going to work on a spin-off trilogy, yet we haven’t heard anything about it in a long time. Many believed it could have been canceled as Johnson moved on to working on the Knives Out franchise. Plus, Disney seems to have a stronger focus on its streaming service moving forward. USA Today’s Sariah Wilson took to Twitter to confirm that he is still actually working on it.

    https://twitter.com/sariahwilson/status/1361502613728948230

    It seems that he is getting the time he needs to iron out the details. We never got any insight into what his trilogy would explore. The Star Wars franchise has many histories to draw from, may it be the Old Republic or explore the galaxy after Rey defeated Palpatine. There have been some discussions on his take on the iconic franchise. Either way, if he has full freedom to tackle his take on an overarching storyline in a galaxy far far away, he could offer a unique story that we haven’t seen yet in this galaxy. I would love to see more of the daily life of Stormtroopers. The Mandalorian offered us a look at the potential of exploring stories beyond the Jedi that we’ve come to know and love. 

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’ Adds Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson

    HBO Max’s ‘Peacemaker’ Adds Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson

    Hot off the production of The Suicide Squad, James Gunn got right to work and began writing a series based around Peacemaker. The series would reportedly follow the origin of the character following his debut in the upcoming film. John Cena will reprise the role. Christopher Smith is a man who seeks peace no matter what the cost is. Not much else is known about the series’ story so far, but we did get some early casting announcements. The inclusion of Vigilante is hinting at a Janus Directive-inspired story. Shortly after, we got the casting announcement for Judomaster, whose origins are tied to Charlton comics, where Peacemaker made his debut.

    It looks like they are still rounding out their cast. Variety has revealed that actors Alison Araya and Lenny Jacobson have joined the project in recurring series roles. They only that they will play Amber and Evan, a married couple in the series. Interestingly enough, this isn’t Araya‘s first step into the DC Universe, having played two characters on Arrow.

    Peacemaker is currently set for a January 2022 release exclusively on HBO Max. The project will be written by Gunn, who will direct multiple episodes of the upcoming series. The series cast includes John Cena, Steve Agee, Danielle Brooks, Robert Patrick, Chris Conrad, Nhut Lee, and Annie Chang. It is Gunn’s last project before he starts work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Hopefully, this spin-off’s success could lead to more stories inspired by characters from The Suicide Squad.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Deep Dive Finally Offers Closer Look at Hawkeye

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Deep Dive Finally Offers Closer Look at Hawkeye

    It has been some time since we last got a major update for Marvel’s Avengers. The last few weeks, we’ve been building up to the big reveal of the game’s second major DLC character, Clint Barton. It is our second archer addition and many were anticipating how the original Hawkeye would stand out from his protégé. In the latest War Table Deep Dive, Crystal Dynamics gave us a closer look at his moves, heroics and so much more. Without further ado, let’s jump right into the latest video from the developer:

    They started the trailer with a tease of Lucky the Pizza Dog, which is the perfect way to get our attention. It seems he will also have a larger role in the story and hang around. Sadly, it looks like the wait will be a bit longer, as Hawkeye won’t be playable until March 18th. He will release alongside the next-gen version of the game. It will continue where Kate Bishop’s operation left off, which will throw the archer into the future against Maestro. They confirm in the video that it continues its first season into its second chapter, so this story arc has just begun. The trailer also reveals Old Man Hawkeye will have a role in the story, which might also explain how the archer ended up collapsing t the end of the last storyline. The wait might still take some time, but I cannot wait to play as the archer.

    Source: Twitter, YouTube