Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Batwoman’ Showrunner Carline Dries Confirms Black Mask for the Second Season

    ‘Batwoman’ Showrunner Carline Dries Confirms Black Mask for the Second Season

    Batwoman is about to shake things up with its upcoming season. Javicia Leslie is taking over the mantle with her original character Ryan Wilder after Kate Kane has gone missing. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Caroline Dries discussed what we can expect from the second season, most notably, the villains that will make Wilder’s life quite complicated. In it, she reveals that a fan-favorite of Batman’s rogue gallery will make his CW premiere.

    We have a couple big bads this season. One, [who] we teed up midway through last season, is this woman Safiyah, and she’s sort of Alice’s Achilles’ Heel. And ultimately yes with the False Face Society, we will see the leader of this gang as Black Mask later on in the season

    It seems that the False Face Society will have a larger role throughout the series, as they will be responsible for their drug dealing. According to Dries, a big aspect of Wilder’s character is tied to it. At one point, she was in a relationship with someone who did drugs, which got her in jail. As such, she has a very personal vendetta against anyone pushing drugs in Gotham.

    So far, they have not named who exactly is playing Black Mask. Shivaani Ghai is playing one of the big bad, Safiyah. Alice (Rachel Skarsten) is set to return as well, who might be on the hunt to find out what happened to her sister. So far, there is no exact casting announced for Black Mask, but we could get some info as we near the show’s premiere. Ewan McGregor just recently played the character of Black Mask in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, so some viewers might be familiar with the mask-wearing mafia boss once Batwoman returns on January 17th.

    Source: EW

  • ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Emma Caulfield Joins ‘WandaVision’

    ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Emma Caulfield Joins ‘WandaVision’

    WandaVision is so close, we can almost taste it. Friday will be the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s major return since July 2019’s release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Yes, the wait has been really long, but Marvel Studios is about to return in style. It will be their first time attempting a television show. They also are looking into expanding the franchise in creative ways, such as the upcoming show forcing our favorite power couple to relive old sitcom shows. With only four more days to go, the news seemed to just get started with a variety of teases during the show’s press junket. Well, it looks like one more casting has been revealed to build up more hype. Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Emma Caulfield took to Twitter to announce that she was cast in the series.

    Of course, she doesn’t give away any hints about who exactly she might be playing. Caulfield has been in a variety of projects since her last appearance on Buffy in 2003. She made some appearances in Disney’s Once Upon a Time, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, and even CW’s Supergirl. Of course, many will remember her from her run as Anyanka Jenkins/Emerson from 1998 until 2003 on the Sarah Michelle Gellar-led series. Her addition could be connected to set photos that we saw a while back featuring someone in a blonde wig. So, she may have a bigger role than we think. Right now, anything is possible with the show, so it’ll be interesting to see how all these pieces come together once it starts airing this Friday.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Delayed Until October 2021

    ‘Morbius’ Delayed Until October 2021

    It’s not looking too good for the early 2021 releases right now. we’ve already gotten the first signs, as Marvel Studios and Disney are starting to potentially consider moving Black Widow to streaming services earlier today. Warner Bros.’ decision to pursue a simultaneous streaming and theatrical release might be paying off after all, as some more releases are getting postponed. The latest delay is Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spin-off Morbius. It seems the Jared Leto-led project has been pushed back from March 19th until October 8th of this year.

    Originally, the film was meant to release July 31st, which already saw a three-week delay at the time. It looks like most of Sony’s films are going to see another delay, such as Uncharted, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Connected, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and many more. Of course, it also could mean that Spider-Man‘s third entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may also face a delay into 2022.

    The studio has already faced many delays, but the 2021 film slate is slowly piling on more than it may handle. Even if things start returning to normal throughout 2021, there is no guarantee that people are willing to return to theaters. There is a sense of uncertainty that will still linger, which will certainly impact the 2021 Box Office. Even Wonder Woman 1984 was not able to keep its momentum and crashed in its second weekend. We will see if Sony’s delays will really benefit them in the long-term, as avoiding any streaming alternative might end up hurting their business long-term. We’ll see if any other projects might also get delayed in the coming weeks.

    Source: Variety, Slash FIlm

  • Latest ‘WandaVision’ Preview Adds to the Show’s Core Mystery

    Latest ‘WandaVision’ Preview Adds to the Show’s Core Mystery

    Something interesting is happening on the official WandaVision Instagram account: old posts are changing! Specifically, the first of six nine-image grids uploaded of the different TV sets posted back on December 29, which originally featured an image of Wanda and Vision in the 1950s on the TV set in the middle has had that picture replaced by a video clip from the show’s first episode:

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZLE3Cg8Qr/

    The clip shows Vision (in his android form) noticing a heart drawn on a specific calendar date while asking Wanda about it. They believe that whatever the heart signifies could be important, but it’s clear that neither knows what that is (and they can’t admit it to each other). It may mark the couple’s anniversary, even though a previously-released preview showed them discuss that they have none. It could be that one of them noted their anniversary but managed to forget at some point. We also know the two host a dinner party in the first episode, so that could be the event marked by the heart. The wacky antics of forgetting about hosting guests for dinner and scrambling to work things out so none will the wiser certainly fits perfectly with the typical wacky antics of a 1950s sitcom.

    It also plays into something that got mentioned in the synopsis of the first episode. There is a chance this will surely be an essential part of the plot as the series moves forward: Wanda and Vision are in this idyllic world, but they can’t recall how they got there or their history within it. Perhaps the heart is connected to the overall mystery of the sitcom world. Something that is also noteworthy about the Instagram setup with the nine-image grid pictures is that today is the Monday of WandaVisions premiere week for which the 1950’s image changed into a video.

    There are five other TV grids posted on the account, but only three more days between now and Friday. Only three of the other pictures feature a picture of Wanda and Vision. I think Marvel will publish a 1960s clip on Tuesday, the 1980s will be on Wednesday, and Thursday will round it out with the 2000s before the first two episodes drop on Disney+ Friday. Be sure to check back here at Murphy’s Multiverse for more WandaVision updates as we head closer and closer to its launch!

    Source: Instagram

  • Frank Grillo Confirms Crossbones Return in ‘What If’

    Frank Grillo Confirms Crossbones Return in ‘What If’

    All eyes are on the upcoming Disney+ series. WandaVision is going to finally air this Friday. Falcon and the Winter Soldier is eyeing a release in March before Loki takes over in May. Those aren’t all the shows we can expect this year. 2021 is going to be huge for Marvel Studios after last year’s hiatus. Among them, What If is going to be their first venture into animation. The series is set to re-explore the films from the first three phases, but with a twist. They have teased that a wide variety of MCU actors will return to voice the characters they made iconic. Well, it looks like one more is joining the fray.

    In an interview with Collider’s Steven Weintraub, actor Frank Grillo revealed that he will be involved with the upcoming What If project. Of course, he didn’t give away what we can expect from his return as Crossbones, but he did give us a hint for how many episodes he’ll be around.

    CAA called, my agents called and said, ‘They’re doing this thing, What If…?, and they have four or five episodes planned out, you can do it all in one [day].’ I’m like, ‘Whatever, I don’t care what the money [is], it doesn’t matter, yes I’m going to do it. Absolutely. All day, every day.’

    Grillo‘s enthusiasm is certain infections. We still don’t know much about What If, which primarily seems to focus on different scenarios with simple twists. So far, we’ve seen an evil Doctor Strange, Peggy Carter replacing Steve Rogers, and a Zombie Captain America. There is a good chance he is involved with the Zombie episode, which could be connected to Crossbones bio-weapon that was originally meant to kill Cap during Captain America: Civil War. At this point, it is just pure speculation, but it certainly is going to be exciting to see how they’ll twist our understanding of the stories we’ve spent so much time with in the last twelve years.

    Source: Collider

  • Joe Barton Joins ‘The Batman’ Spin-Off ‘Gotham Central’ as Showrunner

    Joe Barton Joins ‘The Batman’ Spin-Off ‘Gotham Central’ as Showrunner

    Fans are eagerly anticipating their next look at Matt Reeve’s upcoming film The Batman. It’s currently in production and should wrap-up within the coming months. Yet, even before this film hits theaters, Reeves is going all-in on his new version of Gotham. Last year, we got the confirmation that Matt Reeves had teamed up with Boardwalk Empire’s Terrence Winter. They were working together on a prequel series titled Gotham Central. It will release exclusively on HBO Max. The project would focus on the corruption within the GCPD during Batman’s first year of crusading in Gotham.

     

     

    A few months after this news broke, we got word that showrunner and writer, Terrence Winter, had departed the project over creative differences with Matt Reeves. It gave many fans an awry feeling towards the project, as it may have delayed it by quite a bit. It seems the project is back on as Joe Barton, creator of Giri/Haji, has officially joined the project as showrunner and executive producer.

    The project comes from Reeve‘s With 6th and Idaho Production company and is the first spin-off set within this new Gotham City. It won’t connect to previous projects, as it will explore an independent storyline from the rest of the DCEU. Although no casting was announced, the project has assembled some familiar faces, such as The Batman producer Dylan Clark, who will also be serving as Executive producer alongside Daniel Pipski and Adam Kassan.

    Source: Deadline

  • Disney May Be Considering ‘Black Widow’ Disney+ Premium Access After All

    Disney May Be Considering ‘Black Widow’ Disney+ Premium Access After All

    The pandemic hasn’t been easy on Hollywood. Most of their 2020 releases got delayed as it was uncertain if worldwide quarantines would end anytime soon. Yet, there is the question if people would be willing to return to cinemas as long as that uncertainty remained. Marvel Studios had to push back its entire Phase 4 slate by a year. Most of the releases have been shifted around as a result as well. One of those releases was Black Widow. 

    It was supposed to kick off Phase 4 in May of last year only to get postponed into 2021. Now, WandaVision is officially taking over that duty in the next few days. Even after all this time, the pandemic still looms over our heads. Studios, as well as theaters, are still reeling from the heavy losses of 2020. So, there was still hope to hold the 2021 release dates. It seems that the latest strategy with Raya and the Last Dragon may be signaling a new direction after all.

     

     

    Raya will premiere in March simultaneously on Disney+ Premium Access and theaters. It isn’t too dissimilar from how Warner Bros. currently has mapped out their entire 2021 release plan. Still, Disney has denied that any such whispers but happened, but we’ve seen them deny such claims once before. Pixar’s Soul went through a similar development before getting released on Disney+. It’s not an easy decision for Disney, as constantly postponing their releases doesn’t help their current plans. It leaves many to wonder if Disney would be willing to pull the trigger and risk it all with a Hollywood blockbuster such as Black Widow come May 2021. Right now, there are too many factors to say if theaters will return to what they once were by May.

    Source: Variety (Raya), Variety (2021)

  • Square-Enix Trademarks Teasing ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ Sequel or Spin-Offs

    Square-Enix Trademarks Teasing ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake’ Sequel or Spin-Offs

    It’s looking like this week will be dominated by Marvel, as we all anticipate the upcoming release of WandaVision. It seems like it isn’t the only thing happening this week, as Square-Enix has been quite busy as well. They had a big year in 2020. They released a remake of one of their most famous games, Final Fantasy VII, which was only the beginning of its return. The remake only centered on the Midgar arc, which was around four to five hours in the original. Of course, to make it an entire game, they’ve added new details and characters from the expanded compendium. It wasn’t until we saw the ending that we would come to realize that Final Fantasy VII Remake was more than what we may have initially bargained with.

    The ending took a very different direction, which left us with many questions. Zack Fair, one of the main characters from the original, somehow managed to change his fate. It kind of implied that he may have a larger role in the future of this new franchise. Well, it seems that there are plans with him, as Square-Enix has just filed trademarks for “The First Soldier” and “Ever Crisis”. They also trademarked a new Shinra Electric Power Company logo, the primary antagonist of the remake.

    The first trademark is connected to SEPC’s SOLDIER program that gave Zack and Cloud superhuman abilities. What makes it significant, however, is the first SOLDIER was Sephiroth. So, it may tease that he will have some kind Now, Ever Crisis is rather interesting, as it could tease a spin-off focuses on Zack, just like the prequel Before Crisis did. The new SEPC visual can be closely connected to the ending reveal from Final Fantasy VII Remake. Most of us were focusing on the upcoming sequel, so the potential of spin-offs is surprising. We’ll see if these trademarks might have some ties to the game’s direct sequel, especially with them trademarking new visuals. It is still good to know that some development is happening with the franchise, and I cannot wait for an official reveal of how they are moving forward with this franchise.

    Source: Gematsu

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘X-Men’ Still Being Actively Discussed

    Marvel Studios’ ‘X-Men’ Still Being Actively Discussed

    Disney Investor’s Day was filled to the brim with major announcements. We got the reveal of some new Disney+ shows, such as Secret Invasion and Armor Wars. However, probably the biggest surprise was the announcement of a Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four film. There was still no sign of their take on the X-Men, however. We do have the confirmation that Deadpool, who is closely tied to the franchise, will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his upcoming third film, but no word if we can expect, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and all the other mutants to make their appearance any time soon. Now, with the WandaVision press junket underway, ScreenRant used this chance to ask him if there is anything he can say about the franchise:

    You know how much I love the X-Men. I already said that’s where I started. I can’t tell you anything before we actually announced it, but rest assured, the discussions have been long and ongoing internally.

    Well, it looks like there is still some time before they will explore that aspect of the MCU. It does make sense, as they will not want to rush these characters out while they map out what will make their version of the characters unique from 20th Century Fox’s run. There is also the question if they will focus on the Inhumans for a few years, who might make their reappearance in the upcoming Ms. Marvel Disney+ show. There has been no confirmation on their appearance, however, so anything is still possible. WandaVision may also open up the introduction of mutants, as there were teases that the Mind Stone released dormant abilities within Wanda. Whatever Marvel Studios decides, it is good they are not rushing out the characters after only just getting the rights. There is a chance some of them might make cameo appearances early on before rolling out into their own film. Marvel’s future is bright, so why rush it now.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Kevin Feige Teases Multiple Seasons For Upcoming Disney+ Shows

    Kevin Feige Teases Multiple Seasons For Upcoming Disney+ Shows

    We are only a few days away from WandaVision finally airing. It’ll be the first in a wide variety of new shows that will kick-off Marvel Studios’ expansion into long-form storytelling. At first glance, it seemed like they were focusing more on mini-series than trying to focus on a yearly seasonal turnout. Disney+ is no stranger to it, as The Mandalorian just released its second season. However, that show also proved how flexible the streaming service is, as the upcoming third season will release later after a new show titled The Book of Boba Fett takes over its yearly release date. So, it made us wonder if Marvel Studios may embrace multiple seasons after all. Luckily, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed this is very much a possibility:

    It will vary. There are some shows that have been built to further expand our storytelling and then go into features. We’ve already announced Lizzie Olsen being a part of “Doctor Strange 2.” We’ve announced Teyonah Parris being part of “Captain Marvel 2.” There are some shows that, while always interconnected, are being built with multiple seasons in mind. So it’ll vary the way a lot of I think great TV now varies, whether it’s a couple of years between seasons of “Game of Thrones” or “Stranger Things,” or one offs like — what did I just watch? — “Queen’s Gambit.” One of the fun things about streaming is the rules are loose, which allows for you to just follow creatively, where you want to go.

    Sadly, Feige is as tight-lipped as ever and did not give away which season could potentially be mapped out with multiple seasons. Interestingly enough, almost a whole year ago, our very own Charles Murphy did break the news that Loki was very likely to get a second season. It seemed like many of the lead and supporting roles were given options to return. A few days ago, the news broke that Loki showrunner Michael Waldron was also inking up a massive deal with Disney that would include a potential second season. So, it seems very likely that at least the God of Mischief was going to explore this. As Feige points out, they aren’t as restricted with their seasonal turn-out so they will adapt each show’s future season to fit within the overarching storyline, as they switch between Disney+ and feature films. So, we’ll see if WandaVision, Hawkeye, and the many other series might also return for multiple seasons.

    Source: Variety