Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • ‘Titans’: First Look at Starfire’s New Design

    ‘Titans’: First Look at Starfire’s New Design

    The third season of DC’s Titans is finally in production after a significant delay due to the ongoing pandemic. Fans have been clamoring for more info regarding the next season and were recently fed quite well with the reveal of Jason Todd’s Red Hood. There was also the hope that other characters get a much-needed upgrade to their design. Fans were especially hoping that Starfire, who has been one of the show’s standout characters, would finally get a comic-accurate costume. Anna Diop was once set to receive a suit back in the scrapped finale of the first season, which was seen in leaked footage.

    Starfire first appeared in the series was involved with quite a bit of controversy regarding her overall design and Diop‘s casting in the role. Of course, once we saw her act, she made the role her own. Now, over the past few days, we’ve been receiving teases similar to that of the Red Hood reveal. Yet, this time, we’re given pieces of the concept art for the outfit for Starfire’s new look. Finally, we got the first look, and it seems they are going for an armored look that incorporates the classic purple and green.

     

    Titans season 3 is currently in production and has no release date. It will premiere its third season on HBO Max after DC Universe became a digital comic library. The first two seasons of the series are now streaming exclusively on HBO Max. So, you should have more than enough time to catch up before the next one starts with the arrival of Red Hood and Starfire’s sister, Blackfire. Hopefully, fan-favorites Beast Boy and Raven also the redesign that they deserve. Seriously, poor Gar’s been wearing the same hoodie for two seasons now.

    Source: Twitter

  • Square-Enix’s ‘The World Ends With You’ Sequel Announced

    Square-Enix’s ‘The World Ends With You’ Sequel Announced

    I spent a lot of time when I was younger playing games on my Nintendo DS. I am a big fan of Role-Playing Games, and the handheld console was a haven for a variety of new entries into the genre. One action-RPG stood out among the rest The World Ends With You. The game released back in 2007 and featured some stunning artwork by Tetsuya Nomura, who many might recognize as the mind behind Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy VII. It was a unique entry that played out like an urban fantasy, where a bunch of kids had to survive a dangerous game in the shopping district of Tokyo. Now, after almost 13 years, we got the announcement to a sequel titled NEO: The World Ends with You.

     

     

    NEO: The World Ends with You is the follow-up to the hit action role-playing game The World Ends with You.

    NEO: The World Ends with You transports players to the streets of the Shibuya, where they will take part in the “Reapers’ Game,” a life-or-death battle for survival. Players will take on the role of Rindo as they explore the heart of Tokyo to uncover the mysteries behind the sinister Game in which they have been forced to take part.

    NEO: The World Ends with You brings a re-creation of modern Shibuya to life in a unique and comic-inspired style. Players can explore and enjoy the sights, sounds, and culture of this bustling city, fight monsters alongside their ally companions in fast-paced action battles, and complete missions as they seek to change the fate they’ve been handed.

    The Reaper’s Game returns with a brand new group of teenagers having to survive Shibuya. The biggest surprise is that the game retains its original art style, but most of the gameplay has moved from 2D to the third dimension. It seems like they managed to translate the visuals from the original, but it will be interesting to see how they implemented the gameplay. In the original, you moved and fought using your stylus pen. The timing of this announcement is also to build up hype for next year’s anime adaptation of the original game. It is great to see this iconic franchise make a return, as the only reference we got was the appearance of Neku and the gang in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. It’ll be interesting to see how this game will work in a new dimension for a new generation.

    Source: Gematsu, YouTube, IGN

  • Disney Preparing for Disney+ Star Announcement

    Disney Preparing for Disney+ Star Announcement

    A while back, we got the news that Disney was looking into expanding into European territories with a brand new brand. In their acquisition of Fox, they also gained the brand Hotstar, which is an Indian streaming service. Instead of having to establish Hulu outside of the U.S., they seemed to decide to use an existing streaming service branding to offer content for 18+ audiences. Disney+’s biggest issue is that it is purely restricted to PG-13 as it has a family-friendly focus. You can actually check their official site hotstar.com which confirms that they are expanding into Europe.

    This expansion was teased by CEO Bob Chapek a while back, but it was uncertain if Hotstar would just be known as “Star” and act as an independent streaming service. Yet, the question got answered once Disney+ Hotstar became the new branding for the original service. We were waiting for some announcement as most hints pointed to the upcoming Investor’s Day event being their target. Well, it looks like they are already preparing for the upcoming event. They have already set-up their Social Media accounts, our very own John Sabato found it on Instagram.

     

     

    It is great to see this story finally pan out. We first heard the news of this development back in August. We put together some of the pieces of the puzzle, as Disney+ was implementing a PIN code of some kind. This development also confirms that Star will potentially replace Hulu in non-US territories. The only question remains if this is a unique streaming service or something you can access as someone who owns Disney+. There is still a good chance they are just preparing everything for Investor’s Day, so we won’t have an official word until then. It’ll be really interesting to see what this means for the streaming service’s future. It has seen exponential growth with 73 million subscribers, which is beyond their early estimates. Once they add a new layer of content for older audiences, they might see another push. It will all depend on how exactly they market it, and if you have to pay extra to access it.

    Source: Hotstar, The Verge, TechCrunch

  • ‘SHE-HULK’, ‘MOON KNIGHT’ Targeting March 2021 Starts

    ‘SHE-HULK’, ‘MOON KNIGHT’ Targeting March 2021 Starts

    Kevin Feige and his creative team at Marvel Studios have made a priority of developing and producing high-quality content for Disney Plus. As we inch near FINALLY being able to see the first fruits of their labor when WandaVision streams in January, work has been completed on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, continues on with Loki, has begun on Ms. Marvel and is going to kick off on Hawkeye “after Thanksgiving.” With things seemingly on cruise control with that group, the studio has turned its attention to the final two series from the streaming services first Marvel Studios wave: She-Hulk and Moon Knight. Having landed their leads in Tatiana Maslany and Oscar Issac, the projects are now casting for supporting roles and, according to a new trade report, will kick off production in March of 2021.

    Everything We Know About Marvel's She-Hulk Disney+ Series << Rotten Tomatoes – Movie and TV News

    She-Hulk will introduce Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner, to the MCU. The studio is currently casting a handful of strong supporting roles for the series which will be comedy heavy and follow Walters’ as she navigates the world of superhero law while also partaking in some superheroing of her own.

    She-Hulk looks set for a lengthy production window. Originally planned to shoot for 8 months from August 2020-March 2021, it could now be looking at being in production in Atlanta for more than half of 2021 should they follow that same schedule when it kicks off production in late March.

    Marvel has found its Moon Knight

    While She-Hulk is being billed as a comedy, Moon Knight looks set to tackle some more serious issues, including the mental health of its lead, Marc Spector, and his multiple personalities. Imbued with powers by the Egyptian god Khonshu, the former mercenary becomes a street-level vigilante.

    Using London as its production HQ, Moon Knight will film in multiple European locations, including Budapest. Marvel Studios projects such as Black Widow and Eternals have followed similar production plans in the past.

    With these two projects now headed towards production, the studio has turned its attention to the next wave of streaming series. Kyle Bradstreet is currently writing a Samuel L. Jackson-led Nick Fury-centric series and I’ve heard that the studio has begun work on 2-3 other projects with Ironheart being mentioned by multiple sources. While we don’t have a lot of data points, it looks like the studio is pairing up projects when possible, so we could expect to hear about the partner series to Nick Fury before too long as the studio will want those up and running for production in mid-2021.

  • HBO Max’s ‘Green Lantern’ Audition Tapes Leaked

    HBO Max’s ‘Green Lantern’ Audition Tapes Leaked

    The HBO Max Green Lantern show is by far one of the most anticipated projects that’ll be coming to the streaming service. After last month’s announcement, many fans are on the edge of their seats waiting for any casting information on the show. The show’s cast of characters was confirmed to include the likes of Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz. They are also introducing an original character, Bree Jarta, who is half-human and half-alien. It seems like casting is indeed underway and could even possibly be finalized for some characters, as audition tapes have made their way online. Here are two that are offering fans a taste of what they can expect from the cast, such as Alan Scott and Bree Jarta.

    https://vimeo.com/479424933

     

    The scene features Jarta, who we can only assume is speaking with a Guardian or dispatch of some sort on Oa, as she attempts to talk her way onto a search mission for the Dominators. This sequence seems to follow what sounds like a hostage situation that resulted in multiple fatalities of other Lanterns. The audition tape would match the rumors that the Dominators will be one of the era’s antagonists.

     

    https://vimeo.com/479421679

    The second Jarta scene offers us a much better look into her character. She’s confronted some people in a local diner in Florida. It looks like her partner Guy Gardner may have provoked some. They are set to be the lanterns of the ’80s storyline in the show. They will likely be facing the Dominators throughout the show. It looks like the tension between the two will also play into it, as they definitely won’t be getting along. Their two personalities will clash throughout their story, as one is headstrong and the other hard-headed. The Guardians created a duo that’s sure to spark some problems down the road. The tape also highlights the racism that Jarta faces in the diner, as she notes the Confederate flags, the attitude of the waitress, and the glares she gets from other patrons. It’s great to see the show highlighting broader topics than just the usual clash between good and evil.

     

    https://vimeo.com/481429273

    The final tape features Alan Scott, who we know as the Green Lantern of the Golden Age. He is a founding member of the Justice Society of America. It does seem unlikely that he’ll be involved with them in this series. Since the first report, we’ve learned that Scott will be an LGBTQ character with his storyline taking place in the ’40s. Being a member of such a community could cost someone their life during that era. It also revealed that Scott is an active police officer and a rather good one at that. The press is interviewing him after he took down a local mob boss. We see how frantic Scott is when someone even jokes about him possibly being queer. Not even his Green Lantern ring can give him a feeling of safety in a time full of so much prejudice and discrimination.

    Green Lantern is set to begin filming sometime next year and will stream exclusively on HBO Max. The show will focus on several lanterns spanning decades, as each one faces a new threat, whether that be a personal one or on a galactic scale. The show is being written by Marc Guggenheim and Seth Grahame-Smith. It is yet another show to fall within Greg Berlanti’s umbrella of DC content that he’s amassed since the beginning of Arrow.

    Source: Vimeo (Alan Scott), Vimeo (Jarta 1), Vimeo (Jarta 2)

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Eyeing March Production Start

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Eyeing March Production Start

    Just recently, news broke about Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler tackling a live-action adaptation of The Pink Panther. It made us wonder what this could mean for the sequel featuring the blue blur. Well, luckily the preliminary production details have been released via the British Columbia Film Commission to tease what is to come. It looks like the film is scheduled to film between 15th March until 10th May 2021. So, we can expect some casting details earlier next year as the film enters production. It will film under the codename Emerald Hill with the in-house production company being given the title Red Energy Films. The first film had the codename Casino Night. The in-house production at the time was Hedgehog Films.

    There isn’t too much to go on for the upcoming production, but the naming choice of the in-house production company is rather interesting. Red Energy doesn’t give anything away but could tease the focus of the sequel. The color red is strongly associated with Knuckles the Echidna, whose race we saw briefly in the opening of the first film. It is the biggest mystery that hasn’t been answered, so there is a good chance this sequel will follow-up on it.

    Tails’ arrival at the end of the first Sonic the Hedgehog film could be a tease of the worlds colliding. I am curious which direction they will take, as they can either be inspired by Sonic Adventure‘s storyline that heavily featured the Echidnas or focuses on the Archie Comic storylines. There is also the question of how or if Robotnik will return as well. There are a lot of potential story directions they can take, so we’ll hopefully get some glimpses with future casting announcements.

    Source: Deadline, BCFC via Tails’ Channel

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases New Game+, Kate Bishop And More

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases New Game+, Kate Bishop And More

    After a short hiatus, we finally got a brand new Marvel’s Avengers developer stream. This time, they didn’t host it on their own Twitch channel but together with up-and-coming streamer Laajune. It is part of their new direction to work together with people from the community, which is a great move. Of course, this stream is right after the reveal of Kate Bishop, so a lot of people were wondering what is new and what can be expected from the game’s future. Of course, here is another quick rundown of the stream highlights:

     

    • They confirmed that New Game+ isn’t too much longer, as it is currently in bug testing. Now, keep in mind there is no real release date but, hopefully, we could see its addition around the same time Kate Bishop is released in December.
    • AIM Cloning Labs are sadly still in bug testing. The reason it is taking time is that it is a very complex system, so they want to make sure it works once they release it.
    • The reason they chose the Omega-Level threat naming is that they don’t believe it is complex enough to be called a raid.
    • Yes, AIM Labs and Kate Bishop will feature brand new and unique Exotics.
    • Speaking of Bishop, her Quantum abilities are not a new status effect on weapons. It is an element unique to her, but they did tease that new ones are going to be included in future content drops.

     

     

    • Her focus remains on ranged attacks, so she is comparable to Iron Man.
    • Kate’s DLC will expand existing hero‘s stories, which will evolve throughout the various expansions. It sounded like we can expect some unique heroic mission trees that follow-up on the Reassemble campaign.
    • Multiplayer Mega Hives are still in development.
    • They have been looking into concepts like leaderboards and clan creations. They are excited about playing with them in the future. Reworks are underway for the star rating to optimize it.
    • They acknowledge the game’s repetition and set it as their mission to change that with future content. Hawkeye’s DLC will include brand new environments that were teased in the trailer.
    • There was a mention of Hulk potentially being able to throw objects in the future.

     

     

    • The roadmap is waiting for internal approval so that they can release it. Crystal Dynamics confirmed that their teams have adjusted to having to work from home, so they are at a rhythm to get more precise with their work. They are also getting support from their companies to work from home.
    • They teased that there might be more to the short shot of the Circe Q drink at the end of the Kate Bishop Deep Dive.

    Ever since I saw the latest War Table, I have been excited to replay the campaign again. There was a brief question if we could replay the new missions, which hopefully will be confirmed. It would be a waste not to revisit these stories in the future, as they bring a lot of life and unique aspects to the game. We still have some time until Avengers’ first big character update is released, but I do hope we get some minor updates until then. There won’t be an official stream next week during Thanksgiving but we can expect more in the future. These are a great way to get a small look into what they are working on, as well as see what new projects they might be interested in tackling.

    Source: Twitch

  • Scott Cawthon Offers ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Film Update

    Scott Cawthon Offers ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Film Update

    Five Nights at Freddy’s is a fascinating franchise. The first entry started as the final project that Scott Cawthon wanted to do before leaving the franchise behind. Suddenly, the game was a massive success, and it started getting one sequel after sequel. Now, the franchise includes merchandise and even a long list of books that take place in a different canon. There was only one thing many of us were waiting for the announced Five Nights at Freddy’s movie. Well, ScottCawthon was working on a new script after the rights were passed on to Blumhouse Studio. We heard nothing on it for years until he suddenly took to Reddit to reveal some details on the script and project. It is quite a long update so don’t let the title mislead you, the film has not been canceled but is entering production soon.

    Bad news about the FNAF movie. 🙁
    byu/animdude infivenightsatfreddys

    Have to give it to him, the title is wonderfully misleading. So yes, the FNAF film is finally going to start shooting in Spring with Scott combining his various story ideas in one. The “Mike” naming of the screenplay is also interesting as Mike Schmidt was the name of the first game’s protagonist. It looks like he went through nine different scripts with some spinning off from the novel series. It is uncertain how the film will tie into the games or novels. They may be trying to set-up a third canon that isn’t bound by the game’s overall lore but will have similar elements.

    I think focusing on something closer to the first game would be a great way to introduce filmgoers to the franchise. Hopefully, they will also be using actual animatronics and not CGI, as it would add a great and unique element to the film. There is still a lot of hype around this franchise, as its next game Security Breach will be a PlayStation exclusive. I cannot wait to see Freddy and the gang in live-action in the coming years.

    Source: Polygon, Reddit

  • Marvel Studios Eyeing Tenoch Huerta for ‘Black Panther 2’

    Marvel Studios Eyeing Tenoch Huerta for ‘Black Panther 2’

    Black Panther is one of Marvel Studios’ biggest franchises from a financial and cultural standpoint. It was gearing up for the second entry before suddenly tragedy hit. T’Challa Chadwick Boseman has tragically passed away. It hit many that were involved with the project by surprise, as Boseman kept it very close to the chest. Of course, it opened up the question if they would postpone production until they can decide how to move forward. Well, it looks like they are still eyeing to start production next year. According to Hollywood Reporter, Black Panther 2 is preparing to shoot in Atlanta by July with around six months planned out.

    That is not all, as they also seem to be eyeing Tenoch Huerta to play one of the main villains. The Narcos: Mexico star would play one of the antagonists that will terrorize Wakanda. We still know nothing about the story currently, so it is difficult to pinpoint which character he might be playing. THR did highlight that Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Angela Bassett are all set to reprise their roles. There was an emphasis on Wright‘s role being expanded. There is currently still no set plan on how to move forward without Boseman.

    There was an interesting statement regarding their focus on Disney+. After all these years, they have their systems down for film production, but a lot of priority is set on the new streaming shows to adjust to this new extension of the franchise. The pandemic has certainly changed the company’s priorities as most of their film line-up was postponed by an entire year. It has been a heavy year and we will see what the future of the MCU brings, as they move forward with their projects.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘DEADPOOL 3’ A Go At Marvel Studios

    ‘DEADPOOL 3’ A Go At Marvel Studios

    Ryan Reynolds Merc with a Mouth is headed back to the big screen as Deadpool 3 is set to be the first of the former Fox properties to get the green light since being purchased by Disney.

    Deadpool' Movie Review: Ryan Reynolds as Masked Misanthrope | Time

    As reported by Deadline, writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Loeglin have been brought on board to pen the screenplay after meeting with Reynolds over the past month. While it’s still in the earliest of stages, this is great news for fans of the character who was last seen in 2018’s Deadpool 2. Reynolds has always been passionate about the character and it has always been clear that his Wade Wilson might be the only one who survives the merger.

    The Molyneux sisters are currently working as showrunners for the Fox TV series, The Great North, and have been the creative voice behind Bob’s Burgers. Deadpool 3 is expected to carry an R-rating which calls into question just where, if at all, it will fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At