Murphy's Multiverse

Category: News

  • Marvel Studios Makes a Title Change to Another 2025 Film

    Marvel Studios Makes a Title Change to Another 2025 Film

    As part of the cast reveal on Valentine’s Day 2024, Marvel Studios made a tiny change to the title of their Fantastic Four film. Introduced in 2019 as Fantastic Four, the Matt Shakman-led project- –which is set to begin principal photography this August–became The Fantastic Four. As changes go, adding an article to the beginning of the title is pretty minor; however, a change is a change and the news is the news. In that regard, it’s worth pointing out that Marvel Studios has  made another minor, but interesting change, to the title of another 2025 film.

    After quite a few delays as part of Disney’s 2023 slate shuffles, filming is finally underway on the Jake Schreier-helmed Thunderbolts project. In a surprise but welcomed move, star Florence Pugh took to social media to post a “sneaky” video from the set of the project. During her trip around the stage, Pugh bumped into Schreier whose director’s chair revealed a new logo and title for the film. Later, the video was reposted to social media by Marvel Studios apparently confirming that the film is now called Thunderbolts*.

    Again, as title changes go, placing an asterisk at the end of the pre-existing title is about as minor as it gets; however, it’s also fairly puzzling because it came with no explanation. Typically when placed at the end of a word, an asterisk indicates some sort of footnote is being cross-referenced. That does not seem to be the case here which leaves a little mystery around the minor change to the title. It’s possible the asterisk indicates some additional context is needed to understand the title of the film which is also the title of the team of antiheros who undertake a secret mission in the film. Given all the online hubbub about one purported explanation for how the team gets the name, it’s possible that the asterisk is indeed a reference to how the team chooses its moniker.

    As for the video itself, it’s fairly harmless and other than a quick peek at the vault in which Lewis Pullman‘s Robert Reynolds is being held at the beginning of the film, it doesn’t give away much. However, it’s part of a welcome change in the way Marvel Studios has gone about the business of revealing information about their projects for quite some time. It cleverly takes advantage of Marvel well-known and incredibly obnoxious secrecy on set and gives fans a little reason to be excited which ultimately builds hype for the project.

    Thunderbolts* is currently slated to be in theaters on May 2, 2025.

  • Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    A fourth film in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise has always been a certainty. The same day that Spider-Man: No Way Home released in theaters in 2021, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, attempted to put fans at ease by assuring them that he and producer Amy Pascal had already begun collaborating on the next installment in the the highly successful franchise.

    Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home.

    -Kevin Feige

    2022 was chock full of rumors and speculation about whether or not Holland signed a new contract to reprise the dual roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man but entirely devoid of any news about a new film. 2023, on the other hand, was full of news and rumors with Feige revealing that the film’s unidentified writers had begun “putting pen to paper” having cracked the story for Spidey 4 which scoopers have said could revolve around anything from a street-level Civil War pitting Spidey and his amazing friends against Kingpin to a blockbuster full of Multiversal madness. While the WGA slowed the development of that script, a new report claims that not only has the project picked up steam, but also that it’ll be ready to enter production much sooner than most people believed possible.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Marvel Studios and Sony are hoping to begin principal photography on Spider-Man 4 this Fall, targeting a September/October start.

    According to Sneider, the time frame fits with the increasingly stuffed schedule of franchise co-star Zendaya, whose commitment to Spidey will not coincide with a delay in production on HBO’s highly successful series, Euphoria. Should cameras indeed roll on Spidey 4 this Fall, it’s possible that the film could hit theaters in 2025, though with Avatar 3 slated for a December 19, 2025 release, 2026 does seem more likely. Interestingly enough, Sony has June 27, 2026 already set aside for an Untitled Marvel movie which would keep the film in theaters for the Fourth of July weekend which Sony seems to prefer.

  • ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    It’s no secret that a good portion of Marvel Studios Deadpool and Wolverine will take place in The Void. Introduced in Season 1 of Loki, The Void is a massive space located at the end of time where people, places and things end up when they or their timelines are pruned by the TVA. It’s a fun concept that allowed for the Law of Conservation of Mass to remain intact even in a wild sci-fi romp like Loki; however, once pruned Variants end up there, they have to contend with the trans-temporal entity Alioth, a construct of Kang’s who feasts on those sent to The Void. It’s a scary place to be sure but it’s definitely survivable and it looks as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce a slew of Variants who have done just that. Now, some new promo art for the film gives a pretty clear picture of who some of the Variants who occupy the Void will be.

    A piece of art making its way around social media found an interesting way to tease five total Deadpool Variants, including three that haven’t been revealed until now.

    Embedded in the classic “SNIKT” of Wolverine, a baby version of Wade Wilson and Variants, Kidpool, Deadpool, Dogpool and Headpool can be seen, left to right. Those are certainly not the only Variants we’ll see in the movie (Lady Deadpool is noticeably absent) but it does seem as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce some version of the Deadpool Corps. In the comics, the Deadpool Corps was a team of alternate-universe versions of Deadpool that assembled to take on a multiversal threat. That sounds pretty much what they’re likely to do in Deadpool and Wolverine where they will have to take on, Cassandra Nova, the deranged twin of Charles Xavier.

    Deadpool and Wolverine is set to hit theaters on July 26th!

    Source: X

  • ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ Confirmed as Sacred Timeline Canon, May Feature an Iron Fist

    With praise gushing forth from all corners of the internet for X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation finds itself in the catbird seat. Following an improved second season of What If…?, X-Men ’97 is the first of three animated series slated to stream on Disney Plus in 2024 and has fans buzzing about the possibility that Marvel Studios May not be dead after all.

    Though no release date has been revealed yet, Eyes of Wakanda has already caught the attention of fans. First announced at the What If…? Season 2 premiere, the animated series produced by Ryan Coogler will tell the story of “brave warriors” who “throughout Wakandan history have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts.” Other than that, little was know about the show but that’s changed now thanks to Marvel exec Brad Winderbaum.

    In am interview with Men’s Health, Winderbaum revealed quite a bit of new information about the series, including where it fits into the sometimes confusing Multiversal continuity. According to Winderbaum, Eyes of Wakanda “fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity.” Winderbaum also confirmed that the series had been directed by Todd Harris which also seems to have confirmed an interesting rumor about the series.

    In 2022, we learned that Harris was creating an animated series about “a secret society of humanoid aliens living on earth dispatches a team of spies across the world to collect a series of missing artifacts that threaten to influence mankind…” and that the series would feature a Mandarin-speaking character named “Jin.” The strong similarities between the official description of Eyes of Wakanda and the original description of Harris‘ show are obvious and further information about Jin seems to mesh nicely with a very interesting rumor about Eyes of Wakanda.

    Scooper CWGST shared a rumor that Eyes of Wakanda would introduce an Iron Fist by the name of Janora, an original character created just for the show, who would be working with a Wakanda named Basha. This lines up nicely with the information we shared in 2022 that indicated “Jin” was a “Chinese warrior” and “perhaps the best trained martial artist in the world.” Her story begins, it seems, when another character named “Bosco” steals one of the series’ MacGuffin artifacts. Connect the dots and it sounds like Basha may head to K’un Lun to retrieve some type of Vibranium artifact and then find himself at odds with Janora.

    Though we can’t confirm the connection, combined with our old Connecting Imaginary Dots piece,the new information seems to support the rumor that Eyes of Wakanda will feature an Iron Fist. Should it all work out, that Iron Fist will show up in the third episode of the series, as per the original information. Either way, it sounds like Eyes of Wakanda is lining up to be a blast!

    Source: Men’s Health

  • ‘The Acolyte’ Provides the First Look at the High Republic Era

    ‘The Acolyte’ Provides the First Look at the High Republic Era

    As Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker, before the formation of the Empire, the Jedi Knights served as the “guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic” for “over a thousand generations.” While the order ultimately fell apart, they had a great run but fans of the galaxy far, far away have never seen them at their peak.

    While the prequels at least showed the order intact and in action, their hubris has already cemented their downfall. What’s been seen onscreen so far, in both films and series, is an order far removed from the glory days of the Jedi, which is why there’s been some serious excitement brewing around Lucasfilm’s latest D+ streaming series, The Acolyte. For the first time, fans will see the order outside of the Skywalker Saga timeline, providing some interesting opportunities to compare and contrast.

    Set in the High Republic era 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte will center around an investigation into a shocking crime spree which pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.

    Disney revealed the first look at the new series today, providing the first ever live-action glimpse at the shape of the galaxy during the High Republic.

    Created by Leslye Headland, The Acolyte stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss. The series is set to debut on Disney Plus with two-episoses streaming on June 4th.

  • ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    Though it seems highly unlikely that Danny Ramirez‘s Joaquin Torres will evolve into a vampiric falcon-human hybrid anytime soon in the MCU, he’s certainly due for an upgrade. Having been given Sam Wilson’s EX0-7 Falcon suit in the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Air Force First Lieutenant Torres is ready to step into the world of superheroics in Captain America: Brave New World.

    Set photos from last May gave fans a very low-res and very unrevealing glimpse of Torres’ new and improved Falcon suit but now some promotional art for the film, similar to the recent art of Tim Blake Nelson’s The Leader, provides clear look at one of the upgrades.

    As is the case in the comics, Torres will be sporting a full helmet in Captain America: Brave New World and that helmet is front and center in the artwork. The image also confirms that the MCU’s new Falcon will be decked out in an all-new, all-different color scheme that is consistent with the character’s recent look in the comics.

    With Captain America: Brave New World set to undergo some significant additional photography this summer, fans may be treated to more set photos which could come with a better glimpse of the suit. Rumors have circulated that the scenes from which the set photos linked above were captured have been removed from the film which means Torres will have to find another reason to break out his new gear.

    Captain America: Brave New World is currently slated to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Release Date Officially Revealed

    ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Release Date Officially Revealed

    Lucasfilm’s Star Wars streaming series have been fairly successful with The Mandalorian and Ahsoka leading the way. With the third and final season of the animated series, The Bad Batch, underway, the studio is beginning to turn its attention to their next project: The Acolyte.

    Set during the High Republic era, the events of The Acolyte will reportedly take place nearly 100 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Rumors has recently swirled about when it may drip on Disney Plus but now, thanks to a new poster released by Disney, fans can finally mark their calendar.

    The series is now confirmed to debut on June 4th! Much like Ahsoka, it looks as though new episodes of The Acolyte will release on Tuesday nights. With a trailer expected tomorrow, fans will finally get a first look at the project and the High Republic era in live-action.

    Updating…

  • Marvel Exec Shares Disappointing News about Long-Developing Project

    Marvel Exec Shares Disappointing News about Long-Developing Project

    In 2014, the Nova Corps were introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy. Operating from the planet Xandar, the MCU’s Corps worked as space cops and ultimately stored the Power Stone in their HQ. Though the fate of the Corps and the planet is unknown, Thanos was able to get his hands on the stone so it’s unlikely it was a happy ending. At the time Avengers: Infinity War premiered in 2018, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, told Comic Book that the Nova Corps most powerful hero, known as Nova, was one of a handful of Marvel characters who had “immediate potential” in terms of joining the MCU. Nearly 6 years later, the character still hasn’t joined the fray and some new comments from one of the MCU’s top dogs indicate he’s likely not going to enter the mix for some time.

    In a new interview with Comic Book, Marvel’s head of streaming, animation, and television Brad Winderbaum confirmed the incredibly well-known and widely-reported fact that a Nova project was in development at Marvel Studios before gently letting on that it’s not going to be something fans will see any time soon.

    “We love Nova. We are in really early development on Nova,” explained Winderbaum, confirming trade reports from two years ago which revealed that Moon Knight scribe Sabir Pirzada was working on the project. Winderbaum then went on to detail the oft-discussed changes in the way studios like Marvel Studios go about their business since Bob Iger’s return to Disney and made it pretty clear that fans shouldn’t be trying to slate Nova into their hypothetical calendars anytime soon.

    “We have a new system behind-the-scenes at Marvel Studios,” Winderbaum said. “We’re more like a traditional studio now. We’re developing more than we actually will produce. There are plans to develop Nova. I love Nova, too. I love Rich Rider, too. I hope it gets to the screen. The world is always chaos. There’s always things. You gotta conjure these things to make them happen but I would love to see a Nova show, one day.”

    Taken in their totality, Winderbaum’s response to the question about the status of a Nova project could hardly be regarded as optimistic. The studio is cutting back on new projects and focusing more on “sure things” and producing more projects within currently existing and successful franchises. Given that it’s been a decade since the Nova Corps made an impact in an MCU film, it’s possible Richard Rider’s time to shine has come and gone without so much as a cameo, Easter egg or wasted post-credit scene and whatever “immediate potential” he had in 2018 has waned. For now, it seems all fans of the character have is just a series of bad fan fiction about how the character could have joined the MCU in a genuinely organic way.

    Source: Comic Book

  • DC Studios Developing a Live-Action ‘Teen Titans’ Film

    DC Studios Developing a Live-Action ‘Teen Titans’ Film

    As production gets underway on the DCU’s first film, Superman, another of DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran’s future projects has been revealed. According to THR, DC Studios is developing a Teen Titans film, which will be produced as a live-action film.

    THR reports that the film is currently being written by Ana Nogueira, the scribe behind the studio’s upcoming Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

    The Teen Titans were first introduced into the pages of DC Comics in the 1960s. The makeup of the roster has undergone some changes over the years but Dick Grayson and Wally West have been semi-permanent fixtures. Characters such as Aqualad, Wonder Girl, Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg have also been part of the team with the latter three most well-known as part of the roster because of the animated series, Teen Titans Go! Recently, the team debuted in live-action in Titans, a multi-season Max series that didn’t click for most fans or critics.

    Teen Titans joins Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Booster Gold and Swamp Thing as films known to be in development as DC Studios plots a new course for some of comics greatest heroes.

    Source: THR

  • Tom Hardy’s Next ‘Venom’ Film Gets a New Title and Release Date

    Tom Hardy’s Next ‘Venom’ Film Gets a New Title and Release Date

    As Venom 3 resumed filming in November following the Hollywood strikes, star Tom Hardy celebrated the restart of production in an Instagram post in which he referred to the film as “The Last Dance.” As one might expect, that kicked off rampant speculation that the third installment in Sony’s Venom franchise would be subtitled as such. Now, it’s official.

    Sony officially revealed the film’s full title, Venom: The Last Dance, alongside a new, earlier release date for the threequel. Originally slated for a November 8, 2024 release, the film will now hit theaters on October 25, 2024.

    Starring Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Clark Backo, the film is expected to follow the Lethal Protector as he returns from his brief visit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and embarks on some ridiculous, new adventure. Following the theatrical travesty of Madame Web, we can all only hope that “The Last Dance” is more than just a subtitle and a promise that they’ll stop making horseshit Marvel movies.

    Source: Variety