Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • Sega Developing Live-Action ‘Yakuza’ Film

    Sega Developing Live-Action ‘Yakuza’ Film

    Sega has become synonymous with their Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. It has become their tentpole franchise even as the game’s quality has not been consistent. The character is so popular he got his own film back in February. While it didn’t have much competition, the film was a big hit and Sega is looking into future ventures on the silver screen. There is one franchise that is perfect for a live-action adaptation and that is Yakuza. In Japan, the series is better known as Ryū ga Gotoku, which means Like a Dragon.

    The 2005 franchise consists of seven main titles with various spin-offs. It follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a small-time member of the Dojima family. He takes the fall for the murder of the family’s patriarch and lands in prison for 10 years. 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep will be developing the live-action adaptation. They gave the following statement on the film’s production.

    Yakuza offers us a new playground in which to set compelling stories with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before. The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption.

    It makes sense with the franchise becoming a bestselling hit worldwide. Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande, and Joshua Long are attached as producers. Barmack pointed out that they will make use of their background in global storytelling. You can’t make a film about Yakuza without filming it in Japan to bring Kamurocho to life. The location is a fictionalized version of the real-world’s Kabukichō in Tokyo. It will be interesting to see who they attach as director. The franchise has its roots in Yakuza gang. dramas. The Outrage series could be a big influence on the film. It would be a dream if they get Takeshi Kitano involved with the project, who just finished the Outrage trilogy a few years ago.

    Source: Variety

  • RUMOR: ‘Moon Knight’ Currently Casting Two Major Roles

    RUMOR: ‘Moon Knight’ Currently Casting Two Major Roles

    Last week was quite the return to form for Marvel. We got a lot of news for She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. WandaVision finally got a trailer drop during the Emmys. The only show we barely know anything about is Moon Knight. There was a tease over on Murphy’s Law Podcast latest episode, so be sure to check it out. The last announced Disney+ show has been quiet for a while. Now, The Direct also got the exclusive that two more main roles are being filled. Keep in mind, these characters aren’t confirmed but going by the descriptions are being pinned down. First off, we have a character that sounds like Marc Spector’s best friend Jean-Paul DuChamp.

    20-40 (years old), White male. A stereotypical good looking, overly enthusiastic, less intelligent than average but still lovable. Actor must be fluent in French.

    The giveaway here is that the character is fluent in French. If DuChamp’s name isn’t a dead-giveaway, his nickname Frenchie certailny nails it. His involvement could also confirm the appearance of the Committee organization. The second character seems to be a character Marlene Alraune, who is a love interest in the comics.

    20-35 (years old), all ethnicities, female. A manipulative operative in a secret organization, capable of going from cool and tough to warm and friendly in a heartbeat.

    It is interesting that she is tied to a “secret organization” which puts more weight to the theory that the Committee is the main focus of this story. She also makes sense with her father being the one to do research in Egypt. It will be interestig to see how the Committee fits the story. It is a secret organization of anonymous businessmen, who tried to “save” the global economy. Of course, most of their actions are illegal and they tended to hire supernatural characters to help them. They even were in conflict with the character Werewolf by Night. At one point, Moon Knight was on their payroll, so we may see Spector do some quesitonable things thoughout the story. Cannot wait to see what direction they take Moon Knight, and how Khonshu will influence his path of vengeance.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘WANDAVISION’: Meet the Hearts

    ‘WANDAVISION’: Meet the Hearts

    When the WandaVision trailer dropped last Sunday, some of the biggest teases came from the black & white portion of the show.

     

    As I stated in another theory post, by the time we hit the 1950s portion of the show, we know Wanda and Vision just got married and have moved to the town of WestView. They want to fit in with the rest and they’re living their perfect suburban lives. At some point during the show, they will invite Mr. & Mrs. Heart over for Dinner. Played by Fred Melamed and Debra Jo Rupp, the Hearts will ask them all sorts of questions like; “When did they get married? Where did they move from? Why don’t they have children yet?”. Wanda stuttered when asked these questions and she wasn’t able to answer them because she didn’t know how to answer them. None of it was real. Vision tried to answer as well, but he didn’t know either. And that’s when all of their reality started to slowly fall apart as the aspect ratio started to expand. Now, something that really puts us at unease is when Mr. Heart slams the table and says “Dammit. Why?”, with Mrs. Heart telling him playfully to “Stop it.”, all while Wanda and Vision give each other looks of concern. Such weird things to say.

     

    Now, when I asked you guys about how you thought Mr. & Mrs. Heart could be, many of you have stated that they’re actually demons sent by either Mephisto or Nightmare or people manipulated by the nosy neighbor Agnes aka Agatha Harkness:

     

    https://twitter.com/GodEmperorBoss/status/1308603394840498184?s=20

     

    Now, these are all completely valid theories, considering how much Mephisto influences Wanda’s story and the birth of her children as a whole. Not only that, but we’ve also heard rumors regarding Nightmare possibly joining the MCU in this show and potentially manipulating Wanda to alter reality. But I propose another theory, and ONE of you actually got really close to what I was thinking:

     

    https://twitter.com/adambarnhardt/status/1308523318388166657

     

    And in that tweet was a reply from fellow Murphy’s Multiverse Contributor: Lizzie Hill, which pretty much consolidates exactly what I’m proposing today.

     

    And because Lizzie and I had a bit of back-and-forth regarding our theories, we managed to consolidate both our theories into this one theory.

     

    THEORY: MR. & MRS. HEART ARE THE MANIFESTATIONS OF WANDA’S SUBCONSCIOUS

     

    Something we need to understand is that during this show, a lot of the things we see in these homages to the sitcoms are actually the manifestations made by Wanda as part of her alternate reality. Meaning, the whole world around her is made up by her (except for some exceptions like Monica and Agnes, who are “intruders”). What if when Mr. & Mrs. Heart are asking these questions, it’s actually Wanda asking herself these questions, to quote Lizzie, “like a writer trying to work out details of this story, getting angry/frustrated on one side(Mr. Heart), combined with the denial and trying to stay in the moment (Mrs. Heart), combined with the trauma of losing Vision & not being able to have this ideal life with him.” What if they are the life Wanda wants for her and Vision? And with the way Wanda looks at Mr. Heart when he slams the table, it looks as if he struck a nerve in Wanda. Another possibility for Mr. Heart asking “Damn it why?’ could be her manifestation of Vision asking Wanda “Why did you do this? Why did you bring me back?” since we know that Vision is probably the only manifestation of Wanda that has any sort of control and when Mr. Heart asks the question and slams the table over and over, it keeps cutting back to Vision looking at Wanda, with Mrs. Heart saying “Stop it.” over and over in the background with Wanda looking concerned at Vision.  Either way, it always just comes back to the same principle that this is all in Wanda’s head and it’s her ideas and subconscious questioning herself.

  • ‘WANDAVISION’: “Welcome to WestView”

    ‘WANDAVISION’: “Welcome to WestView”

    After months of radio silence from Marvel Studios, this past week, Marvel Studios started to ramp up on news once again, with reports of Jonathan Majors being cast as Kang the Conqueror, She-Hulk finding it’s the lead actress in Tatiana Maslany, with Kat Coiro set to direct multiple episodes, Olivia Wilde discussing Kevin Feige’s involvement in the upcoming Spider-Woman film, & Ms. Marvel finding its team of directors. & the news didn’t stop there as fans were treated this past Sunday to the first official trailer for the upcoming Disney+ show, WandaVision. Now, the trailer gave us a look at Wanda Maximoff & The Vision’s life after they’ve become newly-weds and are living the best of their lives in the humble little town of WestView until everything begins to fall apart.

     

     

    For this Theory Thursday, I wanted to discuss a plot mechanism that I thought could play out in the show, and when I saw the trailer, I found that my theory could actually be plausible. So let’s delve right into it.

     

    THEORY: EACH SITCOM ERA IS A “RESET”.

     

    Okay, let me explain because it can get kind of confusing. We know that the series is a “blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe”, paying homage to multiple sitcoms over decades of television, like “I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, The Brady Bunch, Roseanne, and many more”. And the biggest tease we got in the trailer was from the 50’s portion of the show, which was filmed in black & white and in front of a live studio audience. In my opinion, this is the first era the show will touch upon.

     

     

    Wanda and Vision just got married and moved to the little suburban town of WestView. They want to fit in with the rest and they’re living their perfect suburban lives…until “Mr. & Mrs. Heart” (played by Fred Nelamed and Debra Jo Rupp) come over to visit them and ask them all sorts of questions like; “When did they get married? Where did they move from? Why don’t they have children yet?”. This causes Wanda to stutter because she didn’t know how to answer them. When Vision tries to answer, he doesn’t know either. Mr. Heart slams the table and asks Wanda “Dammit. Why?”, & Mrs. Heart tells him to “Stop it.” over and over, all while Wanda and Vision give each other looks of concern.

     

     

    Immediately before the scene can go on, it starts to rewind. This is where “the first reset” begins. Unable to answer the questions about how/when she and Vision got married, where they came from, or why they don’t have children, Wanda loses her concentration and her 1950’s reality starts to unravel and rewind like a VHS tape until it eventually kicks her out of that made-up reality back into our own. And I believe it will go a little something like this:

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvfaSOcO_zI&feature=youtu.be

     

    Now that we understand the concept of what “the reset” is, I propose that during WandaVision, Wanda will encase herself (and the town of WestView) in an alternate pocket reality, where she will try to live her life with Vision as if it were a sitcom with a happy ending, but every single time, she finds a mistake that can unravel her reality, causing her to reset the reality she is in and move to another era where she can start over, having learned from the mistakes of her previous era. But as she keeps resetting her pocket universe, or changing between eras more and more, she’ll eventually garner the attention of the likes of her nosy neighbor Agnes, S.W.O.R.D. (and possibly even a Master of the Mystic Arts). And the reason for this is that maybe, every time Wanda resets her reality, she alters the fabric of reality in all of the MCU little by little until eventually causing a rupture in that reality, which is what could kickstart the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

     

    But we’ll only know for sure when WandaVision drops this 2020.

     

     

  • ‘Nier Reincarnation’ Mobile Game Confirmed for Western Release

    ‘Nier Reincarnation’ Mobile Game Confirmed for Western Release

    2020’s Tokyo Gameshow kicked off with some showcases. We finally got a first look at the upcoming Nier Replicant remake. That isn’t all the Nier content we got. They also showcased the mobile game Nier Reincarnation. They finished out the closed Beta that showcased the game’s stunning 3D graphics and soundtrack. If there is anything this franchise will always be remembered for it is the memorable music by Keiichi Okabe. Now, we were just wondering if a Western release date would finally be revealed alongside Replicant. Sadly, no official release date for now but they did finally confirm that a Western release is coming. The event also included a short teaser.

    The game does look stunning. I do wish this was released on consoles but it does seem like a lot of work was put into the mobile version. The short video teased quite a few unknown characters. There was a quick banter between the creators with a joke on them skipping on Okabe‘s amazing music. The mobile game will feature different gaming styles. There are 3D sections where you explore an unknown world. They have also included 2D storybook sections that flesh out the story alongside turn-based battles. I mean, who could say no to more Nier?

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Nier Replicant’ Remake Release Date Revealed

    ‘Nier Replicant’ Remake Release Date Revealed

    The time has finally come, Toyko GAmeshow 2020 has finally started. As the pandemic has made things a bit complicated, the event is now digital-only. The best part, they kickstarted the event with one of my personal favorite franchises Nier. Yoko Taro created an entire franchise based on a joke ending from Drakengard. The series truly took off after the release of Nier Automata. Most were introduced to the series through the loosely-connected sequel. The original Nier Replicant was split up into two distinct games based on their localization. While Japan had a young brother protecting his sister as the protagonist, the Western release switched it by making him her father. A remake of the Replicant variant was revealed and we were waiting for an official release date.

    In a small teaser with the wonderful music of the franchise, we finally got the release date. The remake is set to release on 23rd April next year. In the reveal, they confirmed this is the European and North American release with Japan getting it a day early. Players will finally get the chance to try out. They also revealed that the cover artwork will be different between localizations. Kauma Koda did the artwork for the Western release of the game. Yoshida‘s Japanese cover will also be included as a flip cover. Of course, they’ll also release a special collectors edition that even includes the voice over script. This was currently only confirmed for Japan so it is uncertain if this will be translated. As a huge fan of the franchise, I sadly also missed out on actually playing the game so I cannot wait for April.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter

  • Al Ewing Launches New ‘S.W.O.R.D.’ Series This December

    Al Ewing Launches New ‘S.W.O.R.D.’ Series This December

    As Al Ewing and Dan Slott’s Empyre event came to an end, former S.W.O.R.D. director Abigail Brand assured the Avengers and Alpha Flight that she had better things to do with her time than to clean up their messes when they leave her out of the loop. Now we know what she had in mind: Brand is bringing back S.W.O.R.D…with a twist.

    S.W.O.R.D. #1 cover by Valerio Schiti

    Ewing will reteam with Empyre artist Valerio Schiti to bring Brand’s all-new, all-mutie version of the Sentient World Observation and Response Department to not only Jonathan Hickman’s line of X-books, but also to the larger Marvel Universe. Ewing, whose work on The Immortal Hulk earned him an Eisner nomination in 2019, has been one of Marvel’s most prolific and impressive writers over the last 5 years and this book will see him return to space where one of his best works, 2015’s Ultimates, took place.

    “It’s an absolute blast to be working with the X-team, and to bring Marvel’s merry mutants into the new Age of Space—and introduce space to the new age of Krakoa!” Ewing says. “And it’s not just X-readers and space explorers who get what they want—fans of my more cosmic Marvel work will have plenty to digest as well, as mutantkind thinks even bigger and takes it even further, into realms I’m almost surprised they let me get away with. After conquering death, what’s next—and will we survive the experience?”

    Brand’s new squad will feature Magneto, kid Cable, Eden Fesi, aka Manifold, Frenzy, Wiz-Kid and a very different looking Fabian Cortez, thanks to Schiti, whose designs for some of the other members were shared via Marvel.com:

    S.W.O.R.D. character design sheet by Valerio Schiti

    S.W.O.R.D. character design sheet by Valerio Schiti

    S.W.O.R.D. character design sheet by Valerio Schiti

    As is always the case with X-teams, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so while there are some interesting choices here, including some reformed villains (Krakoa is for all mutants, afterall), Schiti assures us they are all here for a reason as the X-Men move forward following their upcoming event, X of Swords.

    “I can’t say much about what S.W.O.R.D. does, but I can say that every team member will have a peculiar role to play. That’s why I designed their uniforms with technical clothing, urban outfits, and even ceremonial uniforms: every role needed a different reference and a different starting point. The space outfits are inspired by trekking or hiking clothes, far from the typical space suit because these characters are explorers, not astronauts.”

    S.W.O.R.D. will be available for pre-order later this week and in your local comic shop this December.

  • Marvel Studios Reshuffles Theatrical Slate Again, Moves Out of 2020

    Marvel Studios Reshuffles Theatrical Slate Again, Moves Out of 2020

    In the end, it appears it was…inevitable. Marvel Studios Black Widow, originally scheduled for a May 2020 release before being delayed to November 6th due to the pandemic, has been moved entirely out of 2020 and given a May 7th, 2021 release. With this, Marvel Studios will not have a theatrical release for the first time since 2009. While many held out hope that Disney would bring the film to Premier Access, it was not meant to be.

    Why did Hawkeye get the Soul Stone in Endgame? - Quora

    Marvel Studios next big epic, Eternals, and the kung-fu flick, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, were also moved again today. Shang-Chi, which is still filming, was moved to make room for Black Widow and will now debut on July 9th, 2021; more surprisingly, Eternals, which was originally slated for a November 2020 release, was moved all the way to November 5th, 2021, losing its place in line to Shang-Chi.

    With all the shuffling, it seems fortunate that we’ll at least see Marvel Studios first Disney Plus streaming series, WandaVision, in 2020.

  • ‘PEACEMAKER’ Original Series in the works at HBO Max

    Following last month’s explosive DC Fandome panel, we got our first look at James Gunns The Suicide Squad. It revealed the newest roster of the team of misfit villains. In a surprising turn of events, it seems that the spotlight will shine on particular character following the film’s release. John Cena‘s Peacemaker will be getting his own HBO Max series.

    Gunn revealed that he would be sticking around in the DC Universe for a little bit longer. He has begun development of an original series for the HBO Max streaming service that’ll follow the The Suicide Squad character. Gunn is set to write all episodes and will direct a few. Producer Peter Safran also set return to work on the project with John Cena reprising the role. Peacemaker will consist of an eight-episode run. A release date for the project is currently unknown but production is set to begin early 2021 before Gunn gets to work on Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3.

    Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and the world’s biggest douchebag. I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.

    Cena also shared his enthusiasm for the show.

    Peacemaker is an opportunity to delve into current world issues through the lens of this superhero/supervillain/and world’s biggest douchebag. I’m excited to expand The Suicide Squad and bring this character from the DC film universe to the full breadth of a series. And of course, to be able to work again with John, Peter, and my friends at Warner Bros. is the icing on the cake.

    The Suicide Squad is in theaters August 6th, 2021, and will star Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, and many more

    Source: WarnerMedia

  • ‘HELSTROM’ Trailer Teases the Terrifying Family Dynamic

    ‘HELSTROM’ Trailer Teases the Terrifying Family Dynamic

    Helstrom is set to air on Hulu next month and we now have a look at a 2 minute long trailer that gives audiences a tease of the incredibly strange family dynamic which is the centerpiece of the series.

    As you can see, they haven’t shied away from the horror elements of the comic series and the trailer does tease not only supernatural elements, but also Daimon’s powers. We’ll have full coverage of the series the series when it airs beginning October 16th!