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  • Disney+ Explores the Story of the First Astronauts in ‘The Right Stuff’ Trailer

    Disney+ Explores the Story of the First Astronauts in ‘The Right Stuff’ Trailer

    Disney+ has a very unique approach to pushing its streaming service. The main focus relies on family-focused entertainment. It is filled to the brim with shows that many are nostalgic for. Also, it’s getting unique content for major brands like Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. There is, however, one important additional brand that is kept to the same level of importance.

    When you open the streaming service, you are also welcomed by the National Geographic logo. There is a good reason it is included. They have produced some amazing documentaries over the years. It would be a waste not to use this catalog. They are even producing original content for the brand like The World According to Jeff Goldblum. It was the perfect fit to include various documentaries alongside Disney’s own Disneynature brand. Now, a trailer for an original scripted shows The Right Stuff may change our perception of the brand.

    Yes, National Geographic is venturing out. This series is based on the 1979 book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. The author had spent a lot of time to explore the story of the Mercury Seven, who established the astronaut profession. This addition is an important key factor for the streaming service. With this brand, they can expand into more adult stories that explore real-life or fictional history. This way they can expand their portfolio without having to create an entire new branding line for stories. This feels like the first step to diversify the overall Disney branding. It also takes away the limitations of our expectations that NatGeo will just include documentaries. If this show pulls in an audience, we might see a lot more of original scripted shows under this umbrella. It also is exciting to see Disney venture out and see what implications this might have.

    Source: Twitter

  • PlayStation 5 Global Ad Teases Immersive DualSense Experience

    PlayStation 5 Global Ad Teases Immersive DualSense Experience

    We are so close to the bran new generation of gaming. It is astounding to think that with only a few more months to go before the Holiday season we know very little about the new consoles. There were some events to tease the new games and consoles’ designs. Yet, we still do not have an official pricing or even release date. While the pandemic did delay things quite a bit, it still seems odd that both consoles are dragging out the price reveal. It makes sense so they don’t end up as the more expensive option by the end of it but it also kept them from really starting their ad campaigns. Well, looks like Sony got tired of waiting an created a global ad to tease the sensual experience their new controller DualSense will offer.

    Sadly, this isn’t a trailer for the VR experience but they still are trying to sell the immersive experience the console will offer. DualSense has programmable triggers that act different depending on what you are playing. The moment the player wants to pull back the string to shoot an arrow, they will feel the tension of it. It’s an intriguing concept to add more connection between player and the game. One isn’t forced to use motion sensors or gimmicks to get that immersion. It’s haptic feedback that just adds to the overall gaming experience.

    Plus, there could be some creative ways of giving new life to gaming moments. Perhaps this way quick time events are given more life. It’s not just pressing a button during a cutscene but actually interacting with it. We will see what Sony has planned with this new DualSense once we can get our hands on the console. Personally, just thinking of swinging between skyscrapers as Miles in Spider-Man: Miles Morales while feeling the tension of the webswing sounds amazing.

    Source: Twitter

  • Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 60

    Murphy’s Law Podcast: Episode 60

    Episode 60 is now available for your listening pleasure. You can listen to us rant about the changes to DC FanDome, the Fantastic Four news and give our pitches for the 4th Captain America film by simply clicking here! Also, I’m hoping the embed code works and you can just listen to it below!

    https://anchor.fm/murphyslawpodcast/episodes/Episode-60—We-Pitch-CAPTAIN-AMERICA-4-eidkd0/a-a30avum
     

  • ‘THE BATMAN’ Set to Resume Production in September

    Earlier this year productions across the world were forced to halt all filming and development, The Batman was not any different. Confirmed by Matt Reeves via Twitter that the film had shut down and wouldn’t resume until it was safe for all involved behind and in front of the camera. Having only shot about 25% of the film, everyone involved wasn’t sure how long it would be until they could get back to production and how this would affect the film.

    It’s now being reported that the The Batman is set to jumpstart production once again in early September at WB Studios in Leavesden. This news comes shortly after rumors began to circulate that the film would be scrapping many of its planned locations and filming entirely on sets. The film is reported to have about three months of material left to film and hope to finish shooting by the end of 2020.

    The Batman is set to release on October 1st 2021, after suffering a delay due to the ongoing pandemic when it was initially set to release on June 25th, 2021. The film will star Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader himself, he’s joined by Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrel. The film is also set to have quite a large presence at the August 22nd Fandome event with both Pattinson and Reeves in attendance, with Reeves promising a new never before seen look at the film.

  • Audition Video All But Confirms America Chavez for ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel

    Audition Video All But Confirms America Chavez for ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel

    Update: The video has been removed for copyright reasons.

    Back in January, the Illuminerdi broke the news that a casting call for Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness indicated that Marvel Studios was looking for a young, Hispanic actress for a a role presumed to be America Chavez. There was some conjecture at the time that the role might not be America, but rather Zelma Stanton, a character more recently introduced into the comics in 2015. It seems like that debate is over as Murphy’s Multiverse was able to dig up this audition tape, made by an actress who fits the revamped age range for the role. We absolutely want to make clear that we are aware that these videos could steer us down the wrong path, so everyone should evaluate the video for themselves and understand that this is NOT official confirmation of anything; however, as you’ll see, the audition, should it be legitimate, would undeniably be for America Chavez.

    VIDEO NOW UNAVAILABLE

    If you’re not familiar with America, the story here about an orphan (her mothers died sacrificing themselves to save her) popping through the multiverse, unfamiliar with this Earth and is being chased by a demon certainly does not describe Zelma. If this is a legitimate video, it’s America Chavez/

  • Marvel Comics Relaunching ‘ETERNALS’ This November

    Marvel Comics Relaunching ‘ETERNALS’ This November

    Award-winning writer Kieron Gillen will team with one of comics most singular artists when Marvel Comics launches a new Eternals series this November. Gillen, whose knack for telling winding stories that challenge readers’ established notions of characters such as Loki and Iron Man, is thrilled to take on the Eternals, a group of immortals whose incredible story hatched in the imagination of Jack Kirby:

    I said if I was ever to do a book again at Marvel, it would have to be something I’ve never done before. This is exactly that. This is me teaming up with literally my favourite artist of the epic, taking one of those lightning-storm Kirby visions and re-making it to be as new as the day it was forged. While Esad makes whole worlds on the page, I’m applying all the skills I’ve developed when I was away. It’s a lot. It’s everything. There’s enough scale packed in here that I believe that when you look at the comic, you’ll see the pages slightly bulge. Essentially ‘Eternal’ has to mean ‘never going out of style,’ which means we’re aiming for ‘instant classic.’ Also — fight scenes, horror, human drama, emotions, explosions. Comics!

    The trailer, which gives the tagline “Never die, never win”, seems to indicate some tension between Ikaris and Zuras, the leader of the Eternals. It also gives first looks at several characters key to the series and the ongoing mythology of the Eternals such as Sersi, Makkari, Sprite, Thena and more while also seeming to promise a take on the Eternals place in the history and evolution of mankind.

    Gillen and Ribac represent a next-level creative team for the book. Gillen has consistently proven to be able to interweave fantasy and science fiction and Ribac’s art, as seen recently on Jason Aaron’s Thor and Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars, will add to the depth of the story and push Gillen’s creativity at the same time.

    Eternals #1 will be up for pre-order this month once Marvel Comics November 2020 solicitations are made completely available.

  • Olivia Wilde Set to Direct ‘SPIDER-WOMAN’

    According to Deadline, highly sought-after director Olivia Wilde has agreed to develop what they believe to be Sony’s solo Spider-Woman film. The report indicates that Wilde will helm a female-centric solo project, but the trade was unable to confirm which. However, they do note that Rachel O’Connor is on board as executive producer and, as I explained earlier in the year, O’Connor is a part of the team developing Spider-Woman along with Amy Pascal.

    SXSW 2019 Schedule

    The character rights to Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman are shared between Sony and Disney, so until clarification is given on the subject, it will always remain a point of great fan interest if this film is going to be a joint production, along the lines of the recent Spider-Man films, or if Sony is going to go it alone, a move which would likely see the character done dirty.

    Spider-Woman currently has no set release date but could be in theaters by 2022.

  • Rumor: Kaya Scodelario may be in Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’

    Rumor: Kaya Scodelario may be in Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’

    I know, I know… you’re probably asking what am I doing writing a Lord of The Rings piece when you’re used to seeing me write about MCU stuff? Well, you may have noticed Murphy’s Multiverse has been doing some very important growing by adding more writers and an equally important expanding of interests lately. This is because, as Charles has said, it’s truly meant to be a “multiverse” here. The writers are encouraged to cover what they care about most, not simply as “scoopers” or as reporters, but as fans. 

    As a pretty much lifelong fan of Lord of the Rings, one of my most anticipated projects coming up, aside from any Marvel films and series, is the television series based on the books that’s being produced by Amazon. So I plan to cover that series from time to time here.

    First up, some fan detective work over at @theoneringnet Twitter has uncovered evidence that actress Kaya Scodelario (most noted from The Maze Runner and the Pirates of the Carribean franchise) just might have part in the new Lord of the Rings TV series. 

    Theonering.net Twitter account speculated Kaya was most likely traveling to New Zealand due to the 27 hour trip from UK where, of course, Lord of the Rings is filming. Other posts on Kaya’s Instagram just a few weeks earlier seemed to point to her planning to leave the UK, moving, and not returning to “Blighty” until next year some time.

    Supporting this theory, was a post by Instagram user @kayascodnews who shared a very interesting image that Kaya had posted and then, even more interestingly, deleted, of a going away image made up by some of her friends.

    Scodelario certainly has some Elfish qualities about her and bears a striking resemblance to Arwen (played by Liv Tyler in LOTR), leading some to speculate she could be playing Arwen’s mother Celebrían. But this is all of course fan theory, especially without knowing for sure that she’s actually in this new Lord of the Rings series.

    And while I agree, I certainly think she could be in the LOTR series, she could instead simply be moving there early to eventually work on the Resident Evil reboot she is believed to have signed up to do (as first reported by Daniel Richtman back in early April via his Patreon, and picked up by other sites). But there has also been no word on where and when Resident Evil will film as of late. At least not that I have found. So a statement from @theoneringnet that that movie will be filming in New Zealand next year appears to be just rumor as well for now. Although again, the films probable star appearing to take a very very long plane trip with her family and move somewhere far far away for an extended period, would certainly seem to indicate she is filming something in New Zealand or Australia. Whether it is Lord of The Rings, which has already been filming without her, or Resident Evil which as of April was meant to begin filming in June, or something else, is unclear. It was reported earlier this year that the film was planned to be in Canada or Serbia when it does start (also previously reported by Daniel and other sites).

    But of course, in this crazy time, and a pandemic to deal with, clearly plans can change, and a big budget film once planned to begin in June in Canada or Serbia, could certainly change to a safer seeming New Zealand a bit later in the year.

    So while I am very intrigued by the evidence, I’m afraid the jury is still out with me on whether or not Kaya Scodelario is in The Lord of The Rings series. I assume we might get a better idea from her Instagram or the trades any day now tho.

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tops US & UK Pre-Order Charts

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tops US & UK Pre-Order Charts

    Avengers has been quite an interesting game to follow. It has been smeared with controversy since the reveal that Spider-Man would be a PlayStation exclusive character. No matter where one stands on the matter, it paid off as a marketing strategy. Shortly after the announcement, sales on Amazon UK skyrocketed with it shooting up by 188% in sales for the regular edition. It also saw an increase of 133% for the deluxe edition. This placed the game firmly at #10 and #19 respectively a few weeks ago. This is the reason they took this route and the controversy pushes the word-of-mouth even stronger.

    Even after the discussion around the game has calmed down, sales did not slow down for this game. People got a chance to play the game during the Beta and there were theories on how this could affect the sales of the game. Well, looks like the game got another boost. Sadly we can’t see the sales rankings this time. Still, Marvel’s Avengers now sits comfortably at #1 and #6 of the UK sales charts for PlayStation 4.

    amazon

    Those wondering if it crashed over on Xbox One. The game is sitting at a pretty great #3. The ranking leaders FIFA 21 and PGA Tour 2K21 are sports games, which are generally strong sellers. It was commonly the most consistent seller back when I even worked in the gaming retail industry. Only the Deluxe Edition is further down at #19 as of writing this article.

    xbox

    Amazon US is hiding its list but to draw a comparison, the PS4 version of the game sits at #2 over at Best Buy. This is only beaten by another sports entry NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition that releases the same day. Once again, the Deluxe Edition isn’t far behind comfortably placed at #5. As this list includes all versions, the Avengers on the Xbox is also in the top ten. Even locally here in Austria, I interviewed a local electronics retailer and they confirmed that a lot was ordered due to the high demand. No matter where one stands regarding the controversies, Avengers is an interesting prospect for casual fans. Who doesn’t want to play as their favorite character? We are only a few weeks away and I personally cannot wait to experience the game.

    Source: PlayStation, Reddit via WhatCulture, Amazon UK (PS4), Amazon UK (Xbox), Best Buy

  • BREAKING: DC FanDome Gets a Major Overhaul

    BREAKING: DC FanDome Gets a Major Overhaul

    Just 3 days away from their groundbreaking online fan event, DC has made some serious changes to DC FanDome. Originally billed as a massive 24-hour experience, the event has now been broken into separate chunks. The event will still kick off this Saturday, but instead of the original 24 hours, it has been shortened to an 8 hour online experience.

    Earlier this morning, the event’s homepage may have actually hinted at the upcoming changes as fans were unable to access their previously prearranged schedules and were instead met with a temporary “We’ll Be Right Back” message, seen below:

    At the moment, it appears that a second FanDome event has now been put on the books for September 12th. This weekend’s event will still feature The Hall of Heroes, the hall where DC’s major movie news is expected to break. The September event feature the Explore the Multiverse hall. The details can be seen below:

    DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes: On Saturday, August 22, at 10:00 am PDT, fans will be transported into the DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes, an epic world designed personally by Jim Lee featuring special programming, panels and exclusive reveals from a wide variety of films, TV series, games, comics and more. The superpowered eight-hour show will be available for fans around the world to watch exclusively 3 times in the 24-hour period.

    DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse: On Saturday, September 12, at 10:00am PDT, fans will be able to create their own timeline! The great thing about this event is that it will be on demand, giving you the ability to curate your own unique experience via our Official DC FanDome Online Scheduler Tool. A lot of the content you were super excited to see from our multiple islands will now be housed here, and will be available for you to watch throughout the 24-hour period. Fans can now choose their own adventure and will have more time to immerse themselves in all the hours of curated programming — at their own pace and on their own schedule. DC Kids FanDome will also launch on Saturday, September 12, at its own kid-friendly companion site at DCKidsFanDome.com.