Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • Jensen Ackles Joins ‘The Boys’ Third Season

    Jensen Ackles Joins ‘The Boys’ Third Season

    Looks like The Boys is already prepping its third season. A few months back, audition tapes confirmed that they were trying to cast the character Soldier Boy. He is described as the original superhero. His time in World War II made him the first heroic celebrity and an icon in American culture. The character was even teased by showrunner Eric Kripke back in November.

    The character was originally meant as a parody of Marvel’s Captain America. So, the above ad playing on Rogers’ involvement with propaganda is a great touch. In the leaked audition tapes, actors David S. Lee and Noah Bean were auditioning for the role. Well, it looks like Jensen Ackles got the role, as he revealed in a hilarious Instagram post.

    This isn’t his first time working with Kripke, as he was the creator of Supernatural back when it started in 2005. In a short interview, the showrunner teases how Ackles will balance the humor and danger of the role. This is a fantastic addition to the cast. The show has stood out through its unique take on a world filled with superheroes. They do confirm he will play the first holder of that title. This opens up the question if we will also see the appearance of his successors from the comics. There is a good chance they might combine different versions of the character. Hopefully, we might get some teases of his role as the second season premiers on September 4th.

    Source: Full Circle Cinema, Variety, Twitter, Instagram

  • Disney+ Releases The Jim Henson Company’s ‘Earth to Ned’ Trailer

    Disney+ Releases The Jim Henson Company’s ‘Earth to Ned’ Trailer

    We know that Disney+ was starving for content but this is surprising. I did not expect a talk show with an alien interviewing celebrities. It truly has become quite a strange year. Jokes aside, what makes this show interesting, besides the weird concept, is the company involved in it. This is produced by Marwar Junction Productions and The Jim Henson Company. The titular Ned was also created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. The tweet included a trailer for the upcoming release:

    I won’t lie, this looks like fun. It’s not quite Space Ghost: Coast to Coast but it does offer a fresh take on a talk show. It’s also just great to see Jim Hensons’ work when they venture out into new territories. Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance was an amazing show to witness and this could open up new projects in the future. The talk show concept has gotten popular though for streaming services. Netflix gave us Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, Chelsea, The Break with Michelle Wolfe, and many more. Even Spongebob Squarepants is developing a talk show spin-off for Patrick Star. Hopefully, this means we could see the return of Space Ghost.

    Sources: Twitter (Disney+), Twitter (Jim Henson), Deadline

  • WB Games Montreal Teases Upcoming Reveal & Court of Owls in Cryptic Tweet

    WB Games Montreal Teases Upcoming Reveal & Court of Owls in Cryptic Tweet

    WB Games Montreal still enjoys teasing fans about their upcoming project. Back in January, they shared a tweet with a random symbol. Some believed it was connected to the Gotham PD. This wasn’t their first time doing so. They also had a tweet back in September that came with a changing symbols and the text “Capture the Knight”. Luckily, we finally have the confirmation that they will reveal it at DC FanDome so the guessing game will come to an end soon. Still, they haven’t lost their joy in sharing cryptic tweets. At first, it just seems to be showing some random symbols connected to an account called r3dakt3d. This actually overlaps with their January tweet that also had /redacted included. It includes a rather bizarre video, as seen below:

    It’s a rather strange short video to explain, as there are a variety of numbers and symbols. Let’s just talk about the things that really stand out. In its 25 second run time, we get flashed three visuals. Each one flashes by in a second, so they aren’t easy to make out. Especially the first and last symbols aren’t highlighted enough to truly get a good look. Luckily, the one in the middle gives us a much clearer look at what they are teasing, the Court of Owls.

    screenshot

    This isn’t the first time they have been teased. The previously mentioned, “Capture the Knight” is a famous line connected to the fowl court. There was also the rather obvious tweet by creator Scott Snyder with the hashtag “Beware the Court of Owls” that got deleted shortly after. KC Walsh has also teased this project to include a faction and nemesis concept. Even rumored that we can play as multiple members of the bat-family. We’ve been waiting for almost a year for WB Games Montreal to confirm their latest project. Seems we won’t have to wait until DC FanDome for a first look, as the r3dakt3d Site also teases an upcoming reveal tomorrow:

    batman

    The build-up to Saturday’s DC FanDome is starting and cannot wait to see what else might be heading our way in the coming days.

    Source: Twitter, CNet, Looper, Twitter (KC Walsh), r3dakt3d

  • Marvel TV and the Recasting Dilemma

    Marvel TV and the Recasting Dilemma

    2020 marks the 5th year since the Marvel-Netflix universe debuted with Daredevil. The year also coincides with the “reverting” of the character rights to Marvel, 2 years after the first set of shows were canceled abruptly. Because of this and rumors of Kevin Feige having an interest in bringing back some cast members like Charlie Cox, loyal fans of the shows are optimistic in seeing these characters played by the same actors in potential movie appearances moving forward.

    It’s the age-old question among MCU fans since the inception of Marvel Television with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. back in 2013 that keeps coming back: when are these characters going to appear in the films? After all, they’re deeply beloved among fans and the actors themselves have it in their contracts to appear in films if the opportunity arose. But in the 11 years of the MCU, this question has never been outright addressed by the powers that be. Kevin Feige has either dodged or politely answered fluff to every hard-hitting Marvel TV question asked. For example in 2015, when asked point-blank about any movie appearances, he said:

    Into the movies? No. Well…. Right now, what Jeph Loeb and the TV guys are doing is focusing on those shows. And certainly with Daredevil coming out last night and being so well received. The next one’s already in production and the one after that has been announced. So I think they’re doing quite well for themselves in that medium. We’ve certainly had discussions on where down the line, who could show up where. But I think they’ve been very smart in saying, “Let us establish this here first.” They’re off to a very good start.

    That’s just one of the handful of fluff answers the mastermind of the MCU has given to the press. If you count him purposefully avoiding any Marvel TV answers in a Reddit AMA a couple of years back, his feelings on the matter are telling. During the 2015 same press tour for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Joss Whedon candidly, albeit jokingly, spoke about the film division’s true feelings about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saying, “I think actually the movie people were a little bit cross about the TV show. They were sort of like ‘Well you can have this but not this. And this but not that.’ It’s complicated enough as it is without me adding another layer of complication.” Just last December, when all these brand spanking new Disney+ shows were getting announced, Kevin Feige shadily affirmed that it would be the first time TV content would interlink with the MCU.

    Of course, diehards have always known why it’s always been like this; the feud between Kevin Feige and his former boss and overlord of Marvel Television, Ike Perlmutter, that made collaboration between the two divisions near-impossible. But that all changed several months ago when the current iteration of Marvel Television was disbanded following those Netflix cancelations. Right then and there, Disney announced that Kevin Feige was being promoted to Chief Creative Officer for Marvel Entertainment, practically making his rival Ike’s position obsolete in the company. The announcement’s fine print stated that all creative decisions for any property – be it in comics, animation, TV, or film – would go through Feige. This was, in many ways, the biggest status quo change for the Marvel Studios system. All of a sudden, the keys to Marvel TV’s future were now handed to Kevin Feige.

    As all the Marvel Netflix characters await their return into the hands of the MCU’s showrunner, two new questions beg to be raised. Should the characters be rebooted from scratch or should they live on with continued stories in the MCU?

    Believe it or not, the answer is a very complicated one and starts with the man himself, Kevin Feige. It shouldn’t come as a surprise now, following the billion-dollar success the Infinity Saga became, that Kevin Feige loves being able to do what he wants. His system at Marvel Studios has always prided itself on having the freedom to go bold and big whenever and wherever regardless of the cost. Marvel TV’s creative decisions, however, have remained separate from Feige’s purview and a lot of them haven’t been exactly great.

    An amazing character like Iron Fist made his live-action debut in a show that was nothing short of lackluster. Iron Fist‘s second season was an undeniable improvement but the first season’s stench dwarfed the corrections they made that it was too little, too late. Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher all started out as very strong shows but slowly diminished in quality as their stories progressed. Even the highly-publicized Defenders team-up show that was the epicenter of Marvel’s multimillion deal with Netflix failed to live up to its hype despite having all the tools to make it great. And in light of reports of Jeph Loeb’s racist mandates that derailed the creative process for these shows, the whole thing seems like one wasted opportunity after another. It’s honestly a miracle that Daredevil managed to stay consistently solid amidst all that.

    With hundreds of hours of content, these shows have already established their own set of rules and canon. Even though the canon initially revolved around the events of the first Avengers movie or the Incident, they’ve pretty much taken their own steps to where they wanted this corner of the Marvel universe to go. This might not lineup with Kevin Feige’s idea of a Marvel street-level universe, especially now that street-level properties like Moon Knight and Blade have been greenlit. Kevin Feige likely has his own idea of K’un L’un and Shou Lao, his own take on Frank MIller‘s iconic Hand/Bullseye/Elektra saga, his own version of Luke Cage that is primed for the Avengers, and his own vision of how he wants these characters to be. It’s hard to imagine any interest from Kevin Feige in continuing and tieing into stories that he had no hand in shaping.

    People have brought up the idea of doing a soft reboot i.e. continue with the cast but start from scratch. This makes more sense than straight-up continuing the established Marvel-Netflix status quo; the fans win by getting to see their favorite actors play their favorite characters and Marvel Studios gets a fresh start on where to take them. However, going this route has its own set of problems. Netflix is, by and large, a competitor of Disney, especially now that the House of Mouse has its own streaming service. Even though the live-action “rights” of all the Defenders characters revert to Disney this year, that doesn’t preclude Netflix from airing all the existing Defenders shows, which they legally own.

    To continue the cast puts Disney in a tough spot. Say they bring back Charlie Cox as Daredevil or Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin in a new Daredevil film. It’ll be the shit because both of them are absolutely great in that role. You go out of the theater and say to yourself, “That movie was amazing. Charlie and Vincent were killer. I sure would love to see more of them together.” Well, guess what? You can see them together in the comfort of your own home. Just queue up the show on Netflix and enjoy 39 hours of Charlie and Vincent at your behest.

    Therein lies the biggest problem with continuing the cast. To continue this iteration of Daredevil will inevitably drive audiences to check out Charlie Cox’s other appearances as Daredevil and where else will they find more of that but on Netflix, Disney’s #1 competitor in the streaming wars? “But the fans! Disney has got to listen to the fans!” Fans are great and play a big part in why these things get made but at the end of the day, it’s corporate interests that drive the decision making. Remember, this is Disney we’re talking about. There’s a reason why they refuse to even give Universal the time of the day even if its to make a highly-demanded Hulk solo film. There’s a reason why the Sony-Spidey talks broke down last year. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Disney becomes cool with its content driving audiences to Netflix.

    Logistically and fiscally, it’s more sensical to just completely start from scratch. Get a new face to play all these characters and tell the stories you want right from the beginning. Avoid the trouble of turning audiences towards your competitor. Get rid of the baggage of having a pre-established canon. Yes, losing the cast members, who’ve done exemplary work on these shows, will sting hard but it’s the easiest way to move forward.

    Ultimately, the one guaranteed silver lining here is that these characters will live on no matter what. Regardless of the cast returning or not, we’re a hundred percent going to see the Marvel Studios version of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones down the road under Marvel Studios. The Netflix shows may have clocked in longer than all the MCU films combined but there’s actually a lot in the comics the shows didn’t get to explore. A lot of that had to do with budgetary constraints, so the creative teams had to opt for a more grounded, real-world gritty tone. While that’s not a bad thing, it’s important to remember that these stories are based on source material that’s grand and exciting. Dragons exist! Sorcery exists! Demonic ninjas exist! A villain called Stilt-Man has hydraulic legs! Daredevil should be able to traverse high-rise buildings like he would in the comics. Danny Rand needs to fight an actual dragon. With the budget Marvel Studios invests in their projects, these things are all possible now.

    As for the other defunct Marvel TV shows, they’re in a slightly better position than the Netflix shows. For one, they don’t have the competitor problem the Netflix shows pose since ABC, Freeform, and Hulu are all under the Mouse House. Now that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has ended and in light of rumors of a S.W.O.R.D. Disney+ show happening, Chloe Bennet reprising her role as Quake is certainly a possibility. It’s logistically a lot easier to soft reboot someone like Quake and incorporate her into the MCU without worrying about helping the competitor. If anything, a film appearance might boost the syndication deals ABC has with international networks. Of course, it’ll be a matter of Marvel Studios being interested in that idea. But judging from stuff that’s been said, it’s clear that the fan demand to see the Marvel TV actors appear in the films might not be as mutual as some people think. However, stranger things have happened. We all at one point thought that neither Spider-Man nor the X-Men would ever make it to the MCU. Yet here we are.

  • Solving Everything: A Possible Timeline for ‘BLADE’ and ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots are pieces we write here that allow us to be what we all truly are: fans. These should not be taken as scoops, exclusives or facts; just speculation about the things for which we all share a great passion.

    With the news that Disney has created production companies for what may be two upcoming Marvel Studios projects (Fantastic Four and Blade), there’s plenty of room for speculation. Should Solve Everything Productions and Grass-Fed Productions turn out to be those projects, questions will surface/ Why are these being filed now when there’s such a back log of projects? When will we be seeing them begin production? When might we expect them in theaters (I know that’s a loaded question in the midst of a pandemic)? Who might the studio have found to create the projects? Unlike Reed, I can’t answer all of these questions: the cost is just too high, but we can look into some of them and maybe, by piecing together what’s out there, we can come up with a starting point.

    For me the most most answerable of all the unanswerable questions is: why are these being filed now? At the moment, Marvel Studios seems to have a massive traffic jam on the production highway. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki and Shang-Chi were all in production when the world came crashing to a stop in March. If not for that, we’d probably be watching The Falcon and The Winter Solider now, but the domino effect of not only the Marvel Studios projects being halted but also other studio projects that featured actors from various Marvel Studios projects meant that other projects which were scheduled to begin never got up and running. Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness would probably be done filming by now, Spidey 3 would have started up last month, Thor: Love and Thunder would be getting ready to go in Australia right now and Ms. Marvel may have even begun. But, as we all know, none of that happened so here we are with a ton of projects off schedule, Ant-Man 3 having been bumped out of its original slot on the schedule and the uncertainty of the pandemic still causing chaos, so the question of “why now?” is incredibly relevant.

    While there’s no hard and fast rule here, there is a pattern worth noting that might get us to an answer to that pressing question. Over the past couple of years, Marvel Studios seems to register these production companies when they have given the green light to projects and have a tentative timeline for start of production. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule (for example, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stands out because it’s timeline shifted, which shifted Black Widow’s timeline), it seems that Marvel Studios usually creates these production companies about 12-18 months before the EXPECTED start of production. If they follow that pattern here, that means they’d be looking to film these two projects between August 2021 and February 2022.

    Continuing down the line of established patterns, whenever possible Marvel Studios also likes to start production on their films about 12-15 months ahead of when the films are expected in theaters. So a film that goes into production in the August-October 2021 window would be ready for theaters around October 2022…and it just so happens that Disney still has a date reserved (October 7, 2022) on their slate for an Untitled Marvel Studios film, a date that would be just right for a vampire film. A film that goes into production around January of 2022 would be ready for theaters around February 2023…and it just so happens that Disney has a date reserved (February 17, 2023) on their slate for an Untitled Marvel Studios film. We all believe that Ant-Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are destined for that 2023 slate, but given Guardians A-list status and Ant-Man 3’s rumored big happenings, it’s possible that the studio would prefer them as traditional May and July tentpole releases, leaving room in February for something like the family friendly Fantastic Four. Of course all of this is contingent on studios showing they can keep a production going, the current state of the upcoming slate staying stable and is all based on wild speculation to begin with, but the pieces do fall into place if you let them.

    The final and most tantalizing tidbit comes when we try to answer the question of whether or not Kevin Feige and his core group have identified creative teams for these projects. Past precedent suggests that, whenever possible, the studio likes to bring a writer on board about 2 years before they expect the project to hit theaters and pair that writer with a director as soon as possible. You can safely bet that they’ve been searching for those teams for Blade and Fantastic Four for some time now and given all the down time creators had, it’s no stretch to imagine they found their teams. If we buy that, we can come to a pretty exciting conjecture: Marvel Studios is getting ready to announce these teams or they will shortly be leaked through the trades. In the past, Disney has registered their companies shortly before either making public announcements or trade leaks. Simply put, Disney knows these are going to be found so they’ve always been smart about WHEN they create the entities. Fans have been clamoring for Marvel Studios news and I’m sure that they’ve noticed the hype around FanDome but here’s the thing as explained to me by one of my trusted sources: should Marvel Studios want to do their own pre-recorded online fan event, they don’t need to jump through very many hoops. They’ve got their own streaming service and could drop a pre-recorded “con-like event” on Disney + whenever they want. They could go as far as to not even hype or advertise the event and, within 10 minutes, it would be trending on every social media platform across the world.

    Again, none of this is confirmed to be true and all starts from a foundation that’s based on guesses to begin with, but this is what being a fan is all about and that’s, first and foremost, what we are here at Murphy’s Multiverse: fans.

  • Marvel Studios ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ May Have Permission to Launch

    Marvel Studios ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ May Have Permission to Launch

    Last week, Disney registered two new production companies: Solve Everything Productions and Grass-Fed Productions. On the surface, there’s not much to be excited about as this is a pretty run of the mill procedure for the world’s largest entertainment studio; however, looking at the surface isn’t what we do here and a deeper look into these two newly registered production companies has stirred up some exciting possibilities about some potential future MCU projects!

    Before continuing on, understand that as of publication, there was no evidence to confirm that either of these two production companies were for Marvel Studios projects. I contacted several sources and went down some well-beaten paths but was unable to find the type of confirmation I’m happy with. Despite that, there are reasons to believe that these could be Marvel Studios projects and ones we already know to be in development. Papers have been filed for production companies for every project announced last summer by Marvel Studios (either at SDCC or D23) with the exception of two: Fantastic Four and Blade. As you’ll see, it’s very possible that is no longer the case.

    For Marvel Comics fans, especially those who have followed Jonathan Hickman’s career, the phrase “solve everything” points in one very specific direction: that of Marvel Comics first family, the Fantastic Four. In October of 2008, Hickman launched his run on Fantastic Four with a three-issue arc (570-572) titled Solve Everything. The story, which began in earnest earlier that year with Dark Reign: Fantastic Four, sees a guilt-ridden Reed build a machine, The Bridge, which allows him to observe the multiverse in search of solutions to the problems for which he feels responsible. After The Bridge endangers the team, Sue asks Reed to tear it down. Before doing so, Reed finds that similar Bridges have been built on other Earths and makes contact with individuals he later comes to understand are his multiversal counterparts: the Council of Reeds. Reed keeps his promise to Susan and tears down the machine only to rebuild it later and hide it in his Room of 100 ideas. Upon firing the Bridge back up, Reed meets the Council again and asks them how to solve his 101st question: how to solve everything.

    As on-the-nose as Solve Everything is, Grass-Fed Productions is not. Keep in mind that, as mentioned above, there’s no hard evidence that these are Marvel Studios productions, so in trying to match this up with a potential property, I stretched about as far as Reed did during Hickman’s run. That said, I’m happy to toss out a couple of ideas and explain the trains of thought I had in arriving at those conclusions.

    It’s Blade

    As mentioned in the intro, there are only two announced Marvel Studios properties for which we don’t currently have a production company. If we buy the conclusion that Solve Everything is Fantastic Four, that means we just have Blade. If we follow that logic, then Grass-Fed is the production company for Blade. It isn’t good enough for the burden of proof for that conclusion to be “because Blade doesn’t have one”, so the question to ask is, “does Grass-Fed fit Blade?”. Actually, it just might. In just about every modern vampire story, vamps look at humans as livestock or cattle. It’s possible that Marvel Studios has capitalized on that notion here and chosen Grass-Fed as a reference to the prey of whichever vampire(s) they choose to feature.

    It’s Secret Invasion

    If Blade was hard to believe, you won’t like this one. While I feel like Blade is the more likely option, it’s entirely possible that it is something else entirely (including a non-MCU property). But if we’re looking for MCU properties that have a connection, no matter how loose, to Grass-Fed, Secret Invasion is on the table. This is a project about which we know very little and one that, as of a month or two ago, was in the earliest stages of development, but the idea that it’ll almost certainly have to do with Skrulls undetected on Earth provides a potential Grass-Fed connection.

    9 out of 10 fictional pollsters agree that when they hear grass-fed the animal that first comes to mind is a cow. As all good comic book fans know, Skrulls were first introduced in Fantastic Four #2 and spent some time impersonating the group before being captured, hypnotized and kept prisoner on Earth as…cows (remember kids, Skrull cows go moo, too). So, if Marvel Studios was being incredibly clever and trying to hide the development of this IP, this would be one of about 10,000 possible ideas.

    These two ideas only work if we accept the premise (which is, as of now, nothing more than speculation) that these are Marvel Studios projects in development which, at this point in time, we cannot prove. If they are, we can look a little further into what this might mean but until we get some more proof, disseminate this information responsibly.

  • How to Play Thor and Captain America in ‘Avengers’ Beta

    It just doesn’t end for the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers game. More players are getting a chance to test out the Beta on various consoles. This limited players to four characters. You can only play as Ms. Marvel, Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow. Only during A-Day can players test out Thor and Captain America. Still, they were in the game’s code so some crafty players didn’t let that stop them. They found a way to play as both characters and access their various features. Here is some gameplay from YouTuber TonyBingGaming playing the patriotic hero:

    If you are interested in checking out the costumes and skill trees, they have been shared on Reddit as well:

    LEAKED Cap & Thor Costumes from Marvel Avengers Countdown on Twitter
    byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

    LEAKED CAP AND THOR SKILL TREES Preview
    byu/Overwatch3 inPlayAvengers

    As one can see from the gameplay, the glitch won’t give you the final build of the characters. Captain America has the hover ability of Iron Man, as he replaces him through the glitch. What stands out though is that their character cards and skill trees are included in the beta. these could still be from an earlier build of the game, as the introductions to the moves are missing. It is exciting though to think what the game lets you unlock as you play through it. There are quite a few costumes one can unlock for these characters with the “season pass”-inspired character card. It is quite impressive what the Internet can do when they get their hands on something. This certainly wasn’t planned to happen by developer Crystal Dynamics.

    Source: YouTube (TonyBingGaming), Reddit (Costumes), Reddit (Skill Tree)

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man DLC Confirmed for March

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Spider-Man DLC Confirmed for March

    Starting to feel bad for Crytal Dynamics. Marvel’s Avengers had another massive leak today that revealed around 15 unannounced characters. It hasn’t been easy for the developer. A. lot of their plans seem to be getting released online way in advance than originally scheduled. We thought this was it, as the Beta was made available on all platforms. Well, not quite as the release date for their most controversial exclusive has also been revealed prematurely. The UK retailer GAME has sent out e-mails that confirm the release month for the PS exclusive DLC character Spider-Man.

    Don’t know if this is known but I got a email from Game UK who I ore ordered with saying that spider man will come out in March !
    byu/Judewhite1 inPlayAvengers

    It is hard to make out but it does state that he will be made available by March. It isn’t an exact release date but it seems reasonable. Hawkeye was confirmed as the first DLC character, so he probably is getting the most development currently. We also have no official render for Spidey, so they might still be finalizing his design. With all the different characters revealed, there is the possibility we could see a constant stream of updates every two to three months. Keep in mind though that nothing has been confirmed so far. We barely know how far in development they are with most of these characters.

    Naturally, this exclusivity deal is a selling point for the PlayStation. It worked out quite well for the developer going by the UK sales charts after the announcement. They’ve also already included it on the box art to boost sales before its upcoming September release. Naturally, it is a very controversial move but it seems strongly linked to the branding of the console. Spider-Man and it’s Miles Morales spin-off are only available on that console. They may have gunned hard to keep that consistency even if it is a rather questionable decision. I believe this might be a timed exclusive but we will have to wait until that is confirmed.

    LookSource: MP1ST, Reddit, WhatCulture, VGC

  • Retailer Leaks ‘Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory’ November Release Date

    Retailer Leaks ‘Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory’ November Release Date

    In June, we got the official announcement for the latest entry in the Kingdom Hearts franchise. It sadly isn’t an entry in the mainline, which fans are still anticipating. This latest game, as the subtitle Melody of Memory teases, will be a rhythm-action game. It lets you play through the iconic music from the franchise while taking down Heartless. It was revealed in their Kingdom Hearts 2020 video without a definite release date. Sadly, it was uncertain when exactly we could expect this spin-off. Well, looks like an Austrian retailer GameWare has accidentally leaked it online, as Twitter user Ezereal shared. Seems the game is going to be released on November 13th.

    https://twitter.com/So_Ethereal/status/1295057362940760082

    It isn’t uncommon for retailers to create placeholders for upcoming games. Sometimes, they do so just in case an announcement is made. Yet, this is a little to exact to just be a placeholder. While checking is still listed on the Austrian site. Just to make sure, I checked others but this is currently the only platform it is listed. We haven’t had an official announcement yet, so there is a good chance it might be around corner if this has been shared with retailers.

    As a Kingdom Hearts fan myself I am quite excited to get my hands on it. At first, it seemed like a spin-off but fans know better. During the 2020 video, we got glimpses of what seems to be a bridge towards the next major entry. Kairi might be taking center stage as they Kingdom Hearts 3 did tease that they are using her memories to find Sora. It’s been a big year for the game with the release of the Re:Mind DLC and the mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road. Here’s just hoping the wait for the next main entry won’t take another 14 years like last time.

    Source: Square-Enix, Twitter, GameWare

  • Untitled ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Show Eyeing Production Start Next Month

    Untitled ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Show Eyeing Production Start Next Month

    The Mandalorian kickstarted the Disney+ era. It was quite the success and Disney didn’t waste time to announce multiple projects in the Star Wars galaxy. Just recently, we got an update on casting for the unnamed Cassian Andor project. Hell, we are even getting a new Star Wars Holiday Special on the streaming platform. One major project many are excited for was the announced Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Ewan McGregor is confirmed to return to the role, as it takes place eight years after Revenge of the Sith. In January, it was reported that the production was set on hold long before the pandemic hit. Rumors pointed to issues with the scripts that were going to be reworked. As a result, production was delayed indefinitely.

    Well, looks like that wait is finally over. The site Making Star Wars has uncovered that there are plans to start production as early as next month. It seems that they are planning on using the train yard location in California. This has been used for many exterior shots for The Mandalorian in the past. They could be reusing the Tatooine materials filmed during the first season of the Disney+ show.

    Their source does confirm that this doesn’t mean they will instantly jump into filming. This story takes place long before our favorite Mandalorian took a step in Tatooine so it was a very different place then. So, they will need to adapt the existing material to fit that timeline before Deborah Chow starts the actual filming. As she was involved with the previous show’s production, she can reuse this experience for Obi-Wan. Making Star Wars also points out that it is unsure how much will be shot in Southern California. Originally, plans seemed to indicate that they wanted to film in the U.K. but with the current situation this may be hindered. It will be good to keep an eye out if anything happens for the show next month.

    Sources: TechRadar, Collider, Making Star Wars via DisInsider