Murphy's Multiverse

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  • Power! Unlimited Power! Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan Set to Replace Kathleen Kennedy Atop Lucasfilm

    Power! Unlimited Power! Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan Set to Replace Kathleen Kennedy Atop Lucasfilm

    Everything is proceeding as many have forseen. Following an extended period of speculation and rumors, a new report claims that the heir to George Lucas’ empire, Lucasfilm’s creative Grand Admiral Dave Filoni, will soon be named co-President of the company alongside Lynwen Brennan as Kathleen Kennedy steps down from the role.

    The news comes from Matt Belloni who reports that Lucasfilm will confirm the moves in “the next week or two.”

    Filoni, the creator behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka, has served as Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Office since November 2023 and will remain in command of the “creative direction of the franchise in film, television, and any other platforms in the galaxy.” Brennan, who was named Executive Vice President and General Manager of Lucasfilm by Kennedy in 2015, is expected to continue coordinating the business side of things for the studio.

    Kennedy‘s career at Lucasfilm began in 2012 when she was handpicked by George Lucas to serve as co-chair before the company’s acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. Following the sale, she was promoted to President, overseeing Lucasfilm’s primary divisions, including Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound. Under her leadership, the studio revitalized the Star Wars franchise, launching a sequel trilogy that began with the record-breaking The Force Awakens (2015) and continued with The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Beyond the Skywalker Saga, Kennedy shepherded standalone “anthology” films such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) as well as the return of another iconic Lucasfilm property with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

    In addition to her work in feature films, Kennedy spearheaded Lucasfilm’s expansion into streaming through Disney+. She served as executive producer on critically acclaimed and award-winning live-action series, most notably The Mandalorian, which debuted in 2019, and the Emmy-winning Andor.

    As Kennedy prepares to step away, Lucasfilm has rough 7,813,212 Star Was projects in development, none of which a large segment of fans believe will actually be made.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Has Venomous Designs for the New Spidey Trilogy

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Has Venomous Designs for the New Spidey Trilogy

    After less than a decade of (at best) half-assed efforts to create a Spider-Man Universe without a Spider-Man, Sony finally threw in the towel afterKraven the Hunter hit the screen as a lame duck in 2024. When it was all said and done, the so-called SSU gave fans some of the worst superhero films in the history of the genre; however, an argument can be made that Tom Hardy‘s Venom trilogy provided at least a few highlights.

    In the wake of the death of the SSU, rumors that Hardy might jump fully into the MCU as part of a wild King in Black crossover took flight and captured the interest of the chronically online. Whether  that cosmic crossover was ever truly in the cards–Venom franchise creative veteran Kelly Marcel seemed to tease it at one point–those plans took a back seat to whatever director Destin Daniel Cretton cooked up for the fourth installment in Sony and Disney’s collaborative Spidey franchise…which may still include a symbiote.

    According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has designs on its “own take on the Symbiote for this new trilogy.“

    Perhaps not coincidentally, in a pair of Instagram stories shared earlier this year, Michael Mando–who is stepping back into the role of Mac Gargan for the first time since Spider-Man: Homecoming—teased the potential for Gargan to not only suit up as Scorpion but also become a host for the Venom symbiote.

    Shortly afterwards, Mando doubled down on teasing the potential monstrous turn for his character, sharing a photo of Scorpion merging with the alien symbiote.

    In the comics, Mac Gargan’s tenure as Venom is distinguished primarily by its sheer brutality and a complete lack of the moral “Lethal Protector” code that defined Eddie Brock. Unlike other hosts who viewed the symbiote as a partner or a tool for justice, Gargan experienced a parasitic relationship fueled by the career criminal’s base instincts. This led to a version of the character defined by cannibalism and animalistic savagery; Gargan famously gave in to the suit’s hunger for human flesh, consuming enemies and even Skrulls during his time on the Dark Avengers. This loss of control was often reflected in his physical appearance, as he was frequently depicted as a massive, hulking monster with human eyes visible through the symbiote’s mask, highlighting the terrifying reality of a man being swallowed by an addiction-like bond.

    Beyond his personality, Gargan’s Venom was unique because of the biological synergy between the alien and his original Scorpion powers. He maintained his “Scorpion-sense” and enhanced durability, often manifesting a massive, prehensile symbiote tail that allowed him to strike with the lethal precision of his former namesake. This made him one of the most physically formidable iterations of the character, possessing a raw power level that surpassed Brock’s. His unique role reached its peak when he masqueraded as a sinister version of Spider-Man under Norman Osborn’s leadership. By using chemical suppressants to shrink the symbiote’s mass, he was able to hide his monstrous nature in plain sight, serving as a government-sanctioned “hero” while secretly remaining a feral killer.

    Of course, there’s always the very good possibility that Marvel will simply wait until Avengers: Secret Wars to introduce its own version of the symbiote, paying homage 1984’s Secret Wars when Peter Parker found himself wearing a new black suit that was revealed to be Venom.

  • Wow! ‘Loki’ Co-Star Reportedly Set for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Return

    Wow! ‘Loki’ Co-Star Reportedly Set for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Return

    Following the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, it was hard to imagine how much more Marvel Studios was going to squeeze out of Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki. Fortunately, Michael Waldron, Eric Martin, Kate Herron, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead found a way to breathe new life into the God of Mischief, putting together two seasons of an incredible journey into mystery that allowed Hiddleston to fulfill Loki’s glorious purpose.

    As brilliant as Hiddleston was in Loki, the chemistry between him and his co-stars, specifically Owen Wilson and Sophia Di Martino, helped make both seasons work so well. With the L1130 Variant of Loki now set up as the MCU’s keeper of the timeline–the God of Stories, it was no surprise that Hiddleston was among those announced as part of the main cast of Avengers: Doomsday last year. It’s not yet entirely clear exactly what role Loki will play in attempting to stop Doctor Doom from unleashing a “cascading crisis across the entire multiverse,” but according to a new report, he’ll have his best buddy at his side.

    My contribution has been contributed. It is monumental. The centre of the story is absolutely brilliant, and was so surprising when I read it. It just has never been done before.

    -Tom Hiddleston
    According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Owen Wilson will return in Avengers: Doomsday as TVA timecop Mobius.

    We have different styles. You’re a man of action, which is fine. I take a more slow, deliberate, cerebral approach because I see everything. I notice everything.

    -Mobius

    When last seen in the Loki series finale, Mobius had left the TVA to enjoy the freedom to live his own life free from the machinations of He Who Remains. However, it was made pretty clear that there was room more Mobius and, with the Multiverse at stake, it sounds like it’s time for him to get off the couch.

  • ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Rumored to Feature a Classic Marvel Comics’ Odd Couple in the Lead

    ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Rumored to Feature a Classic Marvel Comics’ Odd Couple in the Lead

    Despite being two of Marvel’s most popular icons, Spider-Man and Wolverine spent the first few decades of their history largely avoiding each other. The pair finally met in 1982’s Marvel Team-Up #117 and then in 2005, Brian Michael Bendis struck gold when he added both characters to the roster of his New Avengers.

    Living together in Avengers Tower, the two quickly developed into the publishing house’s premier “odd couple” with Spider-Man as the talkative, moral optimist and Wolverine as the silent, lethal cynic. Eventually, Wolverine admitted that he respects Peter Parker more than almost anyone because of his unwavering moral compass, telling his fellow heroes that he believed Parker to be “the best of us.” Now it looks as though Marvel Studios is looking to tap into that magic in Avengers: Secret Wars.

    Following up on a report by industry insider Daniel Richtman that claimed Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire were set to play major roles alongside Tom Holland in Avengers: Secret Wars, social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello has now claimed that Jackman and Maguire are set up to be the leads of the final film of the Multiverse Saga.

    According to MTTSH, “The end of Doomsday set up Tobey [Maguire] and Hugh Jackman as the leads of Secret Wars.” Prior reports have indicated that the two heroes will square off in the final act of Avengers: Doomsday before making nice and FINALLY teaming up on the big screen. With reports that Marvel Studios is prepping a new, Hugh Jackman-less Wolverine project, it sounds as though the studio is willimg to give Jackman and Maguire‘s heroes a fitting send off as a thank you for starting the ball rolling on the modern CBM genre in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Developing Additional X-Men Related Projects Including a New Take on the Canucklehead

    Even as Avengers: Doomsday will take fans on a nostalgic trip through time as Fox’s original X-Men get to shine one last time, Marvel Studios is preparing an all-new, all-different take on the mutant heroes. Kevin Feige has made no secret of the fact that “having the X-Men back” is “one of those dreams come true” for him and he’s also made it clear that once the Multiverse Saga comes to a close, the X-Men will take center stage in the studio’s plans, which currently extends out to 2032.

    The whole story of Secret Wars really leads us into a new age of mutants and of the X-Men.

    -Kevin Feige

    Jake Schreier‘s youth-focused X-Men film is expected to kick off the Marvel Mutant era in 2028 but it sounds as though the studio is so confident in the drawing power of the characters acquired from 20th Century Studios in 2019 that work has begun on several other projects as well.

    According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, “Marvel is developing a Wolverine project and multiple mutant-focused projects for the next saga, not just an X-Men reboot.”

    Though rumors swirled following his return to the character in Deadpool & Wolverine that Hugh Jackman would continue to portray Wolverine in 2028 and beyond, more recent rumblings indicate that the star may step aside…again…with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars serving as his swan songs. While it’s no surprise that Marvel Studios would be developing a Wolverine project, any actor other than Jackman that takes on the role will have to win fans over. However, keeping an aged Jackaman on as Logan, no matter how beloved his portrayal has been, is not exactly congruent with the studio’s plans for a young X-Men cast.

    As comic readers know, there have been various and very, very different versions of these characters over the decades. It would be fun to explore different ones someday down the line. Again, we don’t have immediate plans by any means. But in the decades to come, I think it’s inevitable. If that happens, it would have to be a very different and bold reinterpretation of [the character] because no one will be as great as Hugh Jackman at doing his version of Wolverine.

    -Kevin Feige

    As for the other projects in development, Richtman’s report didn’t contain specifics though there’s no shortage of characters and teams that never saw the screen under Fox who would make for compelling films and series. In the past, Feige’s interest in Alpha Flight, the Starjammers and the Shi’ar has been reported and any or all of those may be among the ideas percolating at Marvel Studios. And of course, X-Force, X-Factor, Generation X and on and on and on…

  • Rumors Suggest the Russos Brothers May Have Cleverly Sown Chaos into the Mix in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Rumors Suggest the Russos Brothers May Have Cleverly Sown Chaos into the Mix in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

    Slowly but surely, fans are starting to believe that Avengers: Doomsday might not be so bad after all. Teaser trailers featuring Steve Rogers, Thor, Magneto, Charles Xavier and Cyclops have all generated significant buzz and it sounds as though the studio plans on keeping the momentum going with additional teasers yet to come.

    The marketing for the film has cleverly appealed to multiple different demographics but there’s one large sect of the fandom that hasn’t had reason to be excited just yet. However, a new rumor may be about to change that and get the Wandas back in the game.

    John “The Outlaw” Rocha shared an update on an old rumor about Avengers: Doomsday featuring multiple Doctors Doom. According to Rocha’s source, “Doom has a female sidekick [who] also has a mask. This person thinks it is a female Doom. You’ll get a male and female Doom team.”

    A “female Doom” is interesting enough on its own but it’s also not something that would seem to serve the story well when there are so many other options available to the Russo brothers that would.

    As Rocha’s news makes its way around the usual spots, social media scoopers and leakers and bullshitters have begun chiming in about the true identity of Doom’s masked “sidekick.” While some have suggested it’ll be Lucia Von Bardas–Latveria’s Prime Minister in the comics–her inclusion wouldn’t really move the needle for fans. However, another rumor about who is behind the mask that seems to be gaining traction would indeed move the needle, perhaps to 11: Wanda Maximoff.

    There really is so much more to explore. We still haven’t touched on many of her core storylines from the comics. I don’t know that we saw her under rubble? I saw a tower coming down, and a little red flash. I don’t know what that means.

    -Kevin Feige

    Though Elizabeth Olsen has denied her involvement with the project, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, previously made it clear that there Marvel would always bring her back for more and that there is “so much more to explore” with the Scarlet Witch. Adding her to the mix in Avengers: Doomsday as the mysterious masked counterpart of Doom might just be the best option as it would not only tie up several threads left hanging over the course of the Multiverse Saga but allow for an adaptation of a comic project that has long been rumored to be on Marvel Studios radar.

    Prior to Bob Iger’s return to Disney, Olsen was rumored to be at the center of a pair of projects: an adaptation of Alan Heinberg’s limited series, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, and a Scarlet Witch solo film.

    On the surface, adapting The Children’s Crusade provides the perfect opportunity to continue the story of Wanda Maximoff in the MCU. Following her multi-year arc as a villain which concluded in House of M, Wanda Maximoff lived powerlessly and without her memories for years. It wasn’t until her son, Billy Maximoff, aka Wiccan, began to lose control of his own immense powers that a search began for her in earnest.

    While it’s hardly the same sequence of events, Wanda’s heel-turn as the Scarlet Witch over the course of WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and her apparent death in the final act of the latter provide the opportunity for a similar story to be told within the shared tapestry of the MCU,. especially once Billy and Tommy are reunited, presumably by the conclusion of Marvel Television’s upcoming D+ streaming series VisionQuest.

    Revealing the “female Doom” an amnesiac Wanda would retcon Doctor Doom’s presence in the MCU back to the conclusion of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, provide a reason for the Young Avengers/Champions to become involved in the plot(s) of Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars and get one Marvel’s most talented stars involved in the two biggest projects of the decade. Obviously it’s nothing more than a barely-sourced rumor (and likely just a guess) at this point but it makes more sense than any other option in terms of the story-telling possibilities it opens up.

    Source: The Hot Mic

  • Get Out! New Report Claims Recent Rumors Teasing Us about an Academy Award-Winning Director Teaming Up with Marvel Studios Project Are a Nope

    Get Out! New Report Claims Recent Rumors Teasing Us about an Academy Award-Winning Director Teaming Up with Marvel Studios Project Are a Nope

    24 hours after a report from a trusted industry insider generated some serious hype, another report from another insider has shut it down. Following the news that Jordan Peele and Marvel Studios had met over the possibility of Peele leading an MCU film—and the subsequent social media reaction to the news from Peele’s production company–it’s beginning to sound as though it’s all just old news.

    According to Jeff “Th In” Sneider, it is true that Marvel is interested in Peele helming an MCU flick.

    Nope – It was the emoji seen around the world… A pair of eyes tweeted from the official account of Jordan Peele’s production company, hovering over a report from noted-yet-somehow-faceless scooper DanielRPK that suggested Marvel wants Peele to direct a movie for the studio. Here’s a news flash for ya – l said that last year. Peele did, in fact, take a meeting with Marvel Studios.

    -Jeff “The In” Sneider

    However, according to Sneider, “Peeley is not directing a Marvel movie as of now” and is “still hard at work…at whatever he’s working

    So what? That’s what Marvel Studios does – it takes meetings with the town’s best and brightest filmmakers. So while I’m sure Marvel would love to work with Jordan Peele one day – it’s true!!! – I can assure you that Peele is not directing a Marvel movie as of now. Not Blade or Midnight Sons or Doctor Strange 3, or anything else that Kevin Feige & Co. are cooking up in Burbank. I get that it’s fun to speculate, and meetings can be tempting to report on, but there simply is no story here. It’s pure vapor that came out of thin air. Maybe next time, we shouldn’t Jump to conclusions based on emojis, eh, folks? Peele is still hard at work on… whatever he’s working on… which could be ready as soon as 2027. Stay tuned!

    -Jeff “The In” Sneider

    And so, for Blade, it seems it’s back to the drawing board; and as for Midnight Sons, plenty of rumblings about the film have emerged without an official peep from Marvel Studios.

    Source: The Insneider

  • Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions Responds to Rumors Marvel Is Interested in Working with the ‘Get Out’ Director

    Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions Responds to Rumors Marvel Is Interested in Working with the ‘Get Out’ Director

    After passing on directing Marvel Studios highly-anticipated X-Men film, expected to hit theaters in 2028, Jordan Peele has reportedly found himself the apple of Kevin Feige’s eye once again. Industry insider Daniel Richtman shared the news that Marvel had circled back to the Academy Award-winning creative to helm an as yet unnamed Phase 7 project and while these types of stories usually come and go without hearing from the parties involved, the cookie seems to have crumbled a little differently this time around.

    In response to a post on X which shared the news about Marvel’s interest in teaming up with Peele, Monkeypaw Productions, founded by the creative in 2012, reshared the tweet with the eyes emoji.

    While it certainly can’t be counted as any type of confirmation–nor can it be certain that Peele is behind the social media post–it is absolutely one of the most interesting things going on today.

    The news comes after Peele‘s next project, originally planned for a 2024 release, was removed from Universal Pictures’ 2026 slate earlier this year.

  • ‘Avengers: Doomsday’: Tom Hiddleston Teases Loki’s Role and Hypes the Film’s “Monumental” Story

    ‘Avengers: Doomsday’: Tom Hiddleston Teases Loki’s Role and Hypes the Film’s “Monumental” Story

    Marvel Studios certainly had its fair share of missteps during the Multiverse Saga; however, nobody counts the two seasons of Loki–ironically a project directly at the center of the Multiverse plot–among them.

    For as complicated as the sci-fi weirdness of the show seemed to be, in the end, Loki remained a fairly straightforward character study of one of the MCU’s greatest characters. And powered by one of the MCU’s greatest talents in Tom Hiddleston, Loki became the warm light for all mankind to share in what became the MCU’s “Breaking Good.” As it concluded, Loki found himself making a choice that nobody, including him, could have ever predicted. No longer the conqueror or mischief maker, Loki reanimated the dead branches of reality and set himself about the endless task of giving life to others at the expense of his own freedom. Free will outside of the boundaries set by He Who Remains, Loki became the God of Stories.

    In that role, Loki will certainly find himself face-to-face with Doctor Doom as the villain unleashes “a cascading crisis across the entire multiverse” in Avengers: Doomsday. While some.fans have bemoaned the inclusion of Chris Evans in the 2026 film, it’s hard to find anyone too upset about Hiddleston stepping back into the horns again, though plenty of theories about his role in the film have been crafted over the past year.

    Whatever that role might ultimately be, Hiddleston–as veteran of an MCU actor that exists–is not ready to share it; he is, however, very ready to let everyone know that they’re in for something “brilliant” in Avengers: Doomsday.

    Speaking to GQ, Hiddleston confirmed that while there’s scheduled additional photography for the project, he has completed his “contribution” to Avengers: Doomsday, which he hyped as something “monumental” and “surprising” while insisting the film’s story is something that “just has never been done before.”

    My contribution has been contributed. It is monumental. The centre of the story is absolutely brilliant, and was so surprising when I read it. It just has never been done before.

    –Tom Hiddleston on Avengers: Doomsday

    Its no small praise coming from Hiddleston. For over a decade, the star has remained devoted to curating and protecting the legacy of Loki in the MCU, making it unlikely he’s return simply for a payday nor to slather praise over a story that didn’t do his character’s arc justice. Now the author of not only his own story but also those of the entire Multiverse, Loki is a true hero, fulfilled in his quest for glorious purpose and the timeline–his timeline–won’t fall without a fight.

    Source: GQ

  • Marvel Studios Circling Back to Academy Award-Winning Creative for Phase 7 Project

    Marvel Studios Circling Back to Academy Award-Winning Creative for Phase 7 Project

    With a pretty clear path established to the end of the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has begun the brick-by-brick process of building its post-Secret Wars slate. As it stands, a sequel to Fantastic Four: First Steps, Black Panther 3—to be written and directed by Ryan Coogler–and an X-Men film directed by Jake Schreier are believed to be among the studio’s first theatrical projects in Phase 7. That’s a pretty robust start to the MCU’s new saga; however, the studio currently has dates set aside for four films in 2028 and a new report has shed some light on who the studio may want to bring it to the big screen.

    According to industry insider Daniel Richtman, Marvel Studios has circled back to Jordan Peele, who they originally approached to direct X-Men, to direct an unknown Phase 7 project.

    Though he’s only directed four projects to date, Peele boasts and incredibly impressive resume as a screenwriter, with an Academy Award for his screenplay for Get Out, which he also helmed. Peele also wrote the screenplay for Nope, 2021’s Candyman, 20 episodes of Paramount+’s The Twilight Zone and Us, which he also directed. With that horror-heavy filmography, it would seem as though Marvel may be looking to Peele to take the reigns of the long-delayed Blade film or perhaps the rumored Midnight Sons team-up film, which would reportedly see Sacha Baron Cohen reprise his role as Mephisto.

    You can start and have a good script and make it a great script through production, but we didn’t feel confident we could do that on Blade. We didn’t want to do that to Mahershala and didn’t want to do that to us. We didn’t want to put a leather outfit on [Ali] and have him start killing vampires. [We] landed on modern day and that’s what we’re focusing on.

    -Kevin Feige on Blade

    However, even as synonymous with horror as Peele‘s name has become, Marvel’s interest in having him direct its X-Men film would seem to indicate they haven’t pigeonholed the talented creative. Reports indicated that Peele and Marvel Studios cordially parted ways on X-Men over the dormer’s desire to both write and direct the project. Perhaps Peele and Marvel have found a project–whether it be Blade, Midnight Sons or something else entirely–on which Peele can have more of the creative control he’s accustomed to.