Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Set to Pass a Billion Tonight

    ‘Avatar 2’ Set to Pass a Billion Tonight

    The time has already arrived, as Avatar: The Way of Water is seemingly already on its way to passing a billion. After taking in $955M on Monday, the film now stands to pass the billion-dollar mark by the end of the day this Tuesday. James Cameron‘s latest film once again proves the value of the international box office as well as his usual strong legs. Combine all that with a very convenient Christmas free of competition.

    At the moment, its split is $293.2M domestic with a good chance of potentially reaching the $400M mark by the end of its run. Internationally is where most o the investment stand at $661.9M with the additional push of China. In a year where science fiction has been struggling quite a bit, the film is that last glimpse of potential going into the end of the year.

    As of now, the film’s strongest markets are China at $104.5M, France at $60.5M, Korea’s $55.4M, and Germany stands at an impressive $41.5M. So, here’s the big question of just how far the film will make it. There’s still a chance that it could reach two billion, but while its Christmas momentum has been impressive it’s unclear if that will fully carry over.

    avatar billion, it needs to make a lot of money, or else the investment for future installments might end up being questioned. If it passes two billion remains a question in the upcoming weeks but it’s still looking like a strong box office run no matter what, especially with it already passing a billion by tonight.

    Source: Deadline

  • The Unintentional Gambit of Using Z-Listers to Create Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    The Unintentional Gambit of Using Z-Listers to Create Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    As studios continue in the age of developing cinematic universes, one notable example that remains steeped in mediocrity is Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU). The studio’s attempt to counter the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t had the most promising start between two commercially passable, yet critically mixed Venom films and the unmitigated flop that was Morbius. Not to be deterred, Sony is still persisting with various other films based on Spider-Man supporting characters. Their choices continue to bring up some major question marks with some of the obscure characters that will be adapted in El Muerto and Hypno-Hustler. It doesn’t immediately put the best foot forward for a logical cinematic universe plan, and it’s certainly very easy to lampoon. However, Sony Pictures may have stumbled upon what could be a genuinely unique and fruitful way to stand out in the world of major franchises.

    Many questions can certainly be asked about the logic of creating a cinematic universe around Marvel characters connected to Spider-Man, while never actually using the titular character in any of the films in that universe. However, scraping the bottom of the barrel allows the chance to essentially create new characters and original intellectual property. It’s a concept that studios should be thrilled to have on their hands and what would actually help push it over the edge into cinematic success would be allowing the creative teams of these projects to get truly experimental with them by being visually and narratively distinct from most superheroic-fare. Letting Bad Bunny dive deep into the world of professional wrestling for the role of El Muerto has the potential to be an audience draw for Sony Pictures. And more importantly, letting Donald Glover star in a feature-length film about a deranged club musician could bring out the strong artistic quality found in the tracks and music videos of Childish Gambino. That could truly turn Hypno-Hustler into a household name and a critically successful film.

    Some may scoff at the idea of Hypno-Hustler and El Muerto having any potential of being “household names” but for casual audiences, there’s no real difference in awareness of comic characters beyond the upper class of characters. The general knowledge for the characters mentioned above from the common film attendee is essentially equal to that of the Guardians of the Galaxy before 2014 and while of course the success of James Gunn’s film was built around his strong craftsmanship, the SSU could potentially find some level of benefits with unfettered work from good filmmakers. As an additional plus, the usage of Z-list comic characters will allow the filmmakers to take whatever creative liberties they’d need to as they’re not beholden to any sanctity of lore.

    While there are potential positives from using these obscure villains, there are equally strong reasons to avoid the current strategy of using more recognizable Spider-Man villains in solo outings. If the SSU remains insistent on not using an interpretation of the Wall-Crawler in their films, then it’s a waste of resources to use characters intrinsically tied to him. Audiences don’t have any tangible reason to watch a film about a villain without their main rival present. The first two Venom films have barely been able to pass as successful films thanks to the individual cache the character has had from 1990s nostalgia. Meanwhile, a character like Morbius that holds none of that cache led Sony Pictures to one of the most major flops in the superhero genre in a good long while. 

    With that in mind, Kraven the Hunter has all the earmarks to be a flop based on these metrics. Making the villain a seemingly pure protagonist has the potential to remove any of the interesting elements of the character (something that wouldn’t need to be worried about with obscure villains with no love lost). It’s obvious that Kraven would have been much better served being used as a villain for a Tom Holland-led, Marvel Studios co-produced Spider-Man film. These types of more recognizable villains would be much better served in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (aka Sony Pictures actual cash cow in terms of Spider-Man films).

    If the SSU does go in the direction of building around these untapped characters, they cannot take half measures in creative decision-making. The studio must fully embrace these types of weird characters and provide the filmmakers with the trust for them to maximize their potential. This sounds strongly rudimentary for the process of filmmaking, but they need to actually have a strong story concept that can be built upon by your main creative team. The notion of simply matching a random celebrity to a Z-list character obviously does not make a successful film. There’s interesting potential in films such as El Muerto and Hypno-Hustler, but if the only idea there is the surface-level pitch, then Sony Pictures are in for a continued world of hurt.

    Sony Pictures does have a dark horse chance to turn their odds and ends into something truly distinct in the superhero cinematic landscape. Of course, it seems likely that this was a plan created without much forethought going in and it will be an uphill battle for it to actually work. This strategy will have to involve Sony trusting its filmmakers to independently create unique projects, something that the studio has struggled to do in most of its live-action projects based around Spider-Man. Speaking of the titular character, an attempt to create this sort of universe could’ve been more successful if Sony chose to adapt essentially any of the pantheon of Spider-people that are set to appear in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Ultimately, this whole conversation could be a moot point in the potentially probable event that all these films are shuttered following another financial and critical flop from the studio.

  • Hope Springs: As ‘Eternals’ Blazes its Post-Zhao Trail, A Prestige Series Would Represent A Bold New Path

    Hope Springs: As ‘Eternals’ Blazes its Post-Zhao Trail, A Prestige Series Would Represent A Bold New Path

    2021’s Eternals was a divisive film. With an Academy Award-winning director at the helm, it boasted an all-star cast while exploring themes of humanity, spirituality, and sacrifice. It also used Z-list Marvel characters that very few audience members had a connection to, and the course of the movie’s runtime proved inadequate to develop that connection with any of them. Add in a very underdeveloped primary antagonist, and the result is an extremely low consensus as to its quality, with a Rotten Tomatoes score that reflects that.

    But one recurring comment in discussions about the film’s scope was that the story might better have been served by a series instead of a film. And considering that the film stretches from 5000 BCE to the present, there’s a lot of jumping around in the timeline that makes it harder for a viewer to find proper grounding. That being said, Chloé Zhao had a vision, and it’s doubtful that she would have signed on to do the project, nor would have had the ability to attract the wide range of global stars for it, if it was “just” a show.

    But as we reach the cusp of 2023, things have changed quite a bit. A new rumor suggests that Zhao is not expected to return for the Eternals sequel, and the progression of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga has shifted the focus to its Big Bad, Kang. Whatever our interest in the ongoing exploits of our synthetic lifeforms cosplaying as deities while being the harbingers of worldwide cataclysm, they have surely been diminished, Harry Styles notwithstanding. That isn’t to say that these exploits aren’t worth getting into, though. There’s rich storytelling ground and fantastic actors who deserve the opportunity to be showcased. That’s why Eternals should return as a “prestige” series, telling the stories of individual Eternals in an anthology format.

    There are a number of reasons that this is preferable to greenlighting a sequel, shepherding it through the development and production process, and trying to promote it against the backdrop of much more high-profile and anticipated projects featuring more beloved characters. Because of the narrative around the first film, getting people out for the sequel is going to be an even tougher sell. Even though the next director they might choose brings a certain amount of differentiation, it’s hard to do better than the previous year’s Best Director. And the cast was already top-notch. What possible new actor could enter the mix and move the needle?


    But for a streaming show, you’re not getting people to load up the family and settle in for two or three hours in the cinema. You’re asking them to boot up Disney Plus at their leisure and watch something poignant, thought-provoking, and moving. We just recently saw that with Andor, Star Wars was able to reset the narrative around that franchise because of the elevated quality of the storytelling and filmmaking of Tony Gilroy, even with lower-than-average streaming numbers. The calculus was that if you make something truly great, people will find it eventually, even if it isn’t fully steeped in the zeitgeist.

    The Eternals, by their very nature, have stood apart from the MCU meta-narrative until now. And with 7000 years to explore for each character, each Eternal should easily be able to command his or her own standalone narrative, shaped around a different director’s vision, and showcasing that character in more depth. And for each cast member, instead of having to find the time in their busy schedules for a full movie shoot, they can carve out their availability in tandem with the production, unconstrained by the continuity of one main story.

    Just think of the different styles that could be displayed, and the levels of experimentation that would allow them to deviate from the oft-derided “Marvel House Style.” Shooting one episode could be a way to get daring filmmakers like The Daniels in the door without holding them to the parameters of traditional MCU guardrails. And the endpoint of this experimentation would be the differentiation of each Eternal to a greater degree, and a bigger investment in those characters in the future, regardless of whether they appear together or apart.

    As much as we love Marvel, it’s really hard for them to make prestige television that still feels like it fits within the same universe as the films — especially when, for the most part, connectivity is a draw. But in the case of Eternals, they already leaned into the idea of these characters’ limited connections. So stories told in that space can just concentrate on being as interesting and powerful as possible. And Marvel should be able to attract interesting and powerful storytellers and filmmakers as they deepen and add more texture to the world of the Eternals. And that, in many ways, would do a lot more for the Eternals brand than any sequel film could.

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Shifts Gears in Development of ‘Nova’ Project

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Shifts Gears in Development of ‘Nova’ Project

    Marvel Studios is developing a Nova project, of this we can be sure. Originally thought to be a steaming series written by Moon Knight’s Sabir Pirzada, online chatter of it being developed as a Special Presentation in the mold of Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special emerged a few months ago. To make sure all the bases are covered, a new rumor has the project now being developed as a feature film.

    According to MyTimeToShine, Marvel Studios is keen on bringing the adventures of the Human Rocket to the big screen.

    Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter how the studio brings the character into the shared cinematic universe, only that they do. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 set to be the final chapter for that particular iteration of Cosmic heroes, the MCU will need a new Cosmic champion and nobody from their expansive roster of comic book characters fits the bill better than Richard Rider.

  • 12 Days of X-Mas: Day 3, Polaris

    12 Days of X-Mas: Day 3, Polaris

    The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios has no small task ahead of them in making sure that the iconic team can lead the franchise in Phase 7 and beyond. Marvel Studios is also sure to make every effort to separate their adaptation of the team(s) from what came before. To celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, we’ve decided to put together a list of which characters might play a key role and how Marvel Studios can ensure nobody will confuse them with their Fox counterparts.

    The Mistress of Magnetism

    As is the case with a lot of female characters written in the 60s, 70s and 80s, there are some parts of Lorna Dane’s comic book history that would be better off left in those pages and left out of any adaptation of the character into the MCU; however, Fox made a poor decision by leaving Lorna out of their live-action films entirely. Though not one of the original five members of the X-Men, Lorna was brought on board in the first wave of recruits beyond the five giving her a longer history with the team than Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Kitty Pryde. Fox may have stayed away from Lorna because of the identity of her father: Magneto. That’s a mistake Marvel Studios should actively seek not to replicate.

    While Scott Summers and Jean Grey are the foremost mutant power couple, Alex Summers and Lorna Dane aren’t far behind. Focusing on Alex and Lorna, both individually and as a couple, allows Marvel Studios to explore all sorts of fascinating parallels and differences between them and their more famous family members. Though she’s the daughter of a terrorist and one of Marvel’s most compelling and complex villains, Lorna grew up free of his influence (indeed she didn’t know he was her father until later in life) and is one of the X-Men’s great leaders and heroes.

    Lorna and Alex are to X-Factor and Jean and Scott are to the X-Men and Marvel Studios will almost certainly allow multiple mutant teams to exist simultaneously within the MCU. Beyond X-Factor, however, Lorna played a major role on the mutant paradise of Genosha, the House of M and one other part of the X-Men mythology that Fox completely ignored: Shi’ar space! Along with Havok, Lorna had a major arc in The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire and War of Kings as a new recruit of the Starjammers, led by the father of Scott and Alex Summers and involving the third Summers brother, Gabriel.

    Given the scope of Lorna’s history in the comics and the fact that Fox left her sidelined, she seems as good a bet as any to not only join the ranks of the mutants in the MCU, but become a leader and key player as they expand beyond Earth-bound stories. Of course, there’s also plenty to explore with her parentage and plenty of built-in drama once she learns who her father is. Come to think of it, Marvel Studios could probably get a lot of mileage out of the children of Magneto and Xavier, mileage that Fox chose to ignore entirely.

  • 5 Directors Who Could Chart the Course for ‘Eternals: Judgement Day’

    5 Directors Who Could Chart the Course for ‘Eternals: Judgement Day’

    There were so many things we enjoyed about Eternals, but it is safe to say that it ended up being one of Marvel’s most divisive films. It had the unenviable tasks of building the world Post-Endgame, retconning heroes into key events of said world, and explaining their absence during an all-hands-on-deck situation versus Thanos. As it turns out, it also had to set the tone for the conflict ahead in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts (if some of what we’ve heard is to be believed). Now, with a new rumor suggesting that Chloé Zhao will not return to helm an Eternals sequel, we thought it made sense to look at five directors who could take over for her and deliver on the things that worked in the original while not repeating the things that didn’t.

    Brad Bird

    The director of Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol and The Incredibles tops this list because of his experience with big ensembles, ability to craft action sequences and the talent to juggle the absurd with the serious when it comes to plots.

    Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

    Everything Everywhere All At Once is, without question, one of the best films of 2022, and its directors deserve the opportunity to helm a big-budget adventure like Eternals 2. They, also, nailed the time-travel/Multiversal ideas of that film, which will come in handy as they navigate an Eternals sequel that could tap into those themes. Keep in mind that Marvel Studios already wanted them to direct Loki, so it’s not like Kevin Feige and Co. don’t know who they are.

    Steven Spielberg

    Kevin Feige got his white whale when Harrison Ford agreed to take over as Thaddeus Ross following the death of William Hurt. Could he go big game hunting for the Eternals sequel? It’s definitely possible, but this isn’t the only reason Feige has to make the call. Spielberg’s ability to craft nuanced stories around dysfunctional family-like units would lend itself well to a group that is trying to find their kidnapped family members. There is, also, something kismet about Feige snagging the director of Close Encounters of the Third Kind after he basically shat all over superhero movies.

    Deborah Chow

    Fresh off delivering the incredible Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+, there’s something poetic about a Chinese female director being replaced by another Chinese female director just as Marvel Studios talks about continuing to diversify their director suite. Chow crafted something fresh for Obi-Wan, and she was able to find a way to make people care about a character who we had seen so much of already. She respected the lore of Star Wars, all while really expanding the universe in very intriguing ways. Given the role that we believe Eternals will play in the MCU going forward, Chow could do the same for this part of the world.

    Travis Knight

    The man responsible for giving us an actual Transformers movie and not whatever Michael Bay gave us, Travis Knight showed that he could juggle emotional beats and serious action in one film. However, it’s his work on Kubo and The Two Strings that make us excited about him potentially directing this. That movie brought some beautiful visuals to a really heartwarming story, and while you don’t want the next director to replicate everything Zhao did, you must admit that it was a stunning movie. Knight could do 70% of that while improving the action significantly.

    Of course, at the moment there’s no indication that Eternals 2 is in the works or that Zhao wouldn’t be on board if it were. In that case, this could also just be a nice list of directors who we’d like to see working with Marvel Studios at some point down the road.

  • Chloe Zhao Rumored to be Out as Marvel Studios Charts New Course for ‘Eternals 2’

    Chloe Zhao Rumored to be Out as Marvel Studios Charts New Course for ‘Eternals 2’

    Eternals was neither the critical nor financial success Marvel Studios hoped for when they began developing the project several years ago but it has begun to grow on audiences after making its way to Disney Plus and other streaming services. The events of the film’s big finale, which were briefly referenced in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, are rumored to set the stage for a pair of 2024 films in Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts as the Celestial Tiamut will become the focal point of a global conflict when the rare and valuable Adamantium is discovered on his corpse. Now, amid all the attention on the film, comes a coincidentally timed rumor about a potential sequel.

    MyTimeToShineHello recently took to Twitter to share both a potential comic book influence for the film and to point out that director Chloe Zhao is currently not attached to the project and may not end up helming it at all.

    The claim that the sequel will “be Judgment Day” is a reference to the recent Marvel Comics event series of the same name that saw the X-Men, Eternals and Avengers square off against each other and the Celestials to hold off the destruction of Earth. An adaptation of the event would fall neatly in line with the Prime Celestial Arishem the Judge’s final words in Eternals and could serve as way to tie the characters from the film into the larger MCU. Of course, the studio has absolutely no interest in a straight page-to-screen adaptation but Eternals: Judgment Day does have a nice ring to it.

    Marvel Studios has given no indication that a sequel to the film is officially in the works nor that Zhao wouldn’t be attached to direct. Until that time comes, rumors are all well and good for generating speculation and discussion but given the full slate of films and the studio’s well-documented history of ever-evolving ideas, this one may never come to fruition at all much less as described in this rumor.

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Creator Explains Why Movie Adaptation Failed

    ‘The Last of Us’ Creator Explains Why Movie Adaptation Failed

    The Last of Us is set to land as a series on HBO soon, but the high-profile video game adaptation wasn’t always going to be a big-budget show. Originally, the revered PlayStation exclusive was optioned as the basis for a feature-length film. In 2014, Screen Gems, the company behind the semi-successful and long-running Resident Evil movie franchise, secured the rights to put The Last of Us on the big screen. They attached legendary horror maestro Sam Raimi to direct, and game creator Neil Druckmann even held a table read to rehearse an early script. Oddly enough, that movie never panned out, and Druckmann is now ready to say why.

    In an interview with The New Yorker, the acclaimed video game director explained it was creative differences behind the scenes that ultimately lead to Screen Gems’ The Last of Us being canned. Druckmann claims he was only interested in adapting his story as a smaller indie tale, while Screen Gems and Sony instead wanted what he describes as “a particular kind of movie.” For Druckmann, the aesthetic touchstone to aim for was No Country For Old Men, while the studio wanted something more along the lines of World War Z, with massive set pieces where intimate storytelling should be. The final straw came when Druckmann began to fear a 15-hour video game could not accurately be condensed into a 2-hour film, causing the project to enter development hell.

    While he says he respected Raimi as a creative, Druckmann did not trust the other executives involved. He clashed specifically with Carter Swan, the man in charge of I.P. expansion at Sony, who told him screenwriter Craig Mazin had also expressed concern over turning the game into a movie. Druckmann responded, “Wait, the ‘Chernobyl’ guy? Why can’t I meet with him?”, and the idea for a live-action series came soon after. It’s a decision most fans are probably thankful for.

    The Last of Us debuts on HBO on January 15, 2023.

    Source: The New Yorker

  • Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira Reveals Ryan Coogler’s ‘Kung-Fu’ Plan for Okoye’s Post-‘Wakanda Forever’ Future

    Danai Gurira ‘s Okoye’s journey through the MCU has been as rough as anyone’s. Following T’Chaka’s death in Captain America: Civil War Okoye was present for T’Challa’s defeat at the hands of Killmonger in Black Panther. She then found herself on opposite sides of her husband in the fight for the throne. Thanos’ snap took another Wakandan King from the Dora Milaje General and though the Avengers’ battle against the Mad Titan resulted in T’Challa’s return, fate cruelly took him again, this time permanently, prior to the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. T’Challa’s death was followed by the abduction of Princess Shuri which led to Okoye’s dismissal as General at the command of Queen Ramonda who was killed by Namor a short time later.

    With little left to lose, Okoye rolled the dice and wore one of a pair of prototype Midnight Angel armors created by Shuri to aid in the battle against Talokan. As Wakanda Forever came to a close, Okoye used the armor to help free Everett Ross from custody, indicating that whatever the future holds for Okoye, it’s likely going to be tied to the powerful suit. That nebulous future might have something to do with one of the World of Wakanda spinoffs reportedly in the works. It’s long been thought that Gurira’s character would be the focus of one of those spinoffs and according to the actress, Okoye’s arc in Wakanda Forever originally ended in a way that set her character up to go on a journey of self-discovery.

    During a round of 20 questions with Deadline, Gurira told the outlet Okoye’s final moments in Wakanda Forever were meant to set her off to walk the Earth like David Carradine‘s Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s TV series Kung Fu. Gurira relayed that the original ending of the film saw Okoye in Haiti with Nakia, T’Challa II and Shuri. As Okoye parted ways with the group, Shuri inquired about her future asking, “Are you going back to the Dora?” “My character says no.” continued Gurira, “and [Shuri] said, ‘Where are you going to go?’ and I was like, ‘Wherever my blue suit takes me,’ and she just walks off.” Gurira called the scene between Shuri and Okoye a “beautiful moment” and went on to describe director Ryan Coogler’s vision of what the future holds for the character.

    [Coogler] was saying it’s like that kung fu show, where the guy just walked the earth. She just walks off. We don’t know where Okoye’s going. And she’s sort of letting go. She was fighting to keep that position, and then she lets it go. That’s kind of her arc, that she lets go. And we don’t know where that leads to.

    Danai Gurira

    Whatever the MCU future for Okoye turns out to be, it may be some time before fans see it. Executive Producer Nate Moore revealed that the Wakandan spinoff series is “probably not as far along as people want it to be” and Gurira has a full slate of Walking Dead-related projects ahead over the next few years. However, given Coogler’s passion for developing the World of Wakanda, there will certainly be more adventures including its characters while fans wait for the return of Okoye and her “blue suit.”

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Premiere Runtime Revealed

    ‘The Last of Us’ Premiere Runtime Revealed

    Ever since it was announced The Last of Us would receive a television adaptation on HBO, fans have wondered how much of the game’s story could fit into a single season. Past comments made by creator Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin have indicated the show will cover pretty much the entirety of the first video game in its initial nine-episode run, with elements from the second game included as well, and the marketing for the show thus far seemed to confirm this. With only nine episodes to pull the whole of The Last of Us off, it’s natural that anticipatory viewers wonder how long each first season installment will be.

    An early schedule listing from HBO Latino has revealed the first episode will be a whopping 85 minutes in length. As discovered by YouTuber DomTheBomb, the January 15th premiere event is set to run almost feature-length, giving audiences a fair amount of time to become acquainted with the characters and world of The Last of Us.

    HBO is known for producing series with large-scale episodes, with Game of Thrones famously averaging 72 minutes per episode in its final season. While it’s neither confirmed nor likely that every episode of the upcoming Naughty Dog adaptation will be an hour and a half long, The Last of Us following Game of Thrones‘ example means there should be plenty of space for Druckmann and Mazin to retell the tale of Joel and Ellie. The original video game takes about 15 hours to complete, and nine increments of 90 minutes would result in a 13-hour season. Not as far off as people might have expected.

    The Last of Us premieres on HBO on January 15th.