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  • Cast Confirmed for ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ 

    Cast Confirmed for ‘Star Wars’ Series ‘The Acolyte’ 

    Filming on The Acolyte has begun production and Lucasfilm has confirmed the show’s core cast. The series, which is set to star Amandla Stenberg, will focus on the final days of the High Republic era. Joining Stenberg are the previously announced Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) and Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game).

    (L-R): Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae and Director Leslye Headland on the set of Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Also confirmed to star in the series are Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix).

    The Acolyte is being described as a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a “galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging Dark side powers in the final days of the High Republic era.” The project was first announced in April 2020, with Lucasfilm finally confirming the series in December 2020. Per Lucasfilm, “A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated.”

    Russian Doll‘s Leslye Headland will serve as the series director, writer, executive producer and showrunner on The Acolyte. Filming on the Disney+ series is officially underway in London.

    Source: EW.

  • Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie is an international superstar and, more recently, a Marvel superhero. The actress joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021’s Eternals as the semi-immortal warrior Thena, but as it turns out, this almost wasn’t her first venture into the world of Marvel comics. An upcoming novel by Sean O’Connell, titled With Great Power, gives some of the first in-depth details on the development of Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4, and may have revealed an alternate timeline where Jolie was attached as an original supervillain. It’s well-known that actor John Malkovich was in line to play the film’s main baddie, the Vulture, and that Anne Hathaway would have appeared as a new love interest for Tobey Maguire as the Black Cat. Now, it would seem Jolie was being sought by Sony to portray Adrian Toomes’ vengeful daughter – The Vulturess.

    According to an early access report from The Direct, the studio wanted the former Mr. & Mrs. Smith star to take over as the movie’s main villain after Malkovich‘s Vulture met an untimely demise. Jolie‘s unnamed potential character would have played a role throughout the film, as “an accomplished executive representing a venture capital firm that was trying to buy the Daily Bugle.” After her father’s death, presumably in the second act, Jolie would have put on the Vulture suit herself and taken up the mantle. Notably, this information falls in line with a longstanding rumor that Hathaway‘s Felicia Hardy would have been revealed as Toomes’ daughter and set up as the Vulturess instead of Black Cat. It’s unknown if Black Cat and the Vulturess were separate characters in the story, or if Hathaway simply slipped into Jolie‘s role when the part became vacant. Either way, it makes for a fascinating look into a world where Spider-Man 4 actually happened.

    Source: The Direct.

  • Ryan Coogler Reveals a Key Weakness of Namor’s in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Ryan Coogler Reveals a Key Weakness of Namor’s in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to introduce one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters into the MCU, but with a unique twist. The sequel will see Namor, known in the comics as the Sub-Mariner, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda. However, instead of being the ruler of Atlantis, this iteration of Namor rules an underwater nation known as Talokan.

    Namor has long kept his nation secret but the events of Wakanda Forever threaten that secrecy, bringing the winged-footed mutant to the shores of Wakanda. He’s already been seen flying in the trailers and showcasing some pretty impressive resiliency, but from what director Ryan Coogler says, audiences haven’t seen it all just yet.

    [There’s] no equal in terms of his capabilities, being able to breathe underwater and breathe at high altitudes and walk around on land. He’s incredibly strong, he’s as strong as Thor, and if he’s around enough water he can be as strong as the Hulk.

    Ryan Coogler

    Despite all the changes to the character and the creation of a new underwater nation, Coogler’s comments do seem to highlight one of Namor’s classic weaknesses from the old comics: his need to return to the water to regain his strength. If he’s away from the water for too long, not only would Namor be weak, it could be fatal. This is a flaw that was exposed by some of Marvel Comics heroes and villains in the past, so it’s possible that it may come into play in the film, which releases in theaters on November 11th.

    Source: Marvel.com

  • James Gunn Reacts to Ayer Cut Trending, Teases DC Studios’ Future Approach

    James Gunn Reacts to Ayer Cut Trending, Teases DC Studios’ Future Approach

    If there ever is one thing that stands out on Twitter (ignoring current events), it was the fact that the director and now co-CEO of the newly formed DC Studios, James Gunn, has always been quite vocal about stories that would end up trending online. He’d often shoot down rumors before they would start getting too much traction.

    In his new position, he can no longer be as vocal as possible with every little project he’s involved with, but with a sudden influx of #SaveLegendsofTomorrow and #ReleaseTheAyerCut hashtags on Twitter, he took to his personal account to share some insights into what fans may expect from the franchise.

    He goes on to highlight that their core focus remains on exploring the future storylines for the franchise and not just retelling stories that already existed. He highlights “telling the biggest story ever told across multiple films, television shows & animated projects,” which hints at the new DC Universe won’t just rely on live-action adaptations, as even Marvel moved away a bit from having direct influences from their new animated series.

    It’s definitely great to see James Gunn react to what is being discussed online, especially with the way the Ayer Cut discussions have spun out of the long-battled Snyder Cut. We likely will have to wait at least until next year or even 2024 to get a clear vision of what the future looks like for DC Studios’ line-up, especially with Gunn‘s work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 going on until the films May release. So, we’ll have to be patient.

    Source: Twitter

  • Water 7 Arc Will be Featured in ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    Water 7 Arc Will be Featured in ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    There were quite a few questions on what we should expect from One Piece‘s latest game that takes a new direction. Unlike the previous game, One Piece is once again exploring the concept of a Straw Hat-focused RPG titled One Piece Odyssey. The story sees our favorite pirates trapped on an island after their ship the Thousand Sunny is surprisingly destroyed.

    There were some worries that the game may restrict the team to a rather simple island without much variation. Yet, we were then surprised with the reveal that you’ll be visiting memories of the Straw Hats crews throughout the adventure. That not only confirmed various new locations and storylines to revisit, but it also opened up the question of what storylines may find their way to the story. So far, we only knew about Alabasta but now it seems Water 7 Arc is also going to be playable.

    In a tweet shared by @newworldartur, they include an interesting scan that reveals the information on One Piece Odyssey‘s next playable level. It offers the first tease of Kaku’s appearance, who’ll likely be a boss in the storyline, and it also seems that Franky’s original pre-time skip design will be available. It’s unclear though if the character is the one we know from the main storyline, or the straw hats meet a version from their memories.

    This new showcase is very likely also going to be followed by a new trailer. The game is set to release in January to kick off the year and is also still part of the 25th anniversary of One Piece. So, we’ll likely find out more once the next trailer drops and gives us a good look at how the adaptation may twist the original story, as it’ll feature Straw Hats that have already lived through these events.

    Source: Twitter

  • Tenoch Huerta on the Challenge of Tackling Namor as an Antagonist in ‘Wakanda Forever’

    Tenoch Huerta on the Challenge of Tackling Namor as an Antagonist in ‘Wakanda Forever’

    Black Panther Wakanda Forever is just around the corner, as it not only continues where the previous left off but also opens up the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a new corner, the introduction of Talocan. Tenoch Huerta is set to take on the role of Namor, who is a major player in the comics but is taking on a more antagonist role in the sequel.

    With the prospect of the character being more than just your run-of-the-mill Marvel villain, the actor and director Ryan Coogler had a tough challenge to find the perfect balance on how to explore the character’s story. Huerta opened up on the challenge in the official press conference for the upcoming Marvel Studios release.

    It is tricky, when you have a character like this, because you are the antagonist. You gonna destroy something that is not just in the story, but the people, you know? The people outside. A lot of people feel identification with Wakanda, and I’m include myself in Wakanda, and the narrative and representation and everything. So, now I have to play the bad guy who destroy [laughs], or try to destroy that legacy. And but at the same time, I think Ryan, the script, and, you know, he found a way to make it human, to justify why that people do that kind of thing.

    Tenoch Huerta

    The character taking on Wakanda and the challenge of still keeping a chance of people rooting for the character even after he attacks Wakanda, a place they’ve become familiar with and connected throughout the years. He highlights the beauty of the story by exploring grief from different perspectives, as the story explores “two characters, taking different directions with the grief and the threat” that faces them. In turn, it makes the core of the story quite human.

  • Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ is a Cinematic Ocean of Potential

    Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ is a Cinematic Ocean of Potential

    The following article exploring the potential cinematic potential of Netflix’s One Piece adaptation was inspired by chatting with some great people on the Discord fan page for the live-action adaptation. If you want to join the conversation, you can check out their Discord by clicking here or following @OPLAfandom on Twitter.

    Netflix has been anxiously looking for its next major hit by investing quite a bit into upcoming projects. Right now, Jonathan Entwistle has been quite busy developing a cinematic universe based on the popular Saban superhero team, the Power Rangers. They are actively looking for their next Stranger Things, as it not only became quite the rating hit in its fourth season but also is now set to build its own cinematic universe. With three candidates on their radar to take that duty, it does seem like the upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece may be exactly what they are looking for.

    As of now, showrunners Matt Owens and Steve Maeda are working on the first season of the series with no announcement of future seasons hinted at so far. There have been talks of the budget for this series to potentially rival Marvel Studios’ outings, which hints at the hope for this project to become a tentpole of the streaming service. So, it does seem safe to assume that there’s hope to build more out of just the base series once the newly formed Straw Hat pirates enter the Grand Line.

    Netflix’s upcoming series will be an ambitious adaptation of a series that is currently still running and has over 1,000+ chapters under its belt. Eiichiro Oda has become well known for his ambition and love for worldbuilding which is reflected in his work. Even as we visit various islands alongside the Straw Hats’ journey, we also meet others that are following along on their very own journeys. These have commonly been slowly revealed with each new chapter release.

    The first season will seemingly include the cover story focused on Helmeppo and Coby’s adventures becoming Marines, as they’ve also announced the casting of Garp who doesn’t directly appear in the original East Blue Saga. Yet, there are some other stories that may not fit into the overarching storyline to further develop characters that become especially relevant later down the line. One of the most recent cover stories even managed to tie directly into the events that are unfolding in the story.

    In a way, some stories might be worth their own exploration as spinoff series or specials from the main storyline. Portgas D. Ace’s story after reuniting with Luffy in Alabasta could act as a bridge to his future appearance while also exploring his backstory as a member of the Whitebeard pirates. It would help further establish characters that usually only get a short amount of screen time while further building the mystique of who they are and what role they have in the story.

    There’s also the aftermath exploring what the Baroque Works members are up to after Alabasta, which could become its own project. While there’s no necessity to create a cinematic universe based around One Piece, the original manga sets up enough opportunities to do so. The Grand Line is filled with possibilities and it wouldn’t be too surprising if the potential of expanding this series might be a selling point for Netflix.

    If cinematic universes are what streamers are looking for nowadays, One Piece has the most potential based on the existing material alone. Its creator is also involved with the project and they could potentially establish their own stories that further expand the world we live in. Perhaps getting a chance to explore the different sides of the Marines with a series that introduces some of the recurring members we meet throughout the Straw Hat journey.

    The biggest challenge the series will face is establishing a completely new island with its own politics, history, and so much more. Perhaps taking some of that weight off by using spinoff projects to build up some elements that could muddy the experience. We don’t need to know the full structure of the Marines’ internal hierarchy if another project already covers the details through the lens of a member building his path through the ranks; potentially even hinting at a story element we wouldn’t see until further down into the New World.

    While the direction of this series also strongly depends on how popular the first season ends up being, there definitely is a potential to do so. The upcoming live-action adaptation will set the groundwork for where this project goes and how it adapts the original manga series. If the first season is a success and viewers end up falling in love with the world, there’s a lot more to show them why they should stick around to uncover all secrets of the Grand Line.

  • RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ May Feature 2 Familiar Spider-Men

    RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ May Feature 2 Familiar Spider-Men

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sadly got postponed into the next year, but it hasn’t lost any momentum in regards to what we can expect from the latest entry of the animated Spider-Man franchise. There have also been many theories that concepts like the Spider-Verse would simply open up the potential crossover with existing franchises from Sony’s hope to expand the license alongside their MCU counterpart.

    If a new rumor is to be believed, we may see at least two pre-established Spider-Men in the upcoming sequel. There seems to be an opportunity that the Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent of Peter Parker will appear though it’s unclear if Tom Holland will actually voice the character. What makes this interesting is that this would mark the first time he appeared in a Sony-developed project rather than one from Marvel Studios.

    The other returning face might be the one we met in Insomniac’s Spider-Man gaming franchise. The character was famously voiced by Yuri Lowenthal though his face design got changed in the remaster and Miles Morales spinoff. Supoposedly there have been ideas thrown on the table of also including other returning characters. Not only Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but also former animation voice actors Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes.

    They definitely would make for an interesting addition, especially if they might even offer Spider-Verse‘s Miles potentially entering live-action. There’s a lot of potential with this expansion and here’s hoping they make full use of it, as each universe also is set to be animated differently.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • The Sunday Paper—November 6, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—November 6, 2022

    Welcome to another edition of Murphy’s Multverse’s Sunday Paper. With endless news and content coming to you throughout the week, the Sunday Paper is here for anyone who wants an overview of what happened in the past week. Whether you missed it all, or just want to catch up, this is the article for you. Remember to follow us on Twitter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out our website to stay up to date. Check out last week’s Sunday Paper here.

    bob odenkirk marvel

    Perhaps some of the week’s biggest news comes from two upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ series. Despite having no release date, Wonder Man has made headlines due to some major casting announcements. For starters, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in talks to star in the titular role. He is well-known for his roles DC’s Black Manta in the Aquaman films has also starred in HBO’s Watchmen, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Nia DaCosta‘s Candyman, and The Matrix Resurrections where he played Morpheus. Not only that, but Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk is also reportedly being eyed for a role in the series, and we have a theory as to who he could play.

    aubrey plaza mcu

    Agatha: Coven of Chaos continued to make news this week with casting announcements as well. Aubrey Plaza was confirmed to be joining the WandaVision spinoff, apparently as a villain. But who? Check out our look at five characters that could be perfect for Plaza. Heartstopper actor Joe Locke was announced to be part of the cast as well. While it is unknown who he is playing, it seems likely that it could be an aged-up Billy, aka Wiccan. It was also reported this week that Ali Ahn (Raising Dion) and Maria Dizzia (The Staircase) have joined the series. Lastly, the series reportedly will have a rare nine episodes on Disney+, and Jac Schaeffer and Gandja Monteiro may direct at least one episode each.

    wakanda forever trailer views
    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. © 2022 MARVEL.

    Of course, in the final week before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters, there were plenty of news and interviews that dropped. Director Ryan Coogler discussed the original plot of the film before Chadwick Boseman passed away, and he opens up about the emotional journey on the new Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast. Interestingly, it seems as though Coogler long ago reserved the right to bring Namor into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Tenoch Huerta revealed that he could not swim before playing Namor in the film. Producer Nate Moore gave an update on the Wakanda spin-off project, and he suggested that it is not as far along as some fans might think. He also answered everyone’s favorite question: where is Wakanda Forever in the MCU’s timeline? Apparently, it is clear after Spider-Man: No Way Home and Eternals, and more or less concurrent with Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    ironheart timeline

    Moore was also kind enough to specify that the upcoming Ironheart series takes place after Wakanda Forever, rather than as a prequel. In other Ironheart news, a set photo adds to speculation that a Doctor Strange comics character will appear in the series, and the series appears to have wrapped production.

    For final Marvel news, a new rumor suggests that Sony and Disney have apparently been at the negotiating table and are closing in on a new collaborative arrangement for Spider-Man films. The rumor states that once closed, the two studios could then begin working with Holland on sorting out the terms of his deal, which would likely consist of another Spider-trilogy of Sony films produced by Marvel Studios in addition to scheduling him for appearances in Marvel Studios films.

    Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had some things to say this week. While he teased the “united creative approach” of the two new co-CEOs of DC Studios, he also made an odd comment about how Warner Bros. Discovery will be focusing on franchises in the future by incorrectly stating how long it has been since a Superman or Harry Potter film. While that has yet to be seen, we do know that Stargirl has been canceled, The Sandman has been picked up for a second season on Netflix, Cristin Milioti has been cast as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin series, Dead Boy Detectives added Caitlin Reilly and Max Jenkins to its cast, and Joker: Folie á Deux is set to start production next month.

    the acolyte dafne keen

    This week a rumor circulated that Logan star Dafne Keen will join the cast of the upcoming The Acolyte. It was revealed that Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz, and Alonso Ruizpalacios will direct episode blocks of Andor for the show’s second season. They’ll take over for Toby Haynes, Susanna White and Benjamin Caron who directed episode blocks of the show’s first season. It also looks like Andor Season 2 will revisit the planet Yavin, a primary location for the climax of A New Hope. Disney+ Italy also accidentally leaked a future The Mandalorian short film focused on Grogu.

    iron man game
    one piece production

    Murphy’s Multiverse exclusively reported this week that Amazon Studios is developing Jeff Lemire’s The World of Black Hammer into a shared cinematic universe. Also this week, the Russo Brothers suggested that they will not work on another Marvel Studios project until the end of the decade, and they also made a disturbing comment that Disney’s upcoming live-action Hercules remake would be inspired by TikTok. HBO canceled Westworld after four seasons, The Last of Us is eyeing a January premiere, and Peacock is developing a Friday the 13th prequel series.

    Raya and the Last Dragon director Carlos López Estrada set to direct a Your Name live-aciton remake. Meanwhile EA and Marvel are collaborating and working on three new games, one of which is the already-announced Iron Man game. The live-action One Piece series added a key Arlong Park character, and One Piece Film Red more than tripled 2019 Stampede’s entire U.S. domestic box office on opening day.

  • ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Wraps Production

    ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Wraps Production

    Actress Rachel Zegler has announced that production has wrapped on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Zegler, who plays Lucy Gray Baird in the film, shared two images of herself with the film’s clapperboard on set.

    “Many, many, many more words come to mind but I shan’t bore you by pretending I have anything new to offer you with my thoughts,” she tweeted. “Just know I am thankful. Just know I love telling stories. Just know I am so happy with real life. Happy wrap, my songbirds.”

    The film is directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed three of the Hunger Games films. It was first announced by Lionsgate as part of its Cinema Con presentation back in April. He directs the from a script by the book’s author Suzanne Collins, Michael Arndt (Catching Fire), and Michael Lesslie. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells the story of Coriolanus Snow at the age of eighteen as he prepares to enter the Hunger Games

    The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be produced by franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her partner Brad Simpson, as well as Lawrence. Collins, who penned The Hungers Games books, will also serve as an executive producer alongside Tim Palen and Jim Miller. The film is set to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

    Source: Twitter.