Murphy's Multiverse

Blog

  • Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Adds 2 More to Cast

    Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Adds 2 More to Cast

    There was a lot of hope and excitement for Tudum to potentially offer our next glimpse at the live-action adaptation of One Piece. Netflix has seemingly been all-in with the project and highlighted it during their big event of the year. Yet, it somehow only got a brief mention in Japan’s Tudum section without any news update hitting the web. While we might have to wait a bit longer for any real insight into how the production is going, especially with it having wrapped production not too long ago, it seems we can at least add two more to the series cast.

    According to their CVs, actor Nathan Castle has joined the production as the character of Koushirou while Brett Williams will play Merry. For those not familiar with the story and remembering the boat being named Going Merry, Williams is not playing the Straw Hats iconic boat that they secured in the East Blue. He’s actually taking on the role of Kaya’s butler, who we meet in Syrup Village alongside Jacob Romero Gibson‘s Usopp.

    In the case of Castle, he is set to play Koushirou who plays an important role in the backstory for Mackenyu‘s Zoro. He is nonother than Roronoa’s swordmaster and the father of Kuina. We would later also find out more about his family’s lineage but in the East Blue Saga, which the upcoming Netflix series will adapt, he’s mainly featured in the flashback exploring what inspires Zoro’s goal. It’ll be interesting to see if they might allude to some elements that didn’t get revealed in the manga until almost 25 years later.

    Source: ERM Stars, ERM Stars

  • REPORT: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Eyeing February Production Start, Will Return to New York City

    REPORT: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Eyeing February Production Start, Will Return to New York City

    There have been many theories surrounding Marvel studios’ upcoming revival project Daredevil: Born Again. The Disney+ series is going to consist of 18 episodes, the most we’ve ever seen from any Marvel series so far on the streaming service. The character is set to make his MCU premiere in costume with the upcoming She-Hulk episode, but it looks like Charlie Cox is already getting ready to return to the role sooner rather than later. According to Discussing Film’s Jacob Fisher, it seems they might start production on the Disney+ series as of February.

    With the episode count, it might be Marvel Studios’ longest production yet as they’re set to film the entire year. Not just that, they are forgoing their usual Atlanta production but actually return to New York City as their primary filming location. This is quite significant, as it continues how the previous productions brought the series to life, which was a massive deal between Netflix, ABC Studios, Marvel, and NYC to exclusively film there on location. So, locals will be certainly keeping their eyes out to get a shot from the production.

    The series main star Charlie Cox did actually tease they might return to New York to film, but there never was a confirmation. Some also thought they may have mixed it up due to it being the Netflix production location. Marvel Studios made its home in Atlanta, which made it the usual location e expect many of these shows to film at but this could be a great start to showcase them taking extra steps to ensure the Daredevil series stays true to the Netflix series that came before.

    Source: Twitter

  • Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Amazon has been making quite the splash with its work on Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While there has been the usual online backlash for any changes or adaptations from the original source material, they have offered something that feels like a blend of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work and Peter Jackson’s iconic film trilogy. As it turns out, it seems that other pitches would’ve taken the franchise in very different directions.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix and HBO have also pitched their takes on how to push the franchise forward. While the Tolkien estate famously has its problems with Jackson‘s adaptations, it seems that Netflix wanted to take a franchise-based approach by building various spinoff series focused on Gandalf and Aragorn.

    While the concept works for comic book-based stories, it unsurprisingly “freaked out the estate” and may have been one of the reasons it was pushed towards Amazon’s pitch of just telling a unique story. Amazon Studios TV co-head believes that they won through their “collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien” but it wasn’t an easy win. HBO also was part of the bidding process and seemingly wanted to just retell the original trilogy with a focus on the Third Age once again.

    The $250M reported budget was seemingly something Netflix initially put out to get their hands on the intellectual property. While they have moved on with other adaptations and their hope to build a Power Rangers-focused franchise, it definitely seems like the bidding process wasn’t an easy one for everyone involved.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • New ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Concept Art Offers First Look at Daniel Craig’s Scrapped Cameo

    New ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Concept Art Offers First Look at Daniel Craig’s Scrapped Cameo

    While Doctor Strange‘s travel through the Multiverse of Madness wasn’t as cameo-filled as many hoped, it still gave us some great bloody cameos. The return of Patrick Stewart as Chares Xavier stole the show alongside the fan-casting-turned-reality with John Krasinsky as Mr. Fantastic. Still, there’s always a little sense of what might have been when first teases came of what sadly had to get scrapped due to the pandemic.

    Among them was the MCU debut of Daniel Craig as Balder the Brave. Not only would he have been the Illuminati’s stand-in for Thor but also open up the Norse mythology. Of course, the biggest shame is that we almost had 007 but luckily concept artist Darrell Warner has given us a first look at what the character would’ve looked like if they managed to go through with it.

    While it seems like a one-time chance to make it a reality, we’re still in the middle of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga. So, there’s still a chance they might revisit the character in a future entry such as through Secret Wars. We still don’t know if this character actually ever existed in the mainline MCU.

    So, we’ll see if they’ll potentially use him as a way to force Thor to explore more secrets that his father has kept from his family. Considering he got a surprise sister in Thor: Ragnarok, maybe a new half-brother is the perfect addition to pushing him further off the cliff after all the loss he had to endure up until now. Only time will tell if they will make this a reality after all.

    Source: Instagram

  • RUMOR: Transformers to Face Unicron in ‘Rise of the Beasts’ Movie

    RUMOR: Transformers to Face Unicron in ‘Rise of the Beasts’ Movie

    We’ve long speculated on who might be the next foe in Transformers‘ latest cinematic release. As the franchise moves away from Michael Bay‘s time with the characters, it’s starting to embrace more elements from the original animated series. The upcoming entry by Steven Caple Jr. will introduce the world to elements from the Beast Wars storyline and act as a sequel to Bumblebee. If a new rumor is to believed, we might also know how exactly they will be facing.

    While there’s no word if Megatron or Starscream might return, we do know that the Terrorcons and Maximals will have a role in the film. Yet, it seems that @ViewerAnon took to Twitter to share that the film will include Unicron as it’s big bad. There’s no word if he’ll potentially have an overarching role or they might use the Lord of Chaos for multiple entries.

    If the rumor is true, it’s certainly quite a step up to have a planet eater as your main bad guy. With his focus on devouring the multiverse, perhaps it’s a concept they want to use to make the new film franchise stand out. Marvel’s quite busy building up their own multiversal storyline as DC hopes to do the same with The Flash. So, it seems fitting that one of the other massive pop cultural cinema franchises also takes its chance into the wider multiverse. Perhaps it’s also their way of establishing their new timeline while keeping the door open to revisit the old franchise in some way.

    Source: Twitter

  • David Ramsey’s CW Arrowverse Series ‘Justice U’ Still in Development

    David Ramsey’s CW Arrowverse Series ‘Justice U’ Still in Development

    The CW’s future has been a big question mark for some time. As Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly was restructuring its future projects, it was unclear just how they’d keep their CW network going. As it turned out, they simply decided to give up their majority stake in it and are focused on still producing shows for the network.

    Still, quite a few of their DC shows are slowly coming to an end with the big question being if we can expect more in the future. Among them was a project spearheaded by Arrow veteran David Ramsay titled Justice U and it seems that he’s offered a little insight into where the project currently stands with TVLine.

    We’re on the second draft of a script, and we just closed the deal on a writer. I’m not sure I can say her name, so I won’t, but we’re very close to submitting our second draft. It’s still in development, and we’re moving forward.

    David Ramsey

    So, it seems like they are still working on it and they are still in the early script phase. This isn’t the same scenario as what we saw with Powerpuff, which had an entire pilot filmed before they decided to move on from the project; with still no update on where exactly it stands currently. So, we’ll have to see until they start confirming production starts on a pilot.

    Source: TVLine

  • Eiza González Denies Elektra Casting Rumors for ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series

    Eiza González Denies Elektra Casting Rumors for ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series

    You know that casting rumors can reach a new level of insanity when an actress has to confirm they aren’t involved in any way directly on Twitter. Eiza González has been rumored to potentially take on the role of Elektra in the upcoming Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again.

    It’s uncertain where the rumor started but the reaction has not been great with many mad at a potential recasting of Elodie Yung from the Netflix run of Daredevil. It seems that the negativity surrounding this rumor has reached a boiling point for the actress to outright deny any castings on Twitter; highlighting she’s already busy with Netflix’s adaptation of Three-Body Problem.

    One cannot deny the extent that some rumors circulating online nowadays. They even led to negative reactions surrounding projects focused on the multiverse, as fan favorites didn’t show up leading to some online upset about them not showing up as “was promised.” The online discourse has changed quite a bit since the pandemic first hit and expectations have skyrocketed after a long drought.

    While some managed to offer exactly what some rumors hinted at, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, other projects have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Daredevil has become quite popular online through his adventure on Netflix, which also sets a very specific expectation for what defines that character and his world. So, the weight on anyone involved with the project won’t be trivial.

    Source: Twitter

  • Christian Bale Reflects on First Time Working on ‘Thor 4’s Green Screens, Calls it “Monotony”

    Christian Bale Reflects on First Time Working on ‘Thor 4’s Green Screens, Calls it “Monotony”

    While the title of this article may be the perfect fuel for those calling out Marvel Studios’ use of the green screen, Christian Bale shared his experience on what it’s like working on the set of Thor: Love and Thunder. He famously took on the role of Gorr the God Butcher in the film, and it seems like he had a hard time differentiating between sets early on, especially with this being his first attempt at working with a more green-screen-heavy production.

    That’s the first time I’ve done that. I mean, the definition of it is monotony. You’ve got good people. You’ve got other actors who are far more experienced at it than me. Can you differentiate one day from the next? No. Absolutely not. You have no idea what to do. I couldn’t even differentiate one stage from the next. They kept saying, ‘You’re on Stage Three.’ Well, it’s like, ‘Which one is that?’ ‘The blue one.’ They’re like, ‘Yeah. But you’re on Stage Seven.’ ‘Which one is that?’ ‘The blue one.’ I was like, ‘Uh, where?’”

    Christian Bale

    He also highlights how he struggled to stick to his usual method acting due to the makeup process with his character. It certainly highlights that Bale attempted something new with this production; though he highlighted he had fun with it as well.

    He highlights in his statement that other actors have more experience with it and it certainly shows that it was quite an adjustment for Bale. We’ll see if this has made him uncertain about returning to that type of film in the future, or if he might still have enough fun to return one day. Perhaps Gorr has a future in the MCU’s multiverse.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Spawn’ Movie Lands ‘Joker,’ ‘Captain America 4’ Writers

    ‘Spawn’ Movie Lands ‘Joker,’ ‘Captain America 4’ Writers

    For the past few days, Todd McFarlane has been teasing news regarding Spawn, and it looks like we finally know what it is. The Hollywood Reporter announced on Wednesday that Todd Silver, Malcolm Spellman and rising screenwriter Matthew Mixom have been brought on to pen a new script for the long-gestating Spawn reboot.

    The Spawn movie has been in development at Blumhouse Productions since 2017. While it’s unclear if Jeremy Renner is still attached to star in the film, Jamie Foxx is confirmed to still star as the titular anti-hero in the reboot. Another major change to the production? McFarlane, the man behind Spawn, was originally considering directing the film. He has, however, stepped down after realizing he might now be the best man for the gig. “If we’ve got an A-list actor, A-list producers, A-list writers, then do you want to shoot for A-list directors, A-list cinematographers? The answer is, ‘of course.’ Let’s keep the momentum going.”

    Silver is perhaps best known for helping write Joker, which earned Todd Phillips and Silver adapted screenplay Oscar nominations. Silver is said to have helped pen the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, which is set to star Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. While Spellman, who created The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is currently at work on the script for Captain America: New World Order. As for Mixom, he’s relatively new to Hollywood and got his start in 2017 with the music documentary Yesterday Was Everything.

    In a statement to THR, Spellman explained that it’s an “honor” to get to write Spawn, noting how important the character is to him and how excited he is to make a different type of superhero film.

    “I grew up in Berkeley, which is a comic book city. Todd McFarlane’s SPAWN character was always one of my favorites — a Black superhero that was no bullshit, he was cool and dealt with modern issues. Myself, Matt Mixon, and Scott Silver are pledged to honoring what Todd started and what SPAWN is at its core, delivering something that’s relevant and edgy and unlike any other superhero movie out there.”

    Spellman

    As of right now, the Spawn reboot does not have a director attached and the team seems to be seeking a new studio partner. With a new writing team attached, perhaps we’ll finally see some movement on Spawn in the near future.

    Source: THR.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’- Episode 7 Recap

    ‘House of the Dragon’- Episode 7 Recap

    It’s awesome to see social media and friends’ reactions of what’s happening in House of the Dragon. When an adaptation sticks as closely to the source material as House of the Dragon has, knowing what’s coming is a gift and a curse, especially trying to piece together how the show is going to adapt the book moving forward, and not spoiling stuff for you nerds. Let’s get into it.

    Family Reunion

    The episode opened in Driftmark, the seat of house Velaryon, where the Targaryens and Velaryons, and most of the King’s court have arrived for Laena Velaryon’s funeral. Very sad, very awkard, especially when Vaemond Velaryon started his funeral speech and monologued on about how they need to keep their blood pure and strong, a direct shot to Rhaenyra’s (possibly illegitimate, who could know!) children, prompting Daemon to chuckle loudly and put the attention on him instead of the kids. Good guy Daemon!

    There was a lot of staring and tense conversations in the beginning of this episode, especially with Viserys (looking a hell of a lot better than last episode) trying to reconcile with Daemon and being spurned, Corlys seeing Laenor be drunk as hell waist-deep in the sea and basically screaming to Qarl to go get him, raising everyone’s attention, and ending with Viserys calling Alicent by his first wife’s name, Aemma. Get wrecked Alicent, you idiot.

    Aemond and Jace’s brief reunion scene with the two of them standing awkwardly together, with Aemond seeming to try and start a conversation before walking off was of interest.. It’s a good addition, showing that the kids are being forced to hate each other by their parents, and their reluctance to do so.

    Vhagar

    Aemond has been pining for a dragon for a while now and refuses to wait any longer, especially with the largest dragon in Westeros there for the taking. The first ride looked like Aemond was trying to hang onto a 747 as it climbed higher and higher. Tom Cruise is probably asking for a dragon to ride for the next Mission: Impossible movie after seeing this episode.

    Vhagar’s roars and flight wake up a number of people in Driftmark, specifically Rhaena and Baela, who in turn wake up Jace and Luke to confront who was riding the girls’ mother’s dragon. They meet Aemond in a tunnel coming from the beach and it’s pretty clear that a little power in the form of a flying nuclear weapon has gone straight to Aemond’s head. The four Velaryons start arguing in protest that Aemond stole Vhagar, starting a brawl that ends with everyone beating the hell out of everyone. It ends quickly after Aemond gets Luke by the throat with one hand, and a rock in his other ready to come down on Luke’s face. As he starts gloating and calling Jace and Luke bastards, Luke gets his hands on a knife it and slices Aemond, taking out his left eye. The Lore clearly states his right eye was taken out, so this episode is sadly a 1/10 on book accuracy.

    Most importantly, the largest living dragon switched sides from the Blacks to the Greens, as pointed out by Otto Hightower. The results of this trade might become real sooner than you think.

    Greens and Blacks

    House of the Dragon' Episode 7 Boasts the Series' Best Scene So Far | IndieWire

    The brawl between the children brought both families together, screaming at each other, with the King trying to make amends. Viserys trying to patch things together and seeing everything slip out of his fingers is becoming a bit of a bad habit.

    Jabs were tossed back and forth between Alicent and Rhaenyra, but the biggest was the allegation of who Jace and Luke’s father is. Aemond, being the little brother quickly blamed Aegon, who declared to the entire room that “Everyone knows. Just look at them.” Viserys quickly denounced these claims and put into law that anyone who is spreading these vile rumors will have their tongues out.

    As the King went off to bed, Alicent went a little nuts and called for Criston Cole to bring her an eye from one of the boys. Smart guy Cole pointed out he’s sworn to protect her, not to maim children for her. Rageful, Alicent being the genius she is, decided to snatch Chekov’s dagger from Viserys and do it herself! Stopped by Rhanenyra, the two have a bit of word play that ended with Alicent slicing Rhaenyra’s arm, showing everyone in the room that she is a grade A psycho. Also, this is first blood to be spilled in the Dance, and it happens to be Aegon the Conqueror’s knife with the Targaryen prophecy forged into it.

    This entire scene seems like a direct parallel to Season 1 of Thrones, where Joffrey is attacked by Arya’s direwolf. It ended with Robert succumbing to Cersei and ordering Ned to kill Sansa’s direwolf. Viserys however puts a stop to it. A stronger man than Bobby B.

    After the showdown, Rhaenyra came to the conclusion that she needs strength from her husband, something she doesn’t currently have. But would with Daemon. They had a quick little romp on the beach for old times’ sake, and then they started their scheming. Daemon, in his henchman cloak, tossed some 30 pieces of silver to Qarl for the service of killing Laenor and escaping to Essos. And they did have a bit of a duel within Driftmark, where after Corlys and company find a burned body and mourned for Laenor…butour guy is revealed to have lived, those silver dreads shaved right off! Rhaenyra and Daemon are good guys!

    Things to Come and Critiques

    Helaena’s Dragon Dreams keep coming up, but what is it she’s prophesizing? Her prophecy from the previous episode paid off as she noted that Aemond would have to close one eye, which he happened to lose, in order to get a dragon. This episode she’s quoted as saying “Hand Turns Loom” (Could be literal, as Otto the hand has been creating a rift and seeds of war, spinning the loom) “Spool of Green, Spool of Black” (Back to the Loom. Green is Hightower, Black is Targaryen), and “Dragons flesh, Weaving dragons of thread” (More Loom! Targaryens creating war banners).

    The show is leaning heavily into showing that the Blacks are the right side to cheer on, which is something that is a bit of a disappointment when it’s so clear that everyone on both sides sucks.

    Laenor surviving and leaving his family seems a bit hypocritical. Earlier in the episode, he doubled down on his commitment to Rhaenyra; suddenly, he’s fine with leaving everyone, including his dragon Seasmoke? Throughout the books, the bond of a dragon and rider is for life. How is Seasmoke going to bond with a new rider when Laenor is still alive?

    It seems as thought Episode 8 might see another time jump, aging the kids up for the Dance. The 9th episode of almost every Season of Thrones was where the shocking spectacles took place. Ned’s death, The Battle of the Blackwater, the Red Wedding, the Battle on the Wall, Dany and Drogon in the fighting pit, and the Battle of the Bastards were all EPISODE 9 events. Episode 8 is the deep breath before the plunge, and so far, there are no signs that House of the Dragon will be doing things differently.

    “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen” – Lenin – ME