Murphy's Multiverse

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  • BREAKING: Microsoft Has Bought Activision Blizzard

    BREAKING: Microsoft Has Bought Activision Blizzard

    First Bethesda, now Activision Blizzard. Microsoft seems keen on owning a big portion of the gaming industry, having purchased the industry’s biggest companies in a span of a few years. This major acquisition comes in the midst of all of Activision Blizzard’s workplace scandals that are currently upending the industry in major ways. Microsoft addressed their plans for reforming the workplace culture of Activision Blizzard which unfortunately does not include the firing of complicit CEO Bobby Kotick, at least in the meantime.

    With this acquisition, Microsoft will now be home to major gaming titles under the Activision Blizzard banner such as Overwatch, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush. The deal is expected to finalize in the fiscal year of 2023 so it still has ways to go.

    Source: Variety

  • Superman

    Premiere: TBD

    In February 2021, a trade report revealed that J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot was developing a Superman project with Ta-Nehisi Coates on board to write. The film was reportedly set to feature a Black actor in the role and by mid-2021, a search for a Black director for the film was underway.

    After James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-chairs of the newly formed DC Studios, Gunn revealed that the project was still in development and noted that IF it ended up being produced, it would be under DC Studios Elseworlds banner.

    Cast

    • Unknown actor as Superman
  • Leaked ‘One Piece’ Photos Confirms Marc Jobst and DOP Nicole Whitaker’s Involvement

    Leaked ‘One Piece’ Photos Confirms Marc Jobst and DOP Nicole Whitaker’s Involvement

    It looks like some new photos have found their way online from the upcoming live-action adaptation of One Piece. We’ve been still anxiously awaiting when the series might start-up production, as hints are it may not be until spring or summer of this year. In the meantime, it seems that some new images have found their way online of the clapperboards that’ll be used during production. As shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan, who has been reliable in the past, the clapperboards include some details for the upcoming production.

    What sticks out is that it confirms our story from September that Daredevil director Marc Jobst is involved with the series. It also includes the “Project Panda” title, which was confirmed some time ago. It also includes the director of photography, which is Nicole Hirsch Whitaker. She’s previously worked on projects like Jupiter’s Legacy and Truth Be Told. The only other detail that sticks out is that the unit using these clapperboards is called the “Paramecia Unit,” which is a nice nod to the manga’s naming of a specific Devil Fruit type.

    It certainly seems like there’s a lot of movement happening behind the scenes, and we might get a confirmation of their production start similar to other Netflix series, which tend to do it through the Netflix Geeked Twitter account. We did get a short message during Jump Festa from the main cast, but we still have no insight into who the supporting cast might turn out to be. Here’s hoping the wait isn’t that much longer.

    Source: Twitter

  • Arkham

    Arkham

    First developed by The Batman director Matt Reeves as a Gotham City Police Department series under the name Gotham Central, the project evolved into a series about the inner workings of Gotham’s iconic Arkham Asylum. In late 2022, Antonio Campos joined the project as showrunner.

    The GCDP thing, that story has story has kinda evolved. We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters… almost leaning into the idea of… it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.

    –Matt Reeves on the evolution of his Arkham project

    Originally believed to be an Elseworlds project set in Reeves’ Batman universe, DC co-chair James Gunn revealed that Arkham was developed to be set within the main DCU continuity. “Right now Matt is producing Arkham as a DCU series,” said Gunn on Threads in January 2024, adding that”It was one of the first pitches we bought when Peter [Safran] and I came onboard.” Gunn went on to clarify Reeves’ status with DC Studios, saying “We love Matt as a director and producer so he’ll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU.“

    Cast

  • REVIEW: ‘Redeeming Love’ Is More Than a Love Story

    REVIEW: ‘Redeeming Love’ Is More Than a Love Story

    As someone who has never read the original book by Francine Rivers, I was uncertain what to expect going into Redeeming Love. The poster seems to sell you on a Nicholas Sparks romance story while the trailers tell this story of a girl down on her luck saved by a guy who she’ll fall in love with. It’s punctuated by him being kind and standing up for her, which makes you think it might be a by-the-numbers romance that tugs on your heartstring. Yet, what is being told is way darker than I initially expected and is more a story of learning to live with your past sins, no matter how deep those scars have buried their ways into your life. All of that through the eyes of Abigail Cown‘s Angel.

    The Fate: The Wingx Saga actress takes on quite a tough role, as she portrays a young girl who we’re introduced to as the most sought-after prostitute of the small town of Paradise. It doesn’t waste any time to solidify that this film is about her and the struggles she faced that would lead her down this path. I was surprised by how dark moments or even implications are set up, especially as I had no idea what to expect going in. To some degree, it was relentless what she had to go through in this story, even if it also sets up her reluctance to be loved later in her life. I still have that Nicholas Sparks poster of them hugging romantically with the sun in the back of my mind, only to be faced by this heavy and dramatic tale of a young woman fighting her way through an unkind and terrible 1850s.

    All that is meant to change when she meets Tom Lewis‘ Michael, who is an interesting caricature in this film. He sees his life with her as a message from God and loves her unconditionally no matter what. It’s a fitting counterpoint to highlight her insecurities and demons, which is a motivating factor throughout the story for her pushing away. The only issue I had is that he’s seemingly too perfect at times. We do get moments of his mask cracking, one, in particular, being a highlight for his character. Yet, he just kind of goes back to being the guy who loves unconditionally no matter what. It’s an important part of the story, but I feel like adding some flaw to his character could’ve elevated the message of unconditional love just a bit more.

    The set design is very impressive by recreating the 1850s through the small towns, cities, and how the people dressed back during the California Gold Rush. You wouldn’t think they filmed in South Africa. They use these locations well to convey the different atmosphere of being on a farm or in a city during that era. Each location felt distinct, and some of the use of the Golden hour was well executed. It was fun seeing so many actors, such as Logan Marshall-Green‘s Paul, running around with massive beards while Michael looked like he was perfectly trimmed all the time.

    The authenticity does come at a price, as some characters use strong accents and when they mumble in certain scenes, it’s not easy to make out what exactly they are saying. Eric Dane‘s Duke, who is a pivotal character in the story, is supposed to be somewhat menacing but the accent didn’t really help the performance to make you feel intimidated. At times, when he said nothing it was way more powerful especially earlier in the film. Still, the story weaved around his character and the implications are quite heavy even if feels forgotten depending on where the plot is at a specific time.

    Redeeming Love surprised me in telling a strong yet dark story that offers a glimpse of hope through the power of unconditional love. It doesn’t fall back on classical conventions of what you expect from a romance story, and while I believe Lewis‘ Michael could’ve done with a bit more fleshing out, the tale told is carried by Cowen‘s performance as Angel. Going in, I was expecting a simple romance story and afterward, I learned never to trust a poster again. Joking aside, I was pleasantly surprised by the story and it had me thinking a lot about human history and just how important love can be to help us come to terms with our darkest times.

  • Ethan Hawke’s ‘Moon Knight’ Character Revealed

    Ethan Hawke’s ‘Moon Knight’ Character Revealed

    The first trailer for Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight is here and has finally solved the mystery of just who Ethan Hawke is playing in the streaming series.

    https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1483272963419824130?t=9wCYDGJpa7vDEKCMKB9MuA&s=19

    Closed captioning on the trailer reveals that Hawke is playing scientist Arthur Harrow. Harrow was first introduced in Moon Knight Vol. 2 #2. Harrow does some nasty Nazi-esque experiments on people and creates essentially zombie soldiers. This is a shockingly minor character for Hawke to play, but it will give him free reign to recreate the character however he best serves the story.

    Moon Knight debuts on Disney Plus March 30th.

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Confirmed For March 30th Premiere

    ‘Moon Knight’ Confirmed For March 30th Premiere

    Ahead of tonight’s trailer, Marvel Studios has finally confirmed the premiere date of Moon Knight. Mark your calendars on March 30th as that’s when the Fist of Konshu debuts in the MCU.

    This confirmation comes days after the folks at That Hashtag Show reported the March 30th date. A March 30th premiere date would align Moon Knight’s finale with the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness come May. All in all, very exciting news for everyone dying to see this show.

  • ‘Batgirl’ Filming an Action Sequence in New Leaked Set Video

    ‘Batgirl’ Filming an Action Sequence in New Leaked Set Video

    It’s been a bit crazy just how much we’ve already seen from the Batgirl set. There were a variety of set photos that teased Easter eggs, locations, and Glasglow fully turning into Gotham once again. The creative team behind the HBO Max film knew that a first look at the suit was going to leak online eventually. So, they took it upon themselves to ensure our first full look isn’t through a picture from the distance. Now, a new video has found its way online featuring Leslie Grace or a stuntwoman preparing to jump from a platform on top of a moving vehicle.

    Interestingly enough, closer shots reveal she wearing goggles, which is a tribute to the comic, where she also wore goggles on top of her cowl. It’s great to see this homemade approach to her costume that is highlighted with the first look that we got of the full design inspired by the Burnside storyline.

    So far, all we’ve seen of the film has been quite promising and they only just got started filming. There’s still some time before we get a full look at the project, but we’ll see just how much might find its way online as they continue production, such as the first look at Michael Keaton‘s return as Batman or even the teased Robin.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: New ‘Batgirl’ Set Photos Hint at Ivory Aquino Playing Alysia Yeoh

    RUMOR: New ‘Batgirl’ Set Photos Hint at Ivory Aquino Playing Alysia Yeoh

    Batgirl is still busy filming in Glasglow, and quite a few set photos have found their way online throughout the last week. We got a good look at some curious Easter eggs with some deep-cuts from the DC mythos. Not just that, Leslie Grace even shared the first look at Barbara Gordon’s suit, which is inspired by the Burnside comics. They also seem to be taking inspiration from Batgirl: Year One to bring this new take on the character to life. One part in particular from Burnside seems to be the inclusion of Alysia Yeoh, Barbara Gordon’s best friend and roommate if the latest set photos are to be believed.

    A while before production started on the film, we reported that the film was looking to cast an Asian transgender actress under the name “Alanna”. Fans of the storyline would instantly recognize the description to match that of Alysia Yeoh. The film has made multiple casting announcements but no word on who may be tackling the role of Yeoh. Luckily, a new set photo may have given us our first hint.

    The actress standing next to Leslie Grace, as pointed out by Twitter user @1gnister_, is believed to be Ivory Aquino. She’s rather new to acting and is mostly known for her role as Cecilia Chung in the mini-series When We Rise. In the casting call, it hinted that Alysia and Barbara may be childhood friends due to them also seeking to cast a younger Alanna. This is quite a bit different from the comic storyline but may be used to further

    No official word on the casting has been made yet, but with it out there now it’s likely an official word will come soon. Batgirl is reportedly set to release in theaters later this year and HBO Max later this although no official date has been set just yet.

    Source: Twitter

  • Andrew Garfield On Replicating the Spider-Man Meme in ‘No Way Home’

    Andrew Garfield On Replicating the Spider-Man Meme in ‘No Way Home’

    It almost seems like a tradition that any storyline featuring Spider-Man and the multiverse has to include a reference to the original animated series’s pointing sequence. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse included the sequence in its post-credit sequence and we even got a reference in the latest cinematic Spidey crossover, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    We ended up getting two versions of the sequence, such as the iconic discussion after they got their butt handed to them. Andrew Garfield, in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, shared his experience filming the project and how they brought those meme-inspired moments to life.

    Oh, so we were trying to figure out the pointing thing, like how we were going to do the pointing meme in a way – it took us a while – it kind of happened naturally on that scaffolding scene with Peter 1, Peter 2, Peter 3, like all that.

    Andrew Garfield

    We did end up getting the pointing scene earlier in the film and it turns out that the idea came from Garfield during the production, as they were filming in the lab. It was one of the funniest scenes in the film, as Ned struggled to call out Holland‘s Peter Parker but got the attention of all three.

    I remember having a lightning bolt and running into set and telling [director] Jon [Watts], ‘I got it, I got it.’Cause there’s this moment where Jacob is like, ‘Hey Peter?’ and we all go, ‘Yeah?’ But in the script, it was like, that was that. We all go ‘Yeah?’ and in the script, my Peter says, ‘This isn’t going to get old at all,’ like something kind of sardonic – which felt kinda undercutting and not quite right for the moment because it’s cute. It’s actually kinda cute. So then we were thinking I could say, ‘Aw, this is adorable. We’re so adorable. God, we’re cute.’ Something like that. But then I was like, no, this is the moment where we get to go, ‘Do you mean me?’ Jon was like, ‘That’s it. That’s it. Done.’ I was so happy that worked.”

    Andrew Garfield

    It sounds like they had a lot of fun reenacting the iconic scene and the pointing during the lab sequence was the perfect timing. The fact it also kept going with Ned trying to say Peter’s full name thinking it would change anything was a hilarious expansion on the concept. It also was great that they didn’t just directly replicate it but gave it a unique spin that worked well into this story.

    Source: Megaphone via The Direct