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  • EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With The Creators Behind Disney’s New Dance Short Film, Us Again

    EXCLUSIVE: An Interview With The Creators Behind Disney’s New Dance Short Film, Us Again

    Disney’s latest experimental short titled Us Again is now available to watch on the House of Mouse’s streaming service, Disney+. The short chronicles an aging couple dealing with the growing pains of growing old with a fun musical twist. Murphy’s Multiverse got to speak with the short film’s brilliant creators, director Zach Parrish, producer Brad Simonsen, composer Pinar Toprak, and world-renowned choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid, who were generous enough to share some behind-the-scenes details.

    Zach Parrish is no stranger to directing experimental shorts, having done one for Disney+ called Puddles that premiered last year in their Short Circuits series. We asked Zach how he came up with such a fun new concept with Us Again and he revealed how his mother played a huge part in his conceptualizing.

    It started from a very real place. Moving into my 30s and realizing that my body was getting old. Gray hairs and bad knees. I had this emotional feeling of wishing I was young again but then talking my mom who was in her 60s; she was talking about what she was going to do when she grew older. I realized I had my perspective backwards and I was looking at life in the wrong direction. That core emotional place led me to think about this fountain of youth story with the rain and how we could do this neon dance thing with the music. All of that came together fairly quickly early on. Having that core emotion that I responded to and all the visual ideas I had in my head, I needed to get it all out.

    Prior to directing his own short films, Zach cut his teeth working as an animator on a couple of Disney hits. Big Hero 6 was his first stint as a department head as the Head of Animation and he spoke about his experience in that film helped shape Us Again.

    Big Hero 6 was my first time running a department. So we had 95 animators on that film.  Managing your time and making sure that you’re very crystal clear on what the point is and what the core emotion is, I learned a ton. Don Hall, the director of that film was my mentor in the making of Us Again. I learned from him how to communicate that emotion and where I wasn’t being clear. 

    Us Again is Walt Disney Animation’s first theatrical short in 5 years as it was attached to Raya and the Last Dragon. All of us grew up watching these shorts attached to their iconic films so we had to ask producer Brad Simonsen the pressure they felt coming up with a short that could honor the huge legacy of Walt Disney Animation.

    When you’re dealing with a legacy like Walt Disney Animation, there’s always a desire to honor the tradition and history that the building and people bring. Having got to work with Zach Parrish in Big Hero 6, I really knew that if given the opportunity, he would make a beautiful movie. We supported him the right way and we brought on a team that was a yes-team that really wanted to make the movie better at all times.

    Best known for her music for billion-dollar IPs like Fortnite and Captain Marvel, Pinar Toprak was tasked with the job of crafting a contemporary score for Us Again. Given how epic and grand her scores generally are, we had to ask Pinar what it was like to compose such a modern soundtrack.

    That was Zach’s vision. We talked about what genre we were going to play with. Was it jazz? Was it more disco? But then funk and soul really fell into that sweet spot for us. I personally love funk and soul so much. It was really fun to create that because it’s not really that common for a composer to get asked, “Hey, go write a funk score.”

    You can’t have a proper dance film without amazing dancers. In comes world-renowned choreographers Keoni Madrid and Mari Madrid, who pretty much defined the film’s essence with their magnetic choreography. The couple’s dance resume is nothing short of impressive, having choreographed for huge stars like BTS and Justin Beiber. When asked about whether choreographing for pop culture’s most famous company was a challenge, they had this to say:

    Honestly, it wasn’t. Brad and Zach gave us all the tools to make sure we had all the context as possible. That’s rare. Not all projects offer that much information. We got an almost final version of the music early on. Once we had all those tools, it went back to, “Let’s do what we do. Tell stories through dance.” We don’t get to do that for all projects. But for this one, it had all the things we’re passionate about. Once you strip all the Disneyness and scale from it, it boils down to the work.

     

  • New ‘Titans’ Set Photos Offer Closer Look at Teagan Croft’s New Raven Costume

    New ‘Titans’ Set Photos Offer Closer Look at Teagan Croft’s New Raven Costume

    Titans is currently busy filming its third season which might see a new direction for the franchise. Now that the former DC streaming app remains focused on comics, the series is now part of the HBO Max family. We’ve been excited to see if it’ll also see a shake-up in the show’s format with potentially a higher budget. The first showcases of the cast’s new costumes were a promising start and it looks like some set photos have found their way online that offer a closer look at two of next season’s main cast members. Damaris Lewis is rocking her new outfit as Blackfire, which was revealed around three months ago. Luckily, she is not alone as we also get a closer look at Teagan Croft‘s new Raven costume.

    We also got a look at her costume from a distance, which includes Blackfire’s full costume and a tease of Anna Diop‘s Starfire costume.

    Now, the show has taken a very different approach with Raven’s outfit but her iconic purple hair and forehead mark remained. They have teased her iconic hood but it seems she ditched that entirely. There is a chance this isn’t her final outfit in the series. Still, it’s great to see Croft‘s evolution as the character throughout the last two seasons and it’ll be interesting to explore how the events of the upcoming third season might shape Raven even more. Here’s hoping we get an official trailer soon to see if they will showcase the new comics in action.

    Source: Twitter (Close-up), Twitter (Distance)

  • Christina Ricci Secretly Added to Lana Wachowski’s ‘Matrix 4’

    Christina Ricci Secretly Added to Lana Wachowski’s ‘Matrix 4’

    By the time the fourth film in the Matrix franchise releases it’ll have been almost eighteen years since the original trilogy ended. Many were ecstatic to hear that Lana Wachowski would be returning to helm the next film alongside the return of multiple main cast members from the original films. The list includes Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Daniel Bernhardt, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Plot details for the upcoming film remain under wraps with the only clue to the premise of the film being a leak from a wrap gift. It revealed that the film’s title is Matrix: Resurrections. With the film in the can, it seems there’s one rather late addition to its outstanding cast.

    In a new report from Collider, it is being reported that actress Christina Ricci has joined the cast of the upcoming film with details on her character currently unknown. It seems it was a well-hidden secret and recently was added into the recent press kit. She is best known for her work in the Addams Family films in which she played Wednesday Addams, and even once worked with the Wachowskis on the 2008 live-action adaption of Speed Racer.

    The upcoming Matrix film is currently set to be released on December 16, 2021, and will be the first film in the franchise not co-directed by both Wachowski sisters, With Lilly Wachowski only serving as producer on the project alongside Lana due to prior commitments.  Joining the returning cast members is a slew of high-profile talent with the likes of Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra, Jonathan Groff, and Max Riemelt.

    Source: Collider

  • Third ‘A Quiet Place’ Film In Development Eyeing 2023 Release

    Third ‘A Quiet Place’ Film In Development Eyeing 2023 Release

    Paramount Pictures isn’t done with A Quiet Place just yet. The studio has given a release date to a third installment in the popular horror franchise, which may or may not act as the series’ first spin-off. According to insider Erik Davis, the project will drop on March 31, 2023. The news comes shortly after A Quiet Place: Part II successfully helped ring in the return of movie theaters across the United States. The untitled project will be helmed by Jeff Nichols, who is best known for his dramatic work with films like Mud and Loving. The script is based on an original story by Nichols and franchise creator John Krasinski. This will make the film the first Quiet Place feature not to be directed by Krasinski himself.

    A Quiet Place released in 2018 to critical acclaim and focused around a family attempting to survive in a world populated by noise-sensitive monsters. The sequel was intended to come out in 2020 but was delayed over a year due to the unexpected global pandemic. A third film has been in the cards for a long time, with Nichols’ potential spin-off being announced in November of 2020. In terms of continuing the franchise past 2023, series star Emily Blunt stated recently that husband Krasinski had a “whole arc of ideas” for more films. She was quoted as saying:

    I think he just wanted to see how people responded to [the second one] before he fully engaged his brain on the third one. But he has a couple of great ideas.

    Whatever the case may be with this next movie, it seems likely that A Quiet Place is here to stay.

    Source: Twitter, Digital Spy

  • Disney Developing a ‘Cruella’ Sequel

    Disney Developing a ‘Cruella’ Sequel

    It looks like Cruella was a success, as Disney is fast-tracking a sequel to the Emma Stone-led project. Craig Gillespie will return to direct with Tony McNamara once again working on the screenplay for the film. The One Hundred and One Dalmations prequel explored the early days of villainess Cruella de Vil and how she made her name in the fashion world. The film was released theatrically and on Disney+ Premier Access. While we don’t know how it performed on the streaming service, the film did earn around $48.5M worldwide. A Disney spokesperson shared their enthusiasm for the film’s success:

    The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to A’s in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings. We look forward to a long run as audiences continue to enjoy this fantastic film.

    Unlike some of their live-action reimaginings of the classic fairytale adaptations, Cruella took a very unique visual approach by integrating a 1970s punk rock aesthetic. It made the film stand out even among the many adaptations that Disney has been working on. What started with 2010’s Alice in Wonderland became a staple of Disney’s cinematic landscape as they saw success with Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Now, Cruella’s approach to an origin story for the original’s main villain is similar to what they did with the Angelina Jolie-spearheaded Maleficent. Their success could open up the door to exploring other classic villains. Could we see a prequel to The Great Mouse Detective focusing on Professor Ratigan? Probably not, but one thing is for sure, Disney won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

    Source: THR

  • Shamier Anderson Joins ‘John Wick 4’ In Undisclosed Role

    Shamier Anderson Joins ‘John Wick 4’ In Undisclosed Role

    It looks like the cast of John Wick 4 is continuing to grow. Right after they cast IP Man‘s Donnie Yen, the upcoming fourth entry in the Keanu Reeves-led project has added Shamier Anderson in an undisclosed role. Anderson has worked on a variety of projects that include Stowaway, City of Lifes, as well as Syfy’s Wynonna Earp. He also was an important part of forming Canada’s first Black-owned venture capital firm, Bay Mills investment Group. The film’s plot still remains under wraps, but they are eyeing a worldwide production that starts this summer. The film will film in France, Germany, and Japan as Wick takes on the world. Rina Sawayama was cast as the film’s female lead and it will be interesting to see how all the pieces come together.

    Overall, John Wick is a fascinating franchise that started as a small indie project that continued to balloon in success with each entry. It was also the grand return of Keanu Reeves in a titular role. It’s also the aesthetic and worldbuilding that makes this franchise so fascinating standing tall alongside big-budget films. It doesn’t require a CGI backdrop of unfamiliar buildings and structures to make us believe there is a world we know little about. The structure of the Continental hotel chain, the way it showcases assassins living in a completely unique world that is hidden from the everyday person makes it a must-watch franchise for any action fan out there. Here’s hoping we find out what the future holds in the near future once more actors and actresses join the project.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Adds Issa Rae as Spider-Woman

    ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Adds Issa Rae as Spider-Woman

    Finally, it seems like we’re getting some more news on the upcoming sequel to the 2018 hit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed that Issa Rae is joining the upcoming production. She is most famously known for her work on the HBO comedy-drama Insecure. She is the first addition to the cast and will join Shameik Moore‘s Miles Morales, as well as Hailee Steinfeld‘s Spider-Gwen. While the plot remains under wraps, she is believed to voice Jessica Drew, who many fans also know as Spider-Woman. Chris Miller, who is writing the script alongside Phil Lord and Shang-Chi‘s David Callaham, shared his enthusiasm on Twitter.

    Spider-Woman is all the rage right now, as she is also currently the main focus of a new film by Sony. They recently hired Olivia Wilde to produce the film, which may even become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We still know very little about the direction of the sequel and there has been no word on if Oscar Isaac will also return after the after-credit tease from the first film. He played the 2099 version of the iconic webhead who seemed to have found a way to enter the multiverse. There was also the brief sequence where Gwen calls out to Miles, which would imply we might explore other universes than restrict to one specific one. It’ll be interesting to see if Miles also remains the main protagonist of the franchise, or if they start focusing on a different version of the character with each new entry as the Spider-verse continues to expand.

    Source: THR

  • What ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Can Learn from ‘Returnal’

    What ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Can Learn from ‘Returnal’

    I’ve been obsessed with the game Returnal as of late. You take control of Selene, a space traveler who crash lands on a strange foreign planet. As she faces the dangerous climate and fauna, she realizes that this isn’t her first trip. In reality, she is stuck in a time loop of some kind and repeats it every time she dies. It’s a simple premise that lends itself to a very challenging experience. Each death feels like the game is challenging you to do better and find a way to survive longer. It doesn’t hold your hands, and sometimes you won’t figure out how some mechanics work until your tenth run. The more I played it, the more I realized it had something that I believe Marvel’s Avengers needs at this point in its development: randomization.

    When you die in Returnal, you don’t go through the same motions as before. The only thing that remains the same is the opening area where your ship crashlanded while the rest of the game’s map cycles through a variety of different layouts. Even the enemies get switched up regularly. So, while you think you know where they will spawn, there is always a chance something even more dangerous may appear. It adds a level of progression that plays on your ability to react to the change. In contrast, Crystal Dynamic’s Avengers offers you a handful of missions that get switched up weekly, but they don’t change at their core. The goals are always the same, AIMs bots stay consistent, and you know what you expect.

     

    How Marvel's Avengers Prequel Comics Set Up the Game - Den of Geek

     

    I have spent countless hours in the game and still enjoy every single content drop that has come out to varying degrees. The only issue is that once I played through the new content, there is no real reason to return. Even their latest Red Room Takeover event consisted only of five special gauntlets that repeat the same enemy rollout. Grinding your mission chains or gear becomes monotonous after a certain amount of time. Of course, you should take breaks when it comes to these ongoing experiences, but it would add an incentive to play more.

    There is one random element in Returnal that I think a game like Avengers can benefit from. When you run through the game, you might randomly end up in a room with a pool of water or a floating ball of liquid mysteriously in the center of the room. The discovery of these random areas has been one of my favorite moments. It lets me piece together their significance in this world. You don’t figure out their relevance until later. It’s a creative way to build up the world organically in the game. Avengers does attempt it, as we get some great moments in Future Imperfect’s Wasteland’s usage of broken Kree sentries. Yet, I want to uncover a secret room that is the last refuge of a Kree soldier that got left behind. Perhaps we see some runes from the Woken who are preparing a ritual at the behest of Loki. It could even be a minor tie-in to the upcoming Disney+ series. 

     

    Five Standout Moments from Returnal on PlayStation 5 | Goomba Stomp

     

    We know we’re getting some more information at E3 on their next expansion. So, why not give players a tease of what is heading our way with Black Panther. Have a Dora Milaje randomly appear in the Helicarrier, who is supporting some of the feeling Inhumans. I want to see the game make use of its comic history as it continues to grow. We know more is coming, but I also want to experience the change in the game. Clint being in his room between Taking Aim, and his operation had me excited to see how the story continues. Give me the temporary effects on the world that make it feel organic and not let your prisoner randomly vanish without a word. It doesn’t have to be a massive update, but minor changes to the world with hints at an ever-expanding story could truly make Marvel’s Avengers the gaming equivalent of living in the Marvel Universe.

  • REPORT: More Character Descriptions for ‘The Boys’ Spin-Off Revealed

    REPORT: More Character Descriptions for ‘The Boys’ Spin-Off Revealed

    Amazon’s venture into superhero shows has paid off when The Boys released. It took Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson‘s iconic comic book and adapted its crude, sarcastic view on superheroism. The series was such a success that they are already working on a spin-off that focuses on the group of up-and-coming supes. It will take place in a Vought-sponsored college, which will see the dangerous combination of superpowered individuals and teenage hormones. We got our first overview of the main cast around three months ago, but it looks like Illuminerdi got their hands on some more casting details.

    They are currently casting two teenagers with one being Matt, a series regular that is charming yet an “agent of chaos with the magnetism to pull it off.” The other is the Latinx 18-year old Alex, whose main goal is to make some friends at college. He will only be around in seven of the eight episodes planned for the series. Lastly, they also got their first casting details on Emma’s mother, Rebecca. She was People Magazine’s “Sexiest Supe a record 14 times” and it seems her kid entering college will leave some strife between them.

    The earlier character breakdowns hinted that this family situation between Emma and Rebecca will have a strong focus in the. Craig Rosenberg will serve as showrunner with Eric Kripke acting as executive producer. Here’s hoping we finally get the official title for the spin-off in the coming weeks. There has also been no word if some cast members from the original show might also make an appearance, but with Vought’s involvement it wouldn’t be too surprising.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘CHERNOBYL’’s Robert Emms joins the cast of ‘ANDOR’

    ‘CHERNOBYL’’s Robert Emms joins the cast of ‘ANDOR’

    Lucasfilm’s Andor has cast Robert Emms, who we’ve previously seen in shows like the astonishing Chernobyl and His Dark Materials. With the Rogue One spin-off currently filming, there are a few names still being added to the cast, as it eyes a 2022 Disney+ release date. There are no details regarding the character Emms will be playing but considering where we’re expected to find Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, EmmsBritish background might hint at some sort of role within the Empire. Even if Lucasfilm has been shifting away from reserving such accents for villainous roles in the Star Wars universe.

    Moving through a world of military espionage deep within the heart of the fight between the Rebellion and the newly formed Empire, Andor will (obviously) be set before Rogue One, as we’re expected to learn more about Cassian’s background, something only hinted at in Rogue One. Heavyweights Ewan McGregor and Rosario Dawson, playing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano respectively, are expected to make an appearance. As for Alan Tudyk, who voiced the former Empire droid K-2SO, an integral part of the aforementioned Rogue One, will, unfortunately, not be showing up. 

     

    Source: Deadline