Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Amazon

  • ‘Watchmen’s Tom Spezialy Joins Amazon’s ‘Silk’ as Showrunner

    ‘Watchmen’s Tom Spezialy Joins Amazon’s ‘Silk’ as Showrunner

    It looks like development is finally underway for Amazon Studios’ Spider-Man spin-off, Silk. Deadline reported that the executive producer of HBO’s Watchmen series, Tom Spezialy, has signed a deal with Amazon that also includes him joining the Sony Pictures Television project as showrunner. He will work alongside executive producer Lauren Moon, who wrote the series that’ll explore the story of Korean-American superhero Cindy Moon. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the minds behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, will also act as executive producers and are overseeing the various TV projects based on the webheads’ popular IP.

    What is interesting to note is that Illuminerdi broke the news that Sang Kyu Kim joined the project as showrunner around four months ago. It’s uncertain if he actually was involved with the project and potentially moved on to others. Either way, it seems that Spezialy has taken on those duties moving forward. Story details are still kept tightly under wraps, as the series continues to eye an August production start. Hopefully, it means we’ll get a casting announcement by the latest of July that will finally unveil who will take on the role.

    The development continuing is also an interesting indicator that the series won’t move to Netflix after all. Shortly after the spin-off was announced, Sony and Netflix unveiled their new partnership for exclusive first-look deals on any of their future projects. As of now, it’s uncertain to what extent this deal will work but it’s safe to say that any other Spider-Man-based projects will premiere there first. They also made a multi-year deal with Disney+ to ensure their franchises will be made available on the platform. So, Sony has secured its place in the streaming wars by simply partnering with everyone. It’ll be interesting to see if the amazon series might make international debuts on various other outlets moving forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘The Boys’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy

    New ‘The Boys’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy

    It looks like The Boys team wanted to showcase Jensen Ackles‘ new character, Soldier Boy, in style. The Wrap released an even better look at his design that was revealed a week ago in the form of concept art. It seems nothing was lost in translation into live-action, as his live-action design seems very close to the original. The only real difference one might notice is that the knife’s placement on his hip is a bit different. We still don’t know quite what role he’ll have in the new season, as our group of misfits continues their fight against Vought Enterprises and their army of superheroes.

     

     

    Hopefully, we’ll get an update on the next season in the near future. They’ve been keeping the plot tightly under wraps with only small glimpses making their way online. Eric Kripke, the creator behind CW’s Supernatural, brought Ackles on board. The suit was designed by Laura Jean Shannon and showcases some strong Captain America inspirations, as she also shared her enthusiasm over the design:

    Soldier Boy is the original badass. Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier’s practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger. We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude. Luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that.

    At first glance, it also seems they are going for a very distinct version of the character and embracing the original version rather than the legacy characters. There is still a chance he has some knock-off versions imitating his brand, but he is considered Vought’s first superhero in The Boys universe. Here’s hoping we find out more soon.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Set Video Offers First Look at Amazon’s ‘PAPER GIRLS’

    Set Video Offers First Look at Amazon’s ‘PAPER GIRLS’

    Amazon has been hard at work expanding its comic adaptations. Next on their list is Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang‘s Paper Girls. Production seems to be well underway for Amazon’s Paper Girls adaptation. Someone living in the neighborhood where they are filming, which will act as Stony Stream (Hoffman Estates in Illinois), got a glimpse of the cast and crew.  They are currently filming some sequences with the girls on their bikes, which may be familiar to comic readers. This seems like something we will see in the early episodes, as the girls are going through their usual paper routes before their adventure through time and space begins.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/kajemacc/status/1403449344515248135?s=20

    We can clearly see their newspaper delivery bags, and even KJ’s (played by Fina Strazza) field hockey stick strapped to her back. Mac Coyle, Erin Tieng, and Tiffany Quilkin will be played by Sofia Rosinsky, Riley Lai Nelet, and Camryn Jones respectively. Principal photography will continue through the 24th in Illinois, with the show perhaps eyeing a late 2021/early 2022 release date through Amazon’s streaming service, even if an official announcement hasn’t been made as of yet. The series is based on the Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang comic. It was published by Image Comics from 2015 to 2019 and went on to win the Eisner for Best New Series in 2016. Vaughan, Chiang, as well as colorist Matt Wilson, gained individual praise for their work on the series.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Boys’: First Look at Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy Revealed

    ‘The Boys’: First Look at Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy Revealed

    After months of building up excitement with fans, Jensen Ackles has finally unveiled his latest “superhero” look to fans. The first look comes after Ackles and an official Vought International Twitter account teased the reveal of a comic-inspired suit on social media. The actor, best known for his leading role on the cult phenomenon Supernatural, is set to play Soldier Boy in the next season of Amazon’s The Boys. The character is a riff on Marvel’s Captain America, portrayed as a supposed WWII veteran and the United States’ very first superhero. However, fans of the series should be smart enough to know Ackles’ newest character isn’t as heroic as his corporate sponsors want the people to think. After a long wait, our official first look is finally here:

     

     

    The Boys costume designer Laura Jean Shannon shared the inspiration for his new look with Entertainment Weekly:

    Our goal was to highlight a bygone era of overt masculinity and grit. With that pedigree we dove headfirst into baking in an all-American quality grounded in a military soldier’s practicality with a heavy dose of old school cowboy swagger. We knew that the actor had to have Steve McQueen looks and chops with a John Wayne attitude, luckily Jensen Ackles embodies all of that.

    Ackles was cast as Soldier Boy in mid-2020, reuniting with his former Supernatural showrunner for The Boys’ third season. Since then, the fan-favorite actor has been toying with followers by sharing images of himself performing superhero workouts at the gym and recently surprised everyone with the debut of a shaggy new beard. While the facial hair is a fun new addition to the character, the design of his trusty shield and the overall look is fairly faithful to the source material. A WWII-era design for Soldier Boy was also shown via a statue in the series’ second season. However, much like his Marvelous inspiration, it seems the character has received a modern makeover with a more advanced suit. Perfect for wreaking havoc alongside Homelander in the modern world.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly, Twitter (Comic)

  • 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

  • New Set Photos for ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Teases a Time Jump

    New Set Photos for ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Teases a Time Jump

    The Boys has built a world where superheroes have dominated the media. They pretty much appear on anything and everything Vought can license to pump out to the masses. It is all to strengthen their empire even further. The upcoming third season is sure to kick things into the next gear following the second season’s revelations surrounding Stormfront. As such, keeping up the public image will become their top priority. While the next season is still in production, new set photos tease what’s to come and how the Seven has changed since we saw them, especially now that Starlight’s name got cleared and they welcomed her back onto the team. We’ve been wondering what the next season holds and we finally got some set photos teasing some time has passed since the last season.

     

     

    The first batch of set photos features a closer look at what looks to be downtown Toronto plastered with advertisements sponsored by Vought. One curious detail features Starlight on a poster for what looks to be an upcoming game show where they possibly try out to become another one of Vought’s contracted heroes. Starlight also happens to be wearing her original outfit, opposed to the one they made her wear when she initially joined the Seven.

    The previous season featured what many thought would be a redemption arc for Ex-Seven member, The Deep, and by the end of the season, would learn that wasn’t the case. He’d spent all season doing what he could alongside the church of the collective to get his spot on the team back to no success. It seems that he’s moved on and written a memoir about his time on the team. 

     

    The Boys: Dreharbeiten zur 3. Staffel starten

     

    The final advertisement seen in the set pics is for the upcoming 2024 election, one for Ted Cruz whose shares an ongoing Twitter feud with series producer Seth Rogen. While it seems like a joke at surface level, it confirms that there will be a time jump with the upcoming third season. The previous season ended in 2020, as revealed during Translucent’s funeral. A time jump could show us how the team has been operating through their new US Government contract and how they’ve adjusted to this new lifestyle.

    Source: Twitter

  • REPORT: New ‘Silk’ Casting Details Revealed for Amazon’s ‘Spider-Man’ Spin-Off

    REPORT: New ‘Silk’ Casting Details Revealed for Amazon’s ‘Spider-Man’ Spin-Off

    While Peter Parker is off dealing with a multiverse full of problems, Sony is hard at work on expanding its world of Marvel characters. Recently we got the news that Aaron Taylor Johnson will play one of the character’s most notorious foes, Kraven the Hunter. Of course, it doesn’t end there for Sony’s expansion plans. Some time ago, we learned that Sony had begun development on a live-action series surrounding another arachnid hero, who goes by Silk. The series has yet to make any headway in recent months, but it seems like the production is avidly searching for its lead.

    A new rumor from the Illuminderdi offers some details on the character. We know they are actively embracing the character’s heritage, as they are looking for a Korean-American actress in the age range between 19 to 29 years. The breakdown describes the character as “an indomitable spirit who can’t help but care”. The description continues talking about how she is “smart, self-assured, funny but tries to please everyone around her.” She even is highlighted to have a “predilection for extreme empathy.” They also reveal that the series is eyeing a February 2022 production start and will consist of eight episodes.

    Details on this project remain scarce, as it’s currently unclear just where and when this series takes place. A character named Cindy, played by Tiffany Espensen, who many believed to be Moon currently plays a minor role in the Spider-Man films from Sony and Marvel Studios. She briefly appears in Homecoming. It seems now that is definitely not the case unless this series is set within the Sony that characters like Venom and Morbius currently find themselves in. Hopefully, these questions will get answered once more details arrive for the Amazon series.

    Source: Illuminerdi 

  • Amazon Buying MGM Studios to Further Expand Streaming Service

    Amazon Buying MGM Studios to Further Expand Streaming Service

    Amazon continues to expand into the film industry by purchasing long-standing MGM Studios for $8.45 billion. This marks the companies second-largest acquisition since Whole Foods in 2017. The move was already teased around a week ago, but now they made the move to continue their rapid expansion into streaming and the entertainment industry. They aim to leverage MGM’s filmography of 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows. Senior Vice President of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Mike Hopkins, gave the following statement:

    The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team. It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling.

    Amazon has been investing quite a bit to strengthen its hold in the streaming market to keep up with competitors Netflix and Disney. It’s becoming quite a competitive market, especially with AT&T’s move to combining WarnerMedia with Discovery also enhancing their move forwards with HBO Max. It also aligns with the recent revelation that their new Lord of the Rings series costs a whopping $465 million to produce, which is one of the most costly television shows ever produced. They also expanded through NFL deals to broadcast Thursday Night Football. Their flywheel effect remains their main focus to expand Prime subscribers. Not only would it bolster their streaming offering, but also further supports new purchases directly in the eCommerce offerings of the site. It will be interesting to see what other purchases they have planned in the near future if they continue down this path.

    Source: CNBC

  • Even Taking a Beating, Mark Grayson Lives Up To The Name ‘Invincible’

    Even Taking a Beating, Mark Grayson Lives Up To The Name ‘Invincible’

    The definition of Invincible is “too powerful to be defeated or overcome.” In contrast, the show with the same title has a running gag that its titular character takes beatings on a regular basis. It makes you question the irony of Mark Grayson choosing that superhero name and what it means for his character. Could he truly be Invincible just not in the way we think?

     

    Invincible Season Finale Review: "Where I Really Come From" Delivers A Brutal And Emotional End - The Illuminerdi

     

    In the finale, Mark is confronted with the cold truth. His father Nolan, or Omni-Man to the rest of the world, is an evil alien who wants to enslave Earth’s population. He speaks of Mark’s Mom in such degrading terms, even going so far as to refer to her as a pet.  In this episode, Omni-Man is not Mark’s father, but an opponent that tests his will, and his life. During their fight, Nolan is a teacher with no remorse, no regret, and no regard.

    Countless human lives are lost. Mark is forced to watch as Nolan uses him as a battering ram to kill a train full of innocents. The horror of that scene and the tension is palpable throughout the episode. Mark tried to save people from this fight but would continue to fail. Between all the death, and Omni-Man’s chilling words most would succumb. Mark Grayson did not.

     

    Invincible: [SPOILER]'s Season Finale Scene Made an Entire Room Cry

     

    Mark was willing to die to stop his father. As he takes each punch and loses each drop of blood, he does not give up. He is steady while staring death in the face. It’s perseverance that needs to be seen to be believed. As Nolan trash talks Mark as he’s getting beaten to a pulp, this exchange sticks the landing.

    Everyone and everything you know will be gone! What will you have after 500 years?!

    With whatever energy Mark has left, he replies “You dad. I’ll still have you.” It is that unwavering empathy from Mark that makes him invincible. Nolan leaves the planet, and at that moment Mark had won the fight. However, the second season of Invincible will continue to establish Mark Grayson as a hero. We can wonder under what circumstances Nolan returns and how that conflict continues. Omni-Man will be back, and the Viltrumites will be ruthless in their conquest of earth. As for Mark, this season was trial by fire. He had to deal with countless beatings and betrayals. The juggling of being a hero and dealing with his father especially now is complicated. Despite all that, we’ve learned that Mark Grayson has lived up to his title. He truly was

     

    INVINCIBLE on Twitter: "Anyone else notice that the title cards are getting bloodier every episode?… "

  • EXCLUSIVE: Amazon’s ‘PAPER GIRLS’ Casting Missy Tieng Ahead of May Production Start

    EXCLUSIVE: Amazon’s ‘PAPER GIRLS’ Casting Missy Tieng Ahead of May Production Start

    A few days after announcing its four main leads, Amazon’s Paper Girls is now looking to cast a few more characters to the project that will adapt the Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang comic. We’ve learned that production is actively searching for a Chinese-American girl, who is between the age of nine to eleven. She will play Missy Tieng, who is the little sister of Erin Tieng, one of the titular characters. Missy is, as of yet, set to appear in two episodes of the series’ first season. These will consist of the pilot and the fourth episode.

     

     

    If you’re familiar with the comic series, it released 30 issues between 2015 and 2019. Missy is hardly a presence in the first few issues (the ones that should be the main focus of the first season). She shows up in the opening pages as her big sister is having a nightmare, where she must save her. Missy only frowns at her after Erin wakes her up from the said nightmare to check up on her. This way, having the character show up in more than a single episode at such an early stage of the show might deviate from the source material, and that it is taking extra care of highlighting her relationship with Erin. Especially as she has a more prominent role down the line. It just isn’t while she was eight years old. By dealing with time travel, the comic series often brings together different versions of the same character, from different timelines. Erin Tieng ends up meeting her older self, and in doing so, she also meets her little sister At that time, Missy was a helicopter pilot, which comes in handy as the story progresses. This way, having Missy have a bit of a larger role early on might enhance her presence further down the line.

     

     

    Paper Girls will be shooting in Chicago from May 17 to June 24, and with principal photography less than a month away, we should expect several actors to join the cast. So, we could older versions of the girls or even the villains, which the comic series certainly has a lot of. The series premiere on Amazon’s streaming service is unannounced as of now. It’ll be interesting to see what other changes we might expect once the show enters production and expands its cast.