Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Amazon

  • Amazon Pickups Season 2 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Ahead of Season 1 Debut

    Amazon Pickups Season 2 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Ahead of Season 1 Debut

    Ahead of its Season 1 premiere, Prime Video has given a second season order to The Summer I Turned Pretty. The series, which will debut later this month, is based on the Jenny Han novel of the same name. The book tells a multigenerational story about a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, as well as the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children.

    “When I decided to adapt ‘Summer’ for television, I knew we’d need more than one season to honor the story we are telling,” Han said in a statement to Variety. “To receive a second season pickup ahead of the premiere of Season One is beyond my wildest dreams. I am so grateful to Amazon Studios for this amazing vote of confidence in our show, and cannot wait to bring our incredible team back together to tell the next chapter in our story.”

    “As fans anticipate the beach fun and young romance in the upcoming first season, we’re excited to announce more summer to come with a second season of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty,’” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios. “We look forward to our Prime Video customers returning to Cousins Beach with Jenny Han and her characters as they continue their coming-of-age journeys for another season.”

    The decision to renew The Summer I Turned Pretty shouldn’t be entirely surprising. After all, like Han’s hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which was adapted by Netflix, the Summer series consists of three books: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer.

    Han served as the co-showrunner on the first season alongside Gabrielle Stanton. However, Stanton is expected to move into an executive producer role on Season 2, with Sarah Kucserka coming on board to serve as a co-showrunner with Han.

    The Summer I Turned Pretty will officially debut on June 17th. The series stars Lola Tung, Jackie Chung, Rachel Blanchard, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Alfredo Narciso, and Minnie Mills, with Colin Ferguson and Tom Everett Scott.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Showrunners Have All 5 Seasons Mapped Out

    ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Showrunners Have All 5 Seasons Mapped Out

    The Lord of the Rings is about to make a grand return as a new series is on the horizon titled The Rings of Power. It looks like showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay, alongside director and executive producer JA Bayona, have already mapped out the entire series, which will consist of five seasons. They plan to explore all that Middle-Earth has to offer and they already know exactly what the final shot for the last episode will be.

    We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be. The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until Season 5.

    JD Payne

    They also talk about the inspirations that the book’s original author J. R. R. Tolkien had intended with his original book series.

    It was like Tolkien put some stars in the sky and let us make out the constellations. In his letters [particularly in one to his publisher], Tolkien talked about wanting to leave behind a mythology that ‘left scope for other minds and hands, wielding the tools of paint, music and drama.’ We’re doing what Tolkien wanted. As long as we felt like every invention of ours was true to his essence, we knew we were on the right track.

    JD Payne

    The series is going to be the most expensive produced series ever, and it’s insane to think just how committed Amazon is to this series. Ordering five seasons early on showcases how much they believe in the potential and we’ll see how it may honor the iconic fantasy novels and films that came before it.

    Source: Empire

  • REVIEW: Season 3 of ‘The Boys’ is a Chaotic Ride Worth the Trip

    REVIEW: Season 3 of ‘The Boys’ is a Chaotic Ride Worth the Trip

    Over the course of two seasons, Prime Video’s The Boys has quickly become one of the best superhero series on the small screen. It achieved this not only due to its stellar cast, which is led by Karl Urban‘s Butcher, but also the willingness to play into campiness and gore. So, it’s not entirely surprising that Season 3 of The Boys decided to push the limits even more. Perhaps there are no moments nearly as memorable as a self-pleasuring Homelander as seen at the end of Season 2, but the series manages to successfully make use of its eight episodes in ways most shows could only hope to do.

    Following the events of Season 2, The Boys kicks off its third season still dealing with the aftershock of Stormfront. Naturally, her true nature has divided fans of the Seven – those that agree with her, aka Nazis, are upset over what happened to her. While others are glad to see her go. The person struggling the most, however, isn’t Stormfront. It is evident he loved her, but as this is Homelander, there’s also a sense of arrogance as he struggles to deal with his feelings. He’s very much still the unpredictable man-child we’ve seen before, and it seems Stormfront’s predicament has only made him worse. He’s more volatile than usual, and is no longer keen to be the poster boy of Vought.

    As entertaining as his shenanigans can be, they do quickly become tiresome, though. Thankfully, the creatives seemed to understand it was time to introduce a new character to focus on because as great as it is to see the boys eager to takedown Homelander, the story can become stale at times: Enter Jensen Ackles‘ Soldier Boy. Perhaps the most developed character in the series, Soldier Boy brings with him a much-needed energy boost to the latest season.

    His story is set up perfectly to weave a new and exciting tale that ultimately ties together with the Boys and their original mission with ease. More importantly, though, Ackles‘ Soldier Boy plays off of Urban‘s Butcher perfectly. When the two are together on screen, it’s hard to look away, which is saying something given Urban‘s onscreen chemistry with his team members. These two are dynamite.

    Those that are eager to see the series move away from trying to takedown Vought should be excited to know that The Boys Season 3 finally gives its secondary characters time to shine. This isn’t just a story about Butcher and his journey of revenge anymore. It’s not all about Robin and Becca. And while Ryan is an essential character this season, this isn’t a story that’s centered around him either. The overall theme seems to be that of family and self-discovery, and it’s the best dang decision the writers made this go-round. Heroes that viewers might’ve hated before? They’re given the chance to flourish. While others that the audience might’ve liked before? Well, there’s a good chance viewers will be rethinking their favorites by season’s end.

    One of the most exciting parts of The Boys has always been its willingness to poke fun at other comic book properties. Yes, there are moments of predictability, but Season 3 has largely moved away from those moments. It’s chaotic in the best type of ways and is a hell of a ride that’ll leave viewers smiling by the season’s end. As for what lies in store for Season 4, it’s clear the writers still have plenty of stories left to explore, and it seems likely the crazy train is a ways off from stopping.

    Overall: The Boys Season 3 is a bumpy ride full of chaotic twists and turns and a hell of a performance by series newbie Jensen Ackles.

  • Amazon Orders 2 Seasons of Maya Rudolph’s Animated Comedy ‘The Hospital’

    Amazon Orders 2 Seasons of Maya Rudolph’s Animated Comedy ‘The Hospital’

    Adult animation has grown quite a bit in popularity over the years with franchises like Rick and Morty, Big Mouth, Hoops, and many more. Now, it seems that Amazon Studios is planning to add another to the mix, as they have ordered not one but two full-season orders of The Hospital. The animated sci-fi series is from Maya Rudolph and Natasha Lyonne’s Animal Pictures with both having starring roles in the production. Vernon Sanders, Amazon Studios Head of Global Television, has the following to say on the project:

    The Hospital is the perfect example of the fresh and unique programming we get so excited to deliver to our global Prime Video customers. Cirocco’s humor and clever characters will entertain in any galaxy. We are thrilled to have this special project join our growing adult animated slate.

    Vernon Sanders

    The series has attached Cirocco Dunlap, Kieran Culkin, Keke Palmer, Greta Lee, and songwriter Sam Smith. There have been hints that we’ll also have more additional voice cast members joining the project, but aren’t yet announced. Amazon Studios will produce the series which has already been in development since 2020.

    Dunlap will write the series that follows alien surgeons Sleech (Lee) and Klak (Palmer) that tackle the most dangerous cases. So, they aren’t safe from time loops, out-of-this-world STIs, and parasites that feed off of anxiety. Yet, they risk their entire career based on one case that may put their lives on the line. As with any adult comedy, their personal lives are just as much a mess as you might expect.

    The rest of the cast consists of Lyonne voicing Nurse Tup, Rudolph is a robot intern known as Vlam, Culkin will be a surgeon known as Dr. Plowp and Smith will voice Dr. Azel. Cirocco Dunlap is also serving as showrunner and executive producer on the series. It looks like Amazon fully believes in the project that it was already ordered for two seasons, but there’s a chance they might’ve just split the initial episode order into two parts. Still, with a cast like that, you can’t go wrong.

    Source: Deadline

  • Nicole Kassell Set To Direct Live Action ‘She-Ra’ Series for Amazon

    Nicole Kassell Set To Direct Live Action ‘She-Ra’ Series for Amazon

    The Masters of the Universe have found new life on streaming these days as the popular 80s franchise made its grand return. Netflix has become quite the hub for everything and anything MOTU with multiple animated series and most recently a live-action film in the works. Amazon looks to be making its way to Etheria as we got some news on the live-action She-Ra series.

    Back in September, it was announced that Amazon had begun development on a live-action series following She-Re, the Princess of Power. The timing was perfect as the Netflix animated series, She-Ra and The Princesses of Power, became quite the hit. Variety has reported that Nicole Kassell, who is known for her work on HBO’s Watchmen, The Leftovers, Westworld, and The Americans. Kassell will direct the pilot episode if ordered by the studio. Dreamworks Animation will serve as an executive producer on the series alongside Kassell. The project has yet to recruit a writer.

    It is unknown just what the series will follow as previous versions of the character like the animated series on Netflix removed all ties to Eternia and Princess Adora’s family ties to Prince Adam and the royal family. All we know is that this will be a stand-alone story and will have no connection to the show. It is unknown just how rights may clash with Netflix as they are currently developing their own live-action He-Man film, meaning we could see Adora cut off from Eternia once more.

    Originally Princess Adora, He-Man’s twin sister, was kidnapped as an infant by Hordak and brought to Etheria, and became an agent of the Horde. He-Man was the one who saved her and gave her the sword of protection, freeing her of her mind control and now being able to turn into She-Ra. The pilot has yet to be green-lit so it is still possible the project does not move forward at Amazon.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Adds Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi

    ‘The Boys’ Spinoff Adds Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi

    The Boys has been a smash hit on Amazon Prime, but it’s still been struggling to get its first live-action spinoff to get going. Diabolical, an animated anthology series, did manage to release but their college-focused series has been facing some challenges. Still, it seems that new showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are kicking the project into overdrive as they’ve added three new cast members.

    The spinoff series will focus on a college setting run by the usually corrupted Vought Enterprise. It has now added The Staricase‘s Patrick Schwarzenegger, who will play a character known as Golden Boy. The Tragedy of MacBeth‘s Sean Patrick Thomas joined as Polarity alongside Invisible City‘s Marco Pigossi, who will be Dr. Cardosa.

    The series is promised as a college show mixed with Hunger Games, which makes sense given the raunchy nature of the show it’s spinning out from. The cast has gone through some changes, as rewrites led to some of the characters getting a completely new focus. It’s not uncommon for some productions to go through it, but it seems that the show is finally on track if they’re adding to the cast. We’ll see just how they keep the tone of the original while adding the hormonal nightmare that is college-aged youth to the mix.

    Source: Deadline

  • John Krasinski-led ‘Jack Ryan’ Series to End With Season 4, Spinoff in Development

    John Krasinski-led ‘Jack Ryan’ Series to End With Season 4, Spinoff in Development

    Here’s a surprise, it looks like the popular adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan will come to an end with its fourth season on Amazon Prime. John Krasinski was leading the series and also is an executive producer role, as he continues work on the final season that is currently being filmed. While it will end the series that Paramount TV Studios, Skydance TV, and Amazon Studios have been working on for a while, they are currently already eyeing a spinoff series.

    It seems that the character of Domingo “Ding” Chavez, who will be played by Michael Peña, will get his own series to further continue the Tom Clancy franchise. He’ll be introduced in the season finale of Season 3 and become a full-time cast member in its final season. It seems that these won’t release for some time and it is the reason that the third season hasn’t received a release date just yet. According to Deadline, it seems that we shouldn’t expect a new season by 2023.

    The interesting surprise comes from the fact that Krasinski has seemingly signed on for four seasons from the get-go. So, they may have mapped out this upcoming season as its end for some time now. There have been many Jack Ryan’s in the past, who was played by Chris Pine, Ben Affleck, Harrison Ford, and Alec Baldwin. While it was a big role to step in, Krasinski also took on a bigger role throughout his work on the series, as he also took on a showrunner-esque role in the latter seasons. For now, we can only continue to wait for more details as they continue to work on the series.

    Source: Deadline

  • Reina Hardesty No Longer Attached to ‘The Boys’ Spin-as Series’ Gets Reworked

    Reina Hardesty No Longer Attached to ‘The Boys’ Spin-as Series’ Gets Reworked

    The Boys spin-off has been in development for quite some time now and looks to be going through a bit of a rework behind the scenes. A while back, it was reported that the show added Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas as co-showrunners following Craig Rosenberg’s exit due to creative differences. The project most recently lost Aimee Carrero and Shane Paul McGhie due to scheduling conflicts. Not just that, but it was revealed that their characters are being reworked with Chance Perdomo being recast in McGhie‘s. role

    It seems yet another actor attached to the project has met a similar fate as Reina Hardesty has now exited the spin-off after being attached to the project for over a year now. She departed the project following similar circumstances, with the new showrunners changing her character’s original role. There’s been no word on who will replace the actress, but if this situation follows a similar pattern to the previous recast we could know soon.

    This college spin-off was originally going to follow a group of superpowered youth that are all competing at a Vought-run university for the best contracts. Each one trying to prove themselves to become the next Highlander while also navigating the usual hormonal experience that is college. While this project could still be ways away, the upcoming third season of The Boys is set to hit Amazon Prime with a three-episode premiere on June 8th, so everyone can get their fill of outlandish violence.

    Source: Deadline

  • First ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Synopsis Teases A New Anti-Supe Weapon

    First ‘The Boys’ Season 3 Synopsis Teases A New Anti-Supe Weapon

    The Boys is definitely one of Amazon Primes’ most popular original series. It adapts the comic book series of the very same name written by Garth Ennis. The series’ third season is set to return on June 8th with a three-episode premiere. The rest of the eight episodes will release weekly on the streamer, similar to what they did with the second season. As the debut gets closer and closer, we finally have a synopsis that gives us a bit more context on what to expect this upcoming season.

    It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.

    When we last left the gang they’d been recruited by the government to do some similar business by the books, keeping the Supes in check. This season will see the playing field a bit leveled as it was previously revealed that Billy Butcher will be getting some abilities of his own. The interesting piece of this synopsis is the “Anti-supe weapon”, which seems like it’ll be causing quite the fuss amongst the characters.

    This season will see the debut of many new Supes from the comics like Crimson Countess, Blue Hawk, and the long-awaited arrival of Soldier Boy, who is the very first superpowered individual and is set to be played by Jensen Ackles. Somehow he’s made a mysterious return after being presumed dead. Fans will have to wait just a little longer before what will surely be another bloody good time.

    Source: Amazon Prime

  • ‘Killing Eve’s Ayoola Smart Joins ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 2

    ‘Killing Eve’s Ayoola Smart Joins ‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 2

    Amazon Prime has entered the fantasy genre with its latest adaptation in the form of The Wheel of Time. Agents of SHIELD and Chuck writer Rafe Judkins is showrunning the series and revealed during a panel at JordanCon 2022 that they’ve added Killing Eve‘s Ayooola Smart to the cast of the upcoming second season.

    She’ll take on the role of Aviendha, a Wise One of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel. Not only that, but she’s also one of the three lovers of Rand al’Thor. Her role is planned as a recurring role and joins after the castings of Guy Roberts, Gregg Chillingirian, and Arnas Fedaravicius.

    The actress made a splash with her work as Audrey in the third season of Killing Eve. She’s also appeared in 2018’s Juliet, Naked, the Death in Paradise series, and Smother. She joins an extensive cast that includes Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, a member of a female organization called the Aes Sedai, who embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover who will become the Dragon Reborn, who will have the fate of humanity in their hand.

    Currently, Uta Briesewitz, who also acts as an executive producer on the series, is set to direct the first two episodes. Pike also has a producing role with Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson attached as consulting producers.

    Source: Deadline