Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Animation

  • 90s ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series’ Voice Actor Rumored for ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel

    90s ‘Spider-Man: The Animated Series’ Voice Actor Rumored for ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel

    It looks like the 90s kids might get their Spider-Man back. That Hashtag Show reports that Christopher Daniel Barnes, who voiced the web-slinger in the 1994 Spider-Man: The Animated Series, will be coming back for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2. The report says the actor will only return for a small part. His role in the much-anticipated sequel will reportedly only amount to a few scenes, which make up around no more than five-to-ten minutes of screen time.

    Nonetheless, it should be a thrill for fans of the cult classic animated series to see their Spider-Man back in action. Barnes was the voice of one of the most popular Marvel characters for nearly a decade. He will surely be welcomed back with open arms if the rumor turns out to be true. Spider-Man: The Animated Series ran for five seasons, which are all available on Disney+. It was the precedent for an entire animated universe that adapted the world of Marvel. Many former viewers have expressed their desire to see Barnes return to the role in the past.

    He came back to voice the Noir version of the character in the video game Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions but didn’t return to the role since. Into the Spider-Verse 2 has the potential to bring back many fan-favorite versions of Spider-Man, and Barnes’s version of the character might be the beginning of a new and exciting line-up. Around two months ago, we reported that it seemed like The Spot would join the film as the main antagonist. So, we might see one of the Spider-Mans’ most insane stories yet that will continue to expand the Spider-Verse.

    Source: That Hashtag Show

  • ‘RUGRATS’ To Return With Original Cast On Paramount+

    ‘RUGRATS’ To Return With Original Cast On Paramount+

    Paramount+ is following up its iCarly revival with the return of another iconic franchise. Nickelodeon revealed at today’s ViacomCBS Investor’s Day event that the upcoming streaming service, born out of CBS All Access, will bring back the Rugrats in 2021. The brand-new series will feature a CG animation style, which some may consider a bold departure from the franchise’s traditional hand-drawn look. Something that won’t change, however, is the cast of the characters and their voice actors. This means die-hard fans of the original show will once again hear the likes of E.G. Daily, Nancy Cartwright, and Cree Summer in their iconic roles, as troublesome toddlers.

    The revival will be produced by Nickelodeon Animation, and company president Ramsey Naito had the following to say regarding the project:

    Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience. Having the voice cast behind these special characters come together is one of the essential pieces to making the show recognizable and we can’t wait to watch this talented group bring them to life again.

    The original version of the series debuted in 1991 and ran for nine seasons throughout 13 years. It was critically acclaimed by adults and children alike, winning four Daytime Emmys and six Kid’s Choice Awards. Rugrats was followed by a sequel series in 2003 titled All Grown Up!, which followed the same group of friends through their teenage years. The flagship show also produced three spin-off films, beginning with The Rugrats Movie in 1998. The latest addition to the Rugrats fold looks to bring all the same lovable energy as the projects before it. Check out the first footage in the tweet below.

    Source: Variety, Twitter

  • ‘Harley Quinn’s Started Recording for Its Third Season

    ‘Harley Quinn’s Started Recording for Its Third Season

    DC has been producing a variety of great shows in the last few years. What started with Titans has expanded into a plethora of original productions. They used the opportunity to explore the different aspects of the comic universe. Once Warner Bros. migrated them to HBO Max, we’ve seen a large increase in new shows entering a form of production. Of course, the sophomore series that started on the original DC Universe app is continuing, as well, such as the before-mentioned Titans currently in production.

    The stand-out, however, was the R-rated animated comedy Harley Quinn, which saw Kaley Cuoco take on the role of the Joker’s most iconic henchwoman. We got to see her grow into her love the course of two seasons, and many were ecstatic when the third got announced last September. We’ve been anxiously waiting for an update, and it looks like it finally arrived, as executive producer Patrick Schumacker shared an official update on Twitter.

    It is great to see the return of Diedrich Bader, Jim Rash, and Chris Meloni, who gave some iconic performances in the last two seasons. The idea of a washed-up Gordon just hanging on as best as he can be a genius interpretation of a commissioner living in the most crime-ridden city of the world. Bader was a perfect choice for this universe’s Batman, especially how much it contrasts the version he played in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I cannot wait for the next season, especially how they plan to continue where the last one ended.

    Source: Twitter, IMDb

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Finds New Showrunner in Albert Kim

    RUMOR: Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Finds New Showrunner in Albert Kim

    The first few months of quarantine were a bit of an adjustment for many, but people found a way to make the most of it. One saving grace was the debut of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix. It gave people a much-needed break and escape from the world. Following its release, many people began to remember that Netflix was also developing a live-action adaption of the beloved series. After the first misfire on a live-action debut, it made many fans skeptical. It didn’t help that the original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, left the project due to creative differences. It left fans with a sour taste in their mouth, and many wished for it to end there.

    A new report suggests the Netflix may have already found a new showrunner to helm the project. Following the original creator’s departure, it seems Netflix has recruited Albert Kim to take on the challenge. Kim has worked on a variety of other series, such as TNT’s Heist and FOX’s Sleepy Hollow. She served as writer, producer, and executive producer on the latter. Details for the series are still unknown, and it’ll be interesting to see how the show handles its seasonal structure. The original told its story across 20+ episodes each season, which may be difficult to compress into Netflix’s regular show length.

     

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    The report also offered some new details on its casting, as the series will reportedly change the ages of the characters. This time Katara will be the oldest at 16. Sokka is being aged down to 14, while Aang remains 12. These changes seem weird and unnecessary, but they could change up the dynamic between the team, especially when you consider Aang and Katara’s relationship in the original series. We’ll see what else they might change.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Sneak Peek Reveals Original Song by Jhené Aiko

    ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Sneak Peek Reveals Original Song by Jhené Aiko

    We are only a few weeks away from Raya and the Last Dragon finally releasing on Disney+. It will be the big return of Disney+’s Premier Access service, which was last seen with the release of Mulan. Disney Animations’ next big entry will also be available in theaters alongside the digital release. As they continue to build-up to its release, Disney has just released a brand new sneak peek. It also includes our first listen to the original song “Lead the Way” by Grammy®-nominated artist and songwriter Jhené Aiko. You can listen to it right here:

     

    The song will be accompanied by Oscar®-nominated, Emmy® and Grammy®-winning composer James Newton Howard. He has quite the filmography that includes News of the World, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald, and A Hidden Life. Aiko‘s song will be featured at the end credits and will be included on the Walt Disney Records soundtrack, which will release digitally on February 26th.

    Aiko has had quite a year, as her R&B album Chilombo has been nominated for three Grammys. It was also nominated for an American Music Award for Best Soul/R&B female, three NAACP Awards, and many more. Her addition to Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautiful melody that matches perfectly with the tone of the teaser. The sneak peek also gives us our first real look at what is the main inciting incident of the story and teases a fun adventure of an unlikely group of heroes that will release March 5th.

    Source: YouTube

  • RUMOR: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Premier Access to End in June

    RUMOR: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Premier Access to End in June

    Marvel Studios is about to enter its next test to see if their upcoming release of Raya and the Last Dragon could turn profitable. The film will release in March. Kelly Marie Tran is tackling the leading role alongside Awkwafina, who will be the titular dragon. The first official trailer was released just a few days ago to kick-start the marketing of their next attempt at this streaming model. Now, the big question on everyone’s mind was if Disney might take a different approach with Premier Access this time around. Shortly before Mulan was released, they announced that the film is free for all Disney+ subscribers. It was made available three months after its initial paid release, and it seems that Raya and the Last Dragon might follow a similar model. According to Streaming Buffer, they discovered the planned release date in the source code.

     

     

    It looks like the film might be eyeing a release on June 8th for all Disney+ subscribers for free. Yet, some interesting stipulations may go against this. First off, June 8th is a Tuesday, which is uncommon for a streaming release. Disney+ commonly aims for a Friday, which was the case for Mulan. The three-month difference does sound reasonable, but it is uncertain after Mulan’s underperformed if they would stick to the same release window. Also, we tried to cross-reference the source code within Disney+, but there is currently no specific menu for the upcoming film.

    As such, we weren’t able to replicate the availability of this data. It currently is not available in either the US or German service. The only thing we were able to confirm is that there is a. link for /rayainfo that links back to the help center. So, there could be some validity to the showcased data. For now, we can only take it with a grain of salt until some more evidence gets revealed. There is a chance this is also just a placeholder once the page is made available in the service.

    Source: Business Insider, The Streaming Buffer, Disney+ Help Center

  • Roger Craig Smith Retiring from Voicing Sonic the Hedgehog After 10 Years

    Roger Craig Smith Retiring from Voicing Sonic the Hedgehog After 10 Years

    Here’s some heartbreaking news. Roger Craig Smith has just revealed on Twitter that he will no longer be voicing Sonic the Hedgehog. As he points out in his tweet, he took over the character ten years ago in Sonic Free Riders. He’s been playing the Blue Blur ever since. he also took on the role in the animated series Sonic Boom. There has been no official word by SEGA so far and it is uncertain if his voice will still be included in the latest game in development. It is never easy when a legacy character gets a new voice but he was welcomed with a lot of positivity all these years ago. Currently, we have no official confirmation on who will take over the role.

    https://twitter.com/RogerCraigSmith/status/1354805293369024520

    What adds to this reveal is that we still haven’t gotten a single reveal for any upcoming Sonic game. So, there is a chance that the upcoming release will be his last appearance as the official voice for the character. We might also be surprised with a brand new voice once the first trailer gets released. Smith‘s voice acting was the defining aspect of Sonic even as many took on the role throughout his history. Jason Griffith, Jaleel White, and Ben Schwartz have added their own spin to the iconic character. When he took over 10 years ago, he had to fill some big shoes as Ryan Drummond laid the groundwork for Sonic’s first real 3D adventure in 1998. Of course, we’ll be hearing more from Smith in his many other roles but this announcement may be just the beginning of a big change for Sonic’s future.

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO Max Developing an Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Series

    HBO Max Developing an Animated ‘Game of Thrones’ Series

    Game of Thrones is rapidly expanding. In addition to the prequel House of Dragons, HBO is looking into adding various brand new original series. So far, only The Tales of Dunk and Egg was confirmed to be in some form of development. Well, it seems that HBO Max has set their eyes on adding an animated project into their list of adaptations. According to Variety, the series is in the very early stages of development. Currently, there is no writer or talent attached to the project.

    It isn’t too surprising that they are also looking into another medium to expand the franchise, as other shows have started to test out animated shows. Just last year, we got a new animated series for Star Trek titled Lower Decks. It added a unique comedy to the classic sci-fi epic. HBO Max seems to be mapping out its future line-up, as the latest rumors also hinted at an original Harry Potter series is being developed for the streaming service.

    The interesting question will be if this adaptation will stick to the adult themes of the original. I doubt they will be trying to create a child-friendly version of the franchise, so we could see something closer to Netflix’s Castlevania once it releases. They might use this opportunity to explore stories that would be too expensive in live-action, such as a project exploring the Night King. As an animated series takes quite a bit of time, this series might not release before 2024. Until then, we have House of Dragons to fill the void that the last season of Game of Thrones left in our hearts.

    Source: Variety

  • New ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Trailer Teases a Mystical Adventure

    New ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Trailer Teases a Mystical Adventure

    After revisiting the land of Arendale in 2019’s Frozen 2, Walt Disney Animation Studios is heading to the East and explore the story of Raya. It was among the many films that were delayed as a result of the 2020 pandemic, which will now see a release via Disney+ Premier Access and in theaters. As we are only a little over a month away, Disney released a brand new trailer for Raya and the Last Dragon giving us our first official look at Kelly Marie Tran’s Raya and Awkwafina‘s dragon Sisu.

    https://twitter.com/DisneyRaya/status/1354066562903404544?s=19

    The film was directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada alongside Paul Briggs and John Ripa as co-directors. The story takes place in the world of Kumandra, where the dragons once sacrificed their lives to save humanity from a great evil. Now that the evil has returned after 500 years, the young warrior Raya sets out to track down the last dragon. The visuals alone are already showcasing how far Disney has come in its 3D animation department. The film has a stellar cast with Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, Izaac Wang, and many more. The trailer also came with a brand new poster:

    Raya and the Last Dragon is the second film t premiere on Disney+’s new Premium Access function. The movie will be available for $29.99 once it releases on March 5th. Everyone is going to keep an eye on the film’s release, as it may determine if the rest of the Disney line-up for 2021 gets delayed. the film looks to be a great addition to the Disney line-up and you can’t go wrong with a film that includes a baby that can do kung-fu.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Heading to Disney+ Premier Access

    ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Heading to Disney+ Premier Access

    Looks like Raya and the Last Dragon are joining Mulan through the Premier Access strategy. We originally thought they might not return to utilize this service, but it seems they saw the potential to keep it around. Soul is still set to release for free, so it is interesting that the Disney original animated film will be hidden behind a paywall. They haven’t revealed the costs that are involved, so it is uncertain if they will stick with their $30 price but for now this is a great reveal. It could tease many more films heading to the service that are just waiting to be revealed in the rest of the event. The film stars Awkwafina and Kelly Marie Tran and will release in March.