Tag: Blade

Marvel Match-Up With 6 Confirmed Production Companies

A couple of months ago, Arlyn Murphy dug up what she believed to be 3 newly formed Marvel Studios production companies: Blueberry Waffles, Log Jam and Standoffish. Last month, just ahead of Disney’s Investor Day, we also discovered that Frequent Productions was set to begin work in Atlanta sometime this year and were able to confirm it as a Marvel Studios project. Today, I can confirm that Blueberry Waffles, Log Jam and Standoffish are all 100% Marvel Studios projects, joining Frequent, Grass-Fed and Solve Everything as production companies for upcoming Marvel Studios projects. With Marvel Studios having recently announced a slew of new projects, it seemed like a great time to try to make some sense out of which company each project might be!

While Marvel Studios has a lot of upcoming projects, there are 6 without production company pairs. (5 if we’re being honest because Solve Everything is DEFINITELY Fantastic Four). As it turns out, there are also 6 production companies we haven’t paired up with films (again, it’s really 5). With that out there, it seemed time to have a little fun trying to work out the best pairings between production company and project and…solve everything.

Blueberry Waffles Armor Wars

Frequent Blade

Grass-Fed Fantastic Four

Log Jam I Am Groot

Solve Everything Ironheart

Standoffish Secret Invasion

As stated above and described in detail here, it’s pretty easy to pair up Solve Everything with Fantastic Four. Beyond that, the next most likely pairing is between Log Jam and I Am Groot, a series of original shorts separate from the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. During Investor Day, Kevin Feige mentioned that they would be filming the Holiday Special during production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, meaning it wouldn’t need to be given its own production company, whereas I Am Groot, as a separate entity, would.

As we continue on, the only certainty is increased uncertainty in which goes with which. Early on in Riri Williams’ Marvel Comics appearances, her mother made a reference to her often making breakfast for Riri and having it go uneaten as she was always more interested in tinkering in her shop (I think I’m remembering that correctly. For the sake of argument, let’s make that a really good reason to pair Blueberry Waffles with Ironheart. Arlyn’s original premise was this it might be pointing towards a Young Avengers project, but that’s clearly farther off now and Ironheart is coming soon, so it could work.

While I can’t make the case for it to be as good of a fit as the ones already paired up above, Standoffish could pair with Secret Invasion, though I can also make a case for Grass-Fed pairing up with Secret Invasion as a reference to the four Skrulls who did time on Earth as cows following their run-in with the Fantastic Four. However, standoffish could absolutely refer to Fury’s personality, making this a bit of a toss-up. Bringing Blade into the mix muddies the water even further, but even Fury is more personable than Blade, so Grass-Fed for Secret Invasion and Standoffish for Blade as the most current, but totally wild guess.

That leaves Frequent to pair with Armor Wars and no good connection. Often times, as was the case with Pandemic Productions and Static Productions (the production companies behind The Falcon and The Winter Solder and WandaVision, respectively), the companies aren’t comic book references but refer very specifically to the events of the series. Perhaps that’s the case here or perhaps it’s a joke in reference to how often Tony’s armor is compromised in the comics.

Whatever the case, this important news here is in that following up on the newly formed production companies, I was able to confirm that they are all for Marvel Studios projects, meaning production on all of them is likely to get underway sometime this year.

January 12, 2021
The Case for Marvel Studios ‘BLADE’ as the Fifth 2022 Film

Like every other studio in the business, Marvel Studios reshuffled its 2020 and 2021 film slates more than once as the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted every aspect of production. Two weeks ago, at Disney’s Investor Day, the studio revealed the latest (and hopefully final) plan that saw it’s 2022 slate rearranged, moving Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther II and Captain Marvel 2 a spreading the release dates of its four films (Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is still set for a March 2022 release) a little more evenly throughout the year. Interestingly enough, the studio did NOT place a film on the October 7, 2022 date that they reserved late last year. That date has remained open, but reserved for a Marvel Studios film, though for many fans, it’s become increasingly hard to believe Kevin Feige would release a film on that date as it would mean going head-to-head with Sony’s animated Spider-Verse sequel, which was moved from April to October of 2022 during the pandemic. And while that logic holds up, an official Investor’s Day fact sheet presents the possibility that Marvel Studios may be at least thinking about dropping Blade, a FIFTH feature film, in 2022 and that October date makes sense for a lot of reasons.

As you can see in the first image, the fact sheet indicates that the projects are listed in chronological order. The second image then lists Blade between Black Panther II’s July 8th release and Captain Marvel 2’s November 11th date. A quick check of the calendar shows that October 7th happens to fall in between those other two dates. An October 7th date would also put Blade, a film set to reintroduce Marvel’s premier vampire hunter, in theaters during the time of year when audiences are in the mood to watch films about such things. So while it’s a little hard to see Marvel Studios putting out 5 films in one year, the evidence is all there staring us in the face…how we chose to interpret it is up to us.

Of course, there are quite a few obstacles in the way of Blade making that October 2022 release. Fiege did tease upcoming news about the project during the Investor Day presentation, but as of now, the only thing we know about the project is that Mahershala Ali will star in it. As far as we know, the film doesn’t have a creative team behind it at the moment, and Marvel Studios has historically liked to give the team about a year to work together before filming. They also tend to film about 12-16 months before release, which means they’d like to begin production on the film sometime between June and October of 2021. Now there are certainly exceptions to those rules on either side: sometimes the teams are together longer, sometimes shorter; sometimes films get started closer to expected release, sometimes further out (especially now with all the uncertainty). For example, Destin Daniel Cretton was brought on board to direct Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings just 10 months before filming was scheduled to begin. If Marvel Studios has a good idea of where the film is going and maybe an in-house outline of the script, it’s not impossible to believe that the film could be ready for an October start of production if they were able to get a team together sometime early next month. If such an announcement comes in early January, it could provide a couple more data points to help us make a decision. Of course, the best data point would be an official announcement and in these crazy times it’s best for all of us (even me!) to wait on one of those. But at this point, we cannot say with any certainty that we will not see Ali as Blade in the Fall of 2022.

December 24, 2020
Blade
Premiere:TBD

Probably the biggest surprise of SDCC 2019 was the unveiling of a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. Unfortunately, we still know nothing more about the project and while an October release date sounds right for a vampire film, it’s nothing more than a guess at this point. Overseen by Marvel Studios EP Eric Carroll, this reboot should do a thorough job of expanding the world of the Daywalker, introducing horror elements never before seen in the MCU. In August of 2020, Murphy’s Multiverse discovered a new production company, Grass-Fed Productions, had been created which could well mean things are getting started on this reboot!

The project found its writer in Stacey Osei-Koffour, who worked on HBO’s highly acclaimed Watchmen series, and that will become the first Black woman to write a Marvel Studios screenplay. In order to give Osei-Koffour a bit more time to polish the script, production on the project moved from late 2021 to July 2022. In July of 2021, Marvel Studios brought Mogul Mowgli director Bassam Tariq on to direct the film.

Following a few months where the project kept being developed behind closed doors without much news being released, the end of 2021 saw it gain a bit more traction. Blade himself made his first MCU appearance on an Eternals post-credit scene, even if off-camera and the cast reportedly doubled as Delroy Lindo was said to be in final negotiations to join the project. Lindo’s role is still undisclosed, but it would seem like he might fit the Jamal Afari part, the comic character Whistler (from the Wesley Snipes series, played by Kris Kristofferson) was based on. On the same report, it was stated that the feature it was eyeing a late Summer 2022 production start which would put it on schedule for a potential Halloween of 2023 release.

Actress Milan Ray (The Wonder Years reboot) was cast as a key character in June 2022, lending credence to the rumor that the movie could focus on Blade’s daughter, Fallon Grey. In early 2023, it was reported that Ray had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts. In April 2023, horror star Mia Goth joined the cast.

In what can only be seen as a major setback regarding the project, director Bassam Tariq left the feature’s director’s chair in late September 2022, roughly a year before the project’s determined release date. This would mean that Blade‘s premiere would unsurprisingly be delayed to an, as of yet, undisclosed date. Following Tariq’s departure, and the rumors that the available 90-page script was a bit lackluster, X-Men ’97 head writer Beau DeMayo was called in to rewrite the entire movie from scratch. A few weeks later the movie got a new release date as part of a significant shift in the Marvel Studios movie slate, and was scheduled to premiere on September 6th, 2024. Following the WGA and SAG strikes, the date was moved to November 7, 2025.

Rumors that Elegance Bratton would be taking over the director’s chair surfaced in October 2022, showing that Marvel was indeed moving forward with the project ahead of its new late 2024 release date. Finally, in November of 2022, director Yann Demage joined the project along with writer Michael Starrbury. The script underwent several major revisions with Michael Green taking the most recent shot following Nic Pizzolato‘s work on it. With all the revisions, it’s unclear which talent is still attached to the film.

As of SDCC ’24, Blade was no longer expected to meet its 2025 release date and is currently an undated release.

Cast
- Mahershala Ali as Eric Brooks / Blade
- Mia Goth in an unknown role
- Delroy Lindo in an unknown role
November 14, 2020
‘YOUNG AVENGERS’ May Be On Deck for Marvel Studios

On October 16th, Disney created 3 new production companies. The fact that they were created on the same day might point towards them being Marvel Studios properties. Marvel Studios has a track record of creating production companies in bulk where as other branches of Disney usually produce them one at a time. For example, as revealed by Murphy’s Multiverse, Grass-Fed Productions and Solve Everything Productions were created on the same day as were many of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney+ projects. While we don’t know that they are Marvel Studios production companies, we did find some additional evidence that backs up the possibility that they are Marvel Studios productions, though it wasn’t enough to make us 100% certain. So what are they? The production companies are Standoffish Productions, Blueberry Waffles Productions , and Log Jam Productions. While we can’t tie them to any Marvel property, we do have some ideas.

While this is a very loose connection, we think we have an idea of what one of the production companies could possibly be. Blueberry Waffles, here is our explanation. We have seen in Young Avengers Volume 2, written by Kieron Gillen and launched in January of 2013, that the team continuously meets up at Joe’s Diner for breakfast. In one of the issues, Kid Loki eats blueberry pancakes. As I like to say, waffles are just pancakes with abs, so this could be the production we are looking for. While we already know Marvel is developing a Young Avengers project, this could be them moving forward with the project. We are not 100% sure, but this could the answer.

While this is some pretty shaky evidence, we do know that Marvel Studios is developing many other projects like Blade (he stakes vampires with wood, so Log Jam…get it?), Ghost Rider, Illuminati, Ironheart, Secret Invasion and Secret Warriors, in addition to Young Avengers, so there are plenty of reasonable options for these production companies. Keep in mind that not all production companies are tied straight to the comic books. For example, WandaVision was Static Productions. Nobody would have ever found that one out. It is the same situation for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streaming series that was Pandemic Productions. Until we have further proof, all we can do is keep this in the back of our minds as something to think about and with Marvel Studios slate already pretty full, it would be a while before any of these projects got up and running.

November 6, 2020
Theory Thursday: Exploring the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse

There’s no doubt in my mind that the biggest story element that will come into play for the Next Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be the concept of the Multiverse. Already teased back in Avengers: Endgame (2019) with Dr. Banner’s explanation of the concept of time travel and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), the MCU looks like it will indeed explore the boundaries outside of its already established universe. This concept will most likely be explored on a larger scale over the Disney+ series, WandaVision (2020) and Loki (2021), and the MCU film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), (with rumors of the concept being explored in the upcoming Spider-Man sequel; Spider-Man: Something with Home in the Title (2021)). We’ll also be able to see the concept of the multiverse be explored on a smaller scale in the upcoming Disney+ show; What If? (2021). Now, definitely, the major chunk of the film will be explored in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel and there are dozens of questions as to what different universes we might explore. So today, I’m listing off the different Marvel properties that Marvel could revisit and explore for this film.

I. Blade (1998 – 2004)

This was a suggestion by the members of our Discord Group in Knowhere (Shoutout to you guys!). Wesley Snipes’ Blade walked so Marvel Studios could run. The film franchise that would essentially lay the groundwork for many of the Marvel superhero films we now know today started with the Blade franchise and it actually brought back interest to the Marvel Comics franchise to develop their films. It would be nice to see Marvel Studios show a small nod to the universe of the vampire hunter before we get our own version in the MCU with Mahershala Ali.

II. Daredevil/Elektra (2003 – 2005)

This was another suggestion by our Discord Members and it was just too funny not to imagine the idea of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner reprising their roles as Daredevil and Elektra for small cameos in the Doctor Strange sequel. These films were set in the time and universe where leather was the standard for Superhero costumes and I’d just love to see Ben Affleck don the Matt Murdock mantle again, even if for a small cameo. Speaking of Matt Murdock…

III. The Defenders Universe (2015-2019)

It’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the way Netflix brought about the creation of these characters and their stories was overall one of the best things to come out of Marvel TV. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil was, and still is, one of the most popular iterations of Marvel characters brought to life and has been one of the most requested by fans for Kevin Feige to bring back in a small reboot form to the MCU. Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, Finn Jones’ Iron Fist, and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher are no exceptions either. Fantastic story development and world-building came from this portion of the universe and it would be great to see these characters show a small cameo of their world in the Marvel Multiverse and maybe crossover into the MCU someday.

IV. Fantastic Four (2005-2007)

Now when I mention the Fantastic Four, I mean THESE Fantastic Four. We call the 2015 film; Fan4stic (as in Fan-Four-Stic) because that wasn’t a Fantastic 4 film. This version of Marvel’s first family with Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm wasn’t necessarily all that fantastic either, but the chemistry among them really made them great and it was a very fun franchise while it lasted. It would be fun to see them revisit this universe in a small cameo and maybe we’ll see Evans reprise his role again as Johnny Storm and have him be confused for his MCU counterpart of Captain America.

V. The X-Men (2000 – 2020)

Okay, so the 20th Century Fox-owned X-Men films have existed for nearly 20 years now and they’ve had their share of ups and downs (mainly downs), but they’ve had some good moments and actors in these franchises whom I would love to see cameo in this whole Multiverse fiasco. Mainly Hugh Jackman as Wolverine because it’s just difficult to picture another Wolverine as iconic as his. An interaction of Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier with Doctor Strange sounds like it would be an interesting thing to see as well. I don’t think it will necessarily happen but one can dream no?

VI. Ghost Rider (2007 – 2011)

Nicolas Cage’s take on the antihero was something definitely worth mentioning here on this list. Sure, the films are slightly forgettable but just the idea of Cage alone being nodded as a Ghost Rider from another dimension sounds like a fantastic idea for a cameo and a tease of what could come if the MCU finally decides to introduce Ghost Rider into the MCU.

VII. Spider-Man (2002 – 2015)

I know many like myself are hyping themselves up at even the smallest chance of having a Spider-Verse moment occur in live-action. It’s something fans have been clamoring for for years, and now, with the gates of the multiverse being blown wide open in the MCU, it seems like the perfect time to bring these characters in for an adventure of epic proportions. Will it happen though? Only time will tell.

October 22, 2020
Marvel’s 10 Most Terrifying Horror Characters

It’s October and that means it’s time for monsters, ghosts and all time of spooky stuff to get their just due. For me, that means taking some time to celebrate some of Marvel’s most terrifying characters and, as an additional bit of fun, compare their Magnitude of Terror to some of my favorite horror films.

Avi Arad

Much of modern horror cinema relies on the main character making a series of terrible decisions that everyone else in the audience can see coming. Nobody related to Marvel has done a better job of tapping into this mojo than Avi. He’s fortunate enough to have his name attached to films like Iron Man and Into the Spider-Verse and some of Marvel’s best animated series, but his real legacy will always be his inability to strike gold with Marvel’s most popular character (Spider-Man) in the midst of the great comic book movie renaissance of the 2010s. His struggles led to everyone’s gain, however, when Sony struck a deal with Marvel Studios to help produce Spidey flicks but it also emboldened him to go off and make whole new series of horrifying decisions like trying to make an Aunt May spy thriller.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Shining. Much like the Overlook Hotel, too much time around Avi will drive you completely insane making you capable of unimaginable atrocities.

Blade

Marvel Comics didn’t invent the vampire but Marv Wolfman certainly came up with something spectacular when he thought up Blade. I don’t know enough about the entire history of vampire literature to know if Wolfman invented the idea of the Daywalker or if he was just smart enough to borrow it and incorporate it into Eric Brooks’ story but I do know it made for one of hell of a character. A daywalking vamp that lives to kill vamps and starred in what stands up as one of my favorite Marvel films to this day, Blade has shared the page with big timers like Spidey, Doctor Strange and the Avengers without ever really seeing an incredibly popular solo series. With a Mahershala Ali led reboot/retcon on deck, the character is about to get another chance to bite into the mainstream market.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Lost Boys. Frenetic and fully immersed in the terrifying world of vampires but somehow appealing enough to lure you in, Blade absolutely deserves his place on this list.

Dracula

Of all the classic horror characters adapted by Marvel Comics over the years, Dracula has been used to the greatest effect since Gerry Conway brought him into the universe in 1972’s Tomb of Dracula. In addition to having a handful of other great Marvel characters introduced in his comic (Blade among them) Drac has had some legendary run ins with the X-Men and the Avengers. The transition from the blood thirsty monster of folklore to the calculating, scheming power player he’s become in universe has only added to the character’s legacy and h

e’s back again in Ben Percy’s current Wolverine run proving that much like the legend says, he never dies.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Silence of the Lambs. Equal parts intellectual, insidious and iniquitous, Marvel’s Drac can get into your head or your throat with ease. As we all sit around and wonder who the MCU’s next “big bad” is, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be more than one and that Dracula could fill the role of one of them in the future.

Elsa Bloodstone

The most underrated character on this list, Elsa Bloodstone is Marvel Comics’ version of Buffy the Vampire on steroids. The daughter of the immortal monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone, Elsa burst out of the mind of Dan Abnett and onto the pages of the comics in 2001 and has, sadly, been an all too infrequent flyer since; however, she’s always made a big impact on me when she’s been on page and seems incredibly well-suited to find her way into the MCU. Say what you will, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a tremendous success in the late 90s and a Bloodstone series would be straight fire on Disney Plus in the 2020s.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: 28 Days Later/Zombieland. Rude, irreverent and deconstructionist, Elsa IS the next generation of Marvel horror even if you don’t know it yet. Like 28 Days Later, Elsa’s story changes the pace of the genre (monster hunter, not zombie, in this case) and produces an underappreciated gem.

Hulk

When the Hulk first hit the pages of Marvel Comics in 1962, he did so as Stan Lee’s amalgamation of two great horror icons (okay, maybe three): Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and Frankenstein’s monster. Lee thought the idea of a giant monster who was actually a hero was a winner and the first couple of decades worth of stories explored the duality of Banner and his jade-jawed alter (that duality has since expanded significantly into something harder to desribe) who took over once the sun went down. For quite some time those aspects of the Hulk took a backseat as other creators took over and took the character down other different but often interesting paths (the Maestro says hello), but now Al Ewing has brilliantly brought the character back to his roots while finding ways to expand his mythology along the way.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Fly (1986). Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle has at least some commonality with Bruce Banner and the Brudlefly and Hulk certainly both have a problem with controlling their primal urges. Of course there’s not a perfect parallel between the two, but the idea of a science experiment going wrong and creating an unimaginable beast who loses control line up and and put them among one of mankind’s most commonly explored themes: the duality of man and the “beast” within us all.

Johnny Blaze

Cursed from birth, Johnny Blaze’s early life story was horrific enough before he made a deal with the devil (Mephisto) to save the soul of his foster father. Through his deal, Blaze became bonded with the demon, Zarathos, the Spirit of Vengeance, transforming him into the Ghost Rider each night. It’s hard for me to think of a Marvel Comics series that deals more directly with the horror concepts of Hell, the devil and the evil of men than Ghost Rider. Of course there have been several other Riders throughout the years, but Blaze stands out not only as the original but as the archetypal innocent whose life was forfeit through no fault of his own. Now the King of Hell, Blaze has changed a lot through the years but he’s arguably one of Marvel’s most iconic characters and has dealt with all manner of demons, witches, magic and the like.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Johnny’s soul was a bit more pure than Vlad’s when he struck his deal with the devil but they both remain men cursed to be monsters by night because they made deals to save the souls of people they loved. While Dracula himself feeds off the blood of others, Johnny’s bonded to a demon who feeds on the souls of sinners and stands as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.

Magik

At first glance you might not think that Ilyana Rasputin belongs on this list but a deeper look into her character reveals someone who has gone through Hell. The mutant sister of one the X-Man Colossus, Ilyana’s mutation gifted her the ability to teleport but that’s about the most boring thing about her. As a child, she was taken to the dimension of Limbo by the demon Belasco gained power while he corrupted her soul. Though she initially escaped, Belasco found a way to bring her back which eventually led to her transformation into the demonic Darkchilde and her ascending to the throne as the Demon Queen of Limbo. Also a powerful sorceress, Magik has teamed up with Doctor Strange and other mystics over the years to take on some formidable threats.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: The Babadook

Magik’s childhood trauma would rip the soul from any of us but ‘Yana, with some help from her friends and family, found a way to pull through and become stronger even learning to use her own life force to create her formidable magic blade, the Soulsword. Magik, for the most part, has learned to control the monsters that sought to use her and has become one of the X-Men’s most fierce warriors.

Man-Thing

“Whoever knows fear burns at the touch of the Man-Thing!” A terrifying creature created from the minds of Marvel legends like Stan Lee, Steve Gerber, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, the Man-Thing is another victim of a science experiment gone wrong. The man that was Ted Sallis became the Man-Thing after working on, among other things, a new version of the Super Solider serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America. Though he survived an attack by A.I.M. on his lab, Sallis crashed into a swamp where the combination of the serum he injected into himself and the mystical properties of the swamp (it was later revealed to be the Nexus of All-Realities) collaborated to turn him into the monstrous Man-Thing. The original Man-Things stories saw the creature take on the role of hero by accident as criminals often found themselves up to no good in his swamp. Drawn to the violence through relatively confusing means, Man-Thing’s body would manifest a physical (maybe mystical) reaction to those who fear him and causing them to burn if he touched them. If you’ve never read through these early 70’s gems, do yourself a favor and check out a few on a cold, rainy night this October.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Halloween (1978)

Emotionless but inexorably drawn to violence and impossible to stop, the Man-Thing has much in common with Michael Myers. His body count, while comprised almost entirely of bad people doing bad things, is probably higher than Michael’s but he remains silent, inhuman killer nonetheless.

Nightmare

One of Marvel’s most conceptually chilling villains, Nightmare has been mostly known as a thorn in the side of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange but has caused plenty of problems for the rest of the Marvel Universe as well. A demon and one of the ancient Fear Lords whose power comes from the fears of other beings, Nightmare carved out his own chunk of the Dream Dimension to lord over and from there he used his power to capture and torment the astral forms of beings while they slept. Given that he draws his power from dreams, he’s essentially indestructible as he’ll continue to exist as long as people dream. His ability to torment sleeping souls doesn’t always end when they wake up either and he’s been proven to be powerful enough that those he torments take their terrors into their waking hours forcing them to question whether they’re asleep or awake.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The only horror film that ever truly traumatized me was Wes Craven’s OG Nightmare film. The idea of someone like Freddy Krueger who could haunt your dreams, kill you in your sleep and drive you the the brink of insanity while you were awake honestly kept me up at night for months after I first watched the film. Like Krueger, Nightmare loses much of his power outside of his own dimension, but can still provide a formidable threat. Done well, Nightmare could almost be TOO scary for the MCU.

Simon Kinberg

Some recent horror films such as Scream and Cabin in the Woods have successfully gone meta by having the characters aware of horror movie tropes only to have some of those characters ignore the established source material and drive head first into disaster. That pretty much sums up Kinberg’s tenure with the X-Men films which culminated in him somehow making a worse Phoenix film than the original dumpster fire that was X-Men: The Last Stand. Despite having the ability to work with some of Marvel Comics deepest and richest source material, Kinberg seemed to continue to shoot from the hip and never really hit the mark. In addition to whiffing on Phoenix twice, he also managed to screw up Apocalypse, hire Miles Teller to play Reed and turn Doctor Doom into a computer hacker…it’s hard to imagine anything more horrifying than his tenure with these characters.

Murphy’s Magnitude of Terror Meter: Night of the Living Dead. Despite moving at what seemed to be a snail’s pace, Kinberg found a way to make his mark on almost everything you held near to your heart and morph it into something completely unrecognizable and devoid of life through his relentless and unyielding assault on these IPs.

As tough as it was to limit it to 10, I think I nailed it. What characters are in your top 10? Let us know in the comments.

October 5, 2020
New Evidence Links ‘Grass-Fed Productions’ to Marvel Studios

As mentioned in this piece, Murphy’s Multiverse was able to independently confirm that Captain Marvel 2 has been registered in the UK. While searching for information on that, something even more interesting came to the surface…Grass-Fed Productions is also registered in the UK with the paperwork signed by none other than Marvel Studios representatives. So, as speculated on the other day, Grass-Fed is a Marvel Studios production. A lot of people doubted it; I’ll admit it even made me doubt myself, but the evidence is clear at this point.

What does all this mean and how does it tie into the earlier report on Captain Marvel 2? As of now, the next property set to film in the UK is Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and it’s probably closer to getting off the ground than we think. The leaked audition video for America Chavez was a couple of weeks old and the fact that is was, for a time, publicly available almost certainly means that the actress who posted it was informed she did not get the role. Now that doesn’t mean that someone has, but it does mean they’re down the road a bit in that process, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they found the right actress for the role. Should the Strange sequel be able to start by November or so, it could wrap up by next March or April (the original shoot was set for April/May-August and we can expect that productions might take a bit longer now). Captain Marvel 2 is probably going to film in the UK after Strange is done, so it could get started as soon as May of next year and finish around September. From there, they likely move on to whatever film Grass-Fed Production is and that could start production in or around October of 2021. So what film could it be?

The other day, I speculated on the possibility that it might be either Blade or the Secret Invasion project that Marvel Studios is developing. If you’re curious, you can read the reasoning behind those guesses here. My gut instinct is that this is Blade because it’s the only other “announced” Marvel Studios project for which there is no known production company, but another interesting possibility has come to light in the past few days.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Sony had brought Olivia Wilde on board to helm their Spider-Woman project. The rights to the character are split between Sony and Marvel Studios so, without getting into too much detail, the character can’t be fully realized in a project unless the two studios cooperate on the production, similarly to how they’ve worked on Spider-Man. As explained more here, Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connell, who both worked with Marvel Studios on the first two Spider-Man films, are producing Spider-Woman, so until we have it clarified by one studio or the other, fans of the character are holding out hope that the studios will play nice, work together and set the film firmly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, just like Tom Holland’s Spidey, with the possibility of telling other stories in whatever Sony’s universe is.

But how do you get from “Grass-Fed” to Spider-Woman? It’s actually not as big of a leap as you might think. As one of my Twitter followers pointed out earlier in the week, Jessica Drew was actually raised by one of the High Evolutionary’s New Men, Bova, a cow evolved into a highly-intelligent humanoid. Bova cared for Jessica until she was a teenager and then placed her in an orphanage where Jessica stayed until her own adventures began. Drew’s origin has been retconned several times and, if this is a Marvel Studios project, there’s no telling which origin they’d use or if they’d include Bova, but the subtlety of the reference and not knowing whether or not they’d tell this story does not mean they wouldn’t jokingly reference it while naming the production company.

Bova with Jessica from Spider-Woman #20

Canonically, both Blade and Jessica Drew were born in the UK and spent time all over Europe, so filming out of the UK would give the production crews easier access to a lot of European locations, rather than flying back and forth from America, and give either film a more authentic feel. At a time where travel isn’t quite as easy as it once was, that probably matters. If we follow the timeline I laid out above, Blade would seem to make the most sense given that it would line up for an October 2022 release and Marvel Studios still has a date set aside there; however, don’t forget that prior to COVID altering everything, Sony had planted a flag for an Untitled Marvel project on October 8, 2021 and some speculation at the time centered on that being Spider-Woman. And yes, even though Spider-Woman would be a Sony film, it would be a Marvel Studios production which means they would register the production company like the did for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, though Sony would chose the date for the film.

Unfortunately, we don’t have enough information at the moment, but given Sony’s recent movement, it’ll be informative if Marvel Studios follows suit at some point over the next few weeks.

August 21, 2020
Solving Everything: A Possible Timeline for ‘BLADE’ and ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’

Connecting Imaginary Dots are pieces we write here that allow us to be what we all truly are: fans. These should not be taken as scoops, exclusives or facts; just speculation about the things for which we all share a great passion.

With the news that Disney has created production companies for what may be two upcoming Marvel Studios projects (Fantastic Four and Blade), there’s plenty of room for speculation. Should Solve Everything Productions and Grass-Fed Productions turn out to be those projects, questions will surface/ Why are these being filed now when there’s such a back log of projects? When will we be seeing them begin production? When might we expect them in theaters (I know that’s a loaded question in the midst of a pandemic)? Who might the studio have found to create the projects? Unlike Reed, I can’t answer all of these questions: the cost is just too high, but we can look into some of them and maybe, by piecing together what’s out there, we can come up with a starting point.

For me the most most answerable of all the unanswerable questions is: why are these being filed now? At the moment, Marvel Studios seems to have a massive traffic jam on the production highway. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki and Shang-Chi were all in production when the world came crashing to a stop in March. If not for that, we’d probably be watching The Falcon and The Winter Solider now, but the domino effect of not only the Marvel Studios projects being halted but also other studio projects that featured actors from various Marvel Studios projects meant that other projects which were scheduled to begin never got up and running. Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness would probably be done filming by now, Spidey 3 would have started up last month, Thor: Love and Thunder would be getting ready to go in Australia right now and Ms. Marvel may have even begun. But, as we all know, none of that happened so here we are with a ton of projects off schedule, Ant-Man 3 having been bumped out of its original slot on the schedule and the uncertainty of the pandemic still causing chaos, so the question of “why now?” is incredibly relevant.

While there’s no hard and fast rule here, there is a pattern worth noting that might get us to an answer to that pressing question. Over the past couple of years, Marvel Studios seems to register these production companies when they have given the green light to projects and have a tentative timeline for start of production. While there are certainly exceptions to the rule (for example, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stands out because it’s timeline shifted, which shifted Black Widow’s timeline), it seems that Marvel Studios usually creates these production companies about 12-18 months before the EXPECTED start of production. If they follow that pattern here, that means they’d be looking to film these two projects between August 2021 and February 2022.

Continuing down the line of established patterns, whenever possible Marvel Studios also likes to start production on their films about 12-15 months ahead of when the films are expected in theaters. So a film that goes into production in the August-October 2021 window would be ready for theaters around October 2022…and it just so happens that Disney still has a date reserved (October 7, 2022) on their slate for an Untitled Marvel Studios film, a date that would be just right for a vampire film. A film that goes into production around January of 2022 would be ready for theaters around February 2023…and it just so happens that Disney has a date reserved (February 17, 2023) on their slate for an Untitled Marvel Studios film. We all believe that Ant-Man 3 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are destined for that 2023 slate, but given Guardians A-list status and Ant-Man 3’s rumored big happenings, it’s possible that the studio would prefer them as traditional May and July tentpole releases, leaving room in February for something like the family friendly Fantastic Four. Of course all of this is contingent on studios showing they can keep a production going, the current state of the upcoming slate staying stable and is all based on wild speculation to begin with, but the pieces do fall into place if you let them.

The final and most tantalizing tidbit comes when we try to answer the question of whether or not Kevin Feige and his core group have identified creative teams for these projects. Past precedent suggests that, whenever possible, the studio likes to bring a writer on board about 2 years before they expect the project to hit theaters and pair that writer with a director as soon as possible. You can safely bet that they’ve been searching for those teams for Blade and Fantastic Four for some time now and given all the down time creators had, it’s no stretch to imagine they found their teams. If we buy that, we can come to a pretty exciting conjecture: Marvel Studios is getting ready to announce these teams or they will shortly be leaked through the trades. In the past, Disney has registered their companies shortly before either making public announcements or trade leaks. Simply put, Disney knows these are going to be found so they’ve always been smart about WHEN they create the entities. Fans have been clamoring for Marvel Studios news and I’m sure that they’ve noticed the hype around FanDome but here’s the thing as explained to me by one of my trusted sources: should Marvel Studios want to do their own pre-recorded online fan event, they don’t need to jump through very many hoops. They’ve got their own streaming service and could drop a pre-recorded “con-like event” on Disney + whenever they want. They could go as far as to not even hype or advertise the event and, within 10 minutes, it would be trending on every social media platform across the world.

Again, none of this is confirmed to be true and all starts from a foundation that’s based on guesses to begin with, but this is what being a fan is all about and that’s, first and foremost, what we are here at Murphy’s Multiverse: fans.

August 17, 2020
Marvel Studios ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ May Have Permission to Launch

Last week, Disney registered two new production companies: Solve Everything Productions and Grass-Fed Productions. On the surface, there’s not much to be excited about as this is a pretty run of the mill procedure for the world’s largest entertainment studio; however, looking at the surface isn’t what we do here and a deeper look into these two newly registered production companies has stirred up some exciting possibilities about some potential future MCU projects!

Before continuing on, understand that as of publication, there was no evidence to confirm that either of these two production companies were for Marvel Studios projects. I contacted several sources and went down some well-beaten paths but was unable to find the type of confirmation I’m happy with. Despite that, there are reasons to believe that these could be Marvel Studios projects and ones we already know to be in development. Papers have been filed for production companies for every project announced last summer by Marvel Studios (either at SDCC or D23) with the exception of two: Fantastic Four and Blade. As you’ll see, it’s very possible that is no longer the case.

For Marvel Comics fans, especially those who have followed Jonathan Hickman’s career, the phrase “solve everything” points in one very specific direction: that of Marvel Comics first family, the Fantastic Four. In October of 2008, Hickman launched his run on Fantastic Four with a three-issue arc (570-572) titled Solve Everything. The story, which began in earnest earlier that year with Dark Reign: Fantastic Four, sees a guilt-ridden Reed build a machine, The Bridge, which allows him to observe the multiverse in search of solutions to the problems for which he feels responsible. After The Bridge endangers the team, Sue asks Reed to tear it down. Before doing so, Reed finds that similar Bridges have been built on other Earths and makes contact with individuals he later comes to understand are his multiversal counterparts: the Council of Reeds. Reed keeps his promise to Susan and tears down the machine only to rebuild it later and hide it in his Room of 100 ideas. Upon firing the Bridge back up, Reed meets the Council again and asks them how to solve his 101st question: how to solve everything.

As on-the-nose as Solve Everything is, Grass-Fed Productions is not. Keep in mind that, as mentioned above, there’s no hard evidence that these are Marvel Studios productions, so in trying to match this up with a potential property, I stretched about as far as Reed did during Hickman’s run. That said, I’m happy to toss out a couple of ideas and explain the trains of thought I had in arriving at those conclusions.

It’s Blade

As mentioned in the intro, there are only two announced Marvel Studios properties for which we don’t currently have a production company. If we buy the conclusion that Solve Everything is Fantastic Four, that means we just have Blade. If we follow that logic, then Grass-Fed is the production company for Blade. It isn’t good enough for the burden of proof for that conclusion to be “because Blade doesn’t have one”, so the question to ask is, “does Grass-Fed fit Blade?”. Actually, it just might. In just about every modern vampire story, vamps look at humans as livestock or cattle. It’s possible that Marvel Studios has capitalized on that notion here and chosen Grass-Fed as a reference to the prey of whichever vampire(s) they choose to feature.

It’s Secret Invasion

If Blade was hard to believe, you won’t like this one. While I feel like Blade is the more likely option, it’s entirely possible that it is something else entirely (including a non-MCU property). But if we’re looking for MCU properties that have a connection, no matter how loose, to Grass-Fed, Secret Invasion is on the table. This is a project about which we know very little and one that, as of a month or two ago, was in the earliest stages of development, but the idea that it’ll almost certainly have to do with Skrulls undetected on Earth provides a potential Grass-Fed connection.

9 out of 10 fictional pollsters agree that when they hear grass-fed the animal that first comes to mind is a cow. As all good comic book fans know, Skrulls were first introduced in Fantastic Four #2 and spent some time impersonating the group before being captured, hypnotized and kept prisoner on Earth as…cows (remember kids, Skrull cows go moo, too). So, if Marvel Studios was being incredibly clever and trying to hide the development of this IP, this would be one of about 10,000 possible ideas.

These two ideas only work if we accept the premise (which is, as of now, nothing more than speculation) that these are Marvel Studios projects in development which, at this point in time, we cannot prove. If they are, we can look a little further into what this might mean but until we get some more proof, disseminate this information responsibly.

August 17, 2020