Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC Movies

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Adds Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Adds Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo

    Things seem to be ramping up behind the scenes on Blue Beetle, as the film continues to add more names to its cast. It was just announced that What We Do In The Shadows star Harvey Guillén has joined the Xolo Mariduena-led project in a key role. Yet, they aren’t stopping there, as a few more names have just been announced. The Wrap is reporting that Bruna Marquezine and Belissa Escobedo have joined Blue Beetle. Marquezine is reportedly playing the female lead and love interest to Mariduena‘s Jaime. Her character will be named Penny. Escobedo is set to play Milagros Reyes, Jaimes’ younger sister.

    Belissa Escobedo is best known for her role in American Horror Stories and has just finished filming on the sequel for Hocus Pocus 2. Bruna Marquezine has worked on a variety of projects, which include God Save the King and Conquest. Angel Manuel Soto will direct the film with a script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer who previously wrote Universal’s Scarface reboot. The film is set to release on August 18th, 2023. Initially, it was a streaming exclusive for HBO Max but was changed to theatrical to the delight of many.

    Blue Beetle will follow the third incarnation of the character, Jaime Reyes. The character made his first debut back in 2006 during the Infinite Crisis event before going on to get his own solo title. We know very little about how the upcoming film will adapt the character’s origins, or even if they might mix it up with hints at him getting a mentor in the form of a former Blue Beetle.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    Not too long ago, we reported that Blue Beetle is set to begin production soon, as it seemingly was eyeing to potentially kick-off early 2022. We have not heard much on the rest of the casting outside of its titular star Xolo Mariduena. Luckily, the wait has come to an end, as Deadline is now reporting that What We Do In The Shadows star Harvey Guillén is currently in talks to join the upcoming DCEU film in a key role. Sadly, they won’t give away who he is playing as the story remains under wraps.

    Jaime Reyes is the third and most popular character to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle. This iteration started fighting crime after a Blue Scarab of alien origin attached itself to his back. It allows him to manifest exoskeleton armor and multiple types of weapons, which includes sonic emitters and energy cannons. It remains unknown if the mentor and previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord will make an appearance in the film, but DC Fandome concept art may have hinted at his involvement.

    The film was previously set to be one of the first exclusive DC films for HBO Max but a while back had its release strategy switched up. The studio instead decided the film would better fit a theatrical release instead of direct to streaming. Blue Beetle is set to be directed by Angel Manuel Soto, best known for his work on the HBO film Charm City Kings with a script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. The film is currently set to hit theaters on August 18th, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Batman’ Surprises With Strong Sunday With a $134M Opening Weekend

    ‘The Batman’ Surprises With Strong Sunday With a $134M Opening Weekend

    Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth, as The Batman‘s final numbers have found their way online and surprised many with the film’s Sunday dropping by 21% from Saturday, which is way lower than its initial 35% estimate. As such, it pulled in $34M and now stands at a strong $134M opening weekend rather than the initially reported $128M.

    These numbers further solidify The Batman as Warner Bros.’ strongest opening since the pandemic started, and is Matt Reeves‘ biggest opening for any of his releases. The big question remains just how strong its legs are going to be, especially with the confirmed April release on HBO Max. Their 45-release window strategy will open up some new challenges but could set the standard for the future of cinema.

    Still, a 10% drop from the expectations is quite astonishing, and that is for a very genre-defining take on a superhero film. Batman is a very popular character, but it seems like a sign that people were waiting for this kind of film to offer something unique. It seems that even the almost three-hour runtime wasn’t going to scare anyone off, and it’ll be interesting to see how strong its second weekend might be.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Batman’s HBO Max Release Confirmed for April

    ‘The Batman’s HBO Max Release Confirmed for April

    We’ve entered a new age where film release windows will be quite a bit shorter than they were in the past. While Warner Bros. is moving away from the day-and-date simultaneous release model, they still are working with a new 45-day release window moving forward. One of the first affected by it is The Batman, which had many wonders when they might expect it to release on HBO Max exactly. Luckily, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has outright confirmed its exact release date on Vox’s Recode podcast. In it, he confirmed that it will release on April 19th on the service.

    Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere. The Batman is going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max.

    Jason Kilar

    It’s not going to be the only film to release within this schedule, as Kilar further highlighted that it’ll affect other big DC tentpole releases, such as Black Adam, and The Flash.

    I feel really, really good knowing that The Batman, and Black Adam, and The Flash, and Elvis, and a whole host of other movies, are literally going to be showing up on day 46 on HBO Max in a variety of territories all over the world. That is a very, very big change that I don’t think people appreciate, and I feel really good about it.

    Jason Kilar

    It’s uncertain how this might affect the film’s box office, as quite a few releases tend to make a lot during their runtime. Yet, the pandemic has shown that the latest release doesn’t truly impact the films too strongly, but it also depends on whatever the release is. It still seems like a possible $1 billion might be in its future, but we’ll see what happens once it releases digitally.

    Source: Vox’s Recode via IGN

  • ‘The Batman’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Gotham City

    ‘The Batman’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Gotham City

    The Batman has finally been released in theaters, and it may have given us the most atmospheric take of Batman and Gotham City on the silver screen. Luckily, it seems that artist Jaime Jones has shared some of his work that helped set the design for Matt Reeves‘ take on the iconic city alongside designer James Chinlund. The designs are great, and you can see a lot of the influences that would find their way into the final product. I do wish we got a shot of Batman hanging above a misty Gotham like the first image, but there’s always the potential sequel to further explore different corners of the city.

    This new take on the iconic Caped Crusader has opened up many new avenues to explore, especially with its unique take on the character and its world. Here’s hoping that we get many more atmospheric shots as we explore more of Gotham City in potential sequels and the spinoffs. While we got a good look at the city, it does feel like we’ve only scratched the surface, especially with the tease of an Arkham Asylum spinoff in development.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Batman’s Matt Reeves Teases Horror-Themed Arkham Asylum Spinoff Series

    ‘The Batman’s Matt Reeves Teases Horror-Themed Arkham Asylum Spinoff Series

    The Batman is just the beginning of a brighter future for a new cinematic universe primarily focused on the Caped Crusader and his colorful cast of supporting characters. One of the first confirmed projects was one focused on Gotham P.D. but we did hear rumors that it may have gotten a new focus. It seemed like the project was going to explore Arkham Asylum rather than the usual police storyline. We only had the project name to go by at the time, but director Matt Reeves has finally confirmed the new direction.

    The GCDP thing, that story has story has kinda evolved. We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters… almost leaning into the idea of… it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.

    Matt Reeves

    The horror themes seem quite promising, especially if they fully embrace the insanity that is Arkham in the comics. That is not all, as the director has also teased the direction the project will go and hinted that we might get a bit more from his rogue’s gallery in the series.

    The idea, again the way that Gotham is a character in the movie, I really want Arkham to exist as a character. You go into this environment and encounter these characters in a way that feels really fresh. And so in our work on Gotham, that story started to evolve, and it started feeling [like], ‘Wait, we should really lean into this.’ And then that’s kinda where that’s gone

    Matt Reeves

    There were teases of Batman’s first year has already introduced some familiar villains into this universe, and it’s unclear if these series will all build up into a united storyline, or if they are all acting as separate projects to further explore the universe that this version of the Dark Knight lives in. No matter what direction Reeves‘ vision might be heading towards, the film already gave us a promising starting point and hopefully we’ll find out sooner rather than later when we might expect the new series.

    Source: Cyber Nerds via The Direct

  • ‘The Boys’ Pays Tribute to ‘The Batman’ With New Character Posters

    ‘The Boys’ Pays Tribute to ‘The Batman’ With New Character Posters

    Here’s a cute little gag from the team over at The Boys. As the show heavily deals with a group of normal people taking on corrupted superheroes, the release of The Batman seemed like a perfect time for some cheeky cross-promotion. As such, their marketing team seemingly whipped up a few character posters that are heavily inspired by the DC character’s long history in cinemas. The Female gets the most recent adaptation based on The Batman while Mother’s Milk gets the 1989 treatment. You can check out the clever posters right here:

    It’s a clever idea to not only promote the upcoming season but also pay tribute to the recent release. A little disappointed they didn’t do this with other superhero films that have been released since the series started, but perhaps it gave them a taste for the idea and we’ll see more in the future. There’s still no new trailer for the upcoming season, as most of the attention has gone to the animated spinoff Diabolical. That might get some screentime for another few weeks before we get a new look at what’s to come. We’ve already had quite a lot teased with some heavy promotion of new characters. So, we’ll see if Homelander is about to give the spotlight to someone else soon.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘The Batman’s Matt Reeves Confirms The Identity of [SPOILER]

    ‘The Batman’s Matt Reeves Confirms The Identity of [SPOILER]

    The Batman has finally found its way into theaters, as we get introduced to a very different cinematic take of the iconic character. Director Matt Reeves took a grounded take on the franchise to offer a refreshing direction for the characters, which also included quite a few curious teases for the future of the new franchise. Robert Pattinson has teased his interest in tackling a trilogy in this new take on the Dark Knight, but Reeves has confirmed one major addition.

    The rest of the article tackles a big spoiler from the film’s final moments. So, only continue at your own risk if you haven’t seen The Batman yet.

    In the closing moments, Edward Nashton realizes that his original intention to break down Gotham has failed with Batman coming out on top. During this scene in Arkham, we are introduced to a fellow cellmate that has a very recognizable voice belonging to Barry Keoghan. We never get a good look at his design, but a familiar laugh hinted that this might be The Batman’s take on the Joker. Luckily, IGN shared a video interview where director Matt Reeves not only confirms it but also hints at his take of the character.

    You know because the movie is not an origin tale of Batman, but it’s his early days. It really is an origin tale for the rogue’s gallery characters. The scene is not meant to be there to say: “Here’s an Easter egg, the next film is X.” I don’t know that the Joker will be in the next movie, but I can tell you here is what you’re seeing is an early days version of the character, trouble is, as always, brewing in Gotham.

    Matt Reeves

    The most interesting addition is that he declares that this is a version of the character that he’s “a Joker that is not yet a Joker” and the design was molded after the character’s original inspiration, the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs. So, while it doesn’t mean we’ll definitely see the character appear. He also hints that the take of the character is a man with a disease that constantly is stuck smiling and the way this character would be shaped by it. “Life has been a cruel joke on him” was his biggest tease on Keoghan‘s character and we’ll see when he might make his appearance in a future entry.

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘The Batman’ Kicks-Off With $21.6M Domestically, En Route to Become Warner Bros.’ Best Pandemic Opening

    ‘The Batman’ Kicks-Off With $21.6M Domestically, En Route to Become Warner Bros.’ Best Pandemic Opening

    It looks like the first numbers are in and even with a 3-hour runtime, The Batman is on its way to becoming a big player at the box office. As the pandemic still adds some uncertainty, Frank Pallotta has shared that the film managed to get $21.6M in its Thursday previews. Variety recently shared the film was on its way to a $125M+ domestic opening over the weekend and it is seeming more and more likely. As such, the film might become Warner Bros.’ best opening since the pandemic started and the second film to pass $100M at the box office over its opening weekend.

    It is worth noting that this isn’t the best opening weekend for a Batman film. That title still goes to The Dark Knight Rises with $30.6M. Yet, it’s slightly above The Dark Knight‘s and with hints at a strong international start, it may already be on its way to join the $1 million club. You also never know how strong the momentum carries over into the weekend, as some films also started dragging in more viewers through word-of-mouth. Rotten Tomatoes audience score is in the 90s and it seems to be quite the crowd-pleaser. So, it’s going to be an interesting weekend.

    Source: Variety, Variety, Rotten Tomatoes

  • New Look at Hot Toys Figure for Robert Pattinson’s ‘The Batman’

    New Look at Hot Toys Figure for Robert Pattinson’s ‘The Batman’

    Every time a new superhero-themed film releases, everyone is already keeping their eye out for the collectibles. Hot Toys has become a hot spot for great-looking figurines of the iconic characters and with the release of Robert Pattinson‘s The Batman, it was only a question of time before we get a good l.ook at the figurine. Luckily, Reddit user Rishav27Sarkar shared some photos from the Hot Toys Secret Base that offered a first look at the figurine’s full design, some of his gadgets, and even the inclusion of his motorcycle.

    Image

    Getting a closer look at the motorcycle does reveal the “bat” inspiration on the front of its design, as the film takes place in a more grounded reality without a lot of the flair that previous versions of the character had.

    r/hottoys - The Batman (Hot Toys Secret Base)

    It’s still one of the best designs for the Dark Knight to come out, especially with its armored plating-inspired design and the unique Bat symbol on the front. It still has that flair that you expect from a man dressed as a bat, while still keeping some elements of realism to it. We also see in the trailers that this new design helps him take on a few more bullets, which adds an interesting tension and question how long this armor will be able to hold up if he tries to block as many shots as he can. No matter the answer, this model is definitely a must-own for anyone who loves the film and Batman in general.

    Source: Reddit