Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: dc studios

  • DC’s Scrapped ‘Batman Beyond’ Film Featured the Return of Another Burtonverse Icon

    DC’s Scrapped ‘Batman Beyond’ Film Featured the Return of Another Burtonverse Icon

    Amid the wreckage created by THR’s bombshell report that Wonder Woman 3, Man of Steel 2 and a Black Adam sequel were all falling apart under the newly minted DC Studios label came word that a Michael Keaton-led Batman Beyond film had also been in the works. The film, which was set to spin out of the events of The Flash, was being written by Christina Hodson (The Flash, Birds of Prey) but development on it was halted once James Gunn and Peter Safran took over.

    A new report from THR has now added a little more detail to what Hodson had in mind and how things fell apart. According to the report, Hodson was given the green light to develop the script prior to the hires of Gunn and Safran. Just a couple of weeks after they came on the scene, probably just enough time for the two of them to get the lay of the land, they asked Hodson to put down her pen.

    Integral to Hodson’s pitch, it seems, was the return of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, who appeared in the Burtonverse sequel Batman Returns in 1992. The Batman Beyond film would have seen Catwoman “resuscitate” a romance with Keaton’s Bruce Wayne which was left open-ended at best in the 1992 film. It’s highly probable that had the film gone forward, the studio would have approached Michelle Pfeiffer, whose performance as Catwoman in Batman Returns was genuinely iconic, to reprise the role. With the film being scrapped, fans will never know if she’d have returned.

    Source: Heat Vision

  • DC’s Change in Leadership May Not Be Able to Resurrect ‘Justice League Dark’

    DC’s Change in Leadership May Not Be Able to Resurrect ‘Justice League Dark’

    Once upon a time, director Guillermo del Toro was deep into development on a big screen adaptation of Justice League Dark for Warner Bros. Even after del Toro left the film in order to work on Pacific Rim Uprising, work continued on bringing his vision to the screen. That vision would have featured DC Comics’ characters John Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Etrigan the Demon and Zatanna, along with appearances from others such as Doctor Fate and Detective Chimp and was far enough along in development that a great deal of concept art was generated for the project.

    Obviously, the film never came together with several directors opting for other projects instead. Earlier this year, JJ Abrams announced plans to develop Justice League Dark characters for a series of projects on HBO Max but those plans seem to have already materialized as well, causing fans of the characters to wonder if they’ll ever find their way together on screen.

    However, the silver lining there is that without Justice League Dark ever having been made by anyone, the option for del Toro to pick the project back up remains. While nobody is suggesting that any of the others who passed would have done poorly, it’s hard to imagine many creatives better for the job than del Toro. In a recent interview with Comic Book, the question of whether or not the director had any interest in revisiting the project now that there was a new team of visionaries in place at DC. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound promising.

    Oh, I don’t know. My love for Swamp Thing, The Demon, knows no bounds, but I don’t know. You don’t get a manicure from a big machine, that’s what I learn, you lose a few fingers. So I don’t know if I want a manicure from a big machine. As Danny Glover would say, “I’m too old for this shit”.

    Guillermo del Toro

    That’s certainly not a no, but it also isn’t a yes. Perhaps a sit down with DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran might turn del Toro around on this, but given all the uncertainty surrounding the future of the newly minted studio, there’s no telling if Justice League Dark is in the plans now or ever will be.

    Source: Comicbook.com

  • James Gunn, Peter Safran and The Road To Freedom For DC Studios

    James Gunn, Peter Safran and The Road To Freedom For DC Studios

    Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter published an extensive piece regarding the future of DC studios. James Gunn and Peter Safran have started to carve out their path, and it seems to be a fresh one. After hearing that Wonder Woman 3 and Man Of Steel 2 are being canceled or shelved, there is one thought that comes to mind: there’s nothing like a clean slate.

    Since Man Of Steel came out in 2013, DC has been trying to carve out its own lane in comic book film storytelling. Regardless of what anyone thought of the films, this business is about the bottom line and the bottom line is they didn’t hit the notes they needed to hit. The audience didn’t receive the content the way it needed to be received. There’s been so many stories of too many cooks in the kitchen, egos running amok, and an unclear vision. We can talk about Black Adam and the conversation around how Dwayne Johnson has handled that whole situation. Quite frankly, the film was entertaining but not something you’d say let’s start a franchise with. Financially that’s proven to be the case at this point. It is a hard sell globally when you bill your post-credit scene as the most memorable moment of the film. 

    In a lot of ways, Johnson has tried to book his foray into comic book film just like he’s booked his movie career. It’s been like professional wrestling where perception is more important than anything. That’s fine enough when it’s wrestling. This is not that. When you try to bogart your way into the franchise game when most fans want to see Black Adam vs Shazam, it’s just not gonna work how you want it to. 

    Earlier this year in Vanity Fair, Johnson talked about separating the stories between the two characters. “When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie,” Johnson recalls. “Now that was the goal—so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, ‘We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.’ It would’ve been fine for Shazam to have two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam.” This refrain from Johnson is not surprising in the least. Let’s dive a bit further.

    All of what Johnson says sounds incredibly altruistic on its face, but let’s be honest. In stories with heroes and villains, Shazam would beat Black Adam eventually because the hero wins. Considering everything we know about the Fast & The Furious franchise and the ego clash with Vin Diesel, it’s easy to be skeptical.

    The moral of the story here is Johnson is emblematic of a culture that’s existed over at WB that hasn’t actually been in service of the fans. You can claim to want to treat the fans well and service them but you do that with good storytelling. The stories haven’t been quite good enough and the agendas are many. If you can tell good stories the people will come and they will stay. DC has a very passionate fanbase that deserves much better than it’s gotten over the past decade. 

    The reason that James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired is to change all that. The expectation is that they are minds and voices that we as fans can trust. With that trust comes patience, and a willingness to have an open mind. Yes there will be some tough changes and we may lose people we liked in their roles, but let’s get this right. That should always be the goal, getting it right. One thing is crystal clear, the hierarchy of power in the DC universe has changed, and it’s about damn time.

  • New Report Adds Clarity to ‘Man of Steel 2’ Drama

    New Report Adds Clarity to ‘Man of Steel 2’ Drama

    Amid yesterday’s DC bombshell came the news that a Man of Steel sequel was unlikely to happen and that Henry Cavill’s return to the character in Black Adam looked to be incredibly short-lived. While fans immediately attributed that major change of direction to new DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, a new report from Deadline indicates that may not be the case after all.

    As previously made clear by Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson, Cavill’s return for that film was orchestrated by Johnson and the leadership at Seven Bucks Productions. Producer Hiram Garcia even went so far as to lay out some ambitious plans for the future of Cavill and Superman as they’d been pushing for his return for a number of years. Cavill went on Instagram to declare he’s returned to the role and up until yesterday, everyone assumed that was the case…until THR’s report.

    While the report didn’t explicitly assign the “shuttering” of Man of Steel 2 to Gunn, the implication that he and Safran had shut it down as they transitioned to their new role was there. However, according to Deadline, Warner Bros. Motion Picture heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy had shut down a pitch for the film from producer Charles Roven before Gunn and Safran came on board. The report from Deadline indicates that at no point had the sequel ever been given the go-ahead nor is the idea that one might still happen off the table. It simply all depends on the pitch.

    This may go some way in helping to decode Gunn’s social media response to THR’s story in which he said “some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.” It turns out that as always, hardcore fans are best off waiting for an official announcement from DC Studios before getting too excited one way or the other.

    Source: Deadline

  • REPORT: Lack of Communication as DC Changes Leadership “Creating a Riot”

    REPORT: Lack of Communication as DC Changes Leadership “Creating a Riot”

    James Gunn, the co-head of the newly created DC Studios, took to social media in an attempt to smooth the tidal wave of disruption caused by THR’s revelation that Wonder Woman 3 wasn’t moving forward and that Henry Cavill was not likely to return for a sequel to Man of Steel. Of THR’s piece, Gunn explained that “some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true, & some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not“, adding that he and co-head Peter Safran “still have a lot more questions to ask & answer.” However, it appears that the transition at the top has left things in chaos.

    According to Deadline, the studio’s “lack of communication to talent reps and content creators” has ruffled more than a few feathers. Reading between the lines of the report, many of the people behind the DC projects that have already been in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery are just as in the dark as fans. According to one insider, the lack of communication “is creating a riot” and straining relationships.

    Deadline reports that one of its sources called into question why Gunn and Safran would be interested in scrapping established franchises that have already had some measure of success in order to start over, saying “These franchises which already make a lot of money, why stop them? How can a studio that’s bearing so much debt afford to start from scratch? There are scripts and actors’ schedules to be figured out.” A fantastic question and one asked often in the online discourse that followed THR’s news. However, as Gunn indicated on social media, in searching to tell what he calls a “cohesive story across film, TV, animation and gaming” a rough transition was always expected.

    Just how rough and how extended that period will be is another question entirely.

    Source: Deadline

  • DC Studios’ James Gunn Semi-Confirms Recent Reports on ‘Black Adam’, Henry Cavill, and More

    DC Studios’ James Gunn Semi-Confirms Recent Reports on ‘Black Adam’, Henry Cavill, and More

    James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the new heads of a newly formed DC Studios. The question remained on what it might mean for the future of the franchise and generally for those projects that are still currently in some form of development. A recent report by The Hollywood Reporter has openly discussed that perhaps some things aren’t moving forward as first expected.

    Report indicated that not only did they pass on Patty Jenkins‘ third Wonder Woman film, but also won’t move forward with a Black Adam sequel; even as Dwayne Johnson desperately crunches the numbers to prove its a success. The biggest shock was also the fact that Henry Cavill may have returned briefly as Superman but is unlikely to do so once again. As Gunn is no stranger to openly discussing rumors and reports, he has taken to his Twitter to semi-confirm some aspects and debunk others.

    He also goes on to highlight that they are aware not everyone will be happy with their decisions, but that the transitional period is quite a rough one for any creative taking over an existing slate while mapping out its next ten years.

    DC is no stranger to some rather passionate fans about very specific franchise entries, and it likely won’t be an easy transition internally as well as externally. The big qeustion is that this move also puts a dark shadow over the upcoming projects and may add to the fact that The Flash may end up becoming a hard reset for the franchise after all.

    Source: Twitter

  • The Sunday Paper—November 27, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—November 27, 2022

    kang the conqueror

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now the next Marvel Studios film up to continue the franchise. Accordingly, we are seeing plenty of news bits here and there about the upcoming film which will feature potential Multiverse Saga Big Bad Kang the Conquerer.

    Actor Jonathan Majors previously played He Who Remains on Loki and teased he was just one of “many iterations” of Kang that he’d be playing during his tenure in the MCU and now Ant-Man franchise director Peyton Reed has chimed in on which version audiences will see in Quantumania. “Kang The Conqueror in our movie is a very different character,” from Majors’ He Who Remains, teased Reed in an interview. “He’s someone who has dominion over time, and he’s a warrior and a strategist,” added Reed, whose description is in lockstep with how Majors has previously described this version of the character. Reed finished the thought by describing this version as, “an all-timer antagonist“, giving fans of the comics a pretty good idea of what to expect.

    A Funk Pop that made its way to stores earlier than expected offered fans the first look at M.O.D.O.K. A new theater standee shared on Twitter has indicated that in addition to the main cast of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas returning for the film, one other actor is set to return for his third MCU film—David Dastmalchian. The actor has played Kurt Goreshter in the previous two Ant-Man films and along with Michael Pena’s Luis and T.I.’s Dave was a frequent source of comedic relief.

    the marvels ms marvel
    jon bernthal mcu
    superman cavill
    namor spinoff

    There’s been a lot of hype around Tenoch Huerta‘s incredible performance as Namor, the leader of Talocan and antagonist in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many have hoped that this performance would kick off interest from Marvel Studios to get this character his own solo project, but sadly it seems that rights are still an issue for some of the Marvel characters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore has confirmed that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.

    As shared on Instagram, there’s already a The Marvels‘ shirt available that gives us a good look at the main trio of Monica Rambeau, Carol Danvers, and Kamala Khan. The biggest reveal from this merchandise is the costume that Monica will seemingly wear during her outing as a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Kingpin actor Vincent D’Onforio made a comment about Daredevil: Born Again that had everyone speculating this week. Though he’s often been clear that he’d love to see Kingpin take on Spider-Man in the MCU, he’s also made it known that a Punisher vs. Kingpin battle is on his list of goals. With the rumors of Jon Bernthal’s return to the role continuing to swirl, perhaps D’Onofrio’s comments could give fans of the character a little more reason to hope he’ll be included.

    In the world of DC, James Gunn took to Twitter to shoot down reports about Henry Cavill’s alleged contract(s) with DC Studios to play Superman down the road after his return in Black Adam. Gunn made it clear that only he and co-head of DC Studios Peter Safran know anything about the subject, and any report out there is likely false.

    Any time a legendary filmmaker comments on superhero films, the internet discourse goes instance, and Quentin Tarantino’s recent comments ignited the discussion again. Tarantino is not a big fan of modern superhero films. The acclaimed director recently said he’s never helmed one because he’s “not a hired hand” and while “the writing’s not quite on the wall yet”, he believes the fascination with superhero films will eventually fade.” However, when asked about what type of comic book film he would be interested in making, Tarantino revealed it would be the 1963 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby series Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandoes, which actually inspired Inglorious Basterds.

    Despite Tarantino’s lack of interest in the superhero genre, we wrote about his long history with comic book movies, which you can check out here. While you’re at it, you can check out our feature on comics Avengers who are a bit “too wack” for the MCU.

  • Filming Schedule and Details for ‘The Penguin’ Revealed

    Filming Schedule and Details for ‘The Penguin’ Revealed

    Following the release of The Batman in theaters earlier this year, fans have long anticipated what the future could have in store for the future of this world. While it may apparently be a bit of time before a theatrical sequel, Matt Reeves has been in the midst of creating multiple spin-off shows for HBO Max to follow different facets of Gotham City. One of which is The Penguin, which will focus on Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot trying to gain control of the crime syndicate of Gotham after the new opening power vacuum following The Batman. While not much has been known about when audiences should expect the series, new details have come to light about the production that should leave people interested.

    According to The Illuminerdi, The Penguin will be filming in New York City between January to August 2023. This is a logical filming location for the show given the city’s ties to mafia-based projects in the past. As well, this filming schedule would seemingly indicate that the anticipated Batman-based show won’t release on HBO Max until early 2024 at the earliest.

    As well, “Boss” will be the working title for the series, which fits with the central theme of attaining control of the Gotham crime syndicate. It’s recently been revealed that Cristin Milioti will be playing Sofia Falcone, the main antagonist of the series who will have recently been released from Arkham Asylum. She will be joined by her brother Alberto Falcone, who will be the new don of the family following the death of their father in The Batman, and other relatives Johnny Viti and Consigliere Milos Grapa. No actors have been attached to these roles as of yet.

    In addition, it’s been revealed that The Penguin will also cover family turmoil for the Cobblepots as matriarch Francis will be struggling with Lewy Bodies Dementia. This will force the main family to deal with losing control and stability from within.

    Ultimately, it will be interesting to follow if The Penguin can match the creative and commercial success of The Batman and help further build this new universe. It certainly would be helpful for James Gunn and the newly revamped DC Studios as they seek a fresh start for the franchise.

    Source: The Illuminerdi

  • James Gunn Clears the Air on the Rumors Surrounding Henry Cavill’s Superman Contract

    James Gunn Clears the Air on the Rumors Surrounding Henry Cavill’s Superman Contract

    For those outside of the know, visionary director James Gunn is now in the driver’s seat at DC Films, alongside co-leader Peter Safran, and he’s not afraid to clear things up when the internet gets them wrong. A recent online rumor claimed British star Henry Cavill, who has portrayed Superman in the DCEU since 2013’s Man of Steel, had signed a new contract with the company that included the potential for television appearances. While Gunn has not yet fully denied this, he did take to Twitter to clarify that no current reports on the matter come from anyone with actual knowledge on the situation.


    Cavill made a grand return to his iconic role in last month’s Black Adam, while Gunn has been hard at work revitalizing DC’s television slate since the release of The Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker earlier this year on HBO Max. The return of Cavill to playing Superman after several years away from the superheroic spotlight has gotten audiences very excited, and reports like the one Gunn has shot down are likely to be plentiful. However, no official announcements have been made regarding what’s next for DC Films now that Gunn and Safran are in charge. Luckily for fans, the duo’s track record indicates they might have a lot to be hopeful about. A dedicated comic book fan and proven filmmaker, Gunn is slated to head the creative aspect of DC’s cinematic future while Safran handles the business side. When the pair are ready, there’s a good chance the DC fandom gets quite a bit of thrilling news. Until then, it appears reports about Superman and his fellow Justice Leaguers should be taken with a grain of salt.

    Source: Twitter

  • The Sunday Paper—November 20, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—November 20, 2022

    This week featured a smattering of news throughout the entertainment industry. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rounding out its second weekend in theaters, M’Baku actor Winston Duke confirmed his character’s ending in the film. Deadpool 3 continues to make steady news. Rather, Untitled Deadpool and Wolverine is making news, and the new working title seems to be a clear hint to how big Hugh Jackman’s role in the film is. A recent casting rumor also points to the iconic X-Men villain Danger as the antagonist of the film. In the comics, she is the physical embodiment of the training room known as the Danger Room, which became a massive threat to the mutants.

    deadpool 3 villain

    It is now rumored that Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross will both be the President of the United States and Red Hulk in Captain America: New World Order. Casting for the Wonder Man series has begun, which is expected to begin production in the Spring of 2023. With that comes a description of the villain of the piece, who happens to be the agent of struggling actor Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. The villain may well be based on a character first introduced in 1991’s Wonder Man comic book series, created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Johnson. That series introduced Simon’s agent, Neal Saroyan, who was ultimately revealed to be a supervillain in charge of a cadre of assassins known as The Nobility. Bob Odenkirk is rumored to be in talks for the role, though it is unconfirmed at this time.

    The upcoming Armor Wars remains intriguing, after having been announced as a streaming series but later revealed to be changing gears and being developed as a feature film. Producer Nate Moore this week explains that Armor Wars was simply “too big” to be a Disney+ series. It seems that Marvel Studios wanted to have a full budget for the armor, but bringing it to the big screen might mean the film’s story takes on a greater purpose in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    chloe bennet mcu
    marvel studios animation

    In Marvel television news, if new rumors are true, Marvel Studios’ animation department may be facing some layoffs and are actively waiting for their release to greenlight future seasons. Agents of SHIELD star Chloe Bennett posted a very daisy-inspired photo, prompting more speculation that she may make her formal debut to the MCU. It turns out that Matt Murdock will likely find a new love interest in Daredevil: Born Again, as Karen Page actress Deborah Ann Woll made it clear she has not been asked back for the Daredevil revival. Another Born Again rumor suggests that hero White Tiger will be joining the show’s roster.

    dc studios
    the princess diaries 3

    Peter Safran and James Gunn have only recently taken on the role of DC Studios’ co-CEOs. Warner Bros. Apparently, their long-term plans for the studio could be announced within the next couple of months, but all Henry Cavill and Man of Steel sequel plans have been stalled for the time being. Otherwise Warner Bros. is looking to adapt Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Greta Gerwig might be directing Netflix Narnia films, Margot Robbie’s Pirates of the Caribbean film is no longer happening, and Disney is eyeing a The Princess Diaries revival.