Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC TV

  • Jesse L. Martin No Longer a Series Regular on ‘The Flash’ After 8 Seasons

    Jesse L. Martin No Longer a Series Regular on ‘The Flash’ After 8 Seasons

    It’s the end of an era, as Jesse L. Martin is no longer a series regular on the CW’s The Flash after an eight-season run with the DC adaptation. He is currently on his way to lead the new NBC drama The Irrational but won’t be leaving the series entirely. He is still set to appear in multiple episodes of the upcoming ninth season of the series, but won’t have a larger role moving forward. It still won’t be the same to see CCPD detective Joe West have a large part as the guardian of Barry Allen.

    While not a complete exit, it’s heavy to think that only three of the original cast members remain, which are Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, and Danielle Panabaker. There were rumors that a ninth season might not happen, as all their contracts were set to end with the eighth but they managed to renew at least Gustin‘s contract ahead of the renewal announcement. Supposedly, Patton and Panabaker have also negotiated to return.

    What stands out in the report from Deadline is that Martin wasn’t actively approached for a return, which gave him the opportunity to be available for other series and pilots. It seems that he was offered the role and closed the deal as he was their first choice. Supposedly, it’ll allow him to still do up to five episodes of The Flash. He’s set to start work on The Irrational in May or early June, which will also film in Vancouver. So, it definitely seems like it’ll be easy for him to join in for a few episodes.

    Source: Deadline

  • First Set Photos of CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ Leak as Production Starts

    First Set Photos of CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ Leak as Production Starts

    CW has recently fast-tracked production on a project to adapt the Gotham Knights storyline, as Gotham struggles after the death of Bruce Wayne and a void is left in his wake. Batman’s protégé–surprisingly not Nightwing as initially expected–is forced to team up with the children of his father’s long list of rogue’s gallery. Production has finally kicked off and it didn’t take long for photos to leak from the Toronto set. While we don’t get a first look at any of the actors, we do get a good look at a sequence featuring the GCPD transporting someone, as shared by @Dew_u_c_me:

    Luckily @TOFilming_EM also shared a video from the set confirming that the police escort is for someone. There’s a chance that one of the iconic villains might be hidden there, or maybe transferring someone to bring them to safety. We know Mischa Collins has been cast as Harvey Dent and he might be the one in the transport vehicle.

    It’ll be interesting to see how they bring this series to life, especially with the concept of the children of Batman’s iconic villains teaming up. They might have multiple seasons in the plan, which opens up the question of what exactly the conflict will be throughout. Either they must team up against the villains pushing Gotham to the brain after the loss of Batman, or maybe an external threat arrives forcing the team-up to keep Gotham from whatever is trying to take over.

    Source: Twitter, Twitter

  • ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Reveal First Look at Fast Track

    ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Reveal First Look at Fast Track

    The Flash is set to surpass Arrow for the longest-running Arrowverse series as it approaches its ninth season on the CW network. Throughout these past 8 seasons, The Flash has introduced countless other speedsters such as Reverse Flash, Zoom, Jay Garrick, Trajectory, The Rival, XS, Kid Flash, Savitar, and Black Flash — just to name a few. Over the past few seasons, the series has begun adapting recent stories like the seven forces, and looks to be bringing a recent addition to the speed force into live-action.

    Recent set photos from The Flash have revealed that speedster Fast Track will be making her live-action debut sometime in the 8th season of The Flash. Set photos show the unknown actress suited up in the character’s black costume. We can assume that this actress will be playing Meena Dhawan, the alter ego of the character in the comics. 

    Fast Track is a fairly recent character, having been introduced in 2016, created by Joshua Williamson and Neil Googe, and introduced in The Flash Vol. 5 #3. Meena was a scientist at Star Labs who worked in the Newton’s Practical Application Department who was struck by lightning following a speed force storm sweeping through Central City. Meena used her newfound attachment to the speedforce to help the Flash in training the next generation of speedsters, those who’d also been affected by the speed force storm.

    Here’s to hoping we’ll get an official look at the character soon with a better look at the costume and know just who is playing Fast Track.

    SOURCE: Twitter

  • Charlize Theron to Adapt Aqualad’s ‘You Brought Me The Ocean’ Graphic Novel as an HBO Max Series

    Charlize Theron to Adapt Aqualad’s ‘You Brought Me The Ocean’ Graphic Novel as an HBO Max Series

    Back in 2020, DC Comics released You Brought Me The Ocean, a young adult graphic novel following Jake Hyde. The book was written by Alex Sanchez with Julie Maroh providing illustrations. The story followed Jake after the death of his father, who wants to get out of New Mexico to attend college on the coast. The thing is, Jake has these mysterious tattoos that begin to glow every time he touches the water, leading him to search for more answers to his true identity.

    The graphic novel seems to have found a fan in Charlize Theron, who will serve as a producer on the adaption of the story for HBO Max. It will tell the origin of Jackson Hyde, a gay teenager living in New Mexico as his strange connection to water sets up his future as Aqualad. He has to juggle all this while falling for his classmate, Kenny Liu, captain of the swim team. There are currently no writers or directors attached. A.J. Dix, Beth Kono, and Andrew Haas serve as executive producers via Denver and Delilah Films.

    There’s no word on if this series will be set within the mainline DC Extended Universe. Jackson Hyde is currently playing a big role in DC Comics, as the second Aquaman and member of the new Justice League following the death of the current incarnation in Justice League #75. For those interested in getting to know Jackson Hyde, they should check out You Brought Me The Ocean alongside the six-issue mini-series Aquaman: The Becoming, a good place to start for those curious.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Supernatural’ Star Misha Collins Joins ‘Gotham Knights’ as Harvey Dent

    ‘Supernatural’ Star Misha Collins Joins ‘Gotham Knights’ as Harvey Dent

    It looks like one major CW star is staying in the network’s family. Misha Collins, best known for longtime role on Supernatural, is joining the upcoming DC pilot Gotham Knights as famed Batman character Harvey Dent. The series, written by the Batwoman creative team of Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux and Natalie Abrams, will focus on the events in Gotham City following the tragic murder of Bruce Wayne. His rebellious son, played by Oscar Morgan, forms a team with the children of Batman’s iconic rogues gallery when they’re all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. Despite sharing creatives, the series will not take place in the Batwoman universe, and has no ties to the upcoming video game of the same name.

    Collins took to Twitter to comment on his casting. His joke caption is referring to his well-known role as the angel Castiel, who he portrayed on Supernatural for 12 of 15 seasons. He joins a cast that also includes the aforementioned Morgan, playing an original character named Turner Hayes, as well as Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Fallon Smythe and Tyler DiChiara. The actor is the first major Batman villain announcement for the series, as his character Dent famously becomes Two-Face during the vigilante’s career. It’s unknown if Collins‘ Dent will already be Two-Face when audiences meet him, but whenever it happens, he’ll join a stable of respected actors who’ve inhabited the role, including Billy Dee Williams, Tommy Lee Jones, and Aaron Eckhart.

    Gotham Knights does not currently have a release date.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter

  • ‘The Flash’, ‘Superman and Lois’, ‘Riverdale’ and More Get Renewal by CW

    ‘The Flash’, ‘Superman and Lois’, ‘Riverdale’ and More Get Renewal by CW

    The CW has always been known for renewing its scripted programs early. While we didn’t get the usual January confirmation, as the current climate things have changed a bit and it seemed like it may not be the one to lead the charge. Luckily, it looks like that tradition continues as the broadcast has renewed not one but seven of its scripted series. Deadline has revealed that they’ve given a new season order to their two DC series The Flash, as well as Superman and Lois. The ever-chaotic Riverdale is also set to make a return alongside All American, Nancy Drew, Kung Fu, and Walker.

    While the early renewals are a good sign, there have generally been discussions for the CW’s future. Nexstar, an affiliate group, is potentially eyeing the broadcast network and a new majority owner would change the renewal process as well as how streaming rights help boost its revenue stream. There are also quite a few series still on the bubble missing a renewal, such as the newly released Naomi, Legends of Tomorrow, Charmed, Batwoman, and more.

    The Flash is entering its ninth season and is now the longest-running series beating out Arrow which ended on its eighth. There’s no word if this might be the final season, or they might want to go for a nice round 10 seasons to end its run. Superman and Lois will return for its third season. Riverdale will join with its seventh season, but also uncertain if it’ll continue afterward. The biggest surprise with Nancy Drew, which was on the bubble even with a spinoff on the horizon.

    Source: Deadline

  • Harvey Guillén Joins ‘Harley Quinn’ as Nightwing

    Harvey Guillén Joins ‘Harley Quinn’ as Nightwing

    Harvey Guillén is on a hot streak, as he’s been cast in quite a few projects over the course of the last few weeks. Not only is he taking on a big role in Puss In Boots: the Last Wish, but now it seems he’s also got his hands on a big animated project. Deadline has just revealed that the actor has joined Harley Quinn in the role of Nightwing. He’ll make his debut in the upcoming third season, which will be when it first gets released on HBO Max.

    There currently is no release date, and it’s unclear what direction he is taking with this version of the character. Still, it’s exciting to see the actor’s hot streak after his success working on the FX series What We Do In The Shadows. He’s also finished his work on the series I’m Totally Fine and will also be seen in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular DC character Blue Beetle.

    We’ve already seen previous members of the Bat-family in the first two seasons. We did meet a version of Robin, who was Damian Wayne. Batman, of course, also had quite the role throughout the series’ run. It’ll be interesting to see if we’ll also meet others from the Bat-family and get to explore their dynamic more in the R-rated series. Plus, a potty mouth version of Nightwing is probably going to be quite hilarious.

    Source: Deadline

  • James Gunn to Cameo in ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 3

    James Gunn to Cameo in ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 3

    It looks like while we know very little about the upcoming third season of Harley Quinn, we did get one hidden reveal. In the article on the upcoming spinoff focused on Kite Man, it seems that series creator Patrick Schumacker confirmed that James Gunn, who’s a vocal fan of the R-rated series, will appear in the series as himself. Of course, as a director, he will take on some fictional directing duties on one of the Waynes.

    He is playing himself, and is directing a movie about Thomas Wayne.

    Patrick Schumacker

    The Suicide Squad director is known for his own ventures into an R-rated world. So, he’s the perfect addition to the series and it’ll be fun to keep an eye out for when we might expect him. Thomas Wayne wouldn’t be the film I’d expect him to tackle living in the world of DC, but it would be fun to see some of his usual directing flourishes find their way into the fictional work. Imagine a hard R-rated adaptation of Thomas Wayne’s life, as he sits on his expensive bed in his tidy whities. It’ll be interesting to see if we also get some callbacks to his own DC ventures, especially with the new popularity of Peacemaker.

    Source: Slash Film

  • J.K. Simmons Teases Commissioner Gordon’s Expanded Role in ‘Batgirl’

    J.K. Simmons Teases Commissioner Gordon’s Expanded Role in ‘Batgirl’

    Actor J.K. Simmons is busy doing press for the Oscar-nominated film Being the Ricardos, for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The Academy Award-winning actor has been quite active in other projects recently, so it is no surprise that Simmons is getting plenty of questions about his various superhero projects, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Invincible, and the upcoming Batgirl HBO Max film.

    While Westworld’s Jeffrey Wright played Gotham City’s Jim Gordon in the most recent live-action adaptation of the character in the recently released The Batman, Simmons took on the role of Commissioner Gordon in Justice League (2017) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). Unlike the latest iteration of the Dark Knight, these two films took place in the DCEU. So, it is not too surprising that Simmons is returning to play the character in the upcoming DCEU film, Batgirl. While Gordon had a limited role up to this point, Simmons told Discussing Film that there would be much more of Commissioner Gordon in Batgirl:

    It’s much more than I got to do in my brief stint as Commissioner Gordon in Zack Snyder’s film. And really, it was fun because it was a completely different side of Commissioner Gordon. All that we saw in the little snippets of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, in either the original or in Zack’s brilliant, expanded cut, it was just Commissioner Gordon being business-like and needing Batman’s help. In this film, I think I’m allowed to say since it does center on Batgirl, we see much more of Commissioner Gordon at home.

    J.K. Simmons

    The actor went on the praise directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, noting:

    Dude, those guys are crazy! I don’t know how they do it, and they had been shooting for four weeks or so by the time I joined. I met them via Zoom, and I was under the L track outside of my boxing gym in Chicago when we first spoke. They just bring such an energy. I’ve already compared them to a couple of like two-year-old Weimaraners, who have been pent up in the back of a station wagon all day and somebody just let them loose. The energy and the passion that they bring for making movies was a really fun energy to be around and then the fact that they also really know what they’re doing is is a nice part of the overall experience.

    J.K. Simmons

    Along with his renewed role of J. Jonah Jameson in the latest Spider-Man trilogy, Simmons is playing beloved comic book characters in both the Marvel and DC universes. But he added, “I’m still not sure I understand all the various multiverse aspects of, you know, DC or Marvel.” It is unclear when Batgirl will release given the major delays in the DCEU’s upcoming theatrical schedule, though there’s an argument to be made that it would make the perfect 2023 holiday release.

    Source: DiscussingFilm

  • ‘Batgirl’ Would Make the Perfect 2023 Holiday Release

    ‘Batgirl’ Would Make the Perfect 2023 Holiday Release

    In addition to producing live-action streaming series that are a part of the DCEU, Warner Bros has begun development on a few DC films that will be exclusive to the streaming service as well. Batgirl, which will introduce Barbara Gordon to the DCEU, is currently the first of what is presumed to be many HBO Max exclusive DC films, but recent shifts in the DC film release slate may have given it a window of opportunity for a theatrical release.

    Substantial changes to many upcoming DC film release dates were part of a cascade begun by Black Adam being pushed back from its July release date to October 21st, 2022. Shazam: Fury of the Gods jumped forward on the calendar, taking the December 16th, 2022 slot previously held down by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, knocking the sequel into March of next year. Also moving into 2023 is The Flash, streaking to June 23rd, 2023, 7 months later than previously scheduled. Following the release of Blue Beetle on August 18th, 2023 there is nothing set moving forward, meaning Batgirl would have a perfect window to release in late 2023.

    The Flash being delayed means Batgirl’s reported 2022 release is highly unlikely as the events of that film directly lead into the The Flash, reintroducing Keaton as the main Batman of the DC Extended universe. So what should Warner Brothers do with this new opportunity? Move Batgirl to a late 2023 release date and give the film the opportunity for a theatrical release instead of only putting it on HBO Max.

    We’ve seen quite a bit from the set of Batgirl and we know the film is set during the holiday season with the set in Glasgow being covered with a ton of Christmas decorations. Instead of creating another Shazam! situation, where a film centered around one season is released in the opposite, the film could thrive with a a theatrical release during the 2023 holiday season.

    Blue Beetle was originally set to be an HBO Max exclusive film but was moved to a theatrical release, so its possible for Batgirl to get the same treatment. Batgirl is an instantly recognizable character for many people and has had prominent roles in many DC projects. This move seems like a no-brainer for Warner Brothers, who could bring in more money with a more strategic release. It would also give the film additional time during production, as it always seemed a bit risky to shoot and release a film in the same year.

    Batgirl’s release date is still unknown as production on the film continues in Glasgow. The film will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah with Leslie Grace in the titular role. Alongside Grace will star J.K. Simmons, Michael Keaton, Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino, Jacob Scipio, and Rebecca Front.