Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC

  • BREAKING: James Gunn Has Found His Superman and Lois Lane

    BREAKING: James Gunn Has Found His Superman and Lois Lane

    The wait has finally come to an end. Superman Legacy director James Gunn has seemingly found his leading duo. After weeks of testing, even going as far as last week to having various duos in costume to enact scenes for the film, Gunn has seemingly settled on who David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan to become the leading pair in the first true DC Cinematic Universe film directed and written by the co-CEO of DC Studios.

    Corenswet is taking on a major role for this film, as he’ll not only be in the shadow of Snyderverse’s Henry Cavill but also have to set up the entire DC Cinematic Universe. All their plans ride on the success of this film and it’s no wonder that they went all out to ensure that they have the right duo together to show what this new franchise is all about.

    Corenswet is most known for his break-out role as Ryan Murphy in The Politician. He also has worked on projects like Pearl, We Own This City, and is about to be seen in the Twister sequel, Twisters. Brosnahan has quite the career with her work on projects like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Blacklist, House of Cards, and is currently filming The Amateur. So, they definitely are bringing something new to the table and will hopefully get a good look at them in costume before production starts.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Flash’ Had 3 Endings Throughout the Production

    ‘The Flash’ Had 3 Endings Throughout the Production

    The Flash has had a troubled production for so long that it’s hard to think that even up to its release there wasn’t any chaos behind the scenes. Not only was the film handed over from director to director, Ezra Miller started to gather troubling news as time went on just as the film finally was about to start promotion. Plus, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to change things up with its initial leadership kicked out of the company. Then, they decided to restart a brand new universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran heading the new DC Studios.

    As it turns out, every leadership change also ended up changing the final version of The Flash. In a new report by Hollywood Reporter, it seems that the film had around three different sequences that seemingly got chopped up. We won’t spoil the one that is currently being showcased in the final version of the film, especially as it just released but we’ll take a look at the previous two versions.

    Still, only continue at your own risk if you want to remain completely spoiler-free on watching The Flash in theaters.

    The initial ending seemingly had a sequence of only Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and Michael Keaton’s Batman at the courthouse. It actually matches some of the leaked set photos that we saw of both of them at a set that would match a courthouse. Though, it seems when the initial DC heads left, they kept Calle and Keaton in the sequence but added two more cameos. Originally, Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman were going to appear.

    That version has also been cut due to the new leadership of DC Studios, who were worried that keeping those cameos would end up confusing viewers going into the “new” DC Cinematic Universe. As such, the current version in theaters was filmed around six months ago and added to the project. This move is also when they decided not to move forward with Cavill’s Superman movie and why Wonder Woman 3 was no longer moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Ava DuVernay’s TV Deal With Warner Bros. Won’t Be Extended

    Ava DuVernay’s TV Deal With Warner Bros. Won’t Be Extended

    Ava DuVernay was a rising star with her projects like Selma, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us, Queen Sugar, and more. It led to her getting a massive deal with Warner Bros. TV that would have her signed up for five years, which was worth $100M. Yet, it seems that Warner Bros. and DuVernay have decided to part ways and will no longer continue the contract after 2023.

    Keep in mind, this is not something that was due to the WGA strike but rather was a mutual decision between both parties. There’s no drama involved with this decision but there are no details on what exactly is the cause for this development. We currently also have no news on where she is heading next, as she focuses her work on the post-production of the film Caste.

    It’s not uncommon that some deals just don’t continue due to a change in focus. There’s a chance that DuVarney is simply more interested in pushing forward her cinematic projects. Plus, there might be some disinterest after the DC project New Gods fell apart that she was heavily involved with quite some time ago, and the cancelation of Naomi on the CW. But, if there’s no drama as reported then it might just be a decision to refocus moving forward but we’ll have to see if she breaks another TV deal.

    Source: Deadline

  • DC Studios co-CEO Weighs in on Competing with Marvel Studios

    DC Studios co-CEO Weighs in on Competing with Marvel Studios

    Marvel vs. DC is seemingly half of what makes the Internet the Internet. There’s always been a competition on who has the coolest hero, the best character developments, the most iconic moments, and whatever a nerdy brain can think up. Yet, it’s a very different picture for those involved in trying to make these companies and their projects a success.

    Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has very openly stated that he hopes to see DC succeed, as he believed it was beneficial to everyone. And now DC Studios co-CEO, James Gunn, has echoed those same words. He believes that “every movie Marvel has is sort of an advertising for comic-book films, and vice versa.”

    I think it’s the opposite. To be frank, I think the better Marvel movies do, it’s better for DC, and the better DC movies do, it’s better for Marvel. When people see bad movies, they don’t want to spend more money on seeing more movies. So you want good movies to happen, especially since we’re making two or three movies a year at DC. So every movie that Marvel has is sort of an advertising for comic-book films, and vice versa. And you don’t want to scare off people from going to the theater. And if we’re both making good movies, that’s the best of all situations, which keeps the ball bouncing back and forth. At that point, we can talk about rivalries, and it’d be fun.

    James Gunn

    It’s also fitting that the director of a Marvel and DC film feels this way, as his belief isn’t far-fetched from reality. We’ve seen all these films at their best when others succeed, as there’s a certain boost from one project going into the next. As such, these projects need each other to offer something unique to make them stand out, while also boosting their success. Here’s hoping whatever dragged the last two films down is about to take a different direction.

    Source: Rolling Stone

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s James Gunn Believes in Superhero Fatigue

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s James Gunn Believes in Superhero Fatigue

    Superhero fatigue has been all the rage right now. Mostly due to some pointing out that they’ve seemingly reached their limits and reading too much into box office performances of two distinct projects earlier this year. Shazam: Fury of the God couldn’t pull in an audience and opened with a depressing $30M while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lost steam surprisingly fast after a bombastic opening.

    While there’s more to this given just how superhero films performed last year, James Gunn gave his thoughts on the topic and seemingly believes that there is such a thing. Yet, he points out that it’s not as simple as “superhero movies” but rather spectacle films that lack the heart that really drags us into these stories.

    I think there is such a thing as superhero fatigue. I think it doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring. But I get fatigued by most spectacle films, by the grind of not having an emotionally grounded story. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not. If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real.

    James Gunn

    It’s not completely wrong, as many spectacle films sometimes can overshadow the heart of the story. Ant-Man‘s third film is quite a bit “bigger” than the previous and perhaps just went overboard on what defined the franchise initially. Even Shazam‘s sequel seemingly started going in a bigger direction and there’s no surprise that the first two very family-centric franchises may have struggled a bit earlier this year.

    Of course, the topic of superhero fatigue is also quite a bit important for James Gunn, as he’s the head of the newly formed DC Studios. With him set to also direct the next Superman film that’ll define a future new cinematic universe, he’ll put a lot of weight into ensuring that fatigue doesn’t take away their opportunity to build this franchise.

    Source: Rolling Stones

  • Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Spotted at Iconic ‘Joker’ Location in Latest BTS Pics

    Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn Spotted at Iconic ‘Joker’ Location in Latest BTS Pics

    Joaquin Phoenix‘s romp down the Shakespeare Avenue Stairs located in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx in 2019’s Joker turned the location into a destination. Now referred to as “The Joker Stairs”, the 132 stairs have become a must-see landmark in the city for fans of the film. Director Todd Phillips remained fairly fond of them, too, as a new batch of set photos from the sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, indicates that the film will return to the iconic location.

    As production has been ongoing in and around New York City, set photos have been fairly easy to come by, including a first look at star Lady Gaga in full Harley Quinn regalia. While she’s not decked out in one of Harley’s familiar outfits here, Lady Gaga‘s Harley is out for a stroll on the same stairs Arthur Fleck danced down in Joker.

    https://twitter.com/lislopees1/status/1642483840479363074?s=20

    Harley’s trek on the stairs certainly looks a little less joyful than Fleck’s gleeful descent. That’s all part of whatever director Todd Phillips, who can be seen chatting it up with Lady Gaga, has in store for the character in this particular part of the sequel.

    Joker: Folie à Deux will be released on October 4th, 2024 under DC Studios’ new Elseworlds banner, meaning the story told within the film will not be part of the continuity of the new DC Universe being established by DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Set in the aftermath of the events of Joker, the sequel will see Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener join Lady Gaga as newcomers to the cast alongside returnees Phoenix and Zazie Beetz.

  • ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Grades Out with the Same Cinemascore as ‘Black Adam’

    ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Grades Out with the Same Cinemascore as ‘Black Adam’

    As Shazam: Fury of the Gods pushes through its opening weekend, early reviews don’t seem to be helping it at the box office where it only pulled in $3.4M in its Thursday previews and estimates have it finishing up between $30-35M after adding $7.6M more on Friday night . Poor early reviews aren’t always a death knell for films; sometimes positive word of mouth from fans can help propel a film beyond the estimated projections. However, it’s not looking good for the Shazam! sequel on that front either.

    After polling opening night audiences about the film, Cinemascore has revealed a B+ grade for Shazam: Fury of the Gods.

    B+ seems to be the sweet spot for DC projects. Black Adam, Birds of Prey, Joker, Justice League, Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman 1984 all received B+ Cinemascores from moviegoers. It’s an interesting grouping to be sure as some of those films are held in a bit higher regard than others, yet they all sit at the same Cinemascore. For comparison’s sake, 2019’s Shazam! was given an A Cinemascore by audiences.

    Currently sitting at a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, Fury of the Gods has taken a hit by critics for not living up to its predecessor in terms of comedy or plot and for lacking the charm that made Shazam! a bit of a surprise hit. It was already highly unlikely that the franchise would continue on at the new DC Studios, but its performance and fans’ general lack of interest and awareness would seem to cement the fact that this will be the last adventure for the this iteration of the Shazamily.

    Sources: Cinemascore, Deadline

  • Tom King May Have Confirmed James Gunn Will Direct ‘Superman: Legacy’

    Tom King May Have Confirmed James Gunn Will Direct ‘Superman: Legacy’

    While Marvel is still as omnipresent as ever, James Gunn‘s involvement as the new co-CEO of DC Studios has opened up many new opportunities for the long-dormant DC Cinematic Universe. Earlier this year he unveiled the first “Chapter” which will consist of some returning favorites and feature new faces, most notably another reboot for Superman.

    With a title like Superman: Legacy, the new take seems like a promising re-entry into the character’s roots. Zack Snyder‘s time with the character was steeped in a more mythological and darker place with many long-time fans hoping to see the more cheerful and optimistic vision brought to the screen. While Gunn is confirmed as the writer, long-time DC Comics writer may have confirmed he’s also going to direct the project.

    James Gunn is a super nerd and he’s super creative. He’s both the writer and director of the Superman movie, and he’s sort of the creative force behind all of this…and he reached out to a group of screenwriters and myself, fantastic, amazing whose names he’s put out there, and to work on making these movies and tv shows as good as they can be. And it was his way of saying, you know, we need nerds in the room we need writers and that this sort of DC renaissance, this DC revolution, is going to be very much a storytelling, it’s story first, we want to tell fantastic stories. That is where we are starting, stopping.”

    Gunn has proven his love for the character time and time again. And he usually ends up directing projects he writes, especially something as important as the film that’ll truly kick off his new universe. It’ll be interesting to see how much time he’ll have working on this project while spearheading an entire cinematic universe, but that is likely why he’s joined by Peter Safran to keep this vision alive.

    You can check out the full interview here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCFHERop9HI

    Source: YouTube via Heroic Hollywood

  • The Skinny on The DCU’s ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    The Skinny on The DCU’s ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    James Gunn and Peter Safran have revealed the first half of the first chapter of the new DCU. In total, 10 projects are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2027, with 5 films and 5 streaming series adding to the interconnected Gods and Monsters story of the DCU. With so much to take in, it can be a bit overwhelming. To make it easier, here’s the skinny on The Brave and The Bold.

    While Robert Pattinson will continue to serve as Batman in the DC Elseworlds The Batman: Part II and its related projects, the DCU will have a Batman of its own and fans will meet him–and his son, Damian–in a theatrical release titled The Brave and The Bold. The film will be based on Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son arc from his epic run on Batman that began in 2006 which Gunn called one of his “favorite Batman runs.” Gunn called Morrison “exceptionally influential” on the DCU slate which could hint at some other possible arcs that could be explored in other projects.

    The Brave and The Bold is “a story of Damian Wayne, who’s Batman’s actual son that he didn’t know existed for the first eight to ten years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin,” explained Gunn, who also called Damian his “favorite Robin.” The film will mark the first time a Robin has appeared in a live-action film since 1997’s Batman and Robin and it sounds like Damian may not be the only one to appear. “This is going to feature other members of the extended Bat-Family.” said Safran, adding “just because we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.“

    The focus of the film, however, will be the relationship between Bruce and Damian. “It’s a very strange sort of father-son story about the two of them,” said Gunn of The Brave and The Bold, who added that fans should expect Damian to be “a little son of a bitch.” It sounds like Gunn’s got Damian pegged. No release date or creative team was announced for the project.

    Sources: DC, Collider, Variety

  • The Skinny on The DCU’s ‘Lanterns’

    The Skinny on The DCU’s ‘Lanterns’

    James Gunn and Peter Safran have revealed the first half of the first chapter of the new DCU. In total, 10 projects are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2027, with 5 films and 5 streaming series adding to the interconnected Gods and Monsters story of the DCU. With so much to take in, it can be a bit overwhelming. To make it easier, here’s the skinny on Lanterns.

    A Green Lantern Corps streaming series had been in development at HBO for years but with the announcement of Lanterns, it is clear that series is dead and has been replaced by one that will feature iconic Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The previous series which was being developed by Greg Berlanti was described by Safran as a “space opera” while the new series will have a very different tone. “Our vision is much more True Detective,” explained Safran, who went on to describe it as a “terrestrial-based investigation story.“

    The mystery at the center of the HBO Max series will be part of a story that “is going to weave back and forth between the films and the television shows,” according to Safran, who adds that Lanterns “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” of Chapter One of the DCU. Gunn added that the series will see the Lanterns “find this ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are basically supercops on “Precinct Earth.”

    No information was provided on the creative team behind the project or when it’s expected to stream on HBO Max.

    Sources: DC, Collider, Variety