Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • RUMOR: Jon Watts in Talks to Direct an Episode of the Mystery ‘Star Wars’ Series

    RUMOR: Jon Watts in Talks to Direct an Episode of the Mystery ‘Star Wars’ Series

    Here’s a rather curious story, as Discussing Film has unveiled that Spider-man: No Way Home’s Jon Watts may be in talks to tackle a Disney+ series. What’s interesting is that it’s not just any of the announced series, but the mystery project that has been teased as Star Wars‘ take on Stranger Things. They’ve also included that Jon Favreau would return to executive produce the project, which still has no title or official release date. We’ve recently heard that they are interested in starting production in June, which would make sense if they are actively looking for directors now.

    The director has quite a tight schedule moving forward, as he’s set to tackle the Fantastic Four film for Marvel Studios, has an Apple TV+ thriller that has no set production start. He’s no stranger to directing TV projects, as he also worked on Jeff Bridges‘ The Old Man project. He’s also not the first Marvel Studios director to tackle a Star Wars project, as – excluding Jon Favreau who started the Disney+ renaissance with The Mandalorian – Taika Waititi and Peyton Reed also were involved with the project.

    We still know very little bout this project with hints being that it takes place during the High Republic and will focus on a group of young kids. It was compared to Stranger Things for its approach. If production does start in June, we might get an announcement in the coming months, especially as Lucasfilm has been rather quiet on its upcoming projects. The only thing we know about is that Obi-Wan Kenobi will release in May. It would seem fitting they unveil their plans during May 4th’s Star Wars Day. We’ll have to wait and see.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Will Premiere With Only One Episode

    ‘Moon Knight’ Will Premiere With Only One Episode

    While we have known Disney+’s upcoming Marvel Studios project Moon Knight will premiere on March 30, 2022, the streaming service has not always been upfront with how many episodes any given Marvel show will drop on its premiere date. Hawkeye famously started with two episodes ahead of The Book of Boba Fett‘s release, but it looks like we might finally have gotten an answer on their next release.

    Disney has recently revealed that Moon Knight will have a one-episode premiere. The series is set to have six episodes total, meaning that new episodes of the Oscar Isaac led MCU installment should release on Wednesdays from March 30 until May 4. Disney+ is apparently dodging the two-episode premiere strategy it used for WandaVision and Hawkeye. This also places the Moon Knight finale only a couple of days before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness theatrical release.

    Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, who discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. The series will revolve around Spector’s titular costumed alter ago and his relationships to various Egyptian gods. Kevin Feige has stated that the series will be a “tonal shift” from other MCU entries and will keep much of the violence and brutality from the comics.

    Source: Disney via The Direct

  • Empire Shares More of Bill Sienkiewicz’s Moon Knight Designs Based on the Disney+ Series

    Empire Shares More of Bill Sienkiewicz’s Moon Knight Designs Based on the Disney+ Series

    There’s a certain tradition when it comes to superhero cinema. As we near the official release, Empire tends to release a new cover that teases the project alongside a unique collector’s cover. Moon Knight naturally followed this tradition with a full look at his costume and an amazing design by Moon Knight veteran artist Bill Sienkiewicz. Now, Empire has released some of the artwork before he nailed the final look that was shared as the exclusive subscriber cover for the magazine.

    The first two are certainly quite a bit different from the design he ended on, but it highlights just how much detail has gone into bringing the live-action version to life. Most superhero adaptations tend to add details to the character designs, which were commonly minimized for the purpose of making the life of an artist on a project easier.

    It’s kind of a great design to see how well it translates to artwork even if it’s a bit of a departure from the character’s original design. We cannot wait to see what the character will look like in action, especially with the trailers teasing some great action and a suspenseful take on a self-discovery storyline for Steven Grant. No, wait I mean Marc Spector. Or was it something else? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Star Wars’ Veteran John Williams Returns to Compose ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Theme

    ‘Star Wars’ Veteran John Williams Returns to Compose ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Theme

    It looks like it is official, as after quite a few rumors hinted at the iconic Star Wars composer John Williams would make his return to the classic universe. It seems they were right as Variety has confirmed his return and that he’ll be creating the theme for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It’s fitting, as he was involved with the original prequel trilogy that defined Ewan McGregor‘s take on the character, and it’s been two years since he completed work on the ninth film of the franchise.

    He has supposedly recorded it last week with the Los Angeles orchestra. It’s noteworthy that he is willing to tackle this project, as it is his first TV project since 1985’s Amazing Stories. and the NBC Olympics theme. The composer won an Oscar for his work on 1977 original and has been nominated for its five sequels over the years. He also was heavily involved with the theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story and Disneyland’s Galaxy Edge theme park. He even won a Grammy for the latter.

    The composer just turned 90 a few days ago and continues to work to this day. It’s an admirable dedication to his craft, as he composed Steven Spielberg’s next film The Fabermans, and is involved with the fifth Indiana Jones. His inclusion in Obi-Wan Kenobi also adds that extra touch as this series is a bridge between the prequels and A New Hope, for which he created a theme for Alec Guinness time with the character. So, it’ll be exciting to hear what he has in store for us.

    Source: Variety

  • New ‘Moon Knight’ Stills Provide First Look at May Calamawy’s Layla

    New ‘Moon Knight’ Stills Provide First Look at May Calamawy’s Layla

    Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight has consistently generated buzz over the past few weeks since the first look at the show was released. So far, the footage has mainly focused on Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant as he struggles to make sense out of some disturbing events, most of which he can’t be sure are real. Beyond that, outside of a few glimpses of Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow, the rest of the cast hasn’t been revealed.

    Now, thanks to still believed to be from Empire’s coverage of the series, fans have their first look at May Calamawy’s mysterious character, Layla. A couple of the images would seem to be from flashbacks that show Oscar Issac’s Marc Spector working with Calamawy’s character in Egypt. Of course, it’s possible that these are also stills showing them revisiting Egypt later in the series, but given the gear worn by both characters, I’m inclined it’s the former scenario and takes place before Spector is killed and revived by Khonshu.

    Little is known about Calamawy’s Layla, though it’s possible, given the fact that Marvel Studios seems to be reinventing minor characters for this series (like Hawke’s Harrow), that her character is a reworked Leila O’Toole, an archeologist and Egyptologist who while in Egypt studying the ruins, became a member of the Cult of the Living Pharaoh. The photos certainly seem to support her having some interest in exploring whatever dig Spector is part of and while it’s unlikely she’ll be a direct adaptation of the character (she’s probably not a mutant in the show), we still don’t know anything at all about her role in the series.

    Source: Reddit

  • Howard the Duck May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    Howard the Duck May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    Despite its imminent release, not much is actually known about Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk. With the titular hero’s role as a superhuman lawyer and a lack of concrete information, it seems the Disney+ release could see any number of infamous Marvel characters grace the small screen. Now, a foreign publication is hinting that one of the more interesting potential surprise appearances on the show could be fan-favorite miscreant Howard the Duck.

    A Twitter user was able to spot a blurb in the March/April issue of the French Scrooge McDuck magazine which teases the inclusion of Howard in She-Hulk. Normally, something like this could be written off as a publisher’s mistake, but this is a magazine that must be approved by Disney directly before they are allowed to publish anything.

    Here’s a rough translation from the segment teasing his appearance:

    In any case, the She-Hulk series which lands this year on Disney+ could hold some “what the duck” surprises! This should delight lovers of this turbulent duck, determined to do as he pleases.

    Of all the places for Howard to end up in the MCU, She-Hulk isn’t actually that far of a stretch. After all, Jennifer Walters will be dealing with the legal aspects of the Marvel Universe, and Howard does have a history working as a private investigator. The series is also confirmed to be a comedy, which matches what we’ve seen from Howard in his short cameos on What If…? and the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Seth Green, the man behind the duck, also recently confirmed to Murphy’s Multiverse that he was open to playing the character again in the near future. Perhaps the voice actor knew something he wasn’t allowed to talk about yet, but only time will tell for certain.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Finale Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Viewership

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Finale Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Viewership

    The numbers are in and it looks like eh final episode of The Book of Boba Fett may have beat out its predecessor’s final numbers. Deadline has just shared the first analysis from Samb TV – Disney+ still refuses to release its numbers – that reveals the final episode was watched by 1.5M U.S. households from Wednesday to Sunday. That is 36% higher than the 5-day total from The Mandalorian‘s Season 2.

    Robert Rodriguez‘ directed the episode “In the Name of Honor” was not far from its pilot episode, which opened with 1.7M over the course of five days. It’s pretty in line with what other series have faced, such as Hawkeye dropping from 1.5M in its premiere to 1.3M in its finale. It’s actually quite a stronghold for viewership numbers that may be a benefit from its low episode number. Though the last Marvel show also opened with two episodes, it seems this has been Disney+’s usual trend.

    We still have to keep in mind that this is a 3rd party analysis and doesn’t reflect the exact performance of these series but offers an estimate based on their internal panel. To this day, Loki still holds the best performance on the platform with 1.9M viewers for its finale after also getting the biggest season premiere at 2.5M. Moon Knight recently has been outpacing most Marvel Studios series and could be the next contender for the top spot if it keeps it up until its release on March 30th.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Khonshu Voice Actor Revealed

    ‘Moon Knight’ Khonshu Voice Actor Revealed

    Oscar Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham has been revealed as part of the cast of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight. Abraham, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 1984’s Amadeus, will voice the Egyptian Moon god Khonshu over the course of the series. Abraham has done some voice work recently, working on The Isle of Dogs and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. This will be his first turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    In the comics, Marc Spector is a mercenary who is betrayed and killed during a mission in Egypt only to be revived by Khonshu. Spector goes on to serve as the avatar of Khonshu known as Moon Knight. Typically, Spector’s conversations with Khonshu aren’t observable by anyone else, casting further doubt on the hero’s grasp of sanity as it seems to be just another voice in his head.

    The trailer and TV spot for the series have hinted heavily that Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow may be serving the will of another Egyptian god in the show, giving him an interesting connection to the lead character. The show’s synopsis teases a “deadly mystery” pertaining to the Egyptian gods, so the giant bird-like Khonshu might not be the craziest thing fans see in the show.

    When Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life, he discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.

    Moon Knight is set to begin streaming on Disney Plus on March 30th.

    Source: Disney Media

  • Oscar Isaac on the Challenges of ‘Moon Knight’

    Oscar Isaac on the Challenges of ‘Moon Knight’

    Marvel Studios Moon Knight has captured the attention and imagination of fans, many of whom aren’t entirely familiar with the character’s struggles with dissociative identity disorder. The character, first introduced in 1975, has evolved over the years into one or Marvel Comics most complex heroes and, according to star Oscar Isaac, who will bring the character to life in the upcoming streaming series, it was that taking on the challenge of that complexity that attracted him to the role.

    What I love most about this thing is that it’s an exploration of a mind that doesn’t know itself. A human being that doesn’t know his own brain. I found that really moving: what the mind is capable of as far as survival. But the workload was massive: the technical challenge of embodying these different characters, physically, the way I manifest my body… It required a lot of energy.

    So far, through a trailer and the Super Bowl TV spot, we’ve seen Isacc inhabit the role of Steven Grant most of the time, with only a quick mention of the character’s original identity, Marc Spector. The series, however, promises to see “Grant” unravel the mystery of his true identity in what Isaac called “the first legitimate Marvel character-study since Iron Man“, and the many twists and turns that it’ll take along the way are sure to keep fans engaged from week to week. While the character has existed for more than 40 years in the comics, it seems as though Marvel Studios has created a rather original take on the character, meaning that even long-time comic readers may find themselves guessing, which seems to be exactly what Isaac hoped for because, as he said himself, he saw it as a chance to do “something really fucking nutty on a major stage” and there is no stage more major than the MCU at the moment.

    Moon Knight – exclusive
    Source: Empire Magazine

    Marvel Studios Moon Knight will debut on Disney Plus on March 30th.

    Source: Empire

  • Disney+ Adds New ‘Moon Knight’ Visual to Disney+ Alongside TV-14 Rating

    Disney+ Adds New ‘Moon Knight’ Visual to Disney+ Alongside TV-14 Rating

    Just recently, we’ve heard from Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige that Moon Knight will be quite a bit different from what came before on Disney+. The family-friendly platform may mature with this new project, as it was promised to be “brutal” and a game-changer fo the tonal shift the MCU has been holding up to this day. In a way, it could be close to what the Netflix shows offered, which coincidentally are also leaving the platform. Yet, it seems that the series got the same rating as the other Disney+ series with people noticing a TV-14 rating on Disney+ alongside a great-looking new visual of Moon Knight’s crescent moon.

    As the Direct points out, this rating has been shared by every other MCU series on the platform, but that doesn’t mean it might still embrace darker elements. Curious enough, while European shows usually share the same rating, the series is currently still at an age restriction of 12 in the German/Austrian account.

    It’ll likely get updated later on, but the description with “Mild-mannered Steven Grant has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with a mercenary” is a really curious addition. In a way, it’s trying to make us think that Grant is the dominant personality and not Marc Spector, like in the comics. So, perhaps the take on the character might be quite a bit different, especially with Mr. Knight appearing in the character’s premier series. There’s still a good chance we get a new teaser in today’s Super Bowl and the success of this series might push Disney+ to overall accept more adult content moving forward, which is still holding it back.

    Source: Disney+ via Twitter, The Direct