Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Chapter 13’s Runtime Might be Shorter Than Expected

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Chapter 13’s Runtime Might be Shorter Than Expected

    The expectations surrounding Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian are probably as high as they’ve ever been after Ahsoka Tano got name-dropped in Chapter 11. The latest episode’s cliffhanger just added to the suspense. This hype all started before season 2 even premiered, when we learned that Dave Filoni would be directing the 13th installment of the Disney+ hit series. Considering the Ahsoka rumors had been building up for quite a while, it became rather obvious that everyone’s favorite Togruta would be making her live-action debut on November 27, 2020.

    As if we needed even more confirmation, a recent leak that had this week’s episode titled “The Jedi” made it clear that Din Djarin and he Child won’t have to embark on another sidequest before reaching Corvus, which Bo-Katan mentioned. Around the same time, reports came out stating that the episode’s runtime would be close to an hour, making it the longest one yet. But we are now hearing, through the FSK (the german Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry) that the runtime of Chapter 13 will be closer to 45 minutes (similar to the season one finale’s 46 minutes), with Chapter 14 clocking in at a mere 32 minutes.

    The incredible episode that introduced Bo-Katan was just 31 minutes, so we shouldn’t be too concerned as The Mandalorian has managed to deliver even in the episodes with the shortest of runtimes. Luckily, the wait won’t be long anymore as the episode will finally air this Friday. It will be interesting to see our first live-action adaptation of the iconic character, especially after they translated Bo-Katan so well from one medium into another.

    Source: FSK

  • Naomi Scott Could Be Joining the Star Wars’ ‘KENOBI’ Series

    Naomi Scott Could Be Joining the Star Wars’ ‘KENOBI’ Series

    After the resounding success of The Mandalorian, Disney is ramping up the other live-action Star Wars shows already announced. Diego Luna is already in London getting ready for the unnamed Cassian Andor series, and now the yet-untitled Obi-Wan series is looking for a co-lead to star beside Ewan McGregor. In a recent report by The Illuminerdi, they stated that three actresses are going to enter the second round of the casting process. They are looking to cast a character that’s “A female BIPOC whose character details are being kept under wraps” mostly due to how a more specific description might be a bit too spoilery.

    The three actresses are Thuso Mbedu (Shuga), Anula Navlekar (What the Folks), and the more high profile Naomi Scott who recently worked with Disney in the Aladdin live-action remake. Some might also recognize her as the Kimberly Hart in the 2017 Power Rangers film. 

    The same report affirms that there are three other roles currently being cast, who are supporting characters with ages ranging from the late 20s to early 40s. With the number of characters from other Star Wars properties that The Mandalorian has been bringing into the spotlight, it’s perhaps likely that Lucasfilm will continue to do the same with both the Cassian and Kenobi series. Yet, at the same time, it would be unlikely any of them become series regulars, as their status might ask for something more substantial down the line, keeping them as more of a sort of connecting tissues between different projects for the time being. So expect these three roles to be for new characters, similar to Greef Karga and Cara Dune in The Mandalorian.

    For more details about this and other Star Wars projects, be sure to check out our feature What to Expect from the Star Wars Universe and When to Expect it.

  • Disney Preparing for Disney+ Star Announcement

    Disney Preparing for Disney+ Star Announcement

    A while back, we got the news that Disney was looking into expanding into European territories with a brand new brand. In their acquisition of Fox, they also gained the brand Hotstar, which is an Indian streaming service. Instead of having to establish Hulu outside of the U.S., they seemed to decide to use an existing streaming service branding to offer content for 18+ audiences. Disney+’s biggest issue is that it is purely restricted to PG-13 as it has a family-friendly focus. You can actually check their official site hotstar.com which confirms that they are expanding into Europe.

    This expansion was teased by CEO Bob Chapek a while back, but it was uncertain if Hotstar would just be known as “Star” and act as an independent streaming service. Yet, the question got answered once Disney+ Hotstar became the new branding for the original service. We were waiting for some announcement as most hints pointed to the upcoming Investor’s Day event being their target. Well, it looks like they are already preparing for the upcoming event. They have already set-up their Social Media accounts, our very own John Sabato found it on Instagram.

     

     

    It is great to see this story finally pan out. We first heard the news of this development back in August. We put together some of the pieces of the puzzle, as Disney+ was implementing a PIN code of some kind. This development also confirms that Star will potentially replace Hulu in non-US territories. The only question remains if this is a unique streaming service or something you can access as someone who owns Disney+. There is still a good chance they are just preparing everything for Investor’s Day, so we won’t have an official word until then. It’ll be really interesting to see what this means for the streaming service’s future. It has seen exponential growth with 73 million subscribers, which is beyond their early estimates. Once they add a new layer of content for older audiences, they might see another push. It will all depend on how exactly they market it, and if you have to pay extra to access it.

    Source: Hotstar, The Verge, TechCrunch

  • ‘SHE-HULK’, ‘MOON KNIGHT’ Targeting March 2021 Starts

    ‘SHE-HULK’, ‘MOON KNIGHT’ Targeting March 2021 Starts

    Kevin Feige and his creative team at Marvel Studios have made a priority of developing and producing high-quality content for Disney Plus. As we inch near FINALLY being able to see the first fruits of their labor when WandaVision streams in January, work has been completed on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, continues on with Loki, has begun on Ms. Marvel and is going to kick off on Hawkeye “after Thanksgiving.” With things seemingly on cruise control with that group, the studio has turned its attention to the final two series from the streaming services first Marvel Studios wave: She-Hulk and Moon Knight. Having landed their leads in Tatiana Maslany and Oscar Issac, the projects are now casting for supporting roles and, according to a new trade report, will kick off production in March of 2021.

    Everything We Know About Marvel's She-Hulk Disney+ Series << Rotten Tomatoes – Movie and TV News

    She-Hulk will introduce Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner, to the MCU. The studio is currently casting a handful of strong supporting roles for the series which will be comedy heavy and follow Walters’ as she navigates the world of superhero law while also partaking in some superheroing of her own.

    She-Hulk looks set for a lengthy production window. Originally planned to shoot for 8 months from August 2020-March 2021, it could now be looking at being in production in Atlanta for more than half of 2021 should they follow that same schedule when it kicks off production in late March.

    Marvel has found its Moon Knight

    While She-Hulk is being billed as a comedy, Moon Knight looks set to tackle some more serious issues, including the mental health of its lead, Marc Spector, and his multiple personalities. Imbued with powers by the Egyptian god Khonshu, the former mercenary becomes a street-level vigilante.

    Using London as its production HQ, Moon Knight will film in multiple European locations, including Budapest. Marvel Studios projects such as Black Widow and Eternals have followed similar production plans in the past.

    With these two projects now headed towards production, the studio has turned its attention to the next wave of streaming series. Kyle Bradstreet is currently writing a Samuel L. Jackson-led Nick Fury-centric series and I’ve heard that the studio has begun work on 2-3 other projects with Ironheart being mentioned by multiple sources. While we don’t have a lot of data points, it looks like the studio is pairing up projects when possible, so we could expect to hear about the partner series to Nick Fury before too long as the studio will want those up and running for production in mid-2021.

  • Empire Reveals New ‘WandaVision’ Covers

    Empire Reveals New ‘WandaVision’ Covers

    We still have about two months to go until WandaVision is finally released. Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series will focus on the suburban life of Wanda and Vision. We still know very little about what would turn the small town of Westview into a gateway to an alternative dimension. Whatever may be the reason, it will be quite interesting to see Marvel Studios play around with classic sitcom clichés as both slowly unravel what is happening around them. Now that the series has a premiere date, it means that Marvel and Disney can start promoting the show more. Empire has an exclusive story coming for the show and shared it with two amazing looking covers.

    I really have to say that the cover by Max Löffler looks amazing. It also may be quite a big tease for what we can expect in the story. Vision was killed by Thanos and was just an empty husk. Now, she is trying to piece him back together so he can be brought back to life. Her action has unleashed chaos upon the small suburban area, which could be the cause of some external forces playing with her abilities for personal gain. Our very own Edward Rose created a theory around the latest teaser, which you can check out right here. We are so close to finally seeing something MCU related, especially now that Black Widow was delayed by an entire year. This Disney+ show will start a brand new era for the franchise, so we will see just how crazy the show truly will go once the strange couple is stuck in a crazy alternative dimension.

    Source: Twitter

  • Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: The Empire Reigns on in ‘The Mandalorian’

    Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: The Empire Reigns on in ‘The Mandalorian’

    Return of the Jedi ended with the end of the Empire. Luke Skywalker defeated the Emperor and ended their conquest to own the entire galaxy. In its place, a new Republic would take over. Years later, a new Empire known as the First Order would rise from the ashes to once again seek dominance over a galaxy far far away. We all wondered how it could be that the moment we returned to the Star Wars franchise in 2015 that nothing has seemed to change. Dave Filoni did tease that this season of The Mandalorian would explore that very origin. Well, the latest episode continues to showcase the Empire’s thrive in a world after two Death Stars were blown up. Now the question comes, when will we start the build-up to their transition into The Force Awakens‘ First Order.

     

    Here’s a spoiler warning. I will be talking about some major reveals in this episode, so only continue at your own risk.

     

    In the first season, it felt like the leftover of the Empire was trying to sustain its importance in the Outer Rim. Yet, at the end of the episode, we got introduced to Giancarlo Esposito‘s Moff Gideon. The intimidating Security Enforcer seemed to know more than he let on, which made him the perfect foil for our favorite Mandalorian. He is deadset on getting his hands on the Child, which he believes could be the asset to resurrect the entire Empire. Chapter 12 offers a closer look at what exactly they were planning once they got their hands on the poor 50-year-old kid. It seems that they are trying to recreate the abilities of the Force by injecting it into test subjects. The last shot of the episode showcases Gideon in a room filled with a new set of Troopers. Eagle-eyed fans of the franchise may notice that these are the Dark or Shadow Troopers that appeared in a 1995 game Star Wars: Dark Troopers.

     

     

    Well, how does this reveal connect to the Child? These Troopers are known for being able to use the Force in the comics. They want the kid’s blood to develop this new type of soldier that could change the tide in the war against the New Republic. In the game, it was a nearly indestructible type of battle droid. We saw test tubes filled with the poor people that got experimented on, who might’ve been the first test subjects before they got fused with droid technology. This series has been incredible in tying together elements from the Legends series, cartoons, and now video games. We didn’t see these types of Storm Troopers as part of the First Order, but it could be one of the reasons they rose back to power. We might get to see some ongoing upgrades to the existing armors that hint at how they end up with the design we see in Force Awakens. Maybe some Troopers get the infusion that would have later generations be force sensitive, which may be the event that leads to Finn breaking his programming later down the line. I would love to explore more of the Empire in a spin-off series, as there seem to be so many fractions across the galaxy we have yet to explore.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ CHAPTER 12: An Ode to Fan Inclusion

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ CHAPTER 12: An Ode to Fan Inclusion

    For over forty years, Star Wars has managed to capture the imagination of various generations and different types of fans. A few of us grew up with the Original Trilogy, while others with the prequels or the sequels. Some are just into the movies, while others are into their cartoons, novels, or comics. The result is that, since everybody seems to be looking for something different to get out of the franchise, there are very few facets of it, besides John William‘s scores, that are unanimously well-received by everybody.

     

     

    But ever since The Mandalorian premiered a little over a year ago, it seems to be succeeding in tapping into a bit of everyone’s favorite type of “Star Wars” while making it all seamlessly fit into the story it’s trying to tell. Besides the obvious callbacks to the movies and cartoons (and even to the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special with Din’s phase-pulse blaster), it has introduced relevant story elements and characters from many corners of the Star Wars universe, components integral to moving the plot forward. And so, every side of the fandom seems to have been able to find something in the show that makes them smile as if it was personally directed at them.

    Season 2 has been prolific in this regard. After Cobb Vanth (a character from the novels) and Boba Fett (from the OT), we got Bo-Katan, and an Ahsoka name-drop (both from The Clone Wars and Rebels), as well as the beginnings of what is sure to become the sequel trilogy’s First Order in Moff Giddeon’s army/fleet. And Chapter 12 is a sort of microcosm of all of this, as in less than forty minutes, it manages to bring together several periods of Star Wars history.

     

     

    We get Return of the Jedi with the Scout Troopers on their speeder bikes. We see The Last Jedi‘s DJ with the reference to “slicing” when at the Imperial research base (or is there an even bigger reference to the Sequel Trilogy and that’s an early version of Snoke in the tanks?). And then we get something that is sure to take the show to new heights as it references the Phantom Menace when Doctor Pershing mentions “M-count” which is an obvious reference to… Midi-chlorians. It builds on Chapter 3 when Din Djarin rescues Baby Yoda (who we knew to be force-sensitive) from a laboratory. This small mention is a confirmation that the show is bringing back one of the most controversial aspects of the Prequel Trilogy in what can only be described as one of the most monumental choices made in the shows’ entire run. Nonetheless, it’s a choice that validates that specific Prequel Trilogy side of the fandom, making everyone feel embraced. The Mandalorian has evolved into a show that welcomes new fans by being a great starting point into the Star Wars Universe but also pays tribute to what came before. It delivers on the magic and quirkiness of the original movies, it made everyone fall in love with Baby Yoda and even managed to unite three generations of fans under a single banner: their love of Star Wars.

  • Tentative ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 13 Title Hints at Ahsoka’s Appearance

    Tentative ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 13 Title Hints at Ahsoka’s Appearance

    Ever since it became known that Dave Filoni would be directing Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian, the idea that this would mark Ahsoka Tano’s live-action introduction established itself as an almost certainty. We’ve all been anxiously waiting for her appearance on the show. Bo-Katan’s mention of her just made the wait even more difficult, as we never got an official announcement when we can expect her. Disney’s approach to marketing this weekly release has been surprisingly subtle with the episodes carrying the weight of what may be to come. Today, after the release of Chapter 12, the TV listings over at OSN.com gave us yet another hint that this should really be the case, as Chapter 13 seems to be titled “The Jedi”.

     

     

    One week from today we’ll all know for sure, but everything from the director to the storyline seems to be in place for the debut of everyone’s favorite Togruta on November 27. Ahsoka has become a staple of the Star Wars franchise ever since her debut on The Clone Wars. The last time we saw her was in Rebels, which took place before the original trilogy. It will be interesting to see her reaction to the Child. Din Djarin, our titular Mandalorian, also seems to have no knowledge of the Jedi Council that existed long before the Empire ruled the galaxy. Her addition could also hint at many more iconic characters from the extended franchise making an appearance, such as Rebels Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren. Hopefully, we only have to wait one more week until she finally makes her The Mandalorian debut and, just maybe, find out more about the Child’s origin.

    Source: OSN

  • Disney May Premiere Future Tentpole Films on Disney+

    Disney May Premiere Future Tentpole Films on Disney+

    The pandemic has hit the film industry in many ways. Film productions had to close down prematurely once the first lockdown hit. Cinemas across the world got shut down. Many production firms were considering moving their theatrical releases to streaming services. Universal was the first to test it only to get banned by AMC. They have reconciled since, but that was only the beginning. Now, as many countries entered their second lockdown, even Warner Bros has decided to move their last tentpole film of the year, Wonder Woman 1984, to their streaming service HBO Max alongside its theatrical release. Now, this move opened up the question if other studios would follow, especially Disney, who tested out a premium service with Mulan a few months ago.

    It looks like Disney has at least been considering putting the option on their table. According to Deadline, the mouse-led company is considering launching a variety of their tentpole films on their service. These films consist of Craig Gillespie’s Cruella, Robert Zemeckis‘ Pinocchio, and David Lowery‘s Peter Pan and Wendy. They haven’t decided yet if they will go down the route with Soul, which will release for free, or take the Premium Access route once again.

    Disney+ has seen a massive increase in subscribers over its first year. The addition of high-profile films could get people’s attention and increase that number. Yet, there is an important franchise missing from that list. It seems that they are hellbent, for now, to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe remain in cinemas. They might still be testing the profitability of such ventures before risking losing Box Office numbers off of their cash cow franchise. The upcoming release of WandaVision could also be a test to see how many subscribers join with the addition of MCU content to the platform. Whatever Disney ends up deciding, the cinema landscape will not be the same as it used to be.

    Source: IndieWire, The Atlantic, Deadline

  • Matt Lintz Cast as Bruno Carrelli in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Matt Lintz Cast as Bruno Carrelli in ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Today we were graced with our first look at Ms.Marvel, one of many Marvel Studios shows coming to Disney Plus. Ms.Marvel will follow Kamala Khan, played by newcomer Iman Vellani, as she comes into her own as a hero, inspired by the heroic feats of Captain Marvel. After acquiring fantastic abilities of elasticity, Kamala begins her journey to becoming one of the newest heroes of the MCU in a post-Endgame world.

    Today’s photos not only gave us our first look at Vellani as Kamala but also of actor Matt Lintz (The Walking Dead, The Alienist). Given the familiarity of these two in the photos, Lintz is quite obviously playing the role of Bruno Carrelli, friend and trusted confidant of Kamala Kahn. Carrelli, a humble employee of Circle Q, is one of the only people to know the secret of Kamala’s alter ego as well as possessing a genius-level IQ of 170, serving as an asset to Kamala while she’s out fighting crime.

    Ms.Marvel currently has no release date but is set to stream exclusively on the Disney Plus streaming service with episodes directed by Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Meera Menon.