Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Disney Plus

  • Marvel Studios Rolls Out Paranoia Propaganda Warning of a ‘Secret Invasion’

    Marvel Studios Rolls Out Paranoia Propaganda Warning of a ‘Secret Invasion’

    Marvel Studios first streaming project of 2023, Secret Invasion, will see Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury racing against the clock against an enemy who could be anyone at any time. Adapted from the 2008 comic book event of the same name, Marvel Studios version will feature less super hero splash and more spy games while still asking the same question Brian Michael Bendis posed in the comics:Who Do You Trust?

    With Secret Invasion now set for a June 21st streaming debut, marketing got the series is unser and some great new promotional material has made its way online through a couple of Twitter accounts. The first group of material seems to indicate that at some point during th series, the general public will become aware of the Skrull invasion. Given it’s been reported that Christopher McDonald will portray a Tucker Carlson-esque talking head in the series, these seem like the type of paranoia propaganda he might use to spread an agenda of fear and distrust. “They can be anybody” can cause a helluva movement.

    The next set of promo art, featuring Jackson’s Fury, Don Cheadle‘s James Rhodes, Martin Freeman‘s Everett Ross, Olivia Colman‘s Sonya Falsworth and Emilia Clarke‘s Skrull spy, G’iah, uses that classic comic event tagline, “Who Do You Trust?” to target the audience as the show approaches. It’s likely that even in the trailers Marvel Studios has already begun misleading the audience into deciding who is who and on which side. Expect plenty of surprises to be in store as the show progresses.

    Sources: MCU Facility, Nacao Marvel

  • First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    It’s strange to think that Wonder Man has seemingly started production but Marvel has yet to give it an announcement or tease officially. We’ve heard it from various official outlets but Marvel is surprisingly silent about this new series that likely introduce a major player with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams. Plus, it’s a series set in Hollywood, which makes it potentially the most meta entry in the franchise.

    Marvel may not be saying anything just yet, but luckily some set photos give us a glimpse at the show in a familiar face. We first heard that Ben Kingsley would return as Trevor Slattery back in August. So, it’s crazy to see him back on set in the role rocking a rather familiar hairstyle. We last saw him in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which followed up on the short All Hail the King.

    We still know very little about what the series will be about or how it’ll explore Wonder Man’s story from Hollywood star to unlikely superhero. There’s also the question of how Slattery ends up back in Hollywood, but perhaps the actor being abducted from prison after being arrested for portraying a terrorist would get any producer’s attention. So, perhaps he is there to pitch his life story as a film to one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, who is hiding his true abilities.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct

  • REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    REVIEW: The Mandos Could Have Used Admiral Ackbar in Chapter 23 of ‘The Mandalorian’

    I saw it coming. You saw it coming. We all saw it coming. Everyone saw it coming except for Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the dozen or so other Mandos who walked right into Moff Gideon’s trap. Things were going far too well for the Mandalorians in their quest to reclaim Mandalore and in a galaxy where peace is not an acceptable status quo, things were bound to take a turn for the worse. After several episodes established Din, Bo-Katan and Grogu as a functional unit at the center of the Mandalorian Renaissance, Chapter 23, The Spies, saw it all taken away from them at the hands of Gideon, calling into question if Mandalore might not just be cursed after all.

    While Gideon’s return was already advertised, the live-action debut of the Shadow Council–a group of Imperial loyalists working behind the scenes to ensure the return to power of the Empire–serves as an interesting parallel to the work being done by the Mandalorians. Just as Bo-Katan, Din Djarin and the Armorer seek to round up and reunite Mandalorians from across the galaxy, Gideon seeks to amass the resources of the Imperial remnants from across the galaxy to stop them. Having Gideon launch his plan–and his trap–from the depths of Mandalore, indeed from the heart of their once great civilization, just adds another notch on the belt of this wonderful bastard.

    Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal, top right) and Paz Vizsla (Tait Fletcher, foreground right) in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    The fallout from the events of this episode promises to be nothing short of transformational for the next arc of the series. Bo-Katan–whose desire to lead again had to be stirred extrinsically–has now led her newly formed army into a trap that cost her the life of Paz Vizsla and steadying influence of Din Djarin. How those losses will impact her next move and how an increasingly independent Grogu will respond to the capture of his father are major questions that will define not only Chapter 24, the Season 3 finale, but also next season and, ultimately, the Mandalorian-centric film set to be directed by Dave Filoni.

    While the finale of the episode feels like the beginning of a slow march to the creation of the First Order, their canonical birth is still 5 or so years away and, so far as we know, Gideon is not a part of their sequel trilogy story. So, as parallel as their paths may seem at the moment, Bo-Katan and Gideon are certain to come together again. Will that be the time that Bo-Katan’s song is finally written? As Din Djarin said, Bo-Katan is defined by honor, loyalty and character–all things Gideon knows nothing about. While their goals may seem superficially similar, Bo-Katan’s quest to reclaim Mandalore is done selflessly for the good of her people while Gideon looks to amass the resources of the Empire for his own selfish ends. While the Shadow Council was swayed to play along for now, it’s safe to say that while Thrawn may see value in eliminating the Mandalorians, Gideon won’t find him so easy to manipulate. As things move towards their inevitable end and Bo-Katan and Gideon are positioned against one another, this episode will be noteworthy for its subtle conveyance of the idea that while Gideon seems to have the upper hand, he rules from a throne of fear and manipulation while Bo-Katan has grown from her mistakes and seeks not to lead but is called to it. Short of the Darksaber, which has slowly lost its meaning, Gideon now has everything Bo-Katan, Grogu and The Mandalorians desire. Has that put him in a good place or a very bad place? Place your bets and let’s see what surprises are in store for the season finale!

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Brings the Star Wars Deep State to Live-Action

    Chapter 22 of The Mandalorian saw Bo-Katan reclaim her fleet, take possession of the Darksaber and become the chosen one to lead the Mandalorian Renaissance. It was all too easy. Chapter 23, The Spies, brought all the good Mandalorian mojo to a quick halt. While fans expected the episode to feature the return of Mandalorian archnemesis Moff Gideon, the episode also contained a delightful surprise that portends continuing bad news for the heroes of the story.

    The opening moments of The Spies not only quickly added Gideon back into the mix but also introduced a group of high-ranking Imperial loyalists known as the Shadow Council. The Shadow Council made its first canonical appearance in Chuck Wendig‘s 2017 novel Aftermath: Life Debt where, led by Admiral Gallius Rax, they planned to overthrow the New Republic. The machinations of the Shadow Council, which consisted of Rax, Rae Sloane, Brendol Hux, Ferric Obdur, Grand Moff Rand and Hodnar Borrum, were thought to be thwarted with their defeat at the Battle of Jokku, however, as seen in Chapter 23 of The Mandalorian, it has been reformed.

    While the identities of every member of the Shadow Council weren’t revealed, their goals–by in large–remain the same: reestablish the Empire. Two members of the council, Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Number 2, Gilad Pellaeon, and soon-to-be First Order General Brendol Hux, who is heading the mysterious Project Necromancer, seem to be allotted a disproportionate amount of the resources available the Imperial loyalists as they work. As seen in The Spies, however, Gideon is less than impressed with his fellow council members, who seem content to wait for the return of the Heir to the Empire, Thrawn.

    Gideon’s speech in the opening moments of Chapter 23 certainly stirred the Shadow Council to action as the agreed to move on the accumulating Mandalorians before they were able to rise to their full strength and offer a much more real threat to the reemergence of the Empire. Given what’s known about the future of the Star Wars universe, Hux’s work on Project Necromancer, likely being done in the Unknown Regions, will lead to the creation of Snoke, a reborn Emperor and the rise of the First Order. However, with Thrawn set to make his return in Ahsoka and the future of Gideon’s feud with the Mandalorians yet to be written, there are certainly some tense moments ahead for the beskar warriors.

  • SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    SWCE: Lucasfilm Reveals the End of ‘The Bad Batch’

    After a bit of a slow start to its sophomore season, The Bad Batch picked up the pace and delivered several consistently wonderful episodes in the back half. That culminated in a heart-breaking finale that saw Omega separated from the group as they try to overcome the apparent loss of Tech.

    The cliffhanger came with the promise of at least one more season’s worth of stories for Clone Force 99 and now we know that’s all we’ll get. During Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was announced that Season 3 of The Bad Batch will be the final one for the animated series.

    Updating…

  • ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Seems to Confirm Rumored Delay

    ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Seems to Confirm Rumored Delay

    As word began to circulate that Marvel Studios 2023 streaming slate might see some reshuffling following the return of Bob Iger, one series that seemed a safe bet to remain in 2023 was X-Men ’97. The revival of the beloved X-Men: The Animated Series, X-Men ’97 was set to kick off its rumored four-season run in the Fall of 2023. Now it seems as though that will not be the case.

    Following a rumor about the show being delayed until 2024 was shared on Twitter by CanWeGetSomeToast, showrunner Beau DeMayo took to social media to tell ask fans who are anxiously awaiting the show to “just be patient.” Though DeMayo said he could “neither confirm nor deny” the rumors of the show’s delay, the information is consistent with word that reached us as well.

    https://twitter.com/beau_demayo/status/1644418268403499009?s=20

    Despite the friends of humanity still having their mullets and getting all up in it, things are really starting to look up for mutants. And this is gonna kind of come to a head and leads our X-Men to say, ‘What does our future hold for us? We weren’t expecting this.

    Beau DeMayo on X-Men ’97

    As with many of the projects that are currently facing delays of varying lengths, the extra time to nail things down should ultimately be worth the wait for fans. The new series is set to pick up right where Season 5 of X-Men: The Animated Series left off. According to DeMayo, X-Men ’97 begins “several months after Professor X left Earth after being shot by Henry Gyrich and had to return to the Shi’ar homeworld to be with Lilandra.” The mutant superteam will also be going up against a familiar foe in Mister Sinister, according to an official synopsis of the series. So it sounds like there are plenty of great things in store for fans whenever the show finally makes its way to Disney Plus.

  • SWCE: Currently No Plans for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Season 2

    SWCE: Currently No Plans for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Season 2

    Obi-Wan Kenobi was a unique entry in Star Wars’ Disney+ saga, as it moved away from the show that kicked off the long-form storytelling era of Lucasfilm, but also refocused on a major character from the original Prequel trilogy. Ewan McGregor returned to the role and explored what happened to the former Jedi Master after the Empire started emerging from the ashes of his own failures.

    In an interview with Kathleen Kennedy, the CEO of Lucasfilm, she revealed that while McGregor is quite eager to do another season of Obi-Wan Kenobi, they currently have no real plans to move forward. It was originally imagined as a limited series by showrunner Deborah Chow, there’s also no necessity to move forward as the initial story was wrapped up in the original vision of the series.

    That is not an active development. But I never say never, because there’s always the possibility. That show was so well-received and [director] Deborah Chow did such a spectacular job. Ewan McGregor really wants to do another. Everybody’s all hands on deck with what we’re doing right now, as you can see by what we showed everybody [at the Celebration]. We’ll turn our attention to that again maybe down the road.

    Kathleen Kennedy

    It’s definitely interesting that they are keeping the door open to potentially explore more within this corner of the galaxy, but it does seem like there’s no real necessity. The quiet reunion between the padawan and his former master adds a nice little bow to Kenobi’s story that pushes him forward even with the uncertainty of the future. It would be exciting to know what he was up to after protecting the Skywalkers but perhaps it’s best to leave that to our imagination.

    Source: Variety

  • Tales of the Empire

    Tales of the Empire

    Premiere: May 4, 2024

    In April 2023, a second season of the animated streaming series, Tales of the Jedi, was revealed as part of Star Wars Celebration. According to Dave Filoni, the series “was so fun the first time, I decided to do some more.“

    The first season of the canonical animated series was set during the Fall of the Jedi era and was focused on the personal histories of Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano.

    As revealed in the first trailer for the series, the second season of “Tales” will be called Tales of the Empire. The new season will tell all-new stories about Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee.

    Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is a six-episode journey into the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two warriors on divergent paths, set during different eras. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy. The choices they make will define their destinies.

    Official Synopsis for Tales of the Empire

    Cast

    • Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth
    • Meredith Salenger as Barriss Offee
    • Rya Kihlstedt as Lyn, aka Fourth Sister
    • Wing T. Chao as Wing
    • Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn
    • Jason Isaacs as Grand Inquisitor
    • Matthew Wood as General Grievous
  • SWCE: ‘Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels’ Composer Kevin Kiner to Score ‘Ahsoka’

    SWCE: ‘Clone Wars’ and ‘Rebels’ Composer Kevin Kiner to Score ‘Ahsoka’

    Since 2008, composer Kevin Kiner has created the musical scores for nearly all of Star Wars animated projects. A veteran of The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch and Tales of the Jedi, Kiner’s original works have accompanied many of the franchise’s most beloved characters as they have made their way through the galaxy far, far away. It’s only fitting, then, that Kiner make the jump from animation to live-action with the crew of the Ghost in the upcoming streaming series Ahsoka.

    As part of the Ahsoka panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was announced that Kiner did indeed create the musical score for Ahsoka, which streams this August. An argument could be made that outside of creator Dave Filoni, Kiner may know Ahsoka Tano the best, having created her theme and scoring over 200 episodes of shows in which she was often one of the main characters, including the recent Tales of the Jedi which told the origins of the character.

    Ahsoka will begin streaming on Disney Plus in August.

  • SWCE: Lucasilm Reveals the Directing Team Behind ‘Ahsoka’

    SWCE: Lucasilm Reveals the Directing Team Behind ‘Ahsoka’

    After being part of the Lucasfilm Showcase Panel on the opening day of Star Wars Celebration 2023, the upcoming Star Wars streaming series Ahsoka had its own panel on day two. While the panel included a good deal of information about the talent in front of the camera in Ahsoka, creator Dave Filoni also took the opportunity to unveil the talented team of directors behind it.

    As has been the case with all of Lucasfilm’s live-action Star Wars series, Ahsoka was a team effort…and it was quite a team. To no one’s surprise, Filoni directed at least one episode of the series along with Rick Famuyiwa, who has become a key member of the Mando-verse creative team. Joining them were Jennifer Getzinger, Steph Green, Geeta Patel and Peter Ramsey.

    While Getzinger is new to Star Wars, her resume includes over a half dozen high-profile series. Having directed Mad Men (10 episodes), Agent Carter (2 episodes), Daredevil (1 episode), Outlander (4 episodes), Jessica Jones (3 episodes) and Westworld (2 episodes), Getzinger has a nice mix of drama and action in her background that should serve her well on Ahsoka.

    After helming one episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Oscar and Primetime Emmy Award nominee Steph Green is back for her second Star Wars project. Green has directed episodes of The Americans, Luke Cage and HBO’s Watchmen, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special.

    Geeta Patel, who directed one episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse director Peter Ramsey, who helmed Chapter 21 of The Mandalorian, The Pirate, round out the impressive team of directors on Ahsoka.

    Ahsoka will stream on Disney Plus this August!