Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Exclusive Reports

  • ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Director Christina Choe Set to Helm Margot Robbie’s ‘Pizza Girl’ (Exclusvie)

    ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Director Christina Choe Set to Helm Margot Robbie’s ‘Pizza Girl’ (Exclusvie)

    Christina Choe, who directed two episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale and two episodes the The Twilight Zone, is set to helm the feature film Pizza Girl, which is being produced by Margot Robbie. Though it was unclear at the time of publication, it is also believed that Robbie will hold down one of the film’s leads. Casting for the film is underway now ahead of a January start of production.

    Pizza Girl will tell the story of a young, expectant mother struggling to come to terms with a multitude of major changes in her life all happening in rapid succession. As her tenuous grip on reality continues to slip, Pizza Girl finds herself obsessed with an older woman who may be played by Robbie. Robbie recently revealed that her planned Pirates of the Caribbean film was no longer in development at Disney.

    Jean Kyoung Frazier, who has just one writing credit for Law & Order: Organized Crime, penned the script for Pizza Girl. Robbie’s husband, Tom Ackerly, will serve as a producer on the project alongside Amy Lo and Steven Rales, who also produced Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, an upcoming film starring Robbie.

  • Dave Bautista’s ‘My Spy 2’ Ready to Roll at Amazon Studios (Exclusive)

    Dave Bautista’s ‘My Spy 2’ Ready to Roll at Amazon Studios (Exclusive)

    Dave Bautista will reunite with co-star Chloe Coleman and writer/director Pete Segal for My Spy 2, a sequel to the surprise 2020 film. The film will be produced by Amazon Studios, which purchased the rights to My Spy in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters across the globe. After a couple of years in development, production is set to begin in February 2023 with shoots planned on location in South Africa and Italy.

    My Spy followed Bautista’s CIA operative JJ’s mission to track uncle of Coleman’s Sophie. Though the nine-year-old Sophie was much more than JJ bargained for, the pair formed a bond and an unlikely alliance. The film ended with JJ living with Sophie and her mother, Kate, played by Parisa Fitz-Henley. Jon and Erich Hoeber, who co-wrote the original film, penned the script for the sequel as well, which looks set to be released on Amazon Prime in late 2023 or early 2024.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Replacing an Iconic Character from the Animated Original

    EXCLUSIVE: Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’ Replacing an Iconic Character from the Animated Original

    Disney is all about live-action remakes these days and they’ve eyed pretty much any of their iconic animated films to get the treatment. Among them is the iconic Lilo and Stitch, which is set to be directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp based on a script from Chris Kekianiokalani Bright, which once again explores the story of a young girl named Lilo who ends up with a rather different kind of pet who she names Stitch. While the film will follow the story of the original, we can exclusively share a few details of two original characters being added to the story.

    The film is currently busy casting for the roles of Lilo, Nani, and David Kawena from the original animated film. There’s no word if they are actively looking for a voice actor for Stitch, or perhaps they might even see Chris Sanders return to the role. Yet, they are also actively casting two new roles for the film which are a character known as Tutu and Mrs. Kekoa. The former is described as someone who speaks with a local Pidgin accent and is the neighbor of the Pelekai sisters, Lilo and Nani.

    The surprising new addition is Mrs. Kekoa, as she seemingly will take on the role of Cobra Bubbles. It’s unclear if that character will still be featured in the film, but it seems that this new character is being cast as the social worker, who pays Nani a few visits to see if their living conditions are right for her to continue looking after Lilo. The addition of an alien pretending to be a dog won’t help matters much. Her inclusion does raise the question if Bubbles will be featured in the film at all, but it is possible they may be taking a different route.

    There have been a few rumblings hinting at Disney hoping to start production on it soon. DisInsider shared back in August that the film might be set as a Disney+ exclusive. This was highlighted by Discussing Film’s Jacob Fischer, who also hinted at a production start in February, which we can also confirm. They will be filming until the end of May 2023 in Hawaii, which will definitely make the project stand out and sticks to the aspects that made the original shine.

  • Amazon Studios to Develop Jeff Lemire’s ‘The World of Black Hammer’ into a Shared Cinematic Universe (Exclusive)

    Amazon Studios to Develop Jeff Lemire’s ‘The World of Black Hammer’ into a Shared Cinematic Universe (Exclusive)

    For more than a decade, Jeff Lemire has been one of the most talented and prolific writers in the comic book industry. Whether working on books such as Moon Knight or Animal Man for the Big 2 or creating a horror masterpiece in Gideon Falls for Image Comics, Lemire has proven himself a singular talent with a penchant for inspired and imaginative tales that can quickly capture an audience. In a time when comic book properties remain a key part of Hollywood’s present and future, Lemire has already seen one of his titles, Sweet Tooth, adapted as a Netflix streaming series, another, Descender, in development as a film at Sony, and a third, Gideon Falls, in development as a television series by James Wan’s Atomic Monster. And soon Lemire can add another one of his creations to the list of page-to-screen adaptations as Amazon Studios is developing what is arguably the creator’s finest work into a shared cinematic universe.

    Murphy’s Multiverse can exclusively report that Lemire and Amazon Studios have begun developing a shared cinematic universe based on The World of Black Hammer.

    The World of Black Hammer consists of over a half-dozen titles that spun out of the multiple Eisner Award-winning series Black Hammer, a creator-owned comic that Lemire launched in 2016 after nearly a decade of development. The core series centered on a group of heroes who found themselves trapped in the strange, rural town of Rockwood after saving the world from a character known as the Anti-God. Following the success of the original title, Lemire began creating multiple new titles and characters. Titles such as Sherlock Frankenstein and The Legion of Evil, The Unbelievable Unteens and Barbalien: Red Planet have come to make up the three phases of The World of Black Hammer, which Lemire intends to put a bow on in 2023.

    Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time The World of Black Hammer has been in development by a studio. Legendary Entertainment struck a similar deal in 2018 for which Lemire created a significant amount of work for the project. In a 2018 interview with SyFy Wire, Lemire explained his need to help oversee the transition from page to screen, saying, “I decided with Black Hammer, because it’s so personal and near and dear to my heart, if I was ever going to option and develop it, I had to be intimately involved. As far as that adaptation, I do have to be the one that is creatively steering that ship, like the comic.“

    It’s expected that Lemire will similarly oversee and potentially serve as an executive producer to oversee development on Amazon’s adaptation of his works, which we hear will include both films and series. With the deal only newly being struck, there’s no word yet on which project(s) will kick off the shared universe, much less when to expect a start of production.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Star Joins Tim Blake Nelson Film ‘Bang Bang’

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Star Joins Tim Blake Nelson Film ‘Bang Bang’

    Bang Bang is only getting bigger. The upcoming sports drama, which is set to star Tim Blake Nelson in the title role, has added five more performers to it’s roster. Daniella Pineda, perhaps best known for playing Faye Valentine in Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop, joins Tony Award winner Nina Arianda, Kevin Corrigan, Andrew Liner, and Will Janowitz as new additions to the film’s cast. The group will appear alongside Nelson and Glenn Plummer, who were exclusively revealed as being attached to the project by Murphy’s Multiverse in September.

    Bang Bang centers on former featherweight boxer Bernard ‘Bang Bang’ Rozyski, played by Nelson, as he attempts to settle a score with his old rival Darnell Washington, played by Plummer. When his grandson, Justin, comes to stay with him, Rozyski sees the boy as an opportunity to relive his glory days, complicating his family life and leading him down a path toward the ultimate rematch. Liner will play Justin, while Arianda portrays his mother, Jen. Pineda is set to bring Officer Flores to life, while Corrigan and Janowtiz portray men named John and Dylan, respectively. Janowitz, who once held a recurring role in HBO’s The Sopranos, also wrote the movie’s script.

    There is currently no release date for Bang Bang, which will be directed by Vincent Grashaw. However, it’s likely the project is aiming for a 2023 release. Production is scheduled to begin at the end of the month in Covington, Kentucky with Jesse Ozeri and Dane Eckerle on board as executive producers.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Tim Blake Nelson Set For Boxing Movie ‘Bang Bang’

    EXCLUSIVE: Tim Blake Nelson Set For Boxing Movie ‘Bang Bang’

    Welcome to the Tim Blake Nelsonaissance. The actor, who recently reentered the spotlight when Marvel Studios announced he’d be returning as The Leader for 2024’s Captain America: New World Order, has booked another starring film role. Nelson is attached to play the title character in the upcoming boxing flick Bang Bang, which is set to begin production at the end of October. The film revolves around Nelson‘s Bernard ‘Bang Bang’ Rozyski, a fictional former featherweight boxer who was once considered among the greatest punchers of his time. Bang Bang’s life escalates when his grandson comes to stay with him, and he sees the boy as a chance to relive his glory days and get back at his old boxing nemesis, Darnell Washington, played by Glenn Plummer.

    Bang Bang will be directed by Vincent Grashaw, who is best known for his work on films like What Josiah Saw and Coldwater. The filmmaker will direct from a script by Will Janowitz, an actor-turned-writer who previously held a recurring role on HBO’s hit series The Sopranos. Executive producers include Jesse Ozeri and Dane Eckerle, with Ran Namerode, Angelia Adzic, and Cole Payne also on board in a producing capacity. Bang Bang is only the latest project added to Nelson‘s busy schedule. The popular character actor can next be seen in Guillermo del Toro‘s stop-motion Pinocchio adaptation, before going on to star in the aforementioned fourth Captain America and Dexter Fletcher‘s action pic Ghosted, alongside Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Grace VanderWaal on Tackling the Leading Role in ‘Hollywood Stargirl’

    EXCLUSIVE: Grace VanderWaal on Tackling the Leading Role in ‘Hollywood Stargirl’

    Hollywood Stargirl is a special kind of sequel. While it continues the Disney+ film from 2020, which was only known as Stargirl, it takes a very different direction. In a world where adaptations tend to follow the books closely, director Julia Hart wanted to take the character in a very different direction. Instead of sticking to the small town of Arizona, Stargirl Caraway is heading to Hollywood.

    In an exclusive interview with Stargirl herself, Grace VanderWaal, I got the chance to ask her about taking on the leading role from Graham Verchere, who played Leo Borlock in the first film. She shared about what it was like taking on that responsibility and also prepared herself for taking on the bigger role going in.

    It was a lot of pressure because the first movie has a lot to do with Leo. The movie is called Stargirl but I feel like I wasn’t the main character. So, just personally, like professionally, I was preparing myself for that amount of work and being in every scene and all that. Just taking on that responsibility. But it was so fun, it didn’t feel like hard work.

    Grace VanderWall

    She also shared about what it was like finding out that they wouldn’t be following the books but rather taking a different direction. she also highlighted that to her it was “the right thing to do.”

    All I know is that I wasn’t really surprised when I was told what it was going to be different from the books. I don’t know what I expected but It felt right, it felt like the right move when I heard about it. I don’t know why, but that makes like perfect sense, that was the right thing to do.

    Grace VanderWall

    It definitely takes the story in an interesting new direction and offers something unique to those that followed Stargirl’s story in Jerry Spinelli‘s novel, Love, Stargirl. VanderWaal is joined by a new cast consisting of Elijah Richardson, Judy Greer, Tyrel Jackson Williams, Uma Thurman, Judd Hirsch, and more. The film will release on June 3rd on Disney+.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’s Kimmy Gatewood to Direct an Episode of ‘The Muppets Mayhem’

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’s Kimmy Gatewood to Direct an Episode of ‘The Muppets Mayhem’

    Even though Disney owns The Muppets brand, they’ve been struggling to get a series going besides a small variety series. Luckily, it seems that they are finally moving forward with a series titled The Muppets Mayhem, which moves away from the usual Kermit and Ms. Piggy shenanigans to focus on The Electric Mayhem Band, who are on their way to recording their first studio album. The Goldbergs creator, Adam F. Goldberg, is working on the project alongside Jeff Yorkes and Muppets veteran Bill Barretta. Now, we can exclusively share that The Baby-Sitters Club director Kimmy Gatewood is attached to direct at least one episode of the series.

    Gatewood is set to direct the fifth episode of the series, which is tentatively titled “Fortunate Son.” We currently can’t confirm if she’ll direct multiple episodes of the Disney+ series. While many might know the actress for her role as Stacey Beswick from GLOW, Gatewood also has quite a lot of experience as a director. She worked on series like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Baby-Sitters Club, Single, Drunk Female, and recently Ghosts.

    The series will include YouTube star Lilly Singh as the human companion of the Electric Mayhem Band, who will act as their junior A&R executive, who has to manage the Muppet band. Earlier this month, we also got the casting announcement of Baby Daddy‘s Tahj Mowry as Gary “Moog” Moogowski, who is a die-hard fan that follows them from one gig to another. The concept will allow for a fun road trip with some Muppet mayhem (pun totally intended) and it’ll be exciting to see what the series has to offer once it premieres on Disney+.

  • EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams and HBO’s ‘Demimonde’ Series Eyeing September Production Start

    EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams and HBO’s ‘Demimonde’ Series Eyeing September Production Start

    Bad Robot has been busy with various projects as part of their deal with HBO and HBO Max. We’ve been recently hearing more rumblings on their adaptation of Constantine, but they also have quite a few original projects also lined up. Just recently, we got an update on the HBO sci-fi drama Demimonde, which is a French word meaning a part of society that is isolated with a bad reputation. It has found its leading role in Danielle Deadwyler and they hinted that the limited series, which was initially ordered straight-to-series all the way back in 2018, is still in early pre-production even though it was initially believed to start production next week. We can exclusively share that the production is currently eyeing a start in September.

    The production will start later this year and run from September until May of 2023. The production will be traveling the world, as they aim to film in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe. The series is still actively adding to its supporting cast and is currently casting under the production title “Contraband.” It’s interesting to note that producer J.J. Abrams hinted that they’ve already written the scripts for the sci-fi series back in May of 2019, but they may be rewriting elements of it.

    Kira Snyder, Rand Ravich, and Far Shariat are serving as showrunners on the project, which will follow Deadwyler’s Olive Reed. When she was torn away from her husband and daughter after a strange accident, she is left to her own devices to uncover the conspiracy and hopefully reunite with her family once again. Abrams and Ben Stephenson are producing the series for Bad Robot with Rachel Rusch Rich aboard as co-executive producer.

  • First Story Details for HBO Max’s ‘Constantine’ Reboot

    First Story Details for HBO Max’s ‘Constantine’ Reboot

    J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot made quite the deal with HBO as the production company was able to make an exclusive deal for three projects, which includes a Stephen King-inspired story called Overlook and Duster. Yet, the biggest surprise was that they are also adopting an iconic Justice League Dark member. It wasn’t until February of this year that we uncovered it was going to be about Constantine with UK writer Guy Bolton attached to write the series. Now, the first details have found their way online.

    The 8-episode series is set to combine elements of body horror, supernatural and urban action in the streets of London. They are currently casting a character by the name of “Akara” who is a young 10-year-old Cambodian and will be the heart of the story. She’ll be cast alongside her grandfather “Pich.” A sudden encounter with the girl will throw the life of John Constantine upside down, as he falls down a rabbit hole of dangerous encounters and the occult. As these characters are cast under fake names, Akara could end up being Astra Logue from the Hellblazer comics.

    The project is currently being cast under the working title “Blood Work” and, as mentioned by Illuminerdi, will start production later this year in the Fall. They shared that the production would work under the title “Chimney” as a cute callback to the character’s smoking habits. It’ll run until February of 2023, as it aims to shoot in London and Morocco. There’s still no word yet on who will take on the role of John Constantine, as Bad Robot has been actively looking to fill the role and is open to diverse casting.

    It isn’t the first adaptation of the popular Hellblazer comics, as 2014 saw a one-season adaptation by NBC with Matt Ryan in the titular role. The series was simply titled Constantine but didn’t manage to land a second season renewal. Yet, Ryan’s portrayal was met with a lot of fanfare, which led to him joining CW’s Arrowverse, where he became a member of the Legends of Tomorrow series. It’s unclear if this new adaptation for HBO Max will become part of the bigger DC Extended Universe, or remain a self-contained story.

    Source: KnightEdgeMedia