Tag: Exclusive Reports

What I Heard This Week: ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

This piece was originally published on August 18th. That day, a decision was made to take it down after fans became aggressive in their disbelief of it. With Labor Day being today, we wanted to share the original information again.

As has always been the case, “What I Heard This Week” pieces should never be taken as more than rumors until they’re proven true or false.

As mentioned here, Marvel Studios production crews recently returned to Atlanta to prepare for filming to resume or begin on several projects. Crews for the Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Loki and Hawkeye joined crew from the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel in constructing sets, getting the offices back up and running and preparing general pre-production routines in advance of the cast and directors heading back at an undisclosed date. Now, it looks like we might have a very good idea of just when they’ll roll cameras again and we should all be as hyped as this dude is when he high fives John Walker!

This isn’t one-size fits all info and, as I’ll detail after sharing the info, it could lead to two possible timelines, but it’s still worth a share. Cast members for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will begin arriving in Atlanta as early as this weekend (August 21st-23rd) to get ready to resume production. This doesn’t mean we should expect to see everyone in Atlanta this weekend because, as you probably know, the whole cast doesn’t always need to be everywhere all the time; however, this weekend will mark the beginning of their return meaning filming is just around the corner…though we can’t quite be sure how long it’ll take to round that corner.

Given the ongoing pandemic, a return to Atlanta does not mean an immediate return to set for the cast, so there are a couple of options here. Option one would be that the cast lands in Atlanta this weekend, clears a quick result COVID test, gets ready to roll and starts filming next week…and that would make us all really happy; however, that might not be how it works out. Option two would be that the cast lands in Atlanta this weekend, goes into a 2-week self-isolation period, and begins filming after the September 7th Labor Day holiday. Unfortunately, I was unable to get clarification on whether or not the cast will be required to self-isolate or not, so I can’t tell you which option we’ll see, but I can tell you that we are almost there and, if things go well, we might even get to see The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in 2020.

September 7, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: Working Title of ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel Revealed

Murphy’s Multiverse has learned that the working title of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is “Stellar Vortex.” As reported by Murphy’s Multiverse yesterday, the Doctor Strange sequel is planning to begin filming this November in the UK.

The vortex part of the working title certainly sounds like it would ring true for something called “Multiverse of Madness.” The stellar part is even more interesting, however, as it might hint at a certain Young Avenger’s super powers and may point to there being a bigger part for Miss America Chavez in the film than first expected.

Last but certainly not least, here’s a shout out and big thank you to Twitter user @sky_waller for their assistance with this information.

September 3, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios is Kraving Joel Kinnaman

Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that, while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons (sometimes they just don’t want to tell me yes!). For example, a couple of months ago I got word about updated start dates for Sony’s Uncharted and Spider-Man 3 and how Tom Holland might have to juggle those schedules. As you know, Uncharted got going just as I reported and Comicbook.com later verified the planned start date for Spidey 3.

Before you go on, understand that despite everything I said above, this story should not be considered a scoop or an exclusive or anything more than just a rumor at this point because I cannot, at the moment, find a second source to confirm what I’m sharing here. That said, this checks a lot of boxes and is exactly the kind of thing I would want someone to share with me should they have heard something like it. So…here we go.

It appears that Marvel Studios is looking for a Joel Kinnaman-type for an unspecified role in the upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Sequel. Given all the rumors and speculation around what Spidey 3 will likely be about and what villains we are likely to see in it, it’s incredibly easy to make yourself believe that the studio wants this Kinnaman-type for a major role and one that fans are dying to see introduced in the film: Kraven…and I’ll be damned if Kinnaman isn’t perfect for it.

Keep in mind that when studios say they want a “Kinnaman-type” or “Allison Brie-type” that is NOT an indication that that’s the actor they’ve settled on. Those phrases are there to give the various casting agencies an idea of which of their people they should be putting up for the role or checking with to see if they’re available, interested, etc.

So what is a Joel Kinnaman-type and what does it tell us? It gives us a lot of info, to be honest. It means they’re looking for a Caucasian, probably 30-45, who is big (think physically imposing) but who can act as well. They don’t just want muscle here; they want someone who has some experience as a lead because this is likely a character they’re going to develop over the course of the film like they did with Michael Keaton’s Vulture and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. So while they may not get Kinnaman for the role, you can see why he’s the “type” they want. He’s 6’2″, has a lean physique and has packed on muscle for several roles (see Altered Carbon), has a ton of experience (including work on CBMs) and, much like Kraven, has traveled the world.

Kinnaman is the guy I never knew I wanted as Kraven until I made this connection, but I want to urge caution one more time before signing off. As exciting as this is, there are too many questions around it to take it as fact. Is the role actually Kraven? It’s unknown but when you start piecing things together it sure seems like it. Would they actually be able to land Kinnaman? I don’t follow him too closely, but it seems like he may have an opening in his schedule this Fall/Winter. Marvel Studios scored big with both Spidey villain castings; Kinnaman would make it a hat trick.

As always, we’ll be working here at Murphy’s Multiverse to find actual EVIDENCE of this, so until then take this as nothing more than a wild rumor that will get you way more excited than you have any reason to be…and cross your fingers that you get to see Kinnaman as Kraven when Spider-Man 3 comes to theaters in December of 2021.

August 10, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios Has Come Back to Atlanta!

Marvel Studios crews returned to work this week in Atlanta to begin preparation for the resumption (or in some cases the beginning) of filming.

Crews for The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Loki and Hawkeye moved back into town and got the ball rolling again on the three upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, joining the crew for the Untitled Spider-Man Sequel, which had previously begun prep work.

The past week saw crews return to their projects’ offices, stages being built and preproduction steps taken that should ensure both The Falcon and The Winter Solider and Loki are able to resume filming sometime in late-August or early-September. Back in early July, the studio had hoped to resume filming on those projects by August 17th (a date I reported in my Patreon).

A recent report indicated a late-October start for Hawkeye and, as I reported a few months ago, the Spidey sequel is expected to begin filming in September (though the recent release date shift does give them a month to play with). WandaVision, you may have noticed, is glaringly absent from the list but we continue to hear they have work to complete in Los Angeles.

The return of crews to the area is incredibly encouraging as it continues to give fans hope that production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will be completed in enough time for the series to stream before the end of 2020, giving content-starved fans an epic introduction to Kevin Feige’s plans for the streaming service. It also means casting news might begin to trickle out for Hawkeye and Spidey 3 over the next several weeks, giving us some insight into what exactly we can expect from these projects. This is just the kind of great news we needed headed into the weekend.

August 7, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: New ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Videos

Just as we get word that filming on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to restart in Prague this Fall, we have gotten our hands on some videos of prior footage. Filmed last year by James Brown, the new videos give us another look at a familiar scene and the different angle provides a closer look at one of the female villains and a better view of Bucky’s hostage rescue that raises an interesting question.

The first video is more of a behind the scenes look at Sebastian Stan and his stunt double preparing for a scene and Stan gregariously shaking hands and hugging crew members on set. While it doesn’t give away too much, fans always love to see this kind of BTS action!

Another behind the scenes video which shows either Wyatt Russell or his stuntman preparing for action as John Walker, aka U.S. Agent, preparing to jump in and help out with what we believe is a hostage situation taking place around the 2023 G20 Summit (you can check that out more here).

This next video shows Stan working on some of those moves he was practicing as he takes on one of what we believe to be a hostage taker before heading towards the SWAT vehicle where the hostages are held.

https://youtu.be/aR8jG0E8TuE

The next video gives us a look at U.S. Agent fighting one of the female villains we first saw in our earlier post and suspected might be the Grapplers. Though it’s really hard to see, it’s possible that the female taking on U.S. Agent could be Erin Kellyman, who we believed joined the production, possibly as Thunderbolt member Melissa Gold, aka Songbird.

The final video is the most interesting. While we’ve seen another angle of this scene before, this look provides a clue that one of the hostages being released from the vehicle might be more important to the plot than the others. Around the 9 second mark, a hostage stumbles and falls. After she’s helped up, you can clearly see the crew lower a boom mike over her head so that her conversation with Bucky and Walker can be recorded. Given the situation at hand (hostages taken at the G20 Summit), it’s highly unlikely this is casual, “thanks guys type of comment and more likely that this unknown character is someone of significance in the series.

It’ll be incredibly interesting to see just what these set videos turn out to be when we finally get to see The Falcon and The Winter Soldier when the Marvel Studios production airs on Disney Plus!

July 1, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Ms. Marvel Auditions

Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road. The news about Peyton Reed working on Season 2 of The Mandalorian came from an article just like this, but I’ve also heard some pretty wild stuff of which we have no proof, like Doom showing up in Black Panther II. Over the past week, we’ve seen unions give guidelines for safely returning to work, plans start to come together for projects to resume filming and an increase in the number of actor/actresses who are signing on to new projects as the film industry attempts to get the big wheel spinning once again.

It’s been mostly quiet on the Marvel Studios front, however, as we still don’t have any definite timeline for when they will finish production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (though yesterday did bring some good news on that front), Loki or Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. And while we heard that Spider-Man 3 is aiming to start up in late-September or early-October, we still don’t know when other projects which missed their intended start dates, such as Ms. Marvel and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, will get the green light. However, there is another glimmer of hope that was shared with me and that I’m happy to share with you now… What I heard this week: after shutting the process down due to the pandemic, casting has resumed for the role of Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel! The casting process for this one has been wild and taken a long and winding road but I was told that actresses were recently being called back in to continue the auditioning process. The casting of Kamala Khan is certainly one that is of great interest to many (my Twitter DMs are proof as they are filled with questions about when and who and if) and one that Marvel Studios is clearly taking great care to get right.

The timing of the resumption of the process is also of note. As the state of Georgia begins to open back up and film and TV production gets rolling again in and around Atlanta, where Ms. Marvel is slated to film, it’s possible that an imminent casting could lead to cameras rolling on the Disney Plus streaming series before the end of Summer! This is one to keep an eye on over the next several weeks. Should Marvel Studios land the actress for the role, a casting announcement via the trades would be major news and lift the spirits of fans who have had little good news the past few months.

June 16, 2020
What I Heard This Week: The ‘UNCHARTED’ Domino Effect

Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. For instance, on February 19th, I wrote this piece relaying some rumors I’d heard about Marvel Studios updating its Disney Plus slate; the next day, the news broke that a special Disney Plus event would be held in London on March 5th where it is expected that Marvel Studios and Star Wars slates will be updated. I also shared information about Peyton Reed directing episodes of season 2 of The Mandalorian months before he made it official.

This little nugget was one I found to be very interesting on a lot of levels despite it not being directly related to any of the properties I find interesting.

It has been passed on to me that Sony is currently planning to begin filming on their upcoming video game adaptation, Uncharted, in mid-to-late July. The film was just about to kick off production in Germany when the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down but the studio believes that the current community health situation in Germany provides a safe environment.

This is of interest to me for a few reasons. In late April, during one of the mass shufflings of movie release dates we have seen in response to the pandemic, Sony moved Uncharted from an October 8th, 2021 release date to July 16th, 2021. MCU fans might remember that this was the original date for Sony and Marvel Studios third Spider-Man collaboration, a film that was moved to November 5, 2021, a date originally held for Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness.

The common denominator here is, of course, Tom Holland. Holland is the lead of both Uncharted and Spider-Man and Sony’s move, in conjunction with Marvel Studios willingness to move the Strange sequel, meant that Holland was always going to film Uncharted before kicking off Spider-Man. However, what is truly interesting to me is that I have also recently heard rumblings about the production of Spider-Man 3 aiming for a late-September.early-October start date. During any other time and taken on their own, these dates would make perfect sense. It’s very common for Marvel Studios to roll cameras on a film 10-14 months before it hits studios, but you can probably see how these two start dates don’t make much sense when taken together.

Thankfully, I heard just a little more on the subject in regards to Sony’s plans. We all know that, for the foreseeable future, movie sets are going to be very different than what they have been in the past. Fewer people, fewer large scale sets and shorter working days. In practice, that would seem like it would mean shoots would take more time, not less, making it all but impossible for Holland to finish Uncharted in time to get to work on Spider-Man 3; however, it seems that Sony is really keen on getting as many productions done as they can while the water is warm, so to speak (most industry folks are expecting more shut downs in the Fall once flu season begins and the second wave of COVID-19 is expected to hit). To that end, the studio is working towards some unconventional means to get Holland’s work on Uncharted done and dusted in time for him to be back stateside to do Spidey. That might mean shooting out of order to complete Holland’s scenes and it might mean starting work on Spidey without the lead on set, but from what I’m hearing, studios are stepping WAY outside of their comfort zones to get things done during these crazy days.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been banging the “don’t worry about start dates” drum for a while because right now there’s just no way to be sure when things will start, pause, restart and finish; however, in this instance there were so many connected pieces along with the planning around unconventional work by the studios that I thought it was worth the chance to put it out there knowing a COVID spike could happen in 3 weeks putting everything on hold again and making me look dumber than normal. The best we can do now is wait and see, but it’s good to see studios addressing these issues and trying to make hay while the sun is shining.

June 10, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: Evan Peters Playing Mystery Role in ‘WANDAVISION’

The world needs some good news. Thanks to a familiar and trusted source (the same L.A. based source who told me about Peyton Reed signing on for Season 2 of The Mandalorian), I have learned that Evan Peters (American Horror Story, X-Men) signed on for a key role in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series WandaVision. The 33-year old Peters landed the role late last year and filmed his scenes shortly after.

The nature of Peters’ role is being kept under wraps and that is likely to generate a great deal of excitement and confusion among fans given that the actor has thrice portrayed Wanda’s brother, Pietro, in Fox’s X-Men franchise. Of course Peters is also well-known for his portrayal of several terrifying villains over the course of 8 seasons of American Horror Story, opening up the possibility that he’s landed a role as WandaVision’s big bad. Given the nature of the series, Peters could be playing anyone from Nicholas Scratch to Mephisto.

The waters would seem to get muddy quickly should Peters be reprising his role as Pietro and then crossing over into the MCU, but rumors have persisted that WandaVision will somehow feature Wanda’s deceased brother though Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who played the speedster in Avengers: Age of Ultron, has made it very clear that we shouldn’t plan on seeing him suit back up as Quicksilver any time soon. So if Taylor-Johnson isn’t back and Quicksilver is, that would mean a recast, something Marvel Studios has done successfully in the past, and Peters would be an interesting choice given the majority of fans seem to gravitate towards his portrayal of the character. This is just one possible option, of course, and perhaps not even the most likely, but it’s the one that quickly comes to mind.

Time will tell exactly what role Peters is playing, but given his American Horror Story fan base and his resume as a superhero, this is, most definitely, some good news!

June 1, 2020
EXCLUSIVE: ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’ Set Photos Give A Closer Look at Madripoor

In late 2019, it was revealed that a portion of the now delayed Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier would take place in Madripoor. Murphy’s Multiverse had some exclusive set photos which were followed by a great look at the action in photos which can be seen at the Daily Mail.

Now, thanks to a Murphy’s Multiverse reader known as Danny, we have an unprecedented look at Atlanta set that became Madripoor. The photos reveal new locations and give us a sense of the scope of the set. While it’s possible that these locations may just be Easter Eggs, there’s always the possibility that one of them may end up being a spoiler of some sort, so proceed at your own risk.

The first photo gives another, closer look at a location that first indicated to me that the set was indeed Madripoor. Patrons of mine might remember that in mid-December, before the set leaks confirmed Madripoor, I teased that there was a spoiler in one particular set photo that I had shared.

The above photo gives us a look at a sign for Stinger’s Strip House. It was this Stinger’s sign that first gave away Madripoor to me and that now, in light of the recent news of Marvel Studios developing a slew of new shows, might turn out to be more than a great, obscure Easter Egg.

During Jonathan Hickman’s 2009-2011 run on Secret Warriors, he introduced some appendices that included some “top secret” information about the team and a slew of secret bases kept by Nick Fury. Top on the list and indelibly etched into my mind despite never playing a big role in the series is Stinger, a safe house located in…you guessed it…Madripoor.

The inclusion of Stinger’s Strip House is either an incredible coincidence or an example of some deep cuts being added into The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Given what we’ve already seen from the production, I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter and, I think that if Stinger’s is actually one of Fury’s safe houses, it works nicely to move the plot along. We’ve all wondered just what the boys (Bucky, Sam and Zemo) are doing together in Madripoor; maybe now we know that they hit up this safe house while on the run (and they’re not running from who you think they are! Their pursuer was actually seen in those Daily Mail set photos).

The idea of Stinger’s being one of Fury’s safe houses is even more interesting when we consider that since these shots were taken, Marvel Studios has begun development on a Secret Warriors project meaning we might just get even deeper into Nick Fury’s world! All speculation of course but it’s really hard not to start connecting those dots.

In addition to Stinger’s, there’s one more location in Madripoor that I believe to have been taken right from the pages of the comics: the Brass Monkey Saloon. The saloon, which has also been called the Bronze Monkey, made it’s first appearance in Captain America #363, Moon Over Madripoor, and written by Mark Gruenwald whose run is clearly the basis for much of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The Brass Monkey also popped up recently in Mark Waid’s Invisible Woman series and while it’s never been a major location, it’s a place where Lowtown’s shady characters assemble, punches get thrown and no questions get asked.

In the first picture above, you’d be hard pressed not to notice that the original sign of the bar was a brass monkey head. You may notice a similar, less subtle motif in this next set of exclusive set photos.

If that’s not an outdoor version of the Brass Monkey, then I don’t know what it is. It’s possible that the boys pass through here and may even come into conflict with some of Lowtown’s less desirable inhabitants; it’s also possible it’s just a very cool nod to Gruenwald’s 2 issue arc that saw Cap chasing Crossbones into Madripoor after he had abducted Diamondback. Either way, these photos show an incredible level of detail and preparation that went into a temporary set.

There are several more photos here that show a Casino, a tattoo parlor and do a great job of showing the fine details on the Madripoor set.

The level of detail and effort to build Madripoor into a multicultural crime den is incredible. We don’t know right now when we will see The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but for MCU fans who aren’t avid comic book readers, it looks like their introduction to Madripoor is going to be memorable!

May 8, 2020
What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios Production Timeline
Note: most of this was written in advance of today’s news. I had no intention of actually publishing it, but the news makes it seem fairly important now.

Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road. For instance, on February 19th, I wrote this piece relaying some rumors I’d heard about Marvel Studios updating its Disney Plus slate; the next day, the news broke that a special Disney Plus event would be held in London on March 5th where it is expected that Marvel Studios and Star Wars slates will be updated.

Today’s news that Marvel Studios has essentially delayed their entire slate by one date (ie Black Widow is taking Eternals date while Eternals is taking Shang-Chi’s) makes this potential tidbit, which I referenced on my Twitter feed earlier this week, a little more relevant and gave me enough motivation to finally get back on the keyboard.
A thing I heard this week: one potential timeline being discussed at Marvel Studios is returning to work in September.

While the world is experiencing the historical COVID-19 pandemic, we are all waiting for news on our favorite distractions and, at this time, none of the news looks too good. As Marvel Studios has suspended productions all over the world, the heads have convened and began studying models that might allow them to determine when they can get back to work. One current projection being talked about in both Atlanta and Los Angeles is a September return to work.

Obviously this has a ton of ramifications IF IT IS TRUE. Eternals hasn’t completed reshoots; Shang-Chi hasn’t completed filming; Doctor Strange 2, Spider-Man 3, Thor 4 and all the Disney Plus shows will be pushed and there will be a tremendous domino effect that will see things moved in sequence (probably including the Disney Plus shows) and even off the schedule (note, as of publishing this actually happened to Ant-Man 3…sadness).

We’ll have to see if this turns out to be true or not, but it seems that, at this point, Marvel Studios is sticking to plans for theatrical releases for all their films and is willing to wait this out.
April 3, 2020