Tag: Exclusives

EXCLUSIVE: Character Breakdowns for Netflix’s ‘XO Kitty’

Netflix looks to be adding to its cast for the forthcoming XO Kitty series.

A spinoff of the popular To All the Boys… films, XO Kitty focuses on the youngest Covey sister, played by Anna Cathcart. The series follows teen matchmaker Kitty Song Covey who thinks she knows everything there is to know about love. When she moves halfway across the world (Korea) to reunite with her long-distance boyfriend, however, she’ll soon realize that relationships are a lot more complicated when it’s your own heart on the line.

As we’ve previously revealed, XO Kitty will enter production in March 2022. While the series was previously looking to fill the role of six main characters, it looks like episode two of the show will introduce two recurring guest star roles: Madison and Florian.

Madison is described as being a 17-year-old white American female who is as American as Apple pie. Her family, naturally, made a fortune by creating apple pie in a cup and she’s spent her summers working at the family bakery in the past. However, having grown tired of cheerleading and boys with their pick-up trucks, Madison is seeking a change with Korea. Believing Korea to be a great place to expand their apple pie in a cup business, her parents agree to send her to a boarding school in Korea with the hopes of learning the culture and language. Unfortunately, though, Madison often tries way too hard to fit in at her new school and it becomes clear she’s a teen simply trying to find herself. The role is that of a recurring guest star; actors applying need to be at least 18-years-old.

Florian is a 17-year-old male who describes himself as queer; he also identifies as femme or androgynous. Florian is an art and history buff who has a knack for seeming pretentious, but truly just loves pop culture. He has a crush on a typical jock at the boarding school, and soon finds himself in a “will they or won’t they” with the athlete Q. The role is that of a recurring guest star; actors applying need to be at least 18-years-old. The hope is to also cast someone who identifies as queer.

XO Kitty is a spinoff of the popular Netflix To All the Boys… adaptations based on the books by bestselling author Jenny Han. XO Kitty appears to be an original series that came about because of the movies and their popularity. Han is the TV series creator and co-wrote the pilot script with fellow author, Siobhan Vivian. As it stands XO Kitty does not yet have a release date.

December 4, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: First Details on Pete Davidson and James DeMarco Horror Film ‘The Home’

While the headlines right now surrounding Pete Davidson are about his seemingly new dating life with Kim Kardashian, he has also been busy with quite a few projects throughout the last few years. he made a name for himself during his time on Saturday Night Live, he’s also appeared in quite a few films, including the recent release of James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad. He’s also going to appear in the upcoming film Meet Cute and has a horror film in the works. Luckily, we can exclusively share the first details on his upcoming project The Home.

Davidson will take on the main role of Max, who is given a community service assignment at a local retirement home, which also explains the film’s title. The elderly residents are surprisingly full of life and he believes he may have gotten his hands on a good gig. But, it is a horror film after all, something far sinister is lurking in the shadows.

The Purge veteran James DeMonaco wrote the script alongside actor Adam Cantor, who is also going to have a role in the project. It is already in production in New York and New Jersey but is eyeing a production end in January or at the latest in March of 2022. It’ll be interesting to see what a dark and sinister retirement home might offer in the form of a horror film. It sounds like a similar concept that M. Night Shyamalan explored in The Visit, but on a much bigger scale. So, nightmares are certainly abound once the project releases.

December 3, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’s Piotr Adamczyk Talks Bringing the Tracksuit Mafia to Life and Kevin Feige’s Set Visit

Hawkeye’s two-episode premiere introduced us to a couple of new characters in the Marvel Cinematic universe. In addition to Kate Bishop and Jack Duquesne, we have been introduced to the hilariously adorable Tracksuit Mafia, which consists of Eastern Europeans who call everyone “bro” a lot. One of its most prominent members was Tomas played by Piotr Adamczyk. In an exclusive interview, he shared some insight into what it was like being on set, especially when Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige visited.

He was on the set. It was very special for us. He talked to everyone, so I had a chance to talk to him, and I was also surprised that for him this mafia, tracksuit mafia, is an important element. He even told us that it was a very significant element of the story.
Piotr Adamczyk

It highlights one of the reasons for Marvel Studios’ success is that Kevin Feige and the rest of the producers are comic geeks and care about properly adapting certain comic book elements. The Tracksuit Mafia was an iconic part of the comic My Life as a Weapon, and it’s no surprise that Feige‘s meticulous attention to this aspect is being taken to reflect them well in the series. Yet, Adamczyk highlights that it was a very different experience on set:

We didn’t feel like that at that time, because we were mainly the group that was waiting to be needed, maybe they would use us. We were often on the set but not always working. Working on the set, especially of such a big, big-budget production, is waiting, especially if you’re not Jeremy Renner. But yes, it was an exceptional conversation, very uplifting. This is also a man who, with such a huge presence, is always in a hat, in sneakers, this is just a regular guy you can talk to casually.
Piotr Adamczyk

As Adamczyk highlights, a lot of working on these kinds of projects is waiting. Actors are around for specific scenes and with the Tracksuit Mafia’s presence throughout the story, they might have to wait around quite a bit. So, it’s great to see how approachable Feige is for cast members of any kind to chat with him. There’s a lot of care put into these projects by the various teams involved with the production.

November 26, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Why Trinh Tran Tackled ‘Hawkeye’ After ‘Avengers: Endgame’

The launch of Disney+ has led to a whole new avenue of storytelling potential. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, many wondered just how the Marvel Cinematic Universe would continue onward, and a slew of Disney+ original series offered the chance to spotlight some minor yet fan-favorite characters. We recently had the chance to speak with Marvel Studios producer Trinh Tran to discuss her next project, Hawkeye. It’s quite a shift from working on a massive project like Endgame to this smaller project, and she offered some insight into why she tackled the Disney+ series right after.

I wanted it all! [LAUGH] I think, you know, when we were filming Infinity War and Endgame I was already, we were already talking about What is the future? What is my next project and you know Shang-Chi was already starting. So, unfortunately you know I couldnt be apart that the same way that Jonathan was and, you know, I loved Hawkeye from the Fraction run. I love how fun it is and the banter between Clint and Kate, and I really wanted to explore, you know a female version of a skilled archer, as well as telling Clint’s side of the story which we havent had the chance to in the MCU. So, I felt that it was due time for him to shine and get his spotlight and I think that was one of the reasons why I gravitated towards this particular show.
Trinh Tran

Trinh Tran has worked on the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the beginning. She served as an associate producer on Captain America: Civil War, and worked her way to becoming an executive producer on the two most recent Avengers films. It’s great to hear her excitement about the project, and that this adaptation springs from that very enjoyment of Faction and Ajap‘s run on the character. Disney+ is the bridge to explore stories that would’ve never gotten the cinematic treatment. Here’s looking forward to what else Marvel Studios may explore in the future.

November 17, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Hawkeye’ Will Test Kate Bishop’s Relationship With Her Mother

We’re only a few weeks away from Hawkeye‘s release on Disney+. The series will take a more grounded approach with our titular hero taking on mobsters rather than planet-destroying space tyrants. Clint Barton’s series will also see him take a young protégé under his wing, Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop. The series will explore their dynamic and the importance of family. While Barton is struggling to make it home on time for the holidays, Kate is juggling her relationship with her mother.

In a teaser for the series, we briefly saw the archer trying to explain to her mother that she is important in solving an Avengers-level threat. Vera Farmiga will bring her mother, Eleanor Bishop, to life and has been highlighted in the trailers so far. It’s interesting to note that she died in the comics during a visit to Colorado with her husband Derek raising Kate and her sister Susan. It was a big part of her character development in the comics, which the MCU will add a new spin on it. Hawkeye producer Trinh Tran offered some insight into why they made the change in an exclusive interview with our own Charles Villanueva

We haven’t had many opportunities to explore a mother-daughter relationship in the MCU. I’m not saying that hasn’t happened, but it’s just there hasn’t been too many of that. And what I find interesting is that there is a lot of, I guess, fresh territory that we can go to for the relationship for the two of them.
Trihn Tran

Many Marvel stories indeed focus on the dynamic between fathers and their children, such as Thanos and Gamora, Ego and Star-Lord, and many more. So, it’s a great move to use this opportunity to explore a mother-daughter dynamic, especially as she highlights how Kate’s personality adds that extra layer that’ll test their relationship.

She thinks she knows what is best for Kate, but Kate is you’ve seen in the comics is sometimes hard-headed, and she speaks her mind and she is not afraid to do so. And there could be opposing opinions in who she is. So, I think that, like I said, is a more personal, more emotional between the two characters that we wanted to explore in this particular direction for the both of them.
Trihn Tran

There’s a possibility that this change was also inspired to explore the darker side of her family’s history. Given what we learn about the character in the comics, they might want to also further establish their dynamic before the story hits a more dramatic turn.

November 16, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Details on ‘Hawkeye’s Version of Clown Revealed

The upcoming Hawkeye series will explore many aspects of Clint Barton’s comic history yet non more than that of the My Life as a Weapon run. The story by Matt Fraction and David Aja introduced us to the bro-speaking gang known as the Tracksuit Mafia and the dangerous assassin Kazimierz Kazimerczak, or better known as the Clown. Fra Fee will take on the role in the series and they might switch it up for this adaptation.

Our very own Charles Villanueva got a chance to sit down with producer Trinh Tran to discuss the upcoming series. In it, she offered some insight into how the show tackled the character and teased that he might be quite a bit different from what we are used to from the popular comic storyline.

I can’t say much about how his character unfolds in this series, but what I can say is that part of the interesting thing about bringing these characters to life from the comics is that we wanted to give it a fresh spin. I think part of Kazi’s story in the comics is a little bit tied to how Kate’s world is like in the Matt Fraction run. But that’s not necessarily true in the MCU because once we bring that character in and explore them in the story that we have, it can go in any and all kind of direction.
Trinh Tran

It’s not uncommon that they change the characters to fit these new adaptations that take familiar comic storylines but add a new twist. Captain America: Civil War only loosely explores the themes and registration act from the comics, but doesn’t completely feature a full-on war between countless superheroes. It’ll be interesting to see how they adapt this character and what their role will be in the story.

November 15, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Tidbits on the Evil Skrulls in ‘SECRET INVASION’

Earlier this year, trades broke the news that 2020 breakout star Kingsley Ben-Adir would be joining the cast of Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Secret Invasion as a villain set to go up against Nick Fury and his Skrull buddy Talos. The 35-year old actor landed a role for which Marvel Studios had checked on names such as Gary Oldman (who the studio has been interested in for several roles) and hoped for star power on the level of Denzel Washington. In short, this is a major Marvel Cinematic Universe role, but one about we know very little. Murphy’s Multiverse has uncovered a bit of information on Ben-Adir’s role and how it connects to Killian Scott’s, who joined the cast last Spring.

As fans have speculated, Ben-Adir is indeed playing a Skrull that will find himself up against Nick Fury and Talos throughout the series. The interesting bit here, however, is that Ben-Adir’s Skrull character will be revealed to have a long history with Ben Mendelsohn‘s Talos. Prior to the Kree Accusers’ destruction of the Skrull’s homeworld of Skrullos, Talos was a Skrullian general who had spent his lifetime fighting in the Kree-Skrull War working alongside Kree scientist Mar-Vell to find refuge for a group of Skrulls. Given the Skrull’s generational hatred for the Kree, it seems very likely that Ben-Adir’s Skrull character might find Talos’ taste in allies unsavory.

While Marvel Studios is working to keep the identity of Ben-Adir’s character a secret, the fact that he has a history with Talos could give fans clues as to who he might be portraying. Given it’ll have been at least 30 years since the destruction of Skrulls, it’s reasonable to assume that other Skrulls could have reestablished themselves elsewhere, perhaps Tarnax IV, and readied their invasion of Earth.

If that’s the case, Ben-Adir could be portraying the Skrull spy Paibok, who was himself a Skrullian military captain in the comics. Should they, however, wish to take the “go big or go home route,” Ben-Adir could be portraying one of the Skrull’s most decorated military heroes: Kl’rt. While most people know Kl’rt as the Super-Skrull, it wasn’t until later in his career that he became the first Skrull to carry that designation after being granted the combined powers of the Fantastic Four. Then again, it may be premature to introduce the Super-Skrull version of Kl’rt before the Fantastic Four are established. However, having a disgraced Kl’rt return home with his tail between his legs might give him the necessary motivation to become “super” in the future.

Joining Ben-Adir’s Skrull in his battle against Fury and Talos will be Scott’s character. While his identity is similarly a tightly kept secret, his character is a crony of Ben-Adir’s, meaning he’s likely a Skrull himself. Given Scott’s very everyman looks, he’s possibly playing someone like Klrr. In the comics, Klrr is a Skrull spy who infiltrated Stark Industries and whose family, under the guise of the Warners, helped prepare for a Skrull invasion. Old rumors pointed to the 2019 series Meet the Skrulls as a potential inspiration for Marvel Studios Secret Invasion, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see some of those characters, like Klrr who posed as Carl Warner, show up here.

While some fans are still expecting a direct adaptation of the Secret Invasion comic event and looking for an Avenger cameo-fest, Kevin Feige has stated the MCU adaptation will play heavily with the themes of distrust and paranoia. On that note, fans can look forward to Christopher McDonald throwing gas on the fire as a discord-sewing, “tough talk” talking head TV figure. This one is starting to sound like it’s going to be a blast.

Secret Invasion is expected to stream sometime in the second half of 2022.

September 28, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Details on Olivia Colman’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Character

Information on Marvel Studios Secret Invasion streaming series has been tough to come by with little more than a handful of casting announcements making their way out via the trades. Of those announcements, Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman’s generated a great deal of buzz. Her role, like co-stars Emilia Clarke’s and Kingsley Ben-Adir’s, have been kept secret, but Murphy’s Multiverse is now able to share a few tidbits about Colman’s character.

While Disney and Marvel Studios are working hard to keep her character’s identity a secret, we can share that Colman is portraying a mysterious spy with a commanding “Fury-esque” presence. Indeed the series will be as spy-heavy as expected, with a half-dozen spy roles, including this one. Like Fury, Colman’s character will be a bit of a puppeteer who does and has done a lot of her dirty work behind the scenes. We’ve also learned that in addition to Colman’s character being a major player in Secret Invasion, she’s also set to return in the role in other projects down the road.

We’ve already seen Marvel Studios introduce Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine into the mix of shadowy characters with their own agendas; adding Colman as another master spy with a bit of a European influence (as you know from previous reports, Secret Invasion is doing a lot of location filming in and around the UK) will expand the universe and also make it a little less trustworthy. Secret Invasion should begin principal photography soon and is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2022.

September 24, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Why The ‘KOTOR’ Remake Took So Long

This month’s PlayStation State of Play was a treat not only for fans of the usual first-party console exclusives but also for Star Wars fans. It was revealed in the presentation that the Knights of the Old Republic game that defined a generation of Star Wars in the mid-2000s was getting a full-blown remake by Aspyr.

The wait for this game was lengthy, to say the least, with the announcement happening 16 years after the sequel came out in 2005. I spoke with Star Wars: Visions producer and Lucasfilm VP for Franchise Content, James Waugh, and asked why it took so long to get a KOTOR remake going when younger games are getting remade left and right.

It’s such a great game. That’s a great question. Again, it’s a remake of my favorite Star Wars game of all time. It’s definitely a part of the Legends impression of Star Wars. I think it took a long time to find the right group [Aspyr] to want to do it well. And I think it was just time to share this moment in Star Wars history with a new audience.

One can only imagine just how a next-gen remake of the most beloved RPGs of the 21st century could look like. This announcement alone has sparked new speculation as to whether this remake is a precursor for a canonical Darth Revan appearance in the main Star Wars continuity. Whatever the case is, we cannot wait to see Darth Revan again.

September 20, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’s Meng’er Zhang Shares She Accidentally Punched Simu Liu in the Face

Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings will be Marvel Studios’ first foray into a martial arts-based film. It’ll follow the story of our titular hero as he has to face his past, as his father Wenwu, the leader of the mysterious organization the Ten Rings, calls upon his return. At one point during his journey, he’ll also meet his estranged sister, Xialing. Our very own Anthony Canton III got a chance to sit down and talk with the actress Meng’er Zhang, who took on the role to play opposite of Simu Liu. She offered some insight into what it was like acting opposite of Liu and revealed she accidentally punched him during the shoot.

My favorite on-set memory is: I punched Simu in the face. I mean that was the first fight scene between us and it was really nervous, because eventhough we trained a thousand times those movements, but it was the very first time for me, so I was really scared to really throw a punch to him. But he was really encouraging it: ‘Yeah, just go for it. It’s okay, you cannot hurt me!’ So I just got into my character and went for it. And I didn’t mean to punch him, but I did. But I have to say, it felt good.
Meng’er Zhang

She also highlights how she sees Simu Liu as a real brother, and how natural their chemistry was on- and off-screen. It also was interesting to play alongside Tony Leung as the father figure, whose performance truly brought the character of Wenwu to life. The film will focus primarily on this dynamic and it’s promising to hear how much fun they had bringing these characters to life. Here’s hoping we have a long future ahead of Meng’er Zhang and Simu Liu. Just for Liu’s sake, he hopefully won’t have to endure a new accidental punch in each production.

August 19, 2021