Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: HBO Max

  • ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’: Harry Lenix Confirms Martian Manhunter Appearance

    ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’: Harry Lenix Confirms Martian Manhunter Appearance

    Zack Snyder’s Justice League is by far one of the most anticipated films of 2021. The film has risen to legendary status at this point. Many thought the rumored cut of the film would never see the light of day. Throughout the past few years, Snyder would take to Vero to tease aspects of the film that never made it into the version we saw from Joss Whedon. One scene, in particular, was the reveal of General Swanwick’s true identity. It seems he always intended for the character to be the Martian Manhunter in disguise. Now that the Snyder Cut is a reality, it opened up the floodgate on theories if we’d get to see Manhunter on the silver screen after all.

    In a recent interview with Collider, Harry Lennix got asked about his thoughts on the upcoming mini-series and his character. He then revealed that he’d never actually filmed these scenes due to scheduling issues on The Blacklist. At the time, he knew nothing of his secret identity. He didn’t get a chance to read the script before Snyder left the production. However, Lennix stated that he met with Zack and his team back in October. As such, he was able to finish his scenes for the film via green screen.

    With Lennix on set for Snyder‘s additional photography, it could be possible that Snyder may have included the Martian in the newest Knightmare scene. The timing would match when rumors hit that other actors shot some scenes for this sequence, such as Jared Leto and Joe Manganiello. It would be a great addition to Batman’s resistance and would give fans much more Manhunter than they initially expected. Zack Snyder’s Justice League will reportedly release in March as a four-part mini-series on the HBO Max streaming service. We are only a few months away before Snyder’s original vision of the Justice League is revealed, so who knows what else may be heading our way until then.

    Source: Collider

  • How Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman May Reshape the DCEU

    How Michael Keaton’s Return as Batman May Reshape the DCEU

    For a while, fans were wondering who would be the DCEU’s primary Batman after Ben Affleck exited the franchise. We’d received confirmation that Robert Pattinson would be taking his crimefighting to another Earth within the ever-expanding multiverse. For a while, many fans clung to the chances that Ben Affleck would miraculously change his mind and hop straight back into the cape and cowl, harboring a newfound passion for the role. However, What fans received is a small role reprisal in the upcoming Flash film starring Ezra Miller.

    The Flash will mark the return of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne. This is the first time he is returning to the role since Batman Returns. It got confirmed that Keaton will take over as the Bruce Wayne of the main timeline. They’ve called it the DCEU Earth-1, as the primary universe of the Arrowverse shows is serving as Earth-Prime. It got confirmed during the surprise cameo by Miller in the Crisis on Infinite Earth‘s crossover. He shared a short scene with Grant Gustin‘s Barry Allen, which was a welcome surprise to see the TV and film universes crossover. Nevertheless, The Flash will shake up the DCEU in massive ways, so who knows how long the current multiverse will last.

     

     

    Barry Allen is set to find some familiar faces in the multiverse and ends up working alongside the Bruce Wayne of Earth-89 at some point in the film. It stumped me a bit trying to put the puzzle together. How could a multiverse film affect the status of the DCEU’s Batman? Luckily, DC is pretty famous for its fascination with resetting their multiverse through Crisis events. A previous report mentioned that Keaton was in talks to stick around the DC universe for a while and take on a Nick Fury-type role. So, he will not have an active role but pull the strings from behind-the-scenes. However, Ben Affleck‘s departure as the caped crusader left a bat-shaped hole that needs filling.

    Luckily, the Batman lineage doesn’t end with Bruce, as he has long moved on from his singular crusade. The Bat-Family becoming one of the most prominent groups in comics. So, let’s take a look at who would be the perfect choice to fill that hole. Of course, the most obvious option would be Barbara Gordon, who’s long had a project in the works. Just recently, the project gained steam again. Christina Hodson, the writer behind Birds of Prey, has been actively working on two DC projects. Those are The Flash and, most notably, Batgirl. Naturally, this led to theories that this is no coincidence. It would surely keep things consistent behind the scenes when you’ve got one person hive-minding this shift of power between some of the most iconic characters in comics.

     

     

    Recently, DC Films’ President, Walter Hamada, mentioned Batgirl alongside Static Shock as two of the riskier films that will be made available via HBO Max. The film seems to still be in development. Also, in the past few years, female-Led superhero projects have changed the game. Batgirl shouldn’t be any different, as she is by far one of the most iconic female superheroes. Hell, why stop at one? As mentioned above, the Bat-Family has become an iconic and integral part of DC. Now that Bruce is seemingly out of the game, he’d make sure Gotham was in the right hands.

    As many DC fans know, the introduction of an older Bruce Wayne opens up the potential to a very iconic storyline. It might be the right time to introduce Terry McGinnis to cinema-goers. Many fans have been wishing for a live-action adaptation of Batman Beyond. Many fans are crossing their fingers that Keaton‘s return is a sign that it is finally happening. Love him or hate him, Batman is the heart of DC. He’s an integral part of a universe that spanned decades. The potential and future of this character is bright and will not be ending any time soon.

  • How Cheetah Can Return in ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’

    How Cheetah Can Return in ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’

    One of the best parts of Wonder Woman 1984 was the inclusion of Kristen Wiig’s Dr. Barbara Minerva. Throughout the film, she slowly evolved into the villainous Cheetah. We didn’t get much of her Cheetah-form in the movie. Yet, they left the door open to her returning in the future, so the character has the potential to appear further down the line. It would be befitting to her status as one of Wonder Woman’s most iconic villains.

    The origin of the Cheetah we saw in the film was quite a bit different than any we’ve seen before. The first two iterations of the character were Priscilla Rich and Deborah Domain. They were simply socialites who donned outfits with a cheetah print and went about as your run-of-the-mill cat burglars. It wasn’t until we met Barabra Ann Minerva that we met our first version of the iconic character that possessed superhuman abilities.

     

     

    The simplest way to bring Cheetah back into the fold would be via Circe. The witch is known for her Projective Animal Metamorphosis, which would transform Minerva back into her animal form. However, if they were looking to make things a bit more complicated, we might see the introduction of a fan-favorite villain: Veronica Cale. In Greg Rucka‘s recent Rebirth run on Wonder Woman, Cale financed Minervas expedition to Africa to investigate the plant god, Urzkartaga. Of course, she found him and ended up marrying the deity. As a wedding gift, he bestowed her with the curse of the Cheetah.

    Barbara isn’t the only route they could take, as there are plenty of other options in the Cheetah selection. Sebastian Ballesteros was the only man to take on the Cheetah title that we’ve seen so far in comics. He obtained the curse after convincing Urzkartaga that a male Cheetah would be much more effective. Sebastian was also instrumental in creating Vanessa Kapatelis or better known as Silver Swan, another popular villain of our favorite Amazonian. It would be simple to replace Barbara with any of the previously-mentioned Cheetah’s if they plan on going down the Rebirth route. Yet, it feels as if we haven’t seen the last of Barbra Ann Minerva.

     

     

    No matter which comic you open in Wonder Woman history, there is always a Cheetah to be found. The character is, by far, one of Diana’s most iconic foes and makes an appearance in every solo title she had. All good superheroes have their mirror opposite. Ever since her debut, Barbara Ann Minerva has been the most consistent Cheetah and has become an essential part of the character’s history. It just wouldn’t feel right to replace her right after she got introduced. It’s unclear if Barbara will return in Wonder Woman 3. The film was only recently fast-tracked by WB, but Jenkins has been teasing that we haven’t seen the last of Wiig‘s incarnation of the iconic character.

  • ‘WW84’ Suffers a 67% Box Office Drop In Its Second Week

    ‘WW84’ Suffers a 67% Box Office Drop In Its Second Week

    In our last look at the Box Office, it seemed that Wonder Woman 1984 was doing fairly well alongside its HBO Max release. It looked like nothing was standing in the way for Warner Bros. 2021 strategy to premiere its films simultaneously in theatres and on its new streaming service. Now, the only question was if the film would have legs to compete with Tenet‘s numbers when it launched back in September. Well, it looks like the true test revealed the negative influence of the streaming service, as WW84 domestic gross dropped by 67% in its second week. It is in stark contrast to the original Wonder Woman‘s 43% drop. It is closer to that of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad. As such, the film has earned $28.5 million in ten days.

    With these numbers, it seems unlikely the film will pass Tenet‘s domestic cume of $58M, but it could still grab the second spot, which is held by The Croods: A New Age‘s $34M. This stark drop may be connected to the availability via HBO Max, as even with a strong opening there is no reason to return to theaters once you’ve seen it. So, those few that are willing to visit a cinema within the current pandemic might not be as willing to do so. Of course, WB may be more interested in the long-term gain with how many additional subscribers they gain, which could counter the stark drop.

    The film still has time to make a comeback, but at this point, it seems unlikely until Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon by March. That film will be made available in theaters and Disney+’s Premium Access. We will see if the $30 additional costs will have a lessened effect on the film’s performance. It is difficult to really pinpoint any development given the current situation, so as Forbes points out, the usual Christmas legs may not apply after such a drop. The film’s discourse is also rather mixed, so that may have left an imprint. For now, WB may be questioning their 2021 film release plan.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘WW84’ Passes $100M Worldwide; ‘Soul’ Dominates Streaming

    ‘WW84’ Passes $100M Worldwide; ‘Soul’ Dominates Streaming

    Wonder Woman 1984‘s release was a huge test to see if Warner Bros. HBO Max’s strategy would work while also trying to ensure the cinema’s future. Of course, it also faced some major competition with Pixar’s Soul getting released on Disney+. Now that both films had some time in the public eye, let’s take a look at what the future of cinema and television might hold.

    WW84 has now passed the $102 million mark worldwide since its launch. The international markets proved the most stable, as it garnered around $80M, even if China was behind expectations with $25M. Its Box Office global split seems to be similar to that of Tenet, which managed to garner $363M in its run since September. According to Forbes, the film may only garner what its predecessor did in its domestic gross. So, the numbers aren’t too different from Christopher Nolan‘s latest release. The only thing hurting WW84‘s legs is the negative discourse and its availability through HBO Max, as there is no reasoning for a repeat viewing in cinema directly.

     

     

    Soul has been doing quite well in China, as the Pete Docter and Kemp Powers‘ film tripled its $5.5M opening weekend. It now stands strong at $16.9M. Western releases are facing some challenges, as China has been dominating its local market through locally-produced films, such as Red Flower breaking records with a $76M opening. Mendelson highlights in his article that this confirms that not every tentpole blockbuster will see a similar success in China like it did in local markets. They seem to embrace our crazier and out-there stories, which may also be why Mulan did not sit well with Chinese audiences.

    Overall, the true victories were in the streaming market. WW84 increased HBO Max’s app downloads by 554K. Disney+, however, managed to increase the download count by 2.3M, which was a massive win for the streaming service. These minds do not include downloads on the smart TV App, Amazon or Roku. We don’t have a total subscriber count either, but these numbers are still quite impressive. Plus, the subscription costs for the different services also play a role in the download difference. Still, it looks like the Box Office will need time to get to where it once was. It is uncertain if 2021 will offer that or if it may take until 2022 to reach that point once again.

    Source: Forbes, Bloomberg

  • Greenlighting ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’ is the Right Decision at the Right Time

    Greenlighting ‘WONDER WOMAN 3’ is the Right Decision at the Right Time

    Over a year after its initial, scheduled release date, Wonder Woman 1984 is now officially out, the first movie of its magnitude to be simultaneously released in theaters and through a streaming service (at least in the US). In the last couple of days, initial word of mouth hasn’t lived up to 2017’s installment, but perhaps the biggest piece of news has been the fact that Warner Bros. has greenlit the series’ threequel, with both Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins returning.

    It’s been a very rough year for studios and everyone involved in both movie-making and the release process itself. By theaters being closed and having audiences themselves turn away from the theater experience even when it remains a possibility, Warner will never make the same amount of money a Wonder Woman film would earn in a regular theater-wide release. Adding to that the poor reviews the movie is getting, it may sound odd how they were so quick to set their eyes on a third installment. But that decision is the right one to make, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

    Why it is the right decision.

    Back in 2017, Wonder Woman was greeted with largely positive reviews, making it, for many, the best entry in the DCEU up to that point. Since it was the first female-led major super-hero movie, the cultural impact was also quite impressive. Audiences all over the world were presented with a strong female character that skewed away from the usual tropes, filling a gap that was long overdue. Warner also seemed to be quite pleased with the end result. It was its first DCEU character to earn itself a solo sequel, both before Superman (that had a 4-year head start) and Batman (that hasn’t yet had its own DCEU movie as of today). That alone speaks volumes about both the way the project was received inside the studios and the brands’ strength.

    More than three years later, the appreciation for what both Jenkins and Gadot managed to do with the character remains essentially unscathed. Even if overall reviews aren’t at the level that was to be expected, people are mostly taking it as a misstep, and there don’t seem to be many doubts that, if given the change, a third movie could easily reach the level of the first film, if not surpass it. When the time comes for the trilogy to be completed, the COVID-19 pandemic will hopefully be entirely behind us. This would mean that regular Box Office numbers will likely be making a comeback (for blockbusters, at least), and so Warner is acknowledging that even though Wonder Woman 1984 won’t have the expected return, the brand is indeed strong enough to handle a third installment.

    By not letting themselves get scared by bad reviews and a low Box Office result (compared to what it would earn in a non-COVID world) Warner is setting itself up for a massive payday in a few years time, and allowing audiences to watch yet another chapter of Diana Prince’s journey, something I feel everyone is still eager to experience.

    Why the timing is right

    Despite the low Box Office numbers, context still matters. We’re in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and these numbers aren’t obviously representative of the interest general audiences had in the project. In fact, these are the highest numbers ever since the pandemic started, so even though there are on the low side when compared to similar movies released in the past, they demonstrate that audiences are still connecting with the material. At the same time, and helped by the fact that no extra fee was charged, the streaming numbers have seemingly been huge, with half of HBO Max’s subscribers reportedly watching the movie in the first couple of days.

    Unlike in past occasions, Warner didn’t take long making decisions and has decided to ride this small yet positive wave and validate the movie by announcing a sequel. This decision almost makes it seem like all the bad reviews and the less-than-perfect word of mouth aren’t taken into consideration and therefore, don’t matter at all. This is obviously a bit of posturing by Warner, but the fact is that by reacting so promptly, Warner placed the movie above most critiques by deflating them with a “Despite what you have to say, we’re still following our plan” mindset.

    This is the kind of stubborn approach Warner has sort of been lacking in the past few years. They always seem to be reacting a bit too late, and their grand scheme often seems to be lacking. Making this final decision so early on, it’s one less thing to worry themselves about, so hopefully, they can now go back to other developing projects in need of focus and leave Jenkins and Gadot to their character.

  • ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: Who is Simon Stagg?

    ‘WONDER WOMAN 1984’: Who is Simon Stagg?

    Following multiple delays, Wonder Woman 1984 finally made its debut and while audiences seem pretty split on the film, it did include some memorable scenes and awesome easter eggs tucked away while others were quite obvious. One surprise appearance in the film came from a scene between Max Lord and a character known as Simon Stagg. For those who don’t know, Simon is quite the character in the DC Universe and an unethical and immoral businessman himself. Stagg was portrayed by British comedian and playwright Oliver Cotton.

    Simon Stagg first appeared in Brave and the Bold #57 all the way back in January of 1965 and was created by Ramona Fradon and Bob Haney. As shown in the film he’s the owner and CEO of Stagg Industries, but who we don’t see is his daughter, Sapphire Stagg. Sapphire ends up becoming romantically involved with Rex Mason, an adventurer who’s hired by Simon Stagg to journey to Egypt to acquire the Orb of Ra. Mason was betrayed by Stagg’s bodyguard, who’d accompanied him on the trip, and left dead in an attempt to keep him from furthering his relationship with Sapphire. Laying near the orb for an extended amount of time caused Rex to develop abilities and completely change his appearance. Upon returning, Rex took up the mantle of Metamorpho and would go on to join Batman, Katana, Black lighting, and Geoforce to form The Outsiders.

    Simon Stagg has appeared in many DC projects including Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Beware The Batman, The Flash, and Batman: Arkham Knight. It’s unknown if we’ll see Stagg return in the DCEU as his first and only appearance so far has been all the way back in 1984. Given he wasn’t the most youthful of the bunch, an origin for Rex Mason may have to take another route.

    Wonder Woman 1984 is in theaters now and the first of many WB films to stream alongside its theatrical release on HBO Max.

  • Pitching ‘Wonder Woman 3’: Enter Circe, The Wicked Sorceress

    Pitching ‘Wonder Woman 3’: Enter Circe, The Wicked Sorceress

    With the masses now able to view and enjoy the highly anticipated sequel to 2017’s hit hero flick, Wonder Woman 1984, queue the talk of a now confirmed sequel. Director Patty Jenkins confirmed that the future of the character’s solo endeavors would be set within the present day if she were to return for it (which we all know she will). Wonder Woman 3 has the potential to be an event-type film and take us back to Paradise Island while also embracing the Greek roots that have been present within her stories for many years. Now, it is time for the movies to embrace it. The next installment in the Wonder Woman franchise should see the heroine go up against Circe, one of the character’s most iconic villains.

     

     

    Circe was the daughter of the god Helios and Perse. She is a sea nymph and was known to be an almost Goddess level sorceress with an almost limitless range of abilities from projective animal metamorphosis, mind control, immortality, reality manipulation, and so many more. The Goddess Hectate would eventually leave the realm and chose to transfer her soul into her most devoted follower, Circe. Yet, before she did so, she left her with the following warning:

    Upon the death of witch and the birth of witch, Hecate, by name and choice, shall repossess her soul.

    At one point, she came to realize that Wonder Woman shared the name Diana with Hectate and became worried that she would be the one to usurp this newfound power from her. As such, she set her sights on anyone that could take this power from her. Circe would also come to learn via an Oracle that the daughter of Hippolyta was sure to be her undoing and, after Diana made her presence known following the events of Justice League, she’s just about painted a big target on her back.

     

     

    Wonder Woman 3 needs to go big and embrace the roots of Greek mythology. George Perez‘s work on the character would make for a great template. Let’s imagine the threequel takes us back to Themiscyra. We get introduced to characters like Nubia and Donna Troy. The film reveals that Circe has made her way to Themiscyra with Hectate’s remnant abilities. Arriving on Paradise Island, she controls the Amazons and turns them into the terrifying beasts of Greek Mythology, such as Minotaurs and Harpies. Circe would acquire Hippolytas Golden Girdle of Gaea to ensure a swift and easy takedown of those who oppose her. This event is where I’d like to see Nubia and Donna come into play. We see them set off from the island to find Diana, as she would be their last hope to save the island from the hell that’s it become under Circe.

     

     

    Of course, Circe knew about their plan and let them escape, as she believes she can use them to send Diana to the depths of Tartarus. That way, Wonder Woman would no longer pose a threat to her. Throughout the events of the story, Diana makes her return but has to face a great tragedy, her mother, Hippolyta, dies at the hands of Circe. She would face a warrior’s end before her daughter would defeat the sorcerers. After the dust has settled, she would rise to become the new queen of the Amazons. Her rule would open up the Island to the world of man and allow Nubia, Donna, and Diana to act as the ambassadors of their people. It would open up the door for other DC Universe villains, such as fan-favorite Veronica Cale from Greg Rucka‘s Rebirth run. Now that Jenkins’ return has been confirmed, hopefully, the third entry will finish the trilogy by embracing the character’s Greek history and the many characters that donned the title of Wonder Woman.

  • “Peacemaker” Expands Cast Ahead of Production Start

    “Peacemaker” Expands Cast Ahead of Production Start

    The cast of Peacemaker continues to grow as production will commence in Canada within a matter of weeks. Deadline announced a few new faces are joining Jennifer Holland, Chris Conrad, and Danielle Brooks, who got announced late last month. With story details still under wraps, all we know is that this series will serve as a prequel to the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel. It focuses on the character of Peacemaker, who is played by John Cena. The cast has grown a bit more today, as four additional actors are jumping into the fray for the upcoming HBO Max original series.

    Lochlyn Munroe, Annie Chang, Christopher Heyerdahl are joining as recurring guest stars. Chukwudi Iwuji will take on the character known as Clemson Murn, who is set to be a series regular. Munroe will play Larry Fitzgibbon. Annie Chang is taking on the role of Detective Sophie Song, and Heyerdahl is Captain Locke. Many of these characters do not have comic counterparts, so they could genuinely be original characters created for the series. Knowing Gunn and the choices he made for The Suicide Squad, there’s always a chance he popped his head into the unknown corners of the DC universe and picked a few oddballs to join his roster.

    Peacemaker currently has no set release date, but the premiere will be sometime next year. Of course, the series will most likely debut sometime after The Suicide Squad has hit theaters and HBO Max. Gunn is returning as writer and director for the series before he starts work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    Source: Deadline

  • “Peacemaker”: Casting Breakdowns Tease Sarge Steele and Judo Master

    “Peacemaker”: Casting Breakdowns Tease Sarge Steele and Judo Master

    The production of HBO Max’s Peacemaker will begin early next year in Canada. James Gunn already started work on the series before cameras get rolling. The project is set to film under the codename “Scriptures” and will film from January 11th to June 9th. We still have no release date, but it’ll most likely release sometime after Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad. This show will serve as a prequel focusing on the character of Peacemaker, played by John Cena, who is reprising the role.

    New casting breakdowns have hinted at Peacemaker joining some characters from his days at Charlton Comics once again. Charlton went bankrupt in 1986 and lost the rights to a variety of its characters such as  Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, The Question, Nightshade, Sarge Steele and Judo Master. A few of these characters have come to be quite popular and staples within the DC Universe, while others have faded into obscurity.

    According to the report, the production is looking for a character with the puny name Marshall Artist. They are looking for a male, who is 20-40 years old. His description states he is small with knowledge in martial action. It is pointing to a lot of fight scenes with him. It wasn’t easy to figure out who it is, but it seems Gunn could be adapting the character of Judo Master. He is a former Charlton Comics character who served in the military during World War II. After rescuing a Pacific Island chief’s daughter, he was taught the ways of Kung-Fu. While this character is obscure and hasn’t seen the pages of a comic book in a while, that’s all about to change with him joining the newest line-up of the suicide squad following next year’s Future State event.

    The next Charlton character that may be joining the series is Sarge Steele. The production is looking for a male in the ’50-’60s age range to play a “strong, tough leader.” Gunn seems to be eyeing Lance Reddick to play the role, who seems like a perfect fit for the character. Once a private-eye, Steele would quite literally lead with an iron fist. He was involved with multiple government agencies that dealt with keeping an eye on superhuman activities, one of which is that of the CBI (Central Bureau of Intelligence).

    These characters seem perfect for the vibe Gunn is known for and the characters he chooses to put into his stories. From his past endeavors and additions, it wouldn’t be crazy to see these two pop up, especially since they once stood side by side with Peacemaker back in the days of Charlton Comics.