Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Interviews

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Malcolm Spellman Talks How Madripoor and Fontaine Were Added to the Series

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Malcolm Spellman Talks How Madripoor and Fontaine Were Added to the Series

    We got a chance to talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier‘s head writer Malcolm Spellman, where our very own Charles Murphy discussed the introduction of a Marvel Comics icon, Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She was played by the talented Seinfeld and VEEP actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her character was originally going to premiere in Black Widow, but due to the pandemic, she ended up in the Disney+ series first. In the interview, Spellman revealed that Val’s character evolved in the writing room:

    The way it happens was: Everything that Marvel wants you to create first and they want you to do it without worrying about it. Like, if there is obvious threads to the greater MCU, by you all put them in, they don’t oppose them on you. So, that character existed as a shady-ass CIA operative person as we were mapping out the story. Gradually, she became the Contessa, she became Val. We’ve already created the character first.

    The way she is introduced, it seemed like they were setting up a team-up project shortly, especially with the potential of a Dark Avengers story being considered at one point. Well, it seems that Val’s introduction was only added later. It is great to know that they didn’t force any story elements into this series but rather added them organically into the already mapped-out story. He also confirmed the same happened with Madripoor.

    That’s the same thing with Madripoor. Madripoor was described, it was named after a real-life city initially imagined as a real-life city where the restaurants on the streets serve endangered species and there are open gun bazars. Once we created that city, they smiled because they know, a nerd moment: “What if it is Madripoor?” and everyone freaked out.

    It makes you wish you were in these meeting rooms when their faces light up the moment they realized they could introduce Madripoor. Of course, this does mean that if we want to see the character or the fictional city return in the future, it will depend on the story that is being told. It’ll be interesting to see what other projects end up carrying on the torch set by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Malcolm Spellman Talks Carl Lumbly and A Potential Isaiah Bradley Series

    EXCLUSIVE: Malcolm Spellman Talks Carl Lumbly and A Potential Isaiah Bradley Series

    Following the finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, I was able to sit down for a short chat with showrunner and Captain America 4 co-writer Malcolm Spellman.

    Charles Murphy: “Carl Lumbly was fantastic; stole every scene he was in. What kind of discussions did you have with him in his prep for the role.”

    Malcolm Spellman: “Kari prepped the actors and they called me off the first rehearsal. I was getting phone calls like “Oh my God, he just gave us chills. In all honestly, when I saw the audition, that day, he had it. I kinda got choked up watching him just in the audition. That dude was dialed in. He owned that. He’s of a certain age and he owned that in a way that no one could have imagined.”

    CM: “If Marvel gave you the call and asked ‘Do you want to work with us on an Isaiah Bradley series?’, you’d be there?”

    MS: “Instantly! Instantly!”

    The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's Isaiah Bradley: Who Is He?

    There’s no doubt that Lumbly’s emotional performance caused fans across the world to react similarly to Spellman and the Marvel Studios crew. Should Marvel Studios decide to tell more of his story, a series where Bradley tells his story to his grandson, Eli, could feature flashbacks that would make his story feel even more complete.

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Reveals How Little We Know about Marvel Studios’ Future Line-Up

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Malcolm Spellman Reveals How Little We Know about Marvel Studios’ Future Line-Up

    Our very own Charles Murphy got a chance to sit down and talk with Falcon and Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman. In a brief moment, they discussed the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the many threads that were left open at the end of the series. Spellman discussed briefly how fans agreeing with Daniel Brühl’s Helmut Zemo make him a popular candidate for more future appearances. Of course, there was also the discussion surrounding He also briefly discussed Sharon’s turn as the Power Broker and how it gives her more time in the spotlight.

    So far, we only know that the fourth entry of Captain America is in development. There are some hints that Sharon’s story might potentially connect to Armor Wars, which you can read our theory in the following link. There was one interesting hint by the head writer that we really have no idea how big the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to become, as he states:

    I was surprised about how few of the upcoming Marvel movies have been announced. […] Fans will start to become more and more clear as these projects get announced.

    It looks like the many films announced for Phase 4 are just the beginning. We are aware of eleven projects with Black Widow kicking off the cinematic side of the franchise in July. If these are only a “few” of the upcoming films we might have content for many years to come. Kevin Feige. is famous for mapping out his projects far in advance, as he revealed in 2018 that he already planned films up until 2025. It’ll be interesting to see if we get some more announcements this year for what may await us beyond 2023.

    Source: ComicBook.com (Films to 2025)

  • EXCLUSIVE: ’22 Vs. Earth’ Director Talks 22’s Origin Story and Why They Made a Prequel

    EXCLUSIVE: ’22 Vs. Earth’ Director Talks 22’s Origin Story and Why They Made a Prequel

    22 vs. Earth is Pixar’s latest offering in the mesmerizing world crafted by Pete Doctor in the critically acclaimed Soul. Set in the years before Joe Gardner’s fateful meeting with 22, the short film briefly tackles what life was for 22 in the Great Before. We got to interview the editor of Soul and director of the short, the award-winning Kevin Nolting, who gave us some fun tidbits about making the short.

    According to Nolting, the short film was conceptualized within the last 6 months, as a way to somewhat fill in the gaps the movie left with regards to 22’s origin story and why they opted for a prequel instead of a sequel.

    It could have been a sequel, I guess. But while we were making Soul, we talked about a lot what made 22 who she is. We never put it in the movie because it didn’t belong in the movie and so it never got fully developed. This was a perfect point to explore that question a little bit. 

    Nolting further elaborated on what the conversations were like leading up to the greenlighting of 22 vs. Earth and how he approached it.

    When you’re making a movie, you play around with how much pre-story you need. Since Joe was the main character, that got the focus of our attention; building his world, his family, and what brought him to that place. With 22, it just didn’t belong because she wasn’t the main focus. But it was such a big conversation because you do need that biography to character to know how to make them play. But I approached [the short] as: if we were telling 22’s story, it would overlap with Soul and the short would be the midpoint of the story. It would be the point in the story where she crystallizes her ideas and moves in a certain direction. 

    Soul marked Nolting’s third collaboration with acclaimed director Pete Doctor in 15 years. Nolting talked briefly spoke on how that collaboration began and whether Doctor gave him tips on how to execute this short film.

    He was in development of Up and he was putting some scenes together and writing the movie. I was free at the time and hanging around development to help in whatever way I could and I ended up cutting 3 or 4 scenes. He was going to do a mini-screening for Up just to see how the ideas were going. We had the scene introducing the bird, the dog, and the house flying up. And we just clicked working together so I ended up staying on. He didn’t have to give me specific advice because I’ve been working with him for 15 years. Just through osmosis, I learned everything about directing from him. Yes, he did give me advice but in a span of 15 years (laughs). 

    22 vs. Earth is coming to Disney+ on April 30, 2021.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Podcasting with Olli Haaskivi from ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

    EXCLUSIVE: Podcasting with Olli Haaskivi from ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

    We are absolutely thrilled to have interviewed Olli Haaskivi, who played Doctor Wilfred Nagel in episode 3 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Haaskivi gives his thoughts on the show, director Kari Skogland and takes a deep, deep dive into the mind of his character. You absolutely want to listen to this one in its entirety.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Amy Aquino Talks John Walker’s Challenge in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

    EXCLUSIVE: Amy Aquino Talks John Walker’s Challenge in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

    Amy Aquino has quite the filmography. She started her TV career with 1991’s Roseanne before becoming a mainstay on Brooklyn Bridge. Aquino started in film years before, as she appeared in 1987’s Moonstruck. She has recently appeared in series like Bosch, as well as Grace and Frankie. Now, she got the chance to tackle a new character in Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. She plays Dr. Christina Raynor, who helps Bucky overcome his inner demons. In an exclusive interview, she revealed there is one more character she thinks needs to be interviewed by Raynor.

    Well, at this point, number one on my list has got to be John Walker because he is in such a weird position. And, he is someone that I’ve known. I knew them, I fought with them. So, I get him. I think he could really use a little help taking this on. He’s a soldier. Now, he is doing this thing and they are doing all this hoopla around it. So, he can’t just focus to be a soldier but also this giant public figure. It’s a lot. I could start with him.

    John Walker is still a bit of a mystery box so far. We get a shade of his darker side, but they haven’t offered a full-glimpse at what may be lurking behind the pressure of being the new Captain America. There is also that brief mention of him not being able to “punch his way out,” which might be a good indicator that someone is not going to have a good time in a future episode. Hopefully, Aquino’s Dr. Raynor will return in the later episodes to give her a diagnosis on the insanity that will occur throughout the upcoming episodes. After the question, she also makes a reference to Dr. Banner, who would be a perfect patient for her. The heroes have to fight enough throughout their journeys in the MCU. So, there could be a future for Amy Aquino to reappear in other series or films.

    Source: IMDb

  • EXCLUSIVE: Amy Aquino Talks Bucky’s Inner Turmoil in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

    EXCLUSIVE: Amy Aquino Talks Bucky’s Inner Turmoil in ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’

    Falcon and the Winter Soldier continues Marvel Studios’ expansion into long-form storytelling and exploring the smaller side of their universe. Its action is certainly what we expect from the franchise, but they have started to explore a new aspect that wouldn’t get enough focus in a limited timeframe. We get to see the humanity of these characters. WandaVision focused on Wanda battling her grief and the losses she faced.

    The latest Marvel Studios project is the same. We get small moments that leave an essential impact on these characters lives. Ever since the show started, we got a lot of insight into Bucky’s mind through his court-mandated therapist, Dr.  Christina Raynor, who is played by the amazing Amy Aquino. Luckily, we got a chance to interview Aquino and she offered some interesting insight into Raynor’s motivations to help Bucky through his sessions.

    I think she takes it, she doesn’t, she takes it on a micro-level. Instead of saying: ‘Oh, this guy was a pawn for HYDRA and had all these super, you know, magical things happen to him. She is looking at him, Bucky, as a soldier, as a human being who had to do these things that horrify him. He is suffering from the same kind of post-traumatic stress that I went through myself and others went through, I want to save his life. I know if he doesn’t do this, he is going to die. He will kill himself.’

    Her approach to bringing Dr. Raynor to life really highlights the complexity of these characters. We’ve already seen Bucky fight the urge to hurt those that wronged him early on. The trailers have already teased that he’ll confront Zemo at gunpoint in a later episode. So, we might see the points she made reach their limits as the show continues. It also opens up the door to what the future holds for the former Winter Soldier. The title of the series would imply he might end up embracing it. He could turn that title into something positive. It wouldn’t be too out of place in a series about identity and living through someone else’s legacy. Sam is struggling to accept Steve Roger’s while Bucky does the same with his.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Podcasting with Indya Bussey from Marvel Studios ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

    EXCLUSIVE: Podcasting with Indya Bussey from Marvel Studios ‘THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER’

    Charles and Arlyn Murphy were fortunate enough to sit down with actress Indya Bussey. Bussey plays one of the Flag-Smashers and she talked about what that group is all about, the identity of the Power Broker and more in an exclusive interview!

  • EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on How the Pandemic Impacted ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’

    EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on How the Pandemic Impacted ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’

    Production on Marvel Studios next Disney Plus streaming series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, was about halfway complete when things abruptly came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When production resumed on the project under the ironically named Pandemic Productions company, the cast and crew had to adjust on the fly to an entirely new set of circumstances. I asked director Kari Skogland how the pandemic impacted the project and to find a silver lining in what was a scary and surprising time.
    Charles Murphy: “You guys had quite a bit of work done when the pandemic shut things down. What’s something good that came out of that downtime on this project?”
    Kari Skogland: “For us, it was actually quite positive because we were able to, first of all, we had an amazing team. Everybody was very willing to pivot as necessary. So there was no panic as a result we just got on with it. Once the sort of surprise of it all, perhaps we all sniffed it coming? I guess I don’t know. But nonetheless, it was still a surprise. Once we sort of got over that, it was very much…we just sort of picked up and kept going because there is always work to be done-cause we were midway. So the positive side to it was when we were able to gear back up we were really targeted. We knew exactly what we were shooting. We knew where the series was and where it needed to go. I think we were able to use the time very wisely to make all kinds of decisions that we wouldn’t have had time to make otherwise. The best and most positive thing was that the team responded incredibly well, actors, everybody included, we all just got on with it.”

    More than once during the shutdown, I heard how Marvel Studios was using the time they wouldn’t otherwise have well and wisely. Having more time to think, discuss and evaluate their projects provided a rare opportunity to strengthen what were some already great projects. As Skogland said, the shutdown gave them time to really reflect on things and make decisions without being up against deadlines. As you’ll see when The Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts next week, the downtime was time well spent.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on the Most Important Questions ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Will Answer

    EXCLUSIVE: Director Kari Skogland on the Most Important Questions ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ Will Answer

    In an exclusive interview with Murphy’s Multiverse, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier director Kari Skogland discusses what drew her to the project, the key questions this series will address and how developing how the nature of the project allowed the characters to live and breathe without the usual time constraints.

    Kari Skogland – Red Arrow Studios

    Charles Murphy: “The episode has big action but it also has some beautiful and chilling character moments. The leads are hurting for different reasons and we finally have time to explore them more deeply. Did the opportunity to help define these characters make the project more attractive?”

    Kari Skogland: “I don’t know about more attractive. No matter what I was excited. The central idea of it where Sam was handed the shield and what was that going to be and what is that what’s that the exploration of will he or won’t he take on what’s this is going to be for a Black man to carry the shield? What is Captain America’s relevance? Is there a Captain America that makes any sense anymore? All of those questions I thought were very topically important to not just discuss but to go on a real exploration in a deep dive sort of way.”

    Needless to say the legacy of Steve Rogers and the weight of carrying his shield and taking up the mantle are major themes in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. When he was handed the shield in Avengers: Endgame, Sam told Steve it felt like it belonged to someone else. The fact that we’re getting a series titled The Falcon and The Winter Soldier tells us he hasn’t resolved those feeling just yet.

    Skogland continued on to explain how the structure of the show allowed for her to find the moments in which the characters could live and breathe and struggle, which they do beautifully in the first episode.

    KS: “There was that on the one level and on the other level was the nature and the depth of these characters that we were able to in a 6-hour space compared to…I call it the meal vs. the snack. 6 hours is the meal and the feature is now the snack. And there’s plenty of room for snacks but I love the meals because you don’t feel like you’ve got these time constraints where you’re trying to jam too much into too short a space and the characters can live and breathe. And you’re also not sweating the “I better wind this up” too quickly. You’re able to let it gestate and let us worry for the character or be with the character. I really looked for performance opportunities and found from the get go it was going to be a challenge for the actors to find those moments and the table was set for them to do their great work and they did.”

    And the actors really did great work delivering on the promise of this extended opportunity to develop their characters, something you’ll all have a chance to see when the first episode streams one week from today!