Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Mandalorian

  • The Sunday Paper—December 4, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—December 4, 2022

    There were several revelations from the 2022 CCXP Disney Panel in Brazil on Thursday. Marvel Studios unveiled both the first trailer and synopsis for the awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The trailer offered us our first look at several new players, including Lylla. Here’s who we theorieze might die in the movie. See the full trailer below:

    In non-Marvel news from CCXP, the title for the fifth Indiana Jones movie was revealed—Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny—and Season 3 of The Mandalorian got an official release date of March 1, 2022. Separately, Marvel Studios debuted new trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Loki at APAC Showcase 2022. 

    However, a new rumor seems to shake up what we thought we know about a potential Scarlet Witch solo project. Apparently, such a spinoff may not be happening at all. But there is good news for Marvel fans wishing to see more of underutilized-in-the-Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Past Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios has plenty more of the character in mind in the MCU’s future, which is suggested by some information on some actors’ contracts.

    This week, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige teased more mutants in the MCU’s near future. During the Q&A after the CCXP event showcasing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked on if we can expect more mutants in the near future and he definitely seemed optimistic: “No, look, we’ve already met a few. There’s a new Mutant named Namor that you might’ve met recently. So, more to come.” 

    Of course, the head of the production company is not going to give away what we can expect. We do know that Deadpool 3 will give Hugh Jackman one more chance to play Wolverine; hopefully finally wearing his iconic outfit. And, there are many opportunities to slowly introduce various versions of these characters throughout upcoming projects. Now, we just have to wait and see if the X-Men will get their time int he spotlight or if they even existed throughout MCU’s history to begin with.

    Of course, rumors keep swirling about whether Tom Holland has officially signed on to play more Spider-Man in the MCU. A new rumor this week suggests Holland’s return could be as early as 2024. We took a look at how that release date could impact Marvel Studios’ current 2024 theatrical slate. On an unrelated “Spider-Man 4” note, this week fans got a new look at the Vulture wings that never made it to Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man film. 

    Check out some of our reviews from the past week:

  • Footage of the Cancelled Boba Fett Game Has Surfaced Online

    Footage of the Cancelled Boba Fett Game Has Surfaced Online

    Once upon a time, before the age of Disney, Lucasfilm was working on a game titled Star Wars: 1313. The game was centered on mythical bounty hunter Boba Fett as he made his way through the underbelly of a crime-ridden part of Coruscant referred to as Level 1313.

    At the time, All eyes were on this game as it promised an immersive look into a world of Star Wars that we haven’t seen through the helmet of Boba Fett no less. Alas, the game wasn’t meant to be as it was canceled as soon as Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. Star Wars: 1313 became known as one of those pre-Disney treasures that were lost in the ether forever, never to be seen again.

    Today, some footage of the canceled game has made its way online, giving us a look at what could have been. Check it out below!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XehW4OMiEr4

    The game never quite made its way into a finished state hence the wildly underdeveloped systems and graphics. It isn’t quite groundbreaking by modern standards but it gives us a nice look at this Sleeping Dogs/GTA-esque game set in the underworld. Even from this brief clip, we get a version of Boba Fett that is already sorely lacking from this new era of Star Wars.

    The leak almost feels serendipitous in the face of the criticism leveled at The Book of Boba Fett, a show that was supposed to give us the crime bounty hunter show we all wanted. Instead, the show ended up as a truncated, uneven story that saw Boba Fett getting punked weekly.

    It’s unlikely we ever see this game get revived despite Lucasfilm’s recently announced plans to expand their AAA gaming line. We can only hope that we get something as ambitious as this buried project.

  • Upcoming ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop Vinyls Include Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, Dark Troopers, and More

    Upcoming ‘The Mandalorian’ Funko Pop Vinyls Include Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, Dark Troopers, and More

    Since the early days of Star Wars, it’s been all about the merchandise. It seemed like they were out of stock most of the time, as fans tried to get their hands on the latest toys. Star Wars continued to expand with sequels and spin-offs. The latest entry, The Mandalorian, followed the trend closely. Upon the show’s premiere, people were instantly smitten by the introduction of the fan-dubbed Baby Yoda, whose name would turn out to be  His Pop Vinyl figure became the highest-selling of all time. The show’s second season led to even more memorable characters getting added. It looks like we’ll finally get our hands on them.

    The latest wave of Pops in from The Mandalorian line includes Grogu eating a blue cookie, a Dark Trooper, Boba Fett, Bo Katan, and Ahsoka Tano. There is also one paying tribute to the iconic scene of Din Djarin holding Grogu for the last time before he sends him on his way with Luke Skywalker. The upcoming wave currently has no release date and is unknown if the line includes any figures exclusive to certain retailers.

     

    The Mandalorian has become a staple in the Star Wars franchise and these figures will surely find a home in some diehard fans’ collection. The adventures of Din Djarin will continue in the show’s upcoming third season, and sure to provide more characters and moments to be immortalized for fans around the world, even if Grogu may just sit this one out.

    Source: Comic Book, Instagram 

  • BREAKING: Gina Carano Has Been Fired by Lucasfilm

    BREAKING: Gina Carano Has Been Fired by Lucasfilm

    It was only a matter of time until her batshit comments caught up to her but Gina Carano has now been fired by Lucasfilm, in an exclusive report by io9. The outlet received a statement from a Lucasfilm spokesperson saying, “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” The report was also seconded by The Hollywood Reporter, whose sources revealed that an announcement unveiling Carano as the star of her own show was quickly scrapped when the controversy first started a couple of months back.

     

     

    Gina made waves again this week after posting photos on Instagram comparing the political divide in the US to the horrors and atrocities in Nazi Germany. That post was taken down quickly as the fan outrage deservedly started pouring in and the hashtag #FireGinaCarano surfaced. Carano, over the past few months, has been on a streak of controversy, sharing misinformation on mask-wearing, the vaccine, BLM protests, and the 2020 elections, in addition to the transphobic comments she previously posted online.

    There’s no word yet on what happens to her Mandalorian character, Cara Dune, but given the scale of the Star Wars galaxy, we imagine it won’t be tough to write her off the show.

    Source: io9

  • ‘Fortnite’: Leak Reveals First Look at ‘The Mandalorian’ Skin

    ‘Fortnite’: Leak Reveals First Look at ‘The Mandalorian’ Skin

    It looks like we have some more Fortnite news. The recent season focused on a variety of Marvel characters, which included Iron Man, Wolverine, Venom, and many more. Now, it looks like we are getting one more addition from Disney, as the creators behind the game Epic have accidentally released a promo for the inclusion of The Mandalorian characters alongside its new subscription-based model. User @FortTory, who is known for sharing leaks from the game, shared the visuals that revealed the main character from the Disney+ show.

    His inclusion makes a lot of sense, especially now as the season is slowly nearing its end. Ironically, this isn’t the first time that they revealed a new character during the promotion of Fortnite Crew, which will offer people brand new characters, and will kick-off with the upcoming fifth season. There is a good chance that the overalls season might continue the deal with Disney and see the addition of other iconic characters from the franchise.

    It isn’t the first time that the galaxy far far away was included in the game, as they had an event last year that gave people access to Kylo Ren as a skin. There are also some Stormtrooper variants already in the game. Fortnite has developed into a hub for various pop culture properties at this point. It includes characters from a wide variety of franchises with DC, Marvel, John Wick, and so many more. It isn’t a surprise if you consider Fortnite‘s popularity on streaming services. We will see what other iconic franchises will be joining the game in the future as it continues to grow.

    Source: Twitter, Epic Games

  • ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Chapter 13’s Runtime Might be Shorter Than Expected

    ‘THE MANDALORIAN’: Chapter 13’s Runtime Might be Shorter Than Expected

    The expectations surrounding Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian are probably as high as they’ve ever been after Ahsoka Tano got name-dropped in Chapter 11. The latest episode’s cliffhanger just added to the suspense. This hype all started before season 2 even premiered, when we learned that Dave Filoni would be directing the 13th installment of the Disney+ hit series. Considering the Ahsoka rumors had been building up for quite a while, it became rather obvious that everyone’s favorite Togruta would be making her live-action debut on November 27, 2020.

    As if we needed even more confirmation, a recent leak that had this week’s episode titled “The Jedi” made it clear that Din Djarin and he Child won’t have to embark on another sidequest before reaching Corvus, which Bo-Katan mentioned. Around the same time, reports came out stating that the episode’s runtime would be close to an hour, making it the longest one yet. But we are now hearing, through the FSK (the german Self-Regulatory Body of the Movie Industry) that the runtime of Chapter 13 will be closer to 45 minutes (similar to the season one finale’s 46 minutes), with Chapter 14 clocking in at a mere 32 minutes.

    The incredible episode that introduced Bo-Katan was just 31 minutes, so we shouldn’t be too concerned as The Mandalorian has managed to deliver even in the episodes with the shortest of runtimes. Luckily, the wait won’t be long anymore as the episode will finally air this Friday. It will be interesting to see our first live-action adaptation of the iconic character, especially after they translated Bo-Katan so well from one medium into another.

    Source: FSK

  • Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: The Empire Reigns on in ‘The Mandalorian’

    Like a Phoenix from the Ashes: The Empire Reigns on in ‘The Mandalorian’

    Return of the Jedi ended with the end of the Empire. Luke Skywalker defeated the Emperor and ended their conquest to own the entire galaxy. In its place, a new Republic would take over. Years later, a new Empire known as the First Order would rise from the ashes to once again seek dominance over a galaxy far far away. We all wondered how it could be that the moment we returned to the Star Wars franchise in 2015 that nothing has seemed to change. Dave Filoni did tease that this season of The Mandalorian would explore that very origin. Well, the latest episode continues to showcase the Empire’s thrive in a world after two Death Stars were blown up. Now the question comes, when will we start the build-up to their transition into The Force Awakens‘ First Order.

     

    Here’s a spoiler warning. I will be talking about some major reveals in this episode, so only continue at your own risk.

     

    In the first season, it felt like the leftover of the Empire was trying to sustain its importance in the Outer Rim. Yet, at the end of the episode, we got introduced to Giancarlo Esposito‘s Moff Gideon. The intimidating Security Enforcer seemed to know more than he let on, which made him the perfect foil for our favorite Mandalorian. He is deadset on getting his hands on the Child, which he believes could be the asset to resurrect the entire Empire. Chapter 12 offers a closer look at what exactly they were planning once they got their hands on the poor 50-year-old kid. It seems that they are trying to recreate the abilities of the Force by injecting it into test subjects. The last shot of the episode showcases Gideon in a room filled with a new set of Troopers. Eagle-eyed fans of the franchise may notice that these are the Dark or Shadow Troopers that appeared in a 1995 game Star Wars: Dark Troopers.

     

     

    Well, how does this reveal connect to the Child? These Troopers are known for being able to use the Force in the comics. They want the kid’s blood to develop this new type of soldier that could change the tide in the war against the New Republic. In the game, it was a nearly indestructible type of battle droid. We saw test tubes filled with the poor people that got experimented on, who might’ve been the first test subjects before they got fused with droid technology. This series has been incredible in tying together elements from the Legends series, cartoons, and now video games. We didn’t see these types of Storm Troopers as part of the First Order, but it could be one of the reasons they rose back to power. We might get to see some ongoing upgrades to the existing armors that hint at how they end up with the design we see in Force Awakens. Maybe some Troopers get the infusion that would have later generations be force sensitive, which may be the event that leads to Finn breaking his programming later down the line. I would love to explore more of the Empire in a spin-off series, as there seem to be so many fractions across the galaxy we have yet to explore.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘The Mandalorian’: Katee Sackhoff Teases Bo-Katan’s Darksaber Hunt

    ‘The Mandalorian’: Katee Sackhoff Teases Bo-Katan’s Darksaber Hunt

    The Mandalorian‘s latest episode gave us the live-action debut of Bo-Katan. Not just that but Katee Sackhoff returns to play the character she famously voiced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels. It was probably one of the best adaptations we have seen from animation to live-action. Sadly, at the end of the episode, our favorite Mandalorian and child went their separate ways. Luckily, Sackhoff revealed in an interview with ET that we did not see the last of her by a longshot.

    She’s so important to the story in The Mandalorian and where it’s going.

    We all assumed that similar to the first season some of the characters will make their return in a later episode. Moff Gideon is after the child, so it wouldn’t be too surprising that their paths would cross. He is in the possession of the Darksaber that Bo-Katan is after, so we might see the various stories collide once again. She also teases that we might get to see a brand new side to the character.

    I think that there is a little piece of Bo-Katan that I don’t think you see coming. She’s got something else going on in her mind and everything she does is purposeful and I think that is something new for her.

    There is a good chance this is connected to the story between Moff and Bo-Katan. We do not know how he got into the possession of the fabled Darksaber. It could be connected to the events of the Great Purge, which may be shown in a later episode. There was also the rumor that she might be getting her very own spin-off series, which could explore that moment in history. The Mandalorian seems to be slowly expanding to all corners of Star Wars history. There was a tease that they took some inspiration from Game of Thrones, so maybe we’ll see the return of Mandalore in future episodes.

    Source: ET, CinemaBlend

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Latest Episode May Have Set Up The Third Season’s Arc

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Latest Episode May Have Set Up The Third Season’s Arc

    The Mandalorian just expanded their world once more, with the latest episode introducing some familiar faces. You can read more on it by checking out  João Pinto‘s latest entry by clicking here. He already covered most of the episode, so I want to take a look at what it may say about the future. Not too long ago, we got the reveal that Disney+ show’s third season was already entering production. What stood out, it was going to have the working title “Buccaneer” during production. The moment we read this news, we probably all had the same thought as Skyler Shuler did when he shared the news.

    As last time, keep in mind there are some mild spoilers in this article, so only continue at your own risk.

     

    Western films were the inspiration for the show’s initial direction. It wouldn’t be too surprising for them to diversify the genre as the show continues to grow. This way, it won’t become stale and can be reinvented to bring in a new audience. The latest episode teased the potential direction as we met Bo-Katan and her small team of Mandalorians. We get more insight into how Din’s creed is different from those that lived on Mandalore. It gave us some insight into how Mandalorian traditions have changed over the years especially after many wondered last season why Din couldn’t take off his helmet. It offered a lot more lore to finally connect The Mandalorian, The Clone Wars, and Rebels.

    What makes this episode stands out is how it already played around with new concepts. We spend some time in this episode at sea, where Din gets betrayed by his new captain. Just like previous episodes, this creates a visual connection to the main meat of the story after he is rescued by the previously-mentioned fellow Mandalorians, who he has been looking for throughout the season. The episode then takes that context to build the connection to the main focus of the Mandalorians hijacking a ship. If you combine this with the Mandalore history that got teased early on, it creates a potential set-up for where the series heads in its third season.

    I believe the third season will continue the arc set-up in this episode. Bo-Katan is aiming to retrieve the Darksaber so she can return to her home planet as their leader. She seems to be aware of Moff Gideon, so she might ask for his support in this mission. It would expand the cast to include a new ragtag team of Mandalorians that help Din and the Child on their quest. He becomes conflicted with the teachings of his creed while also fulfilling his mission. We might get our first live-action visit of Mandalore after they set out on their travels taking down one Empire ship after another. His own story will parallel with that of the Child, who is also on the search for his home.

    Source: DisInsider

  • How ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9 Turns Nostalgia Into World-Building

    How ‘THE MANDALORIAN’ Chapter 9 Turns Nostalgia Into World-Building

    Finally, after a long wait, the second season of The Mandalorian has released. The show did not waste any time and continues where the first left off. Our new favorite Mandalorian Din Djarin is now responsible for a young child that is somehow related to Yoda. Now, he sets out into the galaxy to find others of his kind to bring back the young force-sensitive child home. The last season was filled with Easter Eggs and references to the first two trilogies. It expanded the universe in a way we had yet to see, but there is something about how the second season opens that confirms how well this show handles nostalgia. The Mandalorian isn’t just an Easter egg hunt, as it uses these familiar elements to further build upon a galaxy we once believe to know like the back of our hand.

     

    Before you continue, be wary that there will be some major spoilers for the episode. So, only continue at your own risk if you have yet to watch it.

     

    After the infiltration of an underground fighting arena goes wrong, Mando once again returns to Tatooine. In a way, this planet might be the most visited place in the galaxy. At first, we get some familiar shots from the original trilogy and the last season. The fifth episode Gunslinger, which took place on the same planet, was heavily criticized for focusing too much on nostalgia, and it almost feels like it is going down the same path again. Yet, after we briefly catch up with Amy Sedaris‘ Peli Motto and get a nice moment of character growth, it splinters off from the familiar. The story truly starts the moment he enters the village of Mos Pelgo. Finally, we visit a new location on this desert planet with its history and characters.

    Now, the selling point of this episode is the appearance of Cobb Vanth, played by a former gunslinger Timothy Olyphant. I believe fans from the Extended Universe will recognize that name. The first time we meet him, he is wearing a very familiar outfit. Yes, it is, in fact, that of Boba Fett, who we last saw fall into a Sarlacc Pit. The moment that showed how this series pays tribute to the Star Wars history and its last season is the moment Vanth takes off the helmet. In the Mandalorian creed, you cannot take off your helmet. We physically see Din shocked even if we can’t see his face. The show doesn’t hold our hands and have Pedro Pascal explain that no Mandalorian should do such a thing. Din seems to have no connection with Fett, so there was also no in-universe reason for point out the original owner of the Beskar armor. Those that have seen the original will make the connection automatically. Viewers, who are new to the franchise, might even be inspired to read up on it.

    There are a lot of great little ways it uses visuals from the franchises’ history. Vanth’s speedster was made out of one of Anakin’s pod racer engine. Mando used a similar cry that Obi-Wan used in A New Hope to communicate with the Tusken Raiders. Yet, this time they aren’t just chased away but spent time with, which had got teased in the previously mentioned episode. Now, we get to explore how Raiders survive in the desert and what traditions they have. We saw glimpses of this worldbuilding when they spent more time with the Jawa’s in the first season. We also get introduced to the ecosystem of Tatooine, such as the various creatures that live there. The Sarlacc Pit was a giant creature that lived under the sand that seemed beyond our understanding. Well, we now get introduced to its natural enemy, the Krayt Dragon, which is the main focus of the episode.

    All of these elements not only pay tribute to the franchise’s history but uses them to extend our understanding of this universe. The smartest aspect is how everything in this episode is due to their connection to Boba Fett. His armor creates this immediate connection to the Sarlacc Pit and Tatooine. It takes place in the desert, so it uses some old Western film elements to ease you into the new season. So, the logical next step is to finalize that connection with a massive reveal at the end of the episode. It only truly works if you know anything about the franchise’s history. Yet, it also works for new viewers, as one can make most of the connections from the episodes’ general set-up based on nostalgia. It is hard to believe that this is only the first episode, and I am curious how they expand the Star Wars galaxy in the future.

    Source: IndieWire