Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • ‘GUARDIANS’ Producer on James Gunn’s Return to Vol. 3

    ‘GUARDIANS’ Producer on James Gunn’s Return to Vol. 3

    The Guardians of The Galaxy is one of those obscure groups of characters from the comics that many didn’t really have a clue about but found success thanks to the way James Gunn handled their story, managing to turn an unknown property into a billion-dollar franchise. But the future of that franchise became uncertain when Gunn was embroiled in a scandal regarding decade-old tweets and then later fired for them. However, it wasn’t all bleak as Gunn managed to find his way back to where he started when he was rehired a year later.

    Producer on both Guardians films and the upcoming Shang-Chi film, Jonathan Schwartz, recently sat down for an interview with our very own Charles Villanueva where he expressed how important and happy he was to have Gunn back for the third and final film in the trilogy.

    It’s great to have him back. It’s super exciting. I’m a huge fan of James. It would have felt very weird to try and do a Guardians movie without him because he is such an important voice when it comes to putting those movies together and I think you feel that when you watch them. They feel so specific to James and to what he wants to do as a director. So I’m very, very pleased and excited that he’s able to come back for Vol. 3 and complete that trilogy.”

    It’s safe to assume that the entire fandom shares the same sentiment with Schwartz. Gunn recently achieved the same kind of success he did with Guardians when his own twisted vision of DC’s Task Force X, The Suicide Squad, came out last month to incredible reviews. To have him be absent for the group of misfits that put him on the mainstream map would have been a travesty.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘POWER PACK’ No Longer In Active Development

    Once upon a time, Marvel Studios was looking at several obscure comic properties to bring to the big screen, in an attempt to kickstart some financial backing for the newly-founded studio. One of those properties was Shang-Chi, which comes out later this week in theaters, and Power Pack.

    We spoke with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz about Power Pack, a project he was coincidentally attached to produce at some point in the past decade, and its current status.

    It’s one of those things we look at and talk about every once in a while. We’ll probably get there eventually but it’s not something super active at the moment.

    For the uninitiated, Power Pack is a superhero team made up of pre-teen siblings with powerful cosmic abilities who’d go on crazy cosmic adventures together. The property has been in and out of development throughout the years, with the most recent iteration being the one Schwartz was attached to.

    With so many unique things in development, it is pretty surprising to know that Power Pack is currently not in Marvel Studios’ sights at the moment. Power Pack feels like a property that would be served really well in animation, similar to What If…?. Let’s cross our fingers they finally do something with it because that is a bankable property.

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing $50M Domestic, $90M Global Opening

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Eyeing $50M Domestic, $90M Global Opening

    As fans continue to waver on how comfortable they feel heading to theaters, Marvel Studios newest origin story, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, looks to be on track to set a Labor Day weekend box office record with a projected $45-50 million dollar U.S. opening weekend. The film received rave reviews from critics (you can read our review RIGHT HERE) and is on track to add another $40-45 million globally. A $45M domestic box office would top the recently released and well-loved The Suicide Squad.

    Box office projections are not an exact science and are even cloudier now as the Delta variant continues to surge; however, it seems that Disney is going to strike it rich over the usually dead Labor Day weekend. While Shang-Chi won’t be putting up pre-pandemic numbers or even Black Widow numbers (which also premiered day-and-date on Disney Plus via Premier Acess), it seems sure to surpass the current Labor Day weekend record of $37M, held by the 2007 Halloween reboot. It also seems like the film is set to kick off a strong run atop the box office, as competition for the top spot will remain relatively weak over the next 3 weeks. Projections used advance ticket sales as part of their calculations and while those are nowhere near as strong as they were for Black Widow, it’s possible that word of mouth and walk-ins over the long weekend could push the film closer to a $100M global launch.

    Source: Deadline

  • Connecting Imaginary Dots: The Contessa is Making More Moves in ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

    Connecting Imaginary Dots: The Contessa is Making More Moves in ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’

    Atlanta has served as one of the industry’s central filming hubs for some time. The area has several studios and a tax friendly approach to filming, making it a great place for Hollywood studios to get work done. For the past several years, Marvel Studio has used it as much as anyone, filming maybe a dozen or so projects in the area, including a major project now: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The sequel is set to introduce Namor, Riri Williams and a handful of other characters to the MCU but it also seems like it’ll mark another appearance for Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

    Piecing together a couple of recent Instagram photos might give enough evidence to prove that JLD is now in Atlanta on the set of the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster.

    The first photo comes from JLD who tags her friend and (maybe) personal make-up artist, Karen Kawahara, who, as it turns out is in Atlanta. As it turns out, the set Kawahara included in her photograph is one that matches the description recently given to me of one being used for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Connecting imaginary dots here, it seems VERY likely that we will see JLD reprise her role as Val in this film.

    Val is already known to be working with John Walker and Yelena Belova, Captain America and Black Widow replacements respectively. Could she be trying to line up an Iron Man replacement here in Riri? Could she be recruiting or working with someone in Wakanda? Certainly Namor wouldn’t be interested in anything the human world has to offer. Kevin Feige recently indicated we’d see Val again soon and learn more about her past. Maybe Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is that place!

  • ‘ETERNALS’ Shares Themes With Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-Winner ‘NOMADLAND’

    ‘ETERNALS’ Shares Themes With Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-Winner ‘NOMADLAND’

    Marvel Studios is starting to venture into new territory with its upcoming projects. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will offer our first martial arts-inspired film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s also the mysterious project by Chloé Zhao, as the Eternals ventures into the long history before the Avengers fought their first enemy. In an interview with Empire, producer Nate Moore teased how the film will reflect the themes she used in Nomadland.

    Chloé’s interested in telling stories about outsiders who find themselves adrift in new worlds. Nomadland and Eternals both share that DNA. Nomadland doesn’t have the same bells and whistles as Eternals, but it has the same thematic resonance.

    It’s not uncommon for directors to build upon themes and stories they’ve introduced in other films. Sometimes it’s the venture into taking unique aspects on the same topic that showcases their talent in telling stories. Nomadland and Eternals may explore very different types of beings, but it highlights that no matter where we come from, we all can become outsiders in this strange world of ours.

    The Eternals promised not to intervene in human history. They are forced to watch how events unfold following the strict orders of their creators, the Celestials. Some have distanced themselves from these beings while others, like Gemma Chan‘s Sersi, tried to connect with humanity. It seems clear that this conflict will lie at the core of the story and it’ll be interesting to see how their decisions may shape the future of the MCU.

    Source: Empire

  • Lashana Lynch Spotted with ‘THE MARVELS’ Cast and Director

    Lashana Lynch Spotted with ‘THE MARVELS’ Cast and Director

    The Marvel family will finally unite in the upcoming sequel to 2018’s Captain Marvel, with Carol Danvers set to team up with Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau. With all these newcomers, it would be nice to see a few familiar faces. Luckily, Samuel L. Jackson already teased his return as Nick Fury and Jude Law also potentially making a return. Yet, it seems that they may not be the only returning characters.

    Recently the cast and director of The Marvels were spotted out in public with actress Lashana Lynch, who previously played Maria Rambeau in the first Captain Marvel film. The character was briefly mentioned in Wandavision, where we met an older version of her daughter working for S.W.O.R.D. In it, we found out that Maria had passed away due to cancer sometime during the blip.

    https://twitter.com/MarvlUpdates/status/1431669126578249730

    Its currently unknown if Lynch has indeed joined the upcoming film, but seems possible if she was spotted with both DaCosta and Parris, who are both newcomers to the franchise. If she is indeed in the film, the role will most likely be limited and set in the past. Perhaps we can explore her life after the first film and the formation of S.W.O.R.D. It’ll be interesting to see them explore the Rambeau’s relationship with Captain Marvel, as there seemed to be some resentment towards Carol from Monica seen in a brief moment in WandaVision. Here’s hoping we find out more in the near future.

    Source: Twitter

  • Martin Freeman Rocking a Beard in Latest ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’ Set Photos

    Martin Freeman Rocking a Beard in Latest ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’ Set Photos

    The set photos for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever have been slowly pouring in. Not too long ago, we got our first real look at Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams on the film’s set. We even got a few pictures featuring Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira. It’s not over, as Just Jared shared a brand new look at Martin Freeman, as he rocks a beard. The actor had a strong supporting role in the first film as CIA agent Everett K. Ross and it’s great to see his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    As we sadly can’t share pictures from JustJared, you can check them out here.

    We still know very little about the film’s upcoming plot, but it looks like the CIA will get involved in one way or another. They’ve been busy shooting scenes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which might be the reason he gets involved. We don’t know the details but it looks like Riri will have some role in the film.

    There’s a chance that Ross might not be as involved in this film as he was previously. The rumors of the film focusing on a potential war between Wakanda and the MCU’s version of Atlantis will introduce quite a few new players. So, they’ll likely try to keep the supporting cast between these two nations. It’ll be interesting to see how much the initial trailer will reveal or hint at, as they might want to keep a few things close to their chest moving forward. Either way, here’s hoping Freeman might appear in other projects further down the line. He might need to sit down to have a chat with his now evil former co-worker and now Power Broker.

    Source: Just Jared

  • New ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’ Set Photos Offer a Glimpse of Riri Williams

    New ‘BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER’ Set Photos Offer a Glimpse of Riri Williams

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has been filming on two fronts over the past week with part of the cast in and around MIT where it is believed Riri Williams, who will play an integral role in the film’s plot, is a student. Today, set photos of Dominique Thorne as Williams have made the rounds and give us our first really good look at the character looking like a college student.

    Williams possesses a genius-level intellect and, in the comics, created her Ironheart armor with materials she stole from MIT. While we are sure to see her armor, perhaps multiple versions, I’m told it’s another invention of hers that drives her part in the story.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is slated to hit theaters next summer.

  • 4 Comic Influences That The ‘NO WAY HOME’ Trailer Teased

    4 Comic Influences That The ‘NO WAY HOME’ Trailer Teased

    If you’ve been living above a rock for the past few months, you would know there are few things the internet wanted more than a teaser trailer for Sony and Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: No Way Home. To the delight of the insatiable, the trailer finally made its grand debut earlier this week and was met with uproarious approval by fans. From a major identity crisis to multiversal shenanigans, the sneak peek was chock-full of things that even the most die-hard Spidey enthusiasts never thought would make it to the big screen. However, that doesn’t mean these events have no basis in the pages of Marvel’s vast comic universe.

    Most of what we were shown in the trailer’s nearly three-minute runtime can be traced back to a collection of moments from famous comic arcs. While not all of the source material is universally loved, it does make for a rather intriguing mass of inspiration. As such, I’ve taken the time to break it all down and present you with a guide to the origins of the trailer’s biggest moments, in case anyone should want to do a little reading before No Way Home drops in December.

    The War at Home

    That’s right, it looks like Marvel Studios isn’t done pulling from Mark Millar’s Civil War comic just yet. The big, unforgettable surprise at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home was the worldwide revelation that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. While there had been concerns from fans that No Way Home might brush this plotline aside, the trailer made sure to highlight that it would actually be a major driving aspect of the third film’s story.

    Peter Parker has had his identity outed more than once in the comics, but the occasion with the most staying power was undoubtedly the one from 2006’s popular event series. The major difference between page and screen is that comic Peter took the mask off himself, while MCU Peter was mortified when Mysterio dropped his big secret from beyond the grave. A more comic-accurate depiction from the teaser was the shots of Peter being hounded by the media and law enforcement, which bring to mind the events of the Civil War tie-in arc, The War at Home.

    Taking place in The Amazing Spider-Man #532-538, written by J. Michael Straczynski, the arc deals with the fallout of Peter’s identity going public and the way it affects the life of those around him. The story also features Peter revolting against the Registration Act, which places him on the wrong side of the law and in the sights of multiple government-sponsored supervillains.

    One More Day & One Moment in Time

    Maybe the most controversial Spider-Man arc ever written, the influence of J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada‘s One More Day is ever-present in the first half of No Way Home‘s trailer. It may need no introduction for most, but for the few who missed that particular boat, One More Day is the infamous story in which Peter Parker makes a deal with the devil. To save a dying Aunt May, Peter makes an agreement with Mephisto that trades away his entire history with Mary Jane Watson. It’s a bold, rash move, and its spirit can be felt in the trailer moment when Peter asks Doctor Strange to hide his identity from the world without realizing what that means for his time with Zendaya‘s MJ.

    Alongside One More Day came a companion piece from Quesada titled One Moment in Time. This short arc detailed the exact changes made by Mephisto in erasing Peter’s marriage to MJ. The most surprising retcon comes when it’s revealed that Mephisto did not restore Peter’s secret identity as previously believed. Instead, it’s shown that Parker had gone to Doctor Strange to fix his identity crisis, and even had a moment of weakness during the spell casting where he begged for Mary Jane to still remember his identity. This additional storytelling helped reset the Spider-Man status quo going forward in the comics, albeit with some forewarned dire consequences.

    Happy Birthday

    Of all the trailer inspiration, the one fans may have least expected to see was a loose adaptation of Straczynski‘s centennial Happy Birthday arc. Beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #57 and concluding in the re-numbered #500 issue, the surprisingly emotional plot concerns Spider-Man teaming up with Doctor Strange, and a few other heroes, to stop Dormammu and the Mindless Ones from taking over the world. Unfortunately for Spidey and that ‘ole Parker luck, his attempts to aid Strange actually interfere with the complicated spell being cast.

    As a result, Peter is sent flying outside of time and reality, forced to confront a multitude of enemies from his past and witness a tragic potential future for himself. As previously mentioned, the No Way Home teaser makes a concerted effort to hint at Peter’s involvement with Strange’s spell bringing in more than a couple of villains from (a version of) his past. And who knows, the movie may even give him that glimpse at an older Parker by the time the credits roll.

  • ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ 24-Hour View Count Swings to New Record All-Time High

    ‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ 24-Hour View Count Swings to New Record All-Time High

    There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. As rumors kept piling on teasing multiverse shenanigans, it was bound to garner a lot of attention after finally hitting the internet. Well, it looks like the film even beat Avengers: Endgame‘s all-time record as it stands at a staggering 355.5M global views within 24 hours. The last Avengers entry managed 289M, which is quite a staggering difference. It’s also an incredible jump from Spider-Man: Far From Home, as the film more than doubled it, as it garnered around 135M.

    To up that into perspective what it means for its eventual Box Office release. Far From Home is Sony’s largest-grossing title with $1.131 billion. So, while Social Media buzz isn’t always a perfect indicator, the film has the potential to inch towards a potential $2B+ Box Office. Of course, the pandemic is still roaming and could certainly put a damper on that, as Sony still is uncertain to keep the upcoming Venom sequel in its current release window. It also garnered around 4.5M mentions within 24-hours which is the highest conversation volume of all time. Domestically, it also passed Endgame’s 1.94M with 2.91M mentions. It passed the previous record-holder within the first twelve hours.

    There’s a lot of excitement with the grand return of Spider-Men from past Sony franchises, which has been a popular rumor going around. The trailer also ended on a high note with the return of Alfred Molina, who openly confirmed his return and even offered some insight into his character for the film. There’s also the tease of various other iconic villains joining the fray with the pumpkin bomb tease being a special highlight.

    Source: Deadline