Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • Tom Hardy’s Next ‘Venom’ Film Gets a New Title and Release Date

    Tom Hardy’s Next ‘Venom’ Film Gets a New Title and Release Date

    As Venom 3 resumed filming in November following the Hollywood strikes, star Tom Hardy celebrated the restart of production in an Instagram post in which he referred to the film as “The Last Dance.” As one might expect, that kicked off rampant speculation that the third installment in Sony’s Venom franchise would be subtitled as such. Now, it’s official.

    Sony officially revealed the film’s full title, Venom: The Last Dance, alongside a new, earlier release date for the threequel. Originally slated for a November 8, 2024 release, the film will now hit theaters on October 25, 2024.

    Starring Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Clark Backo, the film is expected to follow the Lethal Protector as he returns from his brief visit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and embarks on some ridiculous, new adventure. Following the theatrical travesty of Madame Web, we can all only hope that “The Last Dance” is more than just a subtitle and a promise that they’ll stop making horseshit Marvel movies.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Black Widow’ Writer Brought on to “Polish” Script for ‘The Fantastic Four’

    ‘Black Widow’ Writer Brought on to “Polish” Script for ‘The Fantastic Four’

    As the start of production on Marvel Studios long-awaited Fantastic Four reboot draws near, a new trade report has revealed a surprising bit of info about the studio’s efforts to improve the script. According to THR, Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson was brought on by the studio to “polish” the script before production begins this Summer.

    The Fantastic Four was originally written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer before being rewritten by Avatar: The Way of Water and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes writer Josh Friedman, who was brought on to beef up the science-fiction aspects of the project. According to THR’s report, Pearson, who also worked on Thor: Ragnarok and wrote the first draft of Thunderbolts for the studio, “has a reputation for taking projects over the finish line.”

    The Fantastic Four, which was first announced at SDCC ’19, was originally set to be directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home skipper Jon Watts. However, Watts left the project in April 2022, leaving the project without a director until Matt Shakman took the regins in August 2022. Shakman and the studio are taking their time with the project as it stands to be one of Marvel’s biggest draws in years as it brings Marvel Comics First Family into the MCU. After an extensive casting search, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach were announced as the Fantastic Four in February and production is slated to get underway this Summer in the UK.

    The Fantastic Four is currently slated to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.

    Source: THR

  • Marvel Studios to Retitle ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    Marvel Studios to Retitle ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’

    Since Marvel Studios parted ways with Jonathan Majors, it’s seemed all but certain that they’d eventually retitle the Avengers film that included the name of his MCU character. Now, according to THR, they’ve made the decision to retitle Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    According to THR insiders Aaron Couch and Borys Kit, Marvel Studios had been considering the change for some time after the less-than-enthusiastic response to Ant-Man and The Waps: Quantumania and Majors‘ legal troubles and subsequent firing by the studio seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. The studio began distancing itself from Quantumania by replacing writer Jeff Loveness, who wrote the Ant-Man threequel, with Michael Waldron, who was already writing the sixth Avengers film, Avengers: Secret Wars. Waldron’s experience in helping to create the Multiverse in Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness along with his understanding of Marvel lore made him an attractive option and allowed for creative continuity between the two-part Multiverse Saga finale.

    Avengers 5 is still currently slated for a May 1st, 2026 release.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Becomes Most Watched Trailer of All Time within 24 Hours

    ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Becomes Most Watched Trailer of All Time within 24 Hours

    That did the trick. Deadpool & Wolverine has managed to break a major record this weekend. The first trailer for Ryan Reynolds‘ grand return to the franchise has been met with a warm welcome after its Super Bowl release. Within 24 hours, the trailer has become the most-watched trailer with 365M views. That is even higher than Sony and Marvel Studios’ major release during the pandemic in the form of Spider-Man: No Way Home (355M).

    The film is directed by Shawn Levy, who worked on various projects with Reynolds in the past. This film also marks the major return of Hugh Jackman in the iconic role of Wolverine. In a way, the trilogy has been building up to an eventual meeting and the set-up of the TVA arriving makes sense given the way he played around with time travel being a major part of the second entry.

    These views also further highlight the complicated discourse of “superhero fatigue” that has been making the rounds. We might be going through the same experience that we had with Phase 2 where the topic had gained traction before a return in the third phase. It’ll be interesting to see what this might mean for the box office and if this is a sign that it’ll manage similar numbers to what No Way Home managed.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Madame Web’: First Reactions to Sony’s Latest Debacle Hit Social Media

    ‘Madame Web’: First Reactions to Sony’s Latest Debacle Hit Social Media

    Sony must be given credit. Though the studio behind two of the most well-received animated superhero films of all time (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) can’t seem to put together a solid live-action CBM, they truly embody the superhero spirit by never giving up. The studio’s latest effort, Madame Web, hits theaters on Valentine’s Day and was screened for critics ahead of time…and it sounds as though it turned out exactly like everyone thought it would.

    “The Worst Comic Book Movie I Have Ever Seen”

    With Green Lantern, 2015’s Fant4stic Four and Sony’s own Morbius to compete with, being the worst CBM ever is tall order to be sure, but at least one critic thinks Madame Web may have taken the top spot. Critic Cris Parker called Sony’s latest installment in whatever it is they’re calling their efforts “an embarrassing mess” with a “laughable structure.” Given the current culture of social media, that means in about 6 months people will be talking about how it’s one of their favorite films.

    “A Scattered Story That Leads Nowhere”

    Heroes Unbound found Madame Web’s plot to be “lackluster” and while they indicated it did contain “charming performances”, they ultimately labeled it as nothing more than “a passable movie.” And that’s the nicest thing anyone is saying about it so far.

    “Just Kinda There”

    With a cast that included Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney, Sony certainly continued its trend of casting attention-grabbing stars. With that in mind, you’d hope they’d eventually put together a film that grabbed attention in a positive way. Instead, Madame Web is “totally fine” and “just kinda there” according to James Preston Poole.

    “It Was Bad”

    Brandon Schultz was willing to give it a shot, bless his heart, but in the end…”it was bad.”

    https://twitter.com/bneilschultz/status/1757294083096089020?s=20

    The good news is that as we all know, the early reviews are always the best ones as they’re done by critics who are clearly paid by the studios to get the film some good press (at least that’s what I always read on X), so don’t let these early reviews stop you from seeing Madame Web in theaters! And, don’t forget that Sony’s Kraven the Hunter will also hit theaters later this year!

  • Geraldine Viswanathan Boards Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’

    Geraldine Viswanathan Boards Marvel Studios’ ‘Thunderbolts’

    Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts film has added Geraldine Viswanathan to its cast. The actor will replace Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), who was forced to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. She joins fellow new addition, Lewis Pullman, who has replaced Steven Yeun who was also forced to depart the project earlier in the month for scheduling conflicts.

    Viswanathan’s star has been on the rise since starring in Universal’s Blockers. She’s starred in projects such as TBS’ Miracle Workers, The Beanie Bubble, and Cat Person. She is set to star in Ethan Coen’s Drive Away Dolls and the Amazon comedy You’re Cordially Invited.

    Production on the movie is expected to begin in March/April. The cast includes Wyatt Russell as US Agent, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster. Jake Schreier will direct the film. It is currently slated to hit theaters in July 2025.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Madame Web’ Director Reveals the Film’s Connection to Sony’s Other Spidey Universe Projects

    ‘Madame Web’ Director Reveals the Film’s Connection to Sony’s Other Spidey Universe Projects

    Sony’s latest entry in their Spider-Man Universe, Madame Web, hits theaters on February 14th and marketing for the film is starting to pick up. The project has been at the center of some seriously intriguing rumors over the last year, with some rumblings that the film would be revealed to be set in either Andrew Garfield‘s Amazing Spider-Man universe or, even spicier, Tom Holland‘s MCU Spider-Man’s timeline. In an interview with EW, director SJ Clarkson shed some light on what’s really happening in the film.

    Set in 2003, Madame Web, as it turns out, is a standalone story that sounds like it takes place in neither of the aforementioned universes. “She’s definitely in a standalone world,” Clarkson said of the film’s main character, Cassandra Webb. “I was able to just have free rein and let the movie be what it needed to be, as opposed to trying to force it into something else. That was a gift, in a way, to be able to take something and bring a fresh and I hope original take to it.“

    Isabela Merced, Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, and Celeste O’Connor in ‘Madame Web’. SONY PICTURES

    Photos from the set of Madame Web showed Emma Roberts’ Mary Parker–Peter’s mother–is pregnant during the film. Rumors about the film’s plot have indicated that the villain, Ezekiel Sims, is looking to prevent the birth of Peter Parker. If all that is to be believed and we take the established timelines from the Garfield and Holland films to be true, then the 2003 setting would certainly eliminate any possibility that Madame Web is set in either of their universes. Of course, we could always just take Clarkson at her word!

    Madame Web hits theaters on February 14th!

    Source: EW

  • New Favorite Emerges for Major Marvel Role

    New Favorite Emerges for Major Marvel Role

    While Marvel Studios will only have one film in theaters and two live-action series on Disney Plus in 2024, it may end up being one of the studio’s busiest ever on the production side. Production is scheduled to restart on a pair of recently retooled streaming series, Wonder Man (indeed, cameras are already rolling again on this one!) and Daredevil: Born Again, in early 2024. Principal photography is also scheduled for at least four films with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four and Blade all on the docket. Throw in the potential for cameras to roll on Avengers 5, which is being written by Loki Season 1 and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe Michael Waldron, at some point late in the year and it becomes clear Kevin Feige and crew are going to be busy. However, there’s some important business left to attend to for each of those projects before production can get underway. In the case of Thunderbolts, which is expected to start filming in just a few months, there’s a super-sized hole in the ensemble cast.

    After months of being one the MCU’s most poorly kept casting secrets ever, The Walking Dead and Invincible star Steven Yeun vacated the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts, leaving Marvel Studios scrambling to find a replacement. With production so close to kicking off, Yeun had already done costume fittings for the character, whose backstory in the film had been altered from the comics to uniquely fit Yeun. Now as the studio reworks the script around Yeun’s departure, another Walking Dead alum has emerged as a favorite for the role of Robert Reynolds, aka Sentry.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Austin Abrams–who portrayed Ron Anderson in 9 episodes over parts of Seasons 5 and 6 of The Walking Dead–has been offered the role of Sentry in Thunderbolts.

    Abrams‘ work as Ethan Lewis on HBO’s Euphoria has drawn significant praise and the young actor has already shown an impressive range in his relatively short career. Should he indeed land the role of junkie-turned-Super Soldier Bob Reynolds, it’ll provide another opportunity to showcase his talents and land a potentially major recurring role.

  • How to Watch the Netflix Marvel Shows Now That They’ve Been Retconned as MCU Canon

    How to Watch the Netflix Marvel Shows Now That They’ve Been Retconned as MCU Canon

    In October 2023, Marvel Studios published The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline. Featuring a foreword by the studio’s One Above All, Kevin Feige, the book was said to be “the go-to resource for fans who are hoping to connect the dots and truly understand the complex web of interconnections between the different Marvel movies and television series.” While fans seemed to clearly understand that films that were not made by Marvel Studios were not part of the MCU’s so-called Sacred Timeline, there was much less clarity on where television series that were also no made by Marvel Studios stood. And so, projects such as the ABC melodrama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hulu’s Runaways and the 13 seasons of the Defenders-verse series that streamed on Netflix from 2015-2019 have always been the subject of online debate. When none of those series were included in The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, fans believed they had some clarity…and then Brad Winderbaum, Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios shared his belief that the events of the Netflix series took place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline. And then, as Echo made its streaming debut, Disney Plus added all the Defenders-verse series to the Official Timeline order of the MCU. Winderbaum’s belief became the official word: the Netflix series are now MCU canon.

    But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.

    Brad Winderbaum on Marvel Television’s Netflix series

    With the revelation that all 13 seasons and ALL 161 nearly hour-long episodes are now part of the Infinity Saga. While that makes the uber-cool MCU rewatch damn near impossible, there are still those among you who are sure to try it. While it is in no way as cut and dried as it appears on Disney Plus–flashbacks are a storytelling staple of the Marvel Netflix series and each of them (other than The Defenders) has more than one season–it’s still possible to place each of the Netflix series right where they belong in the MCU. And if you’re looking for such a thing, you’re in luck. Though none of the events of the Netflix series impact the known MCU in any way, we can still place them among the Marvel Studios projects…so we did.

    The biggest thing to realize if you’re about to dive in is that without going minute by minute of each episode and of most of the films, there is no TRUE chronological order. For instance, parts of Doctor Strange take place in 2016 but the bulk of it takes place in 2017 and parts of each of these series take place all over the timeline. For the purposes of this list, each project is placed where MOST of the events take place. It’s also worth noting that while most of the films that were released in the Infinity Saga were set when they were released, that’s not the case with the series. For example, Season 1 of Daredevil was released in 2015 but takes place in 2014.

    Daredevil Season 1

    Daredevil 1.10, “Nelson v. Murdock”, features several flashbacks that take place in August 2014, well over two years after the Battle of New York in The Avengers. In that episode, which also takes place a few months after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Foggy and Matt are interns at the law firm Landman and Zack and together turn down full-time jobs there to pursue more fulfilling work by opening their own firm which they eventually do in January 2015. The episode also includes Matt’s first time putting on the homemade, black suit.

    Outside of the flashbacks, the events of Daredevil Season 1 all take place between January and mid-February 2015 which means–as is indicated on Disney Plus–that it fits after Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and I Am Groot, all of which take place in mid-to-late 2014.

    Jessica Jones Season 1

    Jessica Jones 1.01, “AKA Ladies Night”, is set in March 2015, just a few weeks after the events of Daredevil Season 1. The events of the season finale are set in mid-April 2015, head of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    Daredevil Season 2

    Though some flashbacks in episode 2.09, “Seven Minutes in Heaven”, take place earlier in the year, episode 2.01, “Bang”, takes place in October 2015 and the season wraps up by November 2015. Chronologically, the events of Ant-Man take place BEFORE Daredevil Season 2.

    Luke Cage Season 1

    Much of the first season of Luke Cage takes place simultaneously with the second season of Daredevil. Though there are plenty of flashbacks, episode 1.01, “Moment of Truth”, is set in early November 2015 and the final brawl with Willis Stryker on Malcolm X Boulevard takes place in early December 2015.

    Iron Fist Season 1

    After succeeding in the trial of Shou-Lao the Undying, Danny Rand became the Iron Fist in 2015. His return to New York, as seen in episode 1.01, “Snow Gives Way”, takes place in February 2016. The season wraps up in March 2016 when Danny and Colleen Wing arrive in K’un-Lun.

    The Defenders

    Netflix’s crossover event series, The Defenders, brought Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand together against the Hand. The series kicks off in early May 2016 and is all wrapped up by mid-May 2016, meaning part of takes place concurrently with Captain America: Civil War.

    The Punisher Season 1

    After debuting in Daredevil Season 2, Jon Bernthal‘s Frank Castle took center stage in his own series. Episode 1.01, “3 AM”, is set in November 2016 and the season concludes before Christmas 2016. That window fits in nicely between Spider-Man: Homecoming and Doctor Strange.

    Jessica Jones Season 2

    Sort of free of Kilgrave, ace PI Jessica Jones returned to Netflix in 2018 for a second season. Episode 2.01, “AKA Start at the Beginning”, is set in April 2017 and the finale, “AKA Playland”, takes place in June 2017.

    Luke Cage Season 2

    Like Jessica Jones Season 2, the sophomore season of Luke Cage rolled out on Netflix in 2018. Mike Colter’s bulletproof hero of Harlem found himself up against the wonderful villain Bushmaster. A lot happened in a short amount of time as 2.01, “Soul Brother #1”, was set in August 2017 and the events of Season 2 came to an end in September 2017.

    Iron Fist Season 2

    Season 2 of Iron Fist, which hit Netflix in September 2018, seemed to find its creative groove, especially compared to the low-rated Season 1. The ten-episode second season was set ALMOST entirely in October 2017. Much of the latter part of the season, including 2.10, “A Duel of Iron”, which sees Danny defeat Davos, takes place concurrently with Season 3 of Daredevil. Danny’s search for Orson Randall is set in early 2018.

    Daredevil Season 3

    The third and final season of Daredevil was released on Netflix was the fourth Marvel TV series to hit the streaming service in 2018. Set in October and November 2017, Season 3 of Daredevil wraps up just a few weeks before Thor’s escape from Muspehlheim as seen in the opening of Thor: Ragnarok.

    The Punisher Season 2

    The final season of The Punisher was the second to last of Netflix’s Defenders-verse. Essentially, the events are happening right alongside those of Season 3 of Jessica Jones, though those darn flashbacks make for a fun time sorting out the details. Episode 2.02 of The Punisher takes place right about the same time as Episode 3.01 of Jessica Jones and the season wraps up in mid-May, less than weeks earlier than JJS3. However, the epilogue of the final episode, “The Whirlwind”, takes place in August 2018…which kind of matters.

    Jessica Jones Season 3 (April 26-May 28)

    The third and final season of Jessica Jones kicks off in April 2018 and largely takes place at the same time as the second season of The Punisher. 3.13, “AKA EVERYTHING”, the last episode of the Netflix-produced series, ends with Jones deciding to stay in New York City and embrace her role as a hero. The first episode of the series, “AKA The Perfect Burger”, takes place just ahead of Cassie Lang’s weekend at Scott Lang’s house as shown the in beginning of Ant-Man and The Wasp. Indeed, much of the series takes place concurrently with the main events of Ant-Man and The Wasp, which, of course, includes the post-credit scene that includes the impact of Thanos’s snap.

    TL;DR

    The Netflix series all take place between the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thanos’ snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Canonically, the snap takes place on May 31st, 2018, so all the events of the Defenders-verse take place within the Infinity Saga.

    The Ultimate Order

    Daredevil Season 1
    Jessica Jones Season 1
    Avengers: Age of Ultron

    Ant-Man


    Daredevil Season 2
    Luke Cage Season 1
    Iron Fist Season 1


    The Defenders

    Captain America: Civil War
    Black Widow
    Black Panther

    Spider-Man: Homecoming
    The Punisher Season 1
    Doctor Strange

    Jessica Jones Season 2
    Luke Cage Season 2
    Iron Fist Season 2

    Daredevil Season 3
    Thor: Ragnarok
    The Punisher Season 2

    Jessica Jones Season 3
    Ant-Man and The Wasp

    Marvel’s Jessica Jones

    Avengers: Infinity War

    Sources: Marvel.com, MCU Fandom

  • How the ‘Echo’ Season Finale Post-Credit Scene Sets the Stage for 2 Major MCU Projects

    How the ‘Echo’ Season Finale Post-Credit Scene Sets the Stage for 2 Major MCU Projects

    For the first time ever, a Marvel Studios streaming project had all episodes debut at once when Echo premiered on Disney Plus and Hulu. That meant plenty of fans stayed up late binging all five episodes of the TV-MA project with many taking to social media indicating it caused them to reminisce about the days of binging Netflix’s Marvel series just less than a decade or so ago. While Echo included a couple of connections to Netflix’s Daredevil, it also hinted at a major plot point for Marvel Studios’ Daredevil: Born Again and one of the studio’s most anticipated films.

    After the credits rolled on the fifth and final episode of the series, titled “Maya”, a post-credit stinger showed Vincent D’Onofrio‘s Wilson Fisk–greatly changed by his encounter with Maya–headed back to New York on his private plane. After instructing his assistant to assemble “all the remaining heads” (presumably of New York City’s crime organizations) to “stabilize the situation before it spirals out of control.” The Kingpin’s attention then shifts a television where some Spectrum News talking heads are discussing the lack of a clear frontrunner in the race for a new Mayor of NYC. As the news anchors explain New Yorkers are looking for a “fighter” who can understand the pain and frustration they’re experiencing rather than a traditional politician, one says that a “bare-knuckle brawler” willing to “take on the establishment” would “do well” in the race for Mayor. As Fisk–clearly captivated by the idea of running for Mayor–leans forward, the camera cuts to black. What does this mean for the next time we see D’Onofrio’s character in Daredevil: Born Again?

    Though Born Again has undergone significant creative restructuring, the post-credit scene would seem to ensure that one major plot point will stay intact when filming resumes. Several months before filming originally began, a rumor circulated that the series would feature Fisk running for Mayor of New York City (and eventually winning the race), as seen in author Charles Soule‘s acclaimed run on Marvel Comics Daredevil. In that run, as Mayor of NYC, Fisk launched a massive anti-vigilante campaign aimed at taking out long-time nemeses such as Daredevil and Spider-Man without lifting a finger. Further rumors about Daredevil: Born Again have consistently indicated that Fisk will launch a similar campaign in the series which will have some major implications for the MCU.

    Shortly after Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted in theaters, Marvel Studios head honcho, Kevin Feige, confirmed that development on a fourth film had begun. By early 2023, the story for the film had been cracked as star Tom Holland was rumored to have agreed to a new deal to return as Peter Parker. Though development of the film was slowed as a result of the WGA strike, rumors of the film’s plot began to circulate in late 2023. Prominent among them was that Spider-Man 4 would be a street-level Civil War that would feature Spidey, Daredevil and Ant-Man leading other heroes against Mayor Fisk. Given that D’Onofrio and Holland have consistently expressed their desires to see Spidey and Kingpin face off in the MCU, the post-credit stinger in Echo feels like the first step in that direction though it’s unlikely fans will see it play out before 2026.