Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • ‘Doctor Strange’ Star Chiwetel Ejiofor Joins Cast of ‘Venom 3’

    ‘Doctor Strange’ Star Chiwetel Ejiofor Joins Cast of ‘Venom 3’

    The multiverse is a murky place. Despite Tom Hardy‘s Eddie Brock crossing over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe–and leaving a piece of his symbiote there–the actor behind one of the MCU’s fairly major recurring characters has joined the cast of Venom 3.

    While it’s entirely unclear why a third film in the Venom franchise is being made, Deadline is reporting that Doctor Strange and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor has joined the cast of Venom 3. There’s no word who Ejiofor will be playing in the film though the trade report referred to him as a co-star.

    Production on the threequel is expected to start this summer though the film is currently without a release date. Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote the film with Hardy, will direct the new installment in the series, taking the reigns from Andy Serkis.

    Source: Deadline

  • Set Photos Reveal First Look at WWE Star’s ‘Captain America 4’ Villain

    Set Photos Reveal First Look at WWE Star’s ‘Captain America 4’ Villain

    Production on Captain America: New World Order continues to move along despite the WGA strike having indefinitely postponed production on Blade and shut down Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man for short periods of time. Principal photography on the film kicked off in March and produced some interesting behind-the-scenes looks at Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, Shira Haas‘ Sabra and others attending a funeral as well as first looks at Harrison Ford as President Thunderbolt Ross and the return of Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns. Now, a new look from the set of the film has revealed a pair of villains, one of whom is being played by WWE Superstar Seth Rollins.

    Photographer Christopher Oquendo was able to capture Rollins along with an unidentified co-star as they prepared to shoot scenes with Mackie. It seems as though Rollins has joined the cast of the film as one of the members of the villainous Serpent Society. While it’s unclear which member of the group he’s playing, it appears as though the co-star sporting a similar costume is Diamondback, who has long been rumored to appear in the film.

    In the comics, the members of the Serpent Society typically sport much more garish costumes than what Rollins and his unidentified co-star are wearing here and, would make them much easier to identify. However, it seems pretty likely that Rollins is playing Klaus Vorhees, aka Cobra, aka King Cobra, one of the many former leaders of the Serpents. What role they villains will have in an already busy film remains to be seen! Captain America: Probably No Longer Subtitled New World Order is tentatively slated to hit theaters May 3, 2024.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Breaks Marvel’s Box Office Curse

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Breaks Marvel’s Box Office Curse

    If there was one thing Marvel Studios’ releases were reliable on, it was just how frontloaded most of their projects are. Commonly, the films post-COVID have dropped at least around 55% at the box office but it started to get harsher and harsher as time went on. Even Spider-Man: No Way Home dropped around 68% after a massive opening. No matter if a B or A CinemaScore, it seemed like most of these projects are facing around 65% drops at least.

    Finally, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has broken that very course with an impressive hold over its second weekend. The film has pulled in $60.5M in its second weekend, which marks its best second-weekend hold since the pandemic started at 49%. While earlier most suspected around 55%, this marks the film only $5M off from the previous entry and could actually mark a much stronger run moving forward. It’s even $1.7M off from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which had Marvel Studios’ best post-covid opening so far.

    What makes this so significant is that it’s even lower than Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ 54% drop, which was the last before the films started dropping more and more. It also marks a turning point from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s drop at around 70% earlier this year; a film that seemingly ran out of steam after a record-breaking opening for the trilogy. In a way, it further highlights that this is less a superhero fatigue but rather a more selective audience due to quick accessibility via streaming.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a similar A CinemaScore to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 but still faced a 62.9% drop. The film still managed to make around $854M at the box office after a powerful $181M opening weekend. Guardians 3 had a weaker softer opening but is set to leg out, which is far more important for Marvel Studios at the moment. If they faced Quantumania developments moving forward, we could discuss fatigue being a key factor at play.

    While some will point to this being the last hurrah by James Gunn and a much better showcase of DC Studios’ future, it also marks a turning point for Marvel moving forward. If The Marvels doesn’t capitalize on this development and they can continue back to building A CinemaScores with their offerings, they may see a much more positive development once again. While it’s hard to say where the film will land, it already passed $528M worldwide and has a chance of breaking the $900M mark. The power of its word-of-mouth will push it forward.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter, BoxOffice Pro

  • Disney Reveals Where the Events of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Fall on the MCU Timeline

    Disney Reveals Where the Events of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Fall on the MCU Timeline

    With the arrival of Spider-Man: Homecoming on Disney Plus comes the revelation of where the events of Tom Holland‘s first solo outing as the Web-Head falls on the MCU timeline. As it turns out, it’s right where most folks have believed it belonged all along.

    According to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe in Timeline Order” category located in the Marvel section of Disney Plus, the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming takes place in between the events of Black Panther and Doctor Strange. Both Black Panther and Homecoming spin out of Captain America: Civil War which introduced both T’Challa and Peter Parker into the MCU so the events of their solo films taking place near each other chronologically has always made sense.

    The debate of whether to watch Marvel Studios films in release or chronological order has been ongoing for some time which makes every new addition to Disney Plus a point of interest for MCU fans. Though these timelines may not be “official”, an official timeline is coming later in 2023. In September Random House will publish Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline, written by Anthony Breznican, Amy Ratcliffe and Rebecca Theodore-Vachon in collaboration with Marvel Studios. It’s likely that the timeline will delve much deeper into the minutia of the MCU, revealing which projects–or events within them–took place simultaneously. Until then, the Disney Plus timeline is the best one we have!

  • As ‘Blade’ Production Pauses, Rumors about the Film Begin to Fly

    As ‘Blade’ Production Pauses, Rumors about the Film Begin to Fly

    Marvel Studios Mahershala Ali-led Blade reboot has had the most turbulent pre-production periods in the studio’s 15+ year history. After being announced at SDCC ’19, the film has seen multiple changes in its creative team cause production delays that set the film back well over a year. Just when it looked like they’d buttoned things up and were ready for cameras to roll, the WGA strike forced the production to go on hold. It seems all but certain now that the film will see yet another new release date but as fans wait on the next bit of news about the film, some interesting rumors have surfaced.

    In the wake of the news of the film’s indefinite production delay, insider Daniel RPK has shared a good deal of information about the film’s new script and its cast. To start, it seems that over the course of rewrites on that film, actor Aaron Pierre‘s character, who was set to be the villain of the piece, was removed entirely. While there is no word on who Pierre was set to play, the film’s new villain is sire to generate some social media buzz.

    It seems that rising scream queen Mia Goth, who only recently joined the film has been cast as Lilith. Interestingly enough, there are two villainous Lilith’s in the pages of Marvel Comics and it’s not readily clear which of those Goth will be playing. While one of the two is the daughter of Dracula and makes the most sense for a vampire film, the other Lilith is known as the Mother of Demons and would provide a much more nefarious threat…and plant a seed for a potential Midnight Sons crossover.

    According to RPK, Goth won’t be the only antagonist in the film. When he was cast,any fans assumed that star Delroy Lindo was on board to play Blade ally and mentor Jamal Afari. It looks like the role of Afari will be filled by Saul Williams while Lindo is set to play Deacon Frost, the vampire who bit Blade’s mother while she was pregnant with him. The unique circumstances led to Blade’s unique hybrid Daywalker physiology.

    Given the uncertainty around when the film could begin production, it may be some time before any more information about the film comes to light. At this point, it seems all but certain that the project will find itself released in 2025, 6 years after it was first announced.

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Introduces [SPOILER] into the MCU

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Introduces [SPOILER] into the MCU

    If you continue reading only do so at your own risk as some major story elements will be discussed in this article.

    At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we meet a new group of Guardians that are all under the leadership of Rocket Raccoon. After facing his experiences and past with the High Evolutionary, he embraces who he is and also takes over from Star-Lord, who has returned to Earth and spent some time with the family he believed he had lost all the way back in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film.

    Among the members of this team are some familiar faces with an even bigger Groot, Kraglin, and Cosmo. Though, there are two new members with Adam Warlock joining after his encounter with the team throughout the third film. The biggest reveal is the inclusion of a small girl that was among the group of High Evolutionary’s next creations.

    Surprisingly, the film doesn’t really say her name but subtitles reveal that she is, in fact, Phyla-Vell. It’s quite a departure from her comic origins, as she was the daughter of the original Captain Marvel and an Eternal. To be fair, she wasn’t conceived in a normal matter but rather the Eternal Elysius took some of his matter after he died from cancer and impregnated herself.

    The first person born from this unusual creation was Genis-Vell, who would take on the Captain Marvel mantel. Though, after he lost his mind and created a new universe, Elysius redid the process and gave birth to Phyla-Vell and would also take over the title of Captain Marvel. She would eventually take on the mantle of Quasar when she joins the Guardians of the Galaxy in the comic event Annihilation.

    So, the version we are introduced to here is quite a bit different. She’s part of a race created by the High Evolutionary as the “perfect lifeform” that he was going to use to re-populate a new planet. She doesn’t have any connections to Annette Benning’s Mar-Vell but there’s a chance her DNA could’ve played a role in this character’s creation. It’s also unclear if she has the powers from the comics, as there’s no mention of it.

    Phyla seemingly has endless stamina when compared to a normal human and she is part of a bigger group of children that have the same origin. Also, there’s some uncertainty if the Guardians will actually return in the future given how the film simply states that Star-Lord will return. Rocket’s new group may as well do their thing in the galaxy but we don’t see them anytime in the near future.

    It’s a shame if this is our introduction to such an important cosmic character alongside Adam Warlock, but we’ll have to wait a bit until we find out what exactly the future has in store. Given that her race is genetically created, there’s a good chance that she will grow into adulthood just as fast as Adam did. They might have a sibling-like rivalry that would be a fun dynamic if we see more of them moving forward. For now, it’s a great little Easter egg for comic fans knowing the character now exists in the universe.

  • [SPOILER] Will Return Beyond ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    [SPOILER] Will Return Beyond ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    The following article major spoilers for the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Only continue at your own risk if you haven’t watched the film yet.

    Going into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, many wondered if any of the former members would continue their journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some actors like Zoe Saldana and Dave Bautista have openly talked bout leaving their characters behind, which also led to the theory that most of them would die off as a result of the film’s events. Luckily, now that the film has been released we know what exactly the future looks like for this unlikely team of misfits.

    In a surprising twist, none of the core members died during the events of this film. While it would be the usual approach for films to end a character’s storyline by killing them off, this time they took a Captain America route by simply letting them go their own way. It also slightly opens the window for a return if they’d ever be open to doing so in the future. Given that the multiverse is around the corner, they have a way to bring back these characters with a new cast.

    Still, there is some confusion with the first post-credit sequence revealing Rocket’s new team of Guardians. We meet a new character in the form of Phyla-Vell a young child that was going to be part of High Evolutionary’s next step of creating the perfect being. Cosmo and Adam Warlock officially join the team, who are newly introduced to the franchise and seemingly characters set to return.

    The question is mostly if the same is going to affect Rocket, as Bradley Cooper has seemingly hinted this might be his last run with the character. They could find a new voice for the character and likely there won’t be a new Guardians film for some time but it seems a bit confusing. There’s a chance this is simply saying these characters still exist out there in the galaxy and keep the door open, but it would be odd not to bring back at least some of the newer additions.

    The big reveal, however, is the fact that the one confirmed returning member of the Guardians will be Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. Even though he hung up the Elemental Blasters and returned to spend time with his grandfather. In the second post-credit, we see him just enjoying cereal before the title “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return” appears on the screen. So, we will very likely see him at some point in the future, and is, so far, the only confirmed returning member of the cast.

    Not everyone truly hung up their mantle, and the ending definitely keeps the door open if anyone is down to potentially try their hands at the character again. It was a fitting end for this version of the team and here’s hoping that we still have some more time with Rocket, Nebula, Groot, and Mantis alongside Star-lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.

    Source: Cool943

  • James Gunn Reveals Pete Davidson’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Cameo

    James Gunn Reveals Pete Davidson’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Cameo

    There’s a long tradition of big names taking on tiny roles in Star Wars films, such as playing a Stormtrooper. Tom Hardy and even James Bond actor Daniel Craig famously took on the tiny roles, but it seems this tradition is also carried over into the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Director James Gunn is no stranger to casting friends in his various projects, such as the surprise reveal that Pete Davidson, who appeared in his previous film The Suicide Squad, seemingly had a minor role in the film.

    As part of Twitter Movies’ promotion of the film, there’s a picture of Gunn with one of the film’s leads Chris Pratt alongside Pete Davidson. It seems he just had a chance to film this tiny cameo and going by what he is wearing, he is one of the soldiers who works for the High Evolutionary that was present in the scene when those two confront each other as showcased in the various trailers.

    Considering Guardians of the Galaxy is seen as the “Star Wars” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this kind of cameo is a fitting addition to the franchise and it’s also funny to think that this is the SNL actor’s first major appearance in the franchise. While it’s unclear if he has any hopes to join in a bigger role later down the line, it’s funny to know that he was already apart of it and we may have had no idea if it wasn’t for this picture.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ En Route to $110M+ Opening Weekend

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ En Route to $110M+ Opening Weekend

    It looks like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has pulled in a strong $48.2M on Friday including its Thursday previews. That would currently put it on a path to making around $110M over the weekend, which is currently on the low end of expectations but it’s unclear how word-of-mouth might affect its Saturday and Sunday gross. This has been adding to some concern of superhero fatigue but it does have a strong A CinemaScore and strong PostTrak showcasing a potential long-run at the box office that may push against the recent developments.

    Deadline has pointed out that while CinemaCon snarked about superhero fatigue (ironically given The Flash was the “highlight” showcased by Warner Bros.), the film is Marvel’s eleventh time topping $100M in May, which is still something no other brand can really compare to at the moment. The film also remains quite male-dominated at 62%, whose positive reaction could keep it going for weeks until Fast X releases in June. The question remains if positive word-of-mouth and a strong hold for a few weeks could actually help push The Marvels later in the year rather than continue a downward trend (or perhaps it’s less a genre fatigue but more a reflection of its marketing as well).

    As of now, it’s new for a Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel to be behind previous entries but also not entirely something new. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avengers: Age of Ultron was behind the previous entry and could also hint at Vol. 2 getting quite a big boost from releasing in 2017 during the Phase 3 boom after momentum built out of Captain America: Civil War. As of now, the film will likely open slightly ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which had a powerful opening but lost momentum quickly highlighting the film’s okay word-of-mouth and the Disney+ release strategy from previous years showing its fangs.

    Still, the film is continuing the trend of Marvel opening beyond $100M which isn’t a terrible thing to showcase. There was tracking towards $130M and if momentum suddenly spikes going into its Saturday, there’s a chance but things are a bit calmer for now. What should be noted is that the film has a much stronger international box office at around $71.5M, which would put it at $119.7M worldwide as of Friday.

    There’s a lot that can be said about recent developments, as 2022 still looked strong for Marvel Studios but this year had some surprise hits. The four-quadrant market has been quite focused on Super Mario Bros. Movie by pushing that beyond a billion making up for the missing families in theaters the last few years. That film is finally dethroned but still drops to a strong $18.5M while new release Love Again is dead on arrival with a $2.6M opening weekend.

    There is a good chance that the current development simply reflects a stuffed Summer market and it’s uncertain if other projects won’t face similar developments. With that many films on the horizon and a recession still at play, people might just be a bit pickier this year as seen in the first few months as well. Only a select few managed to hold with a strong male-driven audience but outside of Mario, nothing is really breaking records. What is playing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s favor is that the international market is seemingly doing quite a bit better now.

    It’s currently still projected for a $260M+ global opening, which is higher than the initially expected worldwide gross for the film. Social is pushing the film quite a bit, especially in Korea which has been a rather rough market as of late. Ironically, if Guardians mends any expectations with Marvel releases, they could be balancing out the domestic slowdown that has occurred this year. While some want to blame Ant-Man 3 for this current development, the Guardians are still some of the more obscure characters in the franchise that haven’t had a new entry since 2017.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter, Deadline, Deadline

  • Cinemascore Reveals ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Hit the Mark with Audiences

    Cinemascore Reveals ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Hit the Mark with Audiences

    As early reviews of MCU films continue to feel increasingly unbiased, word of mouth from opening weekend screenings has seemed to become more valuable than ever. Simply put, folks who are unsure if they’ll see a film or not are waiting for audience reactions before heading to a theater. In the case of Marvel Studios first Phase 5 release, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, less than enthusiastic word of mouth quickly diminished the film’s opening weekend momentum leading to a precipitous second weekend drop. After early reviews for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the latest installment of the studio’s Multiverse Saga, added to some pre-existing doubt about the film’s opening weekend performance it seems even more people were waiting to hear what audiences had to say about the film before deciding to take in a showing. Now they have the answer they’ve been waiting for.

    More than one review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (including our own) has indicated that the film is a return to form for Marvel Studios and it would seem opening night audiences agreed. Cinemascore, which polls opening night audiences as they exit the theater, has revealed that the Guardians farewell flick resonated strongly with fans and scored an A.

    With an “A”, Vol. 3 joins the two previous Guardians of the Galaxy films in earning the high rating. It also joins Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as the only films in the Multiverse Saga to be scored an “A” (Spider-Man: No Way Home earned the elite “A+” Cinemascore).

    With Vol. 3 currently tracking for somewhere in the ballpark of a $120M opening weekend, it’ll be worth following how the positive word of mouth impacts the second weekend. There’s no immediate box office challenger to Guardians and while there’s always a second weekend drop off, the studio will hope to avoid the massive 69% drop suffered by Quantumania.

    Source: Twitter