Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • Two Other Rising Directors Were Approached for ‘Fantastic Four’

    Two Other Rising Directors Were Approached for ‘Fantastic Four’

    It has been a notable day for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with further confirmation that WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman has entered talks to direct Fantastic Four. This has come after a long and detailed search from Marvel Studios since the departure of Jon Watts earlier this year. With the announcement of Shakman, comes further information about the exhausting process to find the right director to helm Marvel’s first family. According to Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Matthews of Love and Monsters fame was the runner-up in the Fantastic Four sweepstakes.

    In addition to Matthews, it’s further been revealed that Reid Carolin was another name that met with Marvel Studios to pitch his vision of Fantastic Four. Carolin is arguably best known for his work directing the Channing Tatum-led Dog from earlier this year.

    While interesting to compare and contrast the credentials of these two names with that of Matt Shakman, it’s certainly a futile gesture as audiences don’t have any clear understanding of what creative direction is being taken for Fantastic Four and how a different director would make some sort of difference. Nonetheless, this will remain as a type of “what if” scenario to envision how the previous works of Matthews and Carolin would’ve influenced a take on the Fantastic Four team.

    In terms of Shakman, this certainly is a major score for the career of the director on the theatrical scale. While having a robust career as a director in television, Shakman has only had one feature film to his name previously. Though his work on the likes of luminary television programs such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, and Game of Thrones should assure audiences of his qualifications. And most especially, his time directing WandaVision should especially make fans excited for what could be in store for Fantastic Four.

    Source: Twitter.

  • How ‘WandaVision’ Proves Matt Shakman is a Great Choice for ‘Fantastic Four’

    How ‘WandaVision’ Proves Matt Shakman is a Great Choice for ‘Fantastic Four’

    With the looming approach of D23 and the slew of major news that is likely to come from the event, many are anticipating an announcement on who will be directing Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four film. Since Jon Watts stepped away from the project this past April, the question of who would helm this project has been ever-present in the cultural zeitgeist. This especially has risen again with the official announcement at San Diego Comic-Con of Fantastic Four kicking off Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a November 8, 2024 release date.

    Though it seems there may be an answer to this question with rumors gradually circulating that Matt Shakman will be overseeing Marvel’s first family. With this rumor coming to light, the response for the most part has been met with general optimism for what Shakman can bring to the table. Though the case can be taken one step further in that Matt Shakman would be a most fantastic (pun intended) choice to direct this film based alone on his previous experience with WandaVision.

    When looking at why Matt Shakman is aptly qualified to helm the Fantastic Four remake for the MCU, the most obvious place to start is the director’s previous experience with Marvel Studios. For starters, bringing in the director of one of their most critically-received Disney+ projects is bound to turn heads in anticipation. On top of it all, Shakman’s work on WandaVision has showcased his ability to cultivate strong family dynamics in a limited time. Themes pertaining to “family” are arguably the most important component when developing a Fantastic Four project, and he’s definitely proven to have a talent for it.

    Another notable component of WandaVision is the stylistic vintage pastiche it has to offer. The concept of visually recreating the aesthetics of classic sitcoms from the middle of the 20th century appealed greatly to make the series stand out during its run on Disney+. Considering there has been a contingent of fans that have long desired for Fantastic Four to be a period piece set in the 1960s to pair with the comic origins of the characters, it’s the perfect match.

    Whether or not Marvel Studios would move forward with that creative direction is one thing, but it’s possible that Shakman’s directorial vision from the previous Disney+ series could help influence some type of 1960s vibe to help make Fantastic Four standout within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The other element that WandaVision also uses is its cosmic undertones, which the series maintained with the character arc of Monica Rambeau. One of the more surprising parts coming out of the series was how it leaned slightly more towards the concepts of science fiction in relation to Wanda’s supernatural abilities. Between the introduction of SWORD and the inclusion of Skrulls, WandaVision also has played an arguably equal part in setting up the cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with that of the mystical and multiversal.

    With that in mind, it’s not a reach to think that Marvel Studios would at least consider Matt Shakman thanks to his experience with this corner of the universe. Given the X-Files-esque mystery elements of figuring out the science fiction phenomenon of the Hex, it would not be surprising if this type of intrigue is what Kevin Feige and his team would want from the cosmic exploration that is synonymous with the comic versions of the Fantastic Four. Even the way Monica gains her abilities stood out in a way that could inspire the way the Fantastic Four become Marvel’s first family.

    Ultimately if these rumors end up becoming true, fans of the Fantastic Four should be excited about the prospects of Matt Shakman as director. If his merits from WandaVision were strong enough to land him a position directing the next theatrical Star Trek film, then he is certainly qualified to step up and oversee one of Marvel Studios’ most important properties of the future.

  • First Look at ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Steelbook; Four Deleted Scenes Revealed

    First Look at ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’s Steelbook; Four Deleted Scenes Revealed

    Thor: Love and Thunder‘s Disney+ release has been recently confirmed for September to celebrate Disney+ Day. For those that like to collect these projects physically, the wait for that release is luckily not too long after. The digital release is set for September 9th with the physical one planned for September 27th. It’ll be made available with on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.

    ScreenRant has also shared a first look at the movie’s cover art for the Steelbook available at Best Buy. It’ll feature the poster designs featuring Jane Foster and Thor in their iconic pose from the comics. The interior even includes the yelling goats pulling the chariot in a clever design replicating the boat we see in the Marvel Studios film.

    The Blu-ray will include a gag reel and audio commentary from Taika Waititi. There are also three featurettes included by the titles of Hammer-Worthy: Thor and The Mighty Thor, Shaping a Villain, and Another Classic Taika Adventure. There are also four deleted scenes included, such as the team looking for Zeus, two scenes spending more time with Star-Lord and Mantis, as well as a potential alternative sequence of Zeus passing on his weapon to Thor.

    It’ll be interesting to see if we get a different side of Zeus in these deleted scenes, but it’s curious they left out some of the confirmed scenes of Gorr’s bloody path of killing all gods. It seems like they aren’t including them so it’s not an option for people considering it as canon given the gruesome fate of some Thor veteran characters.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Olivia Wilde Plays Coy on Rumored ‘Spider-Woman’ Project

    Olivia Wilde Plays Coy on Rumored ‘Spider-Woman’ Project

    Olivia Wilde is currently busy promoting her upcoming release of Don’t Worry Darling, but that didn’t stop Variety from asking a few questions about her upcoming Marvel project. It’s been long rumored that she might be working on a project focused on Spider-Woman for Sony but even hinted that Kevin Feige was involved at one point. Sadly, she remains quite co on what exactly the project is.

    That, I can’t say a word about. Yeah, no — I can’t say anything about it. I have to bury myself in the couch now.

    Olivia Wilde

    While trying not to give anything away, she does actually tease what it’s like working on a Marvel project and how welcoming they are to filmmakers to play in their playbox.

    I will say that I think the Marvel approach of allowing newer filmmakers to come into the fold and have access to those tools of the Marvel universe is incredibly exciting. I am a big fan of what they’re doing over there, but, yeah, I can’t confirm whether that is what that is.

    Olivia Wilde

    It’s curious she still can’t talk about the project. Madame Web was rushed out with quite a bit of fanfare once it was announced. So, it seems like Wilde is given a lot of time to develop the project at her own terms and who knows if there might be some hint at what it is in the near future.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Disney Premiere on Disney+ Day

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Disney Premiere on Disney+ Day

    While many are pulling back from the 45-day release window, Disney is seemingly still sticking to a shorter theatrical run before it hits Disney+. Of course, the upcoming Disney+ Day also adds fuel to the fire as they aim to celebrate and it seems Thor: Love and Thunder will be part of the celebration.

    In a new ad for Disney+ Day, we got the confirmation that the latest Marvel film will indeed premiere on the app on September 8th. It’ll join other exclusive releases such as a live-action remake of Pinocchio.

    It’s great to see them make the day stand our with these additions and it’s the second time a Marvel film gets added. Last year, they did the same thing with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings being the major addition to celebrate Disney+ Day.

    That wasn’t all as we even got the IMAX versions of existing films before they announced various new projects heading to the service. We’ll see what surprises they might have in store as we inch closer to the event.

    Source: YouTube

  • New ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Merch Offers First Look at Spider-Punk

    New ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Merch Offers First Look at Spider-Punk

    With the delay of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s releases, we’ve gotten quite a few hits or rather leaks through the various merchandise from the project. Not only did we get a first look at a Cyborg Spider-Woman but even Ben Reilly showed up in the upcoming animated sequel. Now, the tradition continues as the latest merchandise has offered a first look at Spider-Punk’s design. As shared by Twitter user @_Ben_Reilly, it looks like they’ll continue the tradition of each new Spidey member getting a unique design from their universe.

    It does seem how these characters are lined-up that they’re also the new “team” for this film. It’s sad we might not see any of the others like Spiider-Man Noir or Spider-Pig potentially making a return, but there’s quite the chance we will. They also likely don’t want to reveal every character that has a role, as we’ve also not seen any sign of Peter B. Parker, who was a major player in the original release.

    It is fun to see that they are continuing to play around with the animation medium, and Miles Morales’ Spider-Man venturing beyond his own reality gives them that perfect opportunity. Here’s hoping we get some very creative Spider-Verse surprises that make the experience stand out from the previous one, which already has quite the emotional story.

    Source: Twitter

  • Early ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Shows Unused Designs for Nightmare

    Early ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Shows Unused Designs for Nightmare

    There’s the Multiverse of Madness that was. There’s also the Multiverse of Madness that never was. After initially returning to helm the sequel, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson left the project early in 2020. Michael Waldron came on to rewrite the script and Sam Raimi took over as director and the film that premiered in May of 2022 was vastly different than the one Derrickson originally set out to make.

    Dating back to his original pitch for the first Doctor Strange film, Derrickson had been trying to find a way to include one of the Sorcerer Supreme’s classic comic book villains, Nightmare, into a story. Now, thanks to newly released concept art from Ryan De Silva, fans can get a look at some early designs of Nightmare, who Derrickson had intended to use as the villain of the sequel.

    The designs indicate that Nightmare was set to be the villain, rather than the Scarlet Witch, though the film was still set throughout the multiverse. Now that there’s proof that Nightmare was the intended villain, it would be incredibly interesting to find out exactly how Derrickson hoped to use the Lord of Dreams while exploring the multiverse. As it stands, fans of the character, including Derrickson, will have to hold out hope that the villain will find another way into the MCU.

    Source: Deviant Art

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Writer Reveals Rejected Pitch For ‘Black Widow’ Movie

    ‘She-Hulk’ Writer Reveals Rejected Pitch For ‘Black Widow’ Movie

    Jessica Gao has officially joined the Marvel fold as the head writer on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, but it seems it’s not the first time she’s tried getting in the door. During a recent interview with The Wrap, the former Rick & Morty creative revealed her first pitch to Marvel Studios was actually for the Black Widow movie. Of course, Gao didn’t end up getting the job, but if she had, it seems the film would have played out dramatically different than what audiences actually saw. According to Gao, her pitch revolves around Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff having to attend a high-stakes high school reunion with people who knew her as someone else. She elaborated:

    It was basically a ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ story for Black Widow… basically you find out that in high school, as a teenage spy/Russian agent, she was planted at an American high school, because she had to assassinate someone’s dad and then 20 years later, she goes back to the high school reunion and has to deal with the fallout of this fake identity where she betrayed all these people in high school.

    Jessica Gao

    The pitch feels more like a She-Hulk story than it does a Black Widow one, and Gao believes that’s exactly why she eventually got the gig she did. The writer says she also pitched concepts for Shang-Chi and Captain Marvel, and while none of those worked out, they did allow her to spend some quality time with Marvel big wigs like Kevin Feige. She explained:

    I’m a big believer that every opportunity you miss is actually setting you up for something else… I truly believe that I didn’t get any of those three Marvel movie jobs because it was building to this point. Because what it really did for me is every single time that I pitched to Kevin [Feige], and Lou [D’Esposito] and Victoria [Alonso], and Brad [Winterbaum], I get to spend an hour with him, and I get to shoot the shit and hang out and chat…

    Jessica Gao

    Hanging out with important people can sometimes have good side effects, as Gao continued:

    Each time, they got to know me more, I got to know them more. By the time I came into pitch ‘She-Hulk,’ I think they had a very good sense of what my sense of humor was. They had a good sense of what type of writer I was, what kind of story I built. They just had a very good indication of what I’m about. I think that that really helped sell it, because they weren’t coming into me cold. They already talked to me so many times, they understood the quirks and nuances and the little things that I really infuse into everything.

    Jessica Gao

    While that Black Widow film would never be, it’s good to see that Marvel kept giving a talent like Gao the opportunity to pitch and collaborate. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+, and while it has yet to feature a high school reunion, it does have a lot of Gao’s signature sense of humor.

    Source: The Direct

  • Idris Elba Teases Mystery Project With Marvel

    Idris Elba Teases Mystery Project With Marvel

    Idris Elba might still have a future with Marvel. The actor, who has played Asgardian warrior Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011’s Thor, was thought to have exited the franchise when his character died valiantly in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. However, a surprise post-credits cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder revealed Heimdall still exists in the halls of Valhalla and has renewed interest from fans in seeing Elba take on the role again.

    Speaking with SyFy in support of his new movie Beast, the multifaceted performer was asked about the potential of a return to Marvel after Phase 4. While Elba has leaned more towards the DC side of the aisle in recent years, he wasn’t quick to deny a future with Heimdall. Instead, the actor hinted that there may be a new project in the works that would see him wear the golden helmet once more:

    Heimdall is a beloved character, I love playing him. There may be something cooking.

    Idris Elba

    When asked to elaborate on what he meant, Elba shied away. However, he still left a lot of room for interpretation with his response:

    I don’t know, I would tell you if I did. Well, probably not…

    Idris Elba

    The last time audiences saw Heimdall, he was welcoming Jane Foster to the afterlife. There is a recent comic book run by writer Jason Aaron that features those two characters adventuring from beyond the grave, so perhaps Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios will find space in their busy schedule to make an adaptation happen.

    Beast is now in theaters.

    Source: SyFy

  • Alison Brie Wants to Play a Marvel Villain

    Alison Brie Wants to Play a Marvel Villain

    Actress Alison Brie has made a name for herself among fans through her charismatic and varied roles in projects like Community, GLOW, and Mad Men. Her popularity naturally leads to many wondering if or when the actress might make a jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the lead-up to Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Brie has opened up about her desire to join the MCU.

    Years ago, early She-Hulk news reported that the series sought an “Alison Brie-type” as the titular character. Obviously, the role ended up going to Tatiana Maslany, but the idea of Brie in the MCU did not die with that casting. The actress has collaborated with Marvel as a filmmaker for Marvel’s 616 and will be voicing a role in the animated Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. But when asked by Comicbook.com if Brie had her eye on any live-action character, the actress mentioned that her fantasy is playing a villain:

    Nothing specifically that I have set my sights on, no, and I think that would be a mistake, because clearly you can’t really dictate. Marvel’s going to do their thing, as they should. I think there’s a fantasy deep in my mind that one day I would get to play a great Marvel villain, but I don’t know which one that would be. People, fans, send me some ideas so I can start the campaign.

    Alison Brie

    While the actress made it clear that there are no characters or projects she is setting her sights on—or at least none that she is willing to share—it seems likely that Marvel Studios would be interested in having Brie join the MCU in some capacity. Whether the studio would want her for a superhero, like She-Hulk, or a supervillain as the actress hopes for is unclear. With the entireties of Phases 5 and 6 to play out, including several unannounced projects, fans may find out where Brie does or does not fit within the MCU in the relatively near future.

    Source: Comicbook.com