Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Movies

  • Mark Ruffalo Opens Up About ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    Mark Ruffalo Opens Up About ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    One of Marvel Studios’ biggest reveals at SDCC ’22 was that their ongoing Multiverse Saga was set to wrap up in 2025 with two Avengers films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The studio’s plans should seem familiar to fans, as they wrapped up the previous multi-phase Infinity Saga with two Avengers films as well in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

    While not all of the MCU’s heroes had a large role to play in both Infinity War and Endgame, one who did was Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. And while some of his longtime MCU co-stars have moved on from Marvel Studios’ projects-at least for the time being-Ruffalo is still going strong, set to appear next in the Disney + streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. At the green carpet premiere for the series, Ruffalo was asked about Avengers: Secret Wars by Entertainment Tonight and while uncharacteristically reserved did have something to say about the project.

    It’s gonna be hard to top Endgame, but if I know Kevin and I know Marvel, it’s gonna be pretty amazing. It’ll be a big bang. We’ll go out with a big bang.

    Mark Ruffalo

    With Secret Wars still over three years away, it’s not surprising to hear Marvel Studios’ talent, even the usually verbose Ruffalo, giving more measured responses to questions about the film. While it’s likely Ruffalo will appear in the film and that he has a vague sense of what the story might entail, it’s even more likely that he’s not seen so much as a first draft of the script. That all means fans will have to wait a while before Ruffalo, or Tom Holland, start letting some details spill out on press tours.

  • Mark Ruffalo Comments on a Potential ‘World War Hulk’ Film

    Mark Ruffalo Comments on a Potential ‘World War Hulk’ Film

    Over his years working as Bruce Banner in the MCU, actor Mark Ruffalo has proven to be a bit of a leaky faucet when it comes to top-secret Marvel Studios information. To that end, Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, was probably sweating last night as Entertainment Tonight approached Ruffalo at the green carpet premiere of the studio’s upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

    To their credit, ET came out of the gate hard, asking Ruffalo about a potential World War Hulk film, a project that was first reported nearly a year ago by KC Walsh to be in development at the studio. To his credit, Ruffalo didn’t give anything away, this time, simply stating, “Any time they want to do it, I’m here.“

    While 2008’s The Incredible Hulk was the second MCU film, a sequel has never materialized due to a distribution deal between Marvel Studios and Universal. Interestingly enough, evidence recently surfaced that indicated the distribution deal may be nearing its end, information that lines up with a potential 2024 or later release for the World War Hulk film. Of course, until Marvel Studios provides official word, fans will continue to debate the possibility of such a project. Perhaps once a few episodes of She-Hulk have aired and the public becomes aware of what the ET reporter is referencing in the interview, Marvel Studios could announce such a project…maybe even at D23 this September.

  • ‘Jessica Jones’ David Tennant Open to Return in a Future MCU Project

    ‘Jessica Jones’ David Tennant Open to Return in a Future MCU Project

    There have been many villains throughout Marvel’s history on television and on the silver screen. We’ve witnessed a variety of adaptations but none left a darker impact than the one that David Tennant did on his iconic run as Kilgrave on Netflix’s Jessica Jones. The man was more than just a villain and joined the ranks of one of the franchise’s most iconic.

    While he has passed away in the original series, the current return of Netflix characters is opening up the possibility of some iconic actors returning. With that window open, some fans had the chance to ask the Purple Man himself, David Tennant, if he’d be open to returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    While he believes that it’ll be difficult to bring his character back, he definitely is open to the possibility. He also praised the talented writers hinting that they’d have a way of finding a way to bring him back into the fold. With the multiverse already established, there’s quite the opportunity to bring him back in interesting ways.

    Imagining dimensions where he took over with a reluctant group of heroes doing his bidding would make for an interesting addition to the multiverse. He could also be a weapon that’ll help everyone involved to take down Kang the Conqueror due to his unique ability. Whatever they may have planned, Tennant is always a delight and definitely worthy actor to bring back into the MCU.

    Source: Twitter

  • Giancarlo Esposito Reveals He Turned Down a ‘Loki’ Role

    Giancarlo Esposito Reveals He Turned Down a ‘Loki’ Role

    Giancarlo Esposito has been on the top of many people’s lists for joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To be fair, he has been gunning for a role for quite some time as well. Not too long ago, he revealed he’s had talks with the production company and even pointed out he’d been interested in taking on the role of Professor X. Now, in a new interview at the Fan Expo he has revealed a role he declined.

    According to a tweet from ComicBook.com’s Liam Crowley, he has revealed that he turned down a role for Marvel’s upcoming TV ventures, where he highlighted that he believes it was going to be a part of Loki. Of course, he doesn’t disclose any details on what precisely that role could’ve been or in what capacity, it does raise quite a few curious questions. He highlights that he held out on the role to get one on the movie side of the MCU.

    The first thought maybe that he could’ve had the role of the upcoming central villain, Kang the Conqueror. He briefly appears as He Who Remains, played by the talented Jonathan Majors. He was set to appear in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel, Quantumania, which would deter that this wasn’t sold as a movie role.

    So, he may have had another role that would eventually grow, as Marvel Studios wouldn’t just use Esposito on a singular role with how committed he is to joining the franchise. Perhaps he was going to be Mobius or even a Loki Variant at one point. Still, it’s great to see how excited he is to join and hopefully they find the right role soon.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Turned Down a Role in ‘Deadpool 2’

    ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Turned Down a Role in ‘Deadpool 2’

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson has his fingerprints all over the comic book movie genre. The actor had his breakthrough playing the lead in 2010’s Kick-Ass, an adaptation of Mark Millar’s popular Image comic series, and it’s 2013 sequel, before quickly moving on to portray the speedster Pietro Maximoff in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. While Taylor-Johnson has yet to reprise that role, he is set to bring the title character to life in next year’s Kraven the Hunter, marking his fourth overall foray into the genre and putting him on a possible collision course with Spider-Man himself. If all that wasn’t enough, the actor recently revealed that he also had an opportunity to join Fox’s now-defunct X-Men universe in 2018.

    Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in support of his new film Bullet Train, Taylor-Johnson admitted he landed his new role partly because he was already familiar with director David Leitch. The filmmaker had previously helmed Deadpool 2, and supposedly, had once reached out to Taylor-Johnson in hopes he’d join the cast. THR got the surprising scoop while the action star was explaining why he wanted to work on Bullet Train:

    Well, I don’t think it’s autopilot by any means, so I do believe in a bit of fate and luck. I feel fortunate and lucky that we were able to make this movie during a pandemic. I’ve always wanted to work with Brad Pitt. I’ve always wanted to make a movie on a Los Angeles soundstage. This was yet another movie I fought for. This was one of those hot scripts around town, and David Leitch actually asked me to be in ‘Deadpool 2’ ages ago.

    While he never gave any indication of which character he might have been up for, he did state that it was ultimately his decision not to do the acclaimed sequel. Comically, Taylor-Johnson also adds that the meeting with Leitch wasn’t enough to book his Bullet Train role, but it did get him a spot in the line to audition. He explained:

    So I met him, but I didn’t do that. So when this came around, I was like, “Hey, do you remember me?” And he was like, “Of course. I like you as an actor.” So I was like, “Cool, what about this character?” And he was like, “Get in line, buddy. There’s like ten other actors who want this job and they’ve got a bigger name than you do.” (Laughs.) So I don’t expect these roles to be handed out, and I’m willing to fight for them, which is what I had to do for this. So I think I’m in the driver’s seat because I’m working hard. I also try to manifest what I feel, and sometimes, the universe brings it back my way. But you still have to actively go out and get it.

    Taylor-Johnson’s celebrity is on the rise, so expect to see a lot more of the former Godzilla star in the years to come. Bullet Train is now in theaters, while Kraven the Hunter is scheduled to release on January 13, 2023.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Concept Art Teases ‘X-Men’ and ‘Chaos War’ Characters

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Concept Art Teases ‘X-Men’ and ‘Chaos War’ Characters

    Thor: Love and Thunder has come and gone, but it hasn’t left the mainstream conversation. The fourthquel was responsible for introducing audiences to many exciting new locations, many of which will be discussed for years to come. Perhaps the most visually pleasing was Omnipotence City, a glorious meeting place for gods of all pantheons and the site of the film’s most colorful sequences. The locale was also popular with fans for it’s many intriguing cameos and godly designs. Marvel Studios artist Sung Choi recently took to Instagram to reveal some design work he completed for the film as part of the “early exploration” process for Omnipotence City, and it features quite a few faces that could fill the same category of shock and awe.

    Among those present appears to be Cyttorak, the deity that famously powers X-Men villain Juggernaut through an ancient artifact known as the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak. Seated next to him is what looks like a version of Galactus, the infamous world-eater who plagues the Marvel Universe on a regular basis, and Ganesha, the real-world Hindu god of intellect and wisdom. Also present are what could be Aegis, the golden Lady of All Sorrows, of Marvel’s Proemial gods, and what looks like a Mandalorian from the Star Wars franchise. The latter could be a fun reference to director Taika Waititi‘s time on the hit Disney+ series.

    Curiously, the largest god seated all the way at the top of the throne room is incredibly similar in design to the comic book version of Ajak – leader of the Eternals. It’s possible Ajak was at one point considered as a cameo to tie-in with Marvel’s Eternals film, and this art was produced before Salma Hayek landed the role. Finally, on the right, fans will be able to spot two major characters from Thor lore who actually did end up making the movie’s final cut. Hercules, played in the post-credits scene by Brett Goldstein, is drawn sitting beside a god who looks like Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the malevolent Japanese Chaos King who acted as a the villain of Greg Pak‘s Chaos War arc, a story in which Hercules and Thor team-up to defeat them. It’s important to remember this art was likely devised before anything was set in stone for the project, and Choi likely threw in random gods to get a better feel for how the throne room should look. Either way, it’s still fun to speculate.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Watchmen’ Showrunner Shares His Thoughts on Marvel’s Expansion

    ‘Watchmen’ Showrunner Shares His Thoughts on Marvel’s Expansion

    There’s been a lot of discussions surrounding Marvel Studios’ recent expansion. Fans of the franchise have been enjoying a smorgasbord of offerings with fan-favorite characters getting a chance at a live-action adaptation, which wouldn’t happen in any normal circumstance. Yet, some also feel like the franchise is watering down its offerings with the Disney+ series and releasing up to four or five films a year.

    Well, Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof shares the latter sentiment, as he highlights his own personal taste when it comes to media. In an interview with Variety, he highlights his own personal feelings towards franchises; something that has gotten quite popular from many more veteran members of the cinematic landscape.

    It’s always going to be hard because once you’ve got someone’s attention, you want to keep it. And so the idea of letting it go and not knowing if you’re ever going to get it back again is sort of like it’s antithetical to the way that we’re wired.

    Damon Lindelof

    He also gives that he believes that less is more in this case, as he’d love to see more memorable projects. Yet, he also makes the point that he simply likes things to end, one aspect of how he approached Watchmen that some believed could get a sequel season but remained a limited series after all.

    From a slightly sort of more cynical standpoint, this is a business. It’s an industry. And if you make a couple of great Marvel movies, the instinct is, ‘We need to make more Marvel movies, and we need to expand this.’ And I have this sort of interior feeling of like, ‘Wow, I wish they made less because it would make each one that came out a little bit more special. But I watch all of them…People don’t want things to end. I do.

    Damon Lindelof

    Lindelof also makes sure to point out that he doesn’t blame Marvel for doing what they are doing. It simply makes sense and he’s not innocent in working on franchising as well given his experiences with Star Trek and Prometheus.

    I don’t begrudge them the right to keep it going. I’ve made prequels and sequels and reboots, so I can’t be a hypocrite and say, ‘God, come up with an original idea.’ Meanwhile, I’m making two ‘Star Trek’ movies and ‘Prometheus.

    Lindelof

    Damon Lindelof‘s points are definitely fair as something being short-lived tends to get a different view than when they continue going on. Phase 4 has been hit with criticism even by long-time fans due to hitting that sophomore slump that any long-running show or franchise tends to hit. There is a fun addition to this story, however, as Lindelof actually highlighted that he actively watches all these projects on his personal Instagram account, which adds an interesting bit of levity to the discussion

    So, it seems that Lindelof is also a fan of the franchise and it’s a shame that this may have been committed from the interview. He also goes on to highlight praise for Ms. Marvel as “one of the best things I saw on any network, streamer or movie screen in the past year. Originality masked in I.P… and a cultural authenticity that dares the entire industry to rise to it“

    Source: Variety, Instagram

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $700M Worldwide

    While it didn’t have the momentum early on, Thor: Love and Thunder has officially passed the $700M mark worldwide. It’s currently on its way to passing the box office of its predecessor if you exclude its Chinese and Russian box office. The original pulled in $850M when it was released back in 2017 but owed $112M alone to China with Russia making up 23M. So, it would “only” need to pass $715M to pull in a higher box office than its predecessor. Not too far away from its current $704M international cume.

    Naturally, many would assume that the influx should be higher, especially with the presumed $250M budget this film is standing on. Still, with a B+ CinemaScore and a more mixed critical reception, it still surprised many when it started picking up momentum. The second and third weekends seemingly had a stronger drop but it was during the week when things would pick up for the fourth Thor entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The film won’t be making a massive profit for Marvel Studios as it likely will break even but a fourth entry making as much or even more than its predecessor is also not a common thing in the market. Thor: Love and Thunder proves that Marvel Studios still has a good hold on the market and $700M is a great win for any production nowadays; Top Gun: Maverick is the exception that may be overlooked in the more fragile market we have right now.

    As of now, the film is likely to pass the first’s overall box office run and even reach around $750M+. There’s still a chance it could go higher if it legs out even with its 45-day window on the horizon; something that may be facing a change sooner rather than later. Still, the film is not a flop as many would make you believe and it’ll b interesting to see how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever performs later this year.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • REPORT: ‘Black Panther’s Costume Designer Joins Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    REPORT: ‘Black Panther’s Costume Designer Joins Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    We’ve long been waiting for any real update on the upcoming adaptation of Blade, as Marvel Studios attempts to give the iconic franchise its own MCU spin. Mahershala Ali is set to take on the titular role. Bassam Tariq is set to direct an adaptation from writer Stacy Osei-Kuffour but there’s still been no real update on when exactly it may ramp up production.

    Luckily, it seems we may have gotten a small update on the project, as according to Sky News’ Will Mavity, the costume designer for Black Panther and Malcolm X, Ruth E. Carter, has joined the production to continue her work. She also recently worked on projects like Dolemite Is My Name and Coming 2 America, and went on to win an Academy Award for her costume work on the first Black Panther film. so, she makes for a great addition to the production team.

    Carter makes for a great addition and it’ll be interesting to see what she brings to the table. Blade as a character has been heavily defined by his look introduced in the Wesley Snipes films. So, they may take inspiration from that and add a few unique flourishes to make it stand out from its predecessor. We’ll have to wait and see for now, as we wait for any official update from Marvel.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Black Panther 2’ Still Undergoing Reshoots Even After San Diego Comic-Con

    ‘Black Panther 2’ Still Undergoing Reshoots Even After San Diego Comic-Con

    We’ve known some time ago that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever went through quite a few reshoots earlier this year. Even during principal photography, they have faced some hardship due to continued delays even throughout the reshoot process. As of now, it seems that they are still working on adding some minor tweaks to add the final touches to the project.

    Namor actor Tenoch Huerta has revealed that they are even adding minor sequences right now, as they were busy with reshoots even after attending San Diego Comic-Con to show off the first trailer. He revealed it during an interview with W Radio, as translated by Twitter user @chavernand.

    To be honest, my life hasn’t changed that much. I’m doing reshoots that are like little missing pieces, like the take of a hand, a movement, some new framing. Like little things to do at the end of every movie, and that sometimes you need to do them again. As a matter of fact, that same day at the end of our presentation at Comic-Con, we went back to the studios, to keep working, so I haven’t had that much spare time. I’ve been working all these days, I think this is my first day off… kind of.

    Tenoch Huerta

    There’s no word if they are still actively working on the film, especially as the type of reshoots isn’t specified at the moment. He does seem to be hinting that they are only adapting “little missing pieces” which means that these might not be massive adaptations. Still, the first trailer made quite the statement, and here’s hoping that further teases continue building up towards the official release in November.

    Source: W Radio via Twitter