Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • MCU Production Timelines: Infographic & Methodology

    MCU Production Timelines: Infographic & Methodology

    In this piece I’m just going to explain a few of the finer points behind the data I put together for the Phase 3 and Phase 4 production timeline infographic, which João has again so excellently put into a graphic.  My purpose in working with João on this one is just to help people understand another piece of the puzzle of how MCU movies tend to get put together.  Fans understandably love to obsess over the release slate, particularly what’s coming next and when it is coming.  It can get a little confusing as to what is and isn’t further along in the timeline. Hopefully, we’ve laid that out in an understandable format.

    A couple of notes I want to make on the data.  First of all, this is a relatively imprecise set of information.  What I’ve put into the spreadsheet is largely the dates as combed from the Wikipedia entries for each film (I did trace back the references in those articles to trade reports in most cases). Now if a director is hired in a forest and it doesn’t make a sound, are they still the director?  In other words, these dates for when writers and directors are hired are based on trade reports.  It may be that someone was hard at work for weeks or even months before the media found out.  I’m taking the information that is publicly available.  In particular, I assume the “filming start” dates are very approximate.  Captain Marvel, for example, filmed a few things before the official start of filming for weird tax purposes.  Also, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did some kind of plates filming already this year, but the filming hasn’t really started in earnest yet. Again, I’m taking the Wikipedia dates in most cases and there will be some imprecisions there.

    As far as director and writer hirings, I have listed the first hiring for each in most cases.  Directors in the MCU haven’t changed that much in recent years.  The major exception that will come to mind for most astute readers is the change from Scott Derrickson to Sam Raimi for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.  As such we’ve included that change as a separate item.  Writers, however, switch with much more frequency.  The process for hiring writers, managing rewrites, and then deciding who gets the final credit for both writing and story is byzantine at best.  To keep it simpler, we just took the first report of any writer or any director, regardless of their final involvement or non-involvement in the project.  I also am somewhat arbitrarily determining what counts as this production.  For some projects, development on the IP might have happened decades ago, but I’m treating those as a different project altogether.

    It’s worth noting that sequels are pretty obviously different.  Often the director and lead actor are already in place and returning for the sequel.  As such directors get “named” essentially as soon as the project is greenlit.  This is also the case of writer/directors like James Gunn.

    Release dates are a little tricky on this graph, given the interference of COVID.  We’re giving you both the original date and the final date in most cases.  Black Widow, for example, was almost totally finished when the pandemic started.  As such it isn’t that the production really took longer, it just all got delayed.  Sorting out a movie like Thor: Love and Thunder is a much more complicated matter.  We’ve done our best to give you a sense of the normal operating procedure and hide the confusion pandemic delays caused.

    Two other major exceptions deserve a mention.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is another one that looks rather weird due to the firing and rehiring of James Gunn.  The movie never officially got a release date, but I think before the whole mess it was likely that the May 2020 date would have been Guardians Vol. 3’s planned landing spot.  Also, Avengers: Endgame was shot pretty tightly with Infinity War, so there is some weirdness in its extended production time.  I think it is highly likely that those two Avengers productions mixed and mingled quite a bit.  Certainly, the screenplays seemed to happen at the same time.

    I think that is all the details. I hope you all enjoyed this. Again, this is all an exercise with approximation. I’m sure some slight variance in the data is possible if you look at different reports. Enjoy!

  • REPORT: First Plot Details for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Revealed

    REPORT: First Plot Details for ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Revealed

    We’ve been excited for the future of Marvel Studios as they start embracing the multiverse. There have been various rumors hinting at Spider-Man: No Way Home exploring the vast incarnations of the characters, but there is one project that wears it proudly. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will thrust Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Stephen Strange into the countless realities that could’ve been. Story details still remain under wraps, but it looks like Illuminerdi got their hands on some interesting details for the upcoming film.

    According to them, the intergalactic being Shuma Gorath, whose inclusion has been teased some time ago, will have close ties to Xochitl Gomez‘s America Chavez. Her abilities would give him full control over the multiverse. Illuminerdi reveals that he will be the main antagonist of the project. No word on how Wanda Maximoff will fit into the overarching story.

    Gorath hunting down Chavez is an interesting story element that may be the reason that Strange ends up exploring the multiverse. The ending of WandaVision could hint that the Sorcerer Supreme stumbles upon Wanda, who is exploring a part of the multiverse to find her children. Perhaps they might even have a connection to the Eldritch being instead of being parts of Mephisto’s soul. There are a lot of angles they can take with this film and it’ll be exciting to see what direction Sam Raimi and Marvel Studios take when bringing it to life.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • Peyton Reed Shares First ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanumania’ Production Image From ‘The Mandalorian’s Volume

    Peyton Reed Shares First ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quanumania’ Production Image From ‘The Mandalorian’s Volume

    It looks like the third entry in the Ant-Man and the Wasp series is finally entering production. Director Peyton Reed took to Twitter to share an image teasing as they prepare for the threequel’s production. In it, he also confirms that they will be using the Volume. It is a 20 feet tall, 270-degree stage that allows ILM to create the backgrounds during production. Instead of adding them into the film through post-production and green screens, they create a space that allows the actors to interact with CG backgrounds. It is the next evolution step from classic green screens that offers a new experience for those involved.

    Of course, Ant-Man’s shrinking abilities are perfectly suited for production in the Volume. We may get to explore the world from a new perspective through this technology. It may also be an easier way to film sequences in the Quantum Realm, which will have a larger role going by the title. It is uncertain if the snow background shown in the image will be used in the film. As they are only preparing, they may be testing out different environments as they get a feel for this new technology.

    There was also the filming that took place in Turkey a few months ago. At the time, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, revealed they were filming in the country. Of course, there were no sightings of the actors at the time. As such, they may have been filming background sets that’ll get used for pre-viz and the Volume. Instead of purely relying on digital backgrounds they can use pre-shot footage to add more realism to the backgrounds. It’ll be exciting to see how much they share from the production and their experiences with the technology.

    Source: Twitter, TechCrunch

  • How ‘Loki’s Variant Concept Opens the Door for Recast Characters to Return

    How ‘Loki’s Variant Concept Opens the Door for Recast Characters to Return

    Loki‘s latest trailer offered a closer glimpse into the newly introduced Time Variance Authority. After the Avengers played around with time, they gave the God of Mischief a chance to escape his fate that would’ve been Thor: The Dark World. Of course, the TVA wouldn’t allow it and Made sure he can’t do more damage by roaming free. We learn that this alternative version is called a Variant and uncover that there are potentially more out there. With rumors going around that multiple Lokis might appear in the series, which aren’t all played by Tom Hiddleston, and the addition of other Spider-Men in Spider-Man: No Way Home, it seems we will see many different interpretations of our favorite heroes soon. As such, Marvel Studios could explore its own history and bring back some familiar faces that got replaced as the series expanded.

    While Marvel Studios has been quite good with keeping its various characters consistent, there have been a few recasts throughout the years. The most notable one for the franchise was when Mark Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. As production ramped up for Avengers, Norton‘s vision of the character didn’t mesh with Marvel Studios’ and they parted ways. It made many questions if that film was still considered canon until William Hurt‘s Thaddeus Ross returned in Captain America: Civil War. There are other cases of recastings in the franchise’s long history. Don Cheadle took over from Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 while Zachary Levi replaced Josh Dallas‘s Fandral in Thor: The Dark World.

     

    Nicht düster genug: Edward Norton erklärt seinen Hulk-Ausstieg

     

    Now, with the introduction of Variants in Loki, it opens up a lot of new possibilities. Of course, there is the obvious option to also bring back the before-mentioned recasts, who could make an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Strange may seek the help of the Hulk only to meet a completely different version of Banner, which gives us a brief cameo of Edward Norton returning as his interpretation of the character. They might even explore this aspect with the recent replacement of Cassie Lang, as Kathryn Newton took over the role from Emma Fuhrman in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Scott Lang can’t recognize the face of his daughter that becomes a catalyst for the events of the film, as he tries to get back the Cassie he knew and loved. Why stop there? How about they introduce Tom Cruise as an alternative version of Tony Stark to pay tribute to almost playing the character before it went to Robert Downey Jr. It opens up a new way to explore the ever-expanding universe as they face real-world limitations and give these actors one last shot at revisiting these old roles or what could’ve been.

    Source: CinemaBlend, ScreenRant, Geo

  • Update: Mads Mikkelsen Will Not Return in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Update: Mads Mikkelsen Will Not Return in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Update: the author of the original IndieWire article has since said the Doctor Strange information was erroneous.

    With an entire multiverse to be explored in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel, you can expect quite a sizeable cast. A new report claims that a previous Marvel Cinematic Universe villain is making a grand comeback in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. According to IndieWire, Mads Mikkelsen will reprise his role as the mystic zealot Kaecilius. He was one of the main antagonists in Stephen Strange’s debut in the MCU back in 2016. His ultimate goal was to obtain power at any cost, even granting Dormammu the Earth to access the Dark Dimension. By the end of the film, Kaecilius and his two remaining followers were overtaken by Dormammu and become the beings known as Mindless Ones.

    With his fate being left open in the air, it would be interesting to see how exactly Kaecilius could return. It’s natural to assume that he will certainly be different from what his character originally was in the first film. As the film tackles the Multiverse, it is possible that we could see the Sorcerer Supreme travel once more to the Dark Dimension. His last bargain did piss off a deity beyond their comprehension and could end badly. He could also be a version of Kaecillius that didn’t get obsessed with power. Either way, more Mads Mikkelsen in the MCU is a definite bonus to what is already a pretty sizeable film. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is slated to release on March 25th, 2022.

    Source: IndieWire

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Adds Directors Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Adds Directors Thomas Bezucha and Ali Selim

    It looks like Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion has finally found its directors, as The Hollywood Reporter has just revealed that Let Him Go‘s Thomas Bezucha and The Looming Tower‘s Ali Selim will be directing their upcoming series. Plot details still remain under wraps, but they will work alongside Mr. Robot‘s Kyle Bradstreet, who will act as head writer and executive producer of the show. It will see the return of Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn as their iconic MCU roles of Nick Fury and Talos. The Disney+ series has already expanded its cast with Damnation‘s Killian Scott, The Crown’s Olivia Colman, One Night in Miami‘s Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke.

    The series will most likely explore the invasion of Skrulls on Earth. Spider-Man: Far From Home teased that they are living normal lives on the planet, which might explore the way we see foreigners. While we assumed they might focus more on the Kree, it seems likely that they want to explore the moral dilemma of some Skrulls being evil while others are good. It would add an interesting layer of complexity after they were showcased as a surprisingly good force of nature in Captain Marvel. Hopefully, we will get more information on the series as we near the production start. It’ll be interesting to see who we can trust and who we can’t, especially with it potentially tying into the newly titled The Marvels film.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘Power Pack’ Could Be Disney+’s Anti-‘Invincible’

    Marvel Studios’ ‘Power Pack’ Could Be Disney+’s Anti-‘Invincible’

    Amazon’s Invincible may be the start of a new era in comic book adaptations. The series’ first season was a surprisingly enjoyable R-rated jolt to the industry’s usual page-to-screen machine. Yet, the show’s novelty had very little to do with its willingness to be edgy. We’ve seen superhero stories get dark and introspective before, most notably in the form of Amazon’s other immensely popular show The Boys, and HBO’s award-winning Watchmen. What made Invincible so special was its courage to be animated in a world where live-action dudes-in-tights are the only ones being taken seriously.

    Sure, comics have a long history with cartoons. From 1941’s Max Fleischer adaptation of Superman to the critically-acclaimed Batman and X-Men series of the early ’90s. It went all the way to modern cult classics like The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice. There’s no denying animation has always played a large role in bringing comic book characters to the forefront of popular culture. Unfortunately, despite the success surrounding these projects, the unwritten rule of geekdom has always been that adults watch real people in costumes while the children focus on cartoons. Only the biggest nerds do both. Thankfully, with the help of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Invincible, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, that rule has begun to change.

     

     

    Tales of heroes in capes are the new norm, and it would seem their atmospheric rise in popularity has made the general public aware of their storytelling merits. If Invincible did anything, it was finally showing people what animation can allow a studio to pull off. A huge scope without big sets, a stellar cast without coordinating schedules, and pulse-pounding action drama without the restraints of CGI. Marvel Studios is set to make its first ventures into “adult-inclusive” animation with the debut of M.O.D.O.K. later this month and What If…? later this year. If those star-studded series go well, it hopefully won’t be the last time the studio feels confident enough to greenlight a potentially MCU-canon cartoon project. Luckily for Marvel, they already have the perfect set of characters just begging to be part of the animated scene, The Power Pack.

     

     

    One of Marvel’s more obscure super-groups, this team of tween heroes consists of the four Power siblings Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie. Introduced in 1984, the children’s story found them wielding unique abilities after coming across a dying alien. It had come to Earth in search of their genius father. As a result, Alex can control gravity, Julie learned to fly, Jack manipulates mass, and Katie can disintegrate any form of the matter before expelling it as a ball of explosive energy. Initially tasked with protecting the world from the deceased alien’s rival race, the kids end up donning costumes to hide their identities and act as Earth’s newest superhero team. Though they would occasionally bump into Marvel’s bigger guns, like Spider-Man or the Avengers, the Power Pack mostly operated on their own, taking down some of the planet’s biggest threats before the likes of Iron Man even knew there was a problem.

    The concept screams Saturday morning cartoons and would act as their perfect answer to Invincible. Despite featuring four children as the protagonists, the comic series was known to tackle some pretty heavy subject matter. The Pack was imbued with great power and often ended up in situations that called their moral standings into question. Before they even hit puberty, the kids were forced to deal with topics like sexual assault and drug abuse. The comic was a great way to present these issues to America’s youth through characters their own age, and an animated series featuring the group could perform the same task for young fans of today’s MCU.

     

     

    Much like Invincible, a Power Pack show would juggle all the classic coming-of-age superhero tropes with the darker realities of life. It could do so without dipping into any of the prior project’s R-rated territory. In essence, it would be the anti-Invincible. Hitting all the same thematic pressure points, but with brighter accessibility to adults and children alike. Making the series animated would also allow for the bigger stars of the MCU to easily appear in voice roles, and the isolated nature of the Power Pack’s traditional stories means they wouldn’t have to appear in live-action productions very often. If the show were to age its characters with the voice cast, it would make these potential crossovers far easier and permit the vocal performers to reprise their roles on the big screen if need be.

    A Power Pack adaptation has been in varying degrees of production since 2000. Marvel boss Kevin Feige has expressed interest in bringing the group to the MCU in the past, and even commissioned a film script to be written as recently as 2017. While a movie would be better than nothing, it would seem like a missed opportunity to make something more unique. No Power Pack updates have come in quite some time, so hopefully, there’s still time to make an animated series happen.

    Source: The Hashtag Show

  • Marvel Studios’ ‘What If’ Eyeing an August Release Date

    Marvel Studios’ ‘What If’ Eyeing an August Release Date

    In about a month we will get introduced to a new perspective on time travel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney+’s next project, Loki, will see the return of our favorite God of Mischief from the altered timeline due to the Avengers meddling in Avengers: Endgame. There are still three more shows set to release in the latter half of the year with Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, and What If. It is still unclear when we can expect these series to release, but it looks like an article by Entertainment Weekly may have offered some more details. They offered an exclusive look at what we can expect in summer 2021.

    It kicks off with June 9th’s release of Loki and goes through various shows that are set to premiere in the coming months. It includes the recently announced Masters of the Universe: Revelations, Ted Lasso, and many more. At the 22nd spot, Marvel Studios’ What If was highlighted and they reveal it is eyeing an August release. It makes sense as Loki will run for around six episodes with it ending in July. They might have some time between the seasons to promote it.

    The series will feature various alternative timelines, where the events we have witnessed in the MCU took on a unique form, such as Peggy Carter taking the Super Soldier serum. It will also be the last work that Chadwick Boseman did for Marvel Studios before his tragic passing. He will voice T’Challa who set out into space instead of Peter Quill. It’ll be interesting to see if we get an official release date announcement before Loki premieres, as we haven’t gotten a new trailer since December’s Investor Days.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Casting for Foreign Mercs, Diplomats

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Casting for Foreign Mercs, Diplomats

    According to a report by POC Culture, Marvel Studios is currently searching for actors to portray foreign mercenaries and diplomats for an upcoming film. The report indicates that the roles are for a production getting underway in the U.S. in July and the only film that fits that description is Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The report indicates that the studio is casting for males and females, 40-60, to play a French and Dutch diplomat and males and females, 20-40, to play French and Dutch mercenaries.

    Will Disney ever build a 'Black Panther' Wakanda theme park land? – Orange County Register

    Little is known about how the film will move forward with the story of T’Challa given the tragic death of star Chadwick Boseman, but should the film deal with the death of Wakanda’s protector and King, it’s likely that the nation could face threats from the outside as it deals with his passing and naming the next Black Panther. If what we’ve heard about the film is true, French and Dutch diplomats and mercs will be the least of Wakanda’s worries.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to begin production this July and will be in theaters July 8, 2022.

    Source: POC Culture

  • Phase 4 Is Man-Thing’s Time to Shine in the MCU

    Phase 4 Is Man-Thing’s Time to Shine in the MCU

    For over 80 years, Marvel Comics have taken fans on adventures spanning the cosmos, the multiverse, the depths of Hell and more. Thousands of characters have gone on countless journeys and saved the universe time and again and, over the past 13 years, have begun to make their respective ways into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel stable of comic characters is so vast that fans can’t reasonably expect all their favorite characters will find their ways to the MCU but, as we learned from our interview with Malcolm Spellman, Marvel Studios lets their writers work and then going to their expansive roster of characters to find just the right one for the job. As the MCU moves into Phase 4, there’s a character on Marvel’s bench that could serve as the connective tissue to a couple of key Phase 4 themes while also setting the stage for some properties in development: enter the Man-Thing.

    Marvel's Most Disgusting Superhero is Secretly a Popular X-Men Writer

    Man-Thing already exists in the MCU. We saw his loveable face on the Grandmaster’s tower in Thor: Ragnarok, met his comic book ex, Ellen Brandt, in Iron Man 3, got a name drop in Season 1 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Nexus of All Realities, of which he is the guardian, was seemingly referenced in WandaVision and definitely referenced by Erik Selvig in Thor: The Dark World. However, other than the look at his mug, we’ve never seen him in action but the revelation that Isaiah Bradley is a part of the MCU and that his blood has been used to attempt to recreate the Super Soldier serum could finally open the door for Dr. Ted Sallis’ story to be told and for us to finally meet the Man-Thing!

    The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was all about the legacy of Steve Rogers and the Super Solider serum that made him Captain America and, as we found out, that serum has been at the heart of some terrible things. In the comics, Dr. Ted Sallis worked for the U.S. Army on a project which was intended to create a way to help soldier survive biological warfare. Before long, he found his way down the same road many Marvel Comics’ scientists have: attempting to recreate the Super Soldier serum. Betrayed and sold out to A.I.M. by his wife, Ellen, Sallis injected the only existing sample of the new serum into himself (as all good scientists do) and crashed into the swamp where, because magic, he was transformed into the Man-Thing. Sallis’ story has some other twists and turns, such as working alongside Curt Conners and also having a bit of his regen serum in him as well (I guess he could get his hands on that if say Curt Conners were to show up in Spider-Man: No Way Home), but the MCU is actually set up really well to retrofit his story and insert his story into the present day.

    The Past: Sallis’ Research and Brandt’s Betrayal

     

     

    Much of Dr. Ted Sallis’ comic book origins could easily be kept intact and adapted into the existing MCU, especially now that we know samples of Bradley’s blood have been the subject of experimentation since the 1950s. We know from The Incredible Hulk that the U.S. Department of Defense has experimented with Super Soldier serum during the interim and we could easily see Sallis retconned into being a part of the DoD’s research and working into the Everglades. While not something they necessarily need to do, Marvel Studios could easily retcon Ellen Brandt’s story (we only know that she was in the military herself and lost an arm) by having her be one of Sallis’ partners on the project, acting as an agent of A.I.M. (another organization that could really use some retconning). In the current MCU timeline, A.I.M. came into being sometime after 2000 and Brandt joined up in 2009. Sallis’ story could easily take place in the early-to-mid 2000s and allow him to meet and fall for Brandt, have her betray him and try to steal his work and have him encounter her one time as the Man-Thing, explaining the scarring on her face. Maybe we could even find out how he won the Contest of Champions!

    The Present: The Nexus of All Realities

    What is the Nexus in Marvel comic books? The WandaVision reference explained | GamesRadar+

    Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to bring all sorts of characters from their respective multiverses to the MCU, a theme that seems like it’ll spill over into both What If…? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In the comics, the Nexus of All Realities is the type of interdimensional gateway that would allow for characters like Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker or Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock to travel from one universe to another and it’s Man-Thing’s job to protect that gateway as it is the crossroads for the entire Multiverse. As the guardian of the Nexus, Man-Thing has the ability to transplant people and places from their home reality into this one by opening portals to other realities. While we’ve never heard anything about Man-Thing showing up in any of these projects, if there were ever a time for big fella to arrive in the MCU, that time is now.

    The Future: Midnight Sons

    Ghost Rider: How Rise of the Midnight Sons United Marvel's DARKEST Her – iNerd

    Doctor Strange is present and Brother Voodoo is expected to join him shortly. Moon Knight is coming soon. Blade is headed to the MCU. Ghost Rider is in development. The supernatural side of the MCU is about to get crazy and bring in any manner of vampires, demons or other horrific creatures. Should the threat get bigger than any one hero could handle and a team-up be necessary, the Midnight Sons are that team and one that fans have been hoping to see come together for quite some time. Having first come together in the early 1990s, the team reassembled recently in Doctor Strange: Damnation with a few changes to the roster. If we were to meet Manny sometime soon, we could see him join this team in time for something like the third Doctor Strange film or even an event series on Disney Plus.

    Given that the set up exists thanks to the MCU’s past, the great opportunity for him to tie into so many of Phase 4’s projects and the fact that the spooky side of things is going to make its way into the MCU, Man-Thing might be the nexus point of the shared cinematic universe if they give him a chance.