Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Marvel Studios

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ and ‘What If…?’ Writer Taking Over for Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ and ‘What If…?’ Writer Taking Over for Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner

    Marvel Studios’ most recent foray into animation, X-Men ’97, checked all the boxes. From beginning to end, the revival captivated the audience with shockingly high stakes and ended on such a high note that fans were clamoring for news about Season 2. The good news is that the sophomore season of X-Men ’97 is already deep into its production and could hit D+ as early as 2025; however, with showrunner Beau DeMayo being let go by Marvel Studios despite having a long-term plan for the series, the question of who would take the reigns of the successful series continued to hang overhead. Now, that problem has been resolved.

    According to Deadline, Matthew Chauncey has agreed to join the creative team of the animated series as the head writer for Season 3 of X-Men ’97.

    Chauncey is an in-house hire for the studio, having worked both in live-action on Ms. Marvel and in animation on Seasons 1 and 2 of What If…? and the upcoming Eyes of Wakanda. With Season 2 of X-Men ’97 currently in production, Chauncey will have plenty of time to get to work on drafting Season 3 which should allow for him to find his groove with the characters and the pre-existing stories and churn out some banger episodes. While he has writing credits for more than a half-dozen episodes of What If…?, he was the sole writer for Season 2, Episode 7, “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?”, which was one of the season’s most fascinating installments.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Unveils the Official Synopsis for ‘Agatha All Along’

    Marvel Studios Unveils the Official Synopsis for ‘Agatha All Along’

    Marvel Studios rolled out the first look at its next Disney Plus streaming series, Agatha All Along and, as usual, sent some extra goodies out as well. In addition to some promo photos and a great looking poster, the studio also provided an official synopsis for the series.

    In “Agatha All Along,” the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…

    The goth Teen mentioned is, of course, Joe Locke’s Nicholas Scratch Billy Kaplan and the Witches’ Road is sure to be drought with peril!

    Agatha All Along premieres September 18th on Disney Plus.

    Updating

  • Kevin Feige Calls ‘The Fantastic Four’ His Most Anticipated Project, Confirms Setting and Production Details

    Kevin Feige Calls ‘The Fantastic Four’ His Most Anticipated Project, Confirms Setting and Production Details

    It’s an all-new, all-different era at Marvel Studios. After years of being obnoxiously secretive, the studio has experimented with different methods of revealing news about upcoming projects. Whether the constant changing of titles of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha All Along, the social media reveal of Hugh Jackman‘s return for Deadpool & Wolverine or the surprise Valentine’s Day cast announcement, or the April 4th reveal of concept art featuring the Human Torch which also launched an neat viral campaign for The Fantastic Four, the once taciturn studio has taken a new, more forthcoming approach to connect with fans as they try to rebuild their image.

    Another new initiative taken by the studio to reach the fanbase is the launch of The Official Marvel Podcast. Perhaps in an effort to put the podcast on the map, Marvel came out swinging with its first episode by having Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, launch the venture. And while the boss had quite a bit to say about the studio’s upcoming slate, he was most effusive about the long-awaited film, The Fantastic Four.

    The co-host of the podcast came out swinging by asking Feige which upcoming project excited him most and after giving a typical Big Kev response, the head honcho changed gears and gave some surprising insight into The Fantastic Four.

    “Well, you know, the corporate answer is: they’re all our babies and we love them all equally. And I’m very excited for Deadpool & Wolverine, and then Agatha All Along, and Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts with an asterisk, and the new Daredevil. And that’s true,” started Feige. “But if you want the real answer – if we’re trying to get real on this podcast,” he continued, “the answer is The Fantastic Four.“

    First teased as an upcoming project at SDCC ’19, The Fantastic Four has had quite a journey to the start of production. Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts was originally attached to project but stepped away in 2022.

    Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure. We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.

    -Kevin Feige on Jon Watts departure from The Fantastic Four, April 2022

    Following Watts‘ departure, WandaVision director Matt Shakman boarded the project in August 2022. Shortly after, Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were hired to pen the first draft of the project, which has since seen Avatar 2 writer Josh Friedman and Marvel finisher Eric Pearson put in some work on it. Despite rumors to the contrary, Shakman has stayed the course while the project developed which, according to Feige, is now just a month away from finally getting underway.

    “Matt Shakman, our Director who did WandaVision for us, is working on [The Fantastic Four]. He’s already moved to London, and we start filming at the end of July,” revealed Feige. “Funny story: we start shooting the Monday after Comic Con. The day after Comic Con is the first day of filming on Fantastic Four,” he added, perhaps teasing the studio’s presence in San Diego. Feige then expressed his excitement for the 2025 film.

    “And I’m extremely excited by it, because I think those characters are mainstays… are legendary pillars of the Marvel Universe that we’ve never got to play with or explore in any significant way – apart from Multiverse Of Madness and a few fun teases – before, in the way that were doing in that film. So I’m extremely for that.”

    -Kevin Feige, June 26 , 2024

    While that amount of information alone from Feige would have been enough, Marvel’s Big Cheese took things one step further. When pressed by the co-host, Feige addressed fan speculation over the setting of The Fantastic Four, which fans believe will be a period piece–something which Feige directly confirmed before addressing another bit of speculation about the retrofuturistic setting of the film.

    “Yes. Yes, very much so. It is a period, and there was another piece of art we released with Johnny Storm flying in the air making a 4 symbol, and there was a cityscape in the corner of that image, and there were a lot of smart people who noticed that cityscape didn’t look exactly like the New York that we know and the New York that existed in the ’60s in our world. And those are smart observations, I’ll say.”

    -Kevin Feige, June 26, 2024

    Rumors about the setting of the film have long had it taking place somewhere other than the MCU’s main 616 universe and while Feige stopped short of confirming those rumors, he certainly did nothing to shoot them down. Given Feige’s SDCC tease, it’s quite possible the cast of The Fantastic Four will make some sort of an appearance in San Diego and/or at August’s D23, providing fans with a little more information on what to expect.

    As of now, The Fantastic Four is slated for theaters on July 25, 2025.

  • Giancarlo Esposito Teases His “Badass” MCU Character

    Giancarlo Esposito Teases His “Badass” MCU Character

    After years of being fancast in multiple MCU roles, Giancarlo Esposito finally joined the cinema’s largest interconnected universe. It’s been just under a month since it was revealed that Espositio‘s character was set to debut in Captain America: Brave New World when it hits theaters in early 2025 and as reshoots on that project have wound down or moved out of the public eye, the buzz around the debut has died down a bit. However, at the premiere of his next film, MaXXXine, Esposito was asked about the role and teased that he’s set to be a real badass.

    “When you see me in the MCU, you’re going to see a badass and I’m excited for that,” Esposito told Deadline. “Acting is using every part of your body, your emotions, your senses, your feelings to portray something. But when you…you haven’t really seen me use my body in a way I’ll be using it. The MCU is exciting. I can’t tell you who I play but you’re gonna be excited when you see it,” he teased.

    The MCU has knocked on my door and it’s a role you won’t predict. It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards.

    -Giancarlo Esposito on his mystery MCU character

    While Esposito has done plenty of teasing of his character over the past couple of months, the identity of the agent of chaos has yet to be revealed. A set photo released online in early June showed the character will be heavily armed and led to wild theorizing and speculation by fans who believe he’s playing every Marvel character from Bushman to Willis Stryker to Shatterstar. To date, I’ve not seen an accurate guess of Esposito‘s character.

    Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14th, 2025.

  • ‘Avengers 5’ Star Confirms Production Timeline

    ‘Avengers 5’ Star Confirms Production Timeline

    As the final countdown for Marvel Studios one and only theatrical release of 2024 begins, preparations for the studio’s next Avengers movie continue. Word recently came down that Kevin Feige and crew have begun the search for a director and that Deadpool & Wolverine‘s Shawn Levy may be in contention for the job. Typically Marvel prefers to begin working with directors a year or so before the start of production which would indicate that filming should be on track to get underway in mid-2025. And it turns out that may just be the case, according to one of the film’s expected stars.

    While reflecting on his time as Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch indicated that he’s expecting to suit back up for production on Avengers 5 next year.

    Originally known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, Avengers 5 remains on track for its May 2026 release despite a complete overhaul behind the scenes which included a new writer and director and, reportedly, a new main character.

  • More Deadpool? Shawn Levy on a Possible Return for ‘Deadpool 4’

    More Deadpool? Shawn Levy on a Possible Return for ‘Deadpool 4’

    As the director of Marvel Studios’ one and only theatrical offering of 2024, Shawn Levy has been and will continue to be in the spotlight throughout the summer. Not only was he charged with bringing the Merc with a Mouth into the MCU and crafting the studio’s first R-rated project but also with the tall task of getting the MCU back to the heights it so frequently visited before a rough 2023.

    With just more than a month until it hits theaters, all signs point to Deadpool & Wolverine being a massive financial success for Marvel and with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman teaming up and bringing their incredible chemistry to the he project, it’s hard to imagine it won’t be a hit with fans as well. As the film continues to gather momentum, Levy has found himself rumored to be in the mix to direct Avengers 5 and fans are already clamoring for news on Deadpool 4. As promotion for Deadpool & Wolverine kicks off, Deadline asked Levy about the potential for him to return to helm another Deadpool film.

    “Usually I have to lie,” said Levy. “I’m waiting for the questions when I have to lie and pretend I don’t know the answer, but this one I can sincerely say I don’t know.” With Marvel Studios continuing to reassess the future of their theatrical slate, it’s not too hard to imagine Levy is telling the truth. However, it sounds as though while putting Deadpool & Wolverine together was a tough task, the director would be up for more.

    Marvel Studios presents their most significant mistake to date—”Deadpool & Wolverine.” A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existenal threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to—Fuck. Synopses are so fucking stupid.

    -Official synopsis, Deadpool & Wolverine

    “But I can, in the same breath, say, ‘Man, this thing has been the hardest, most all-consuming thing I’ve ever done’, said Levy.  “But it’s also been the most creatively gratifying. Because with Deadpool, there’s no rules. It is, in its very DNA, built on tonal audacity. So, for a filmmaker, what a delight,” he explained before adding that working with two long-time friends helped make working on the project “a blast.”

    “And to do it with my best friend Ryan, my other buddy Hugh, the three of us who have known each other now for a very long time, it was just a blast,” Levy concluded. All in all, it doesn’t sound like the studio would have to twist Levy’s arm to return and given the referenve he’s shown for the source material, that may be something worth keeping an eye on.

    Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th.

    Source: Deadline

  • Rumored Casting Call Could Bring an All-New Team of Heroes to Marvel Studios ‘Nova’

    Rumored Casting Call Could Bring an All-New Team of Heroes to Marvel Studios ‘Nova’

    While Marvel Studios Blade continues to struggle to get into production, a character whose “immediate potential” to enter the MCU predates the 2019 SDCC announcement of Blade is still waiting for an entry point. Nova, Marvel’s Human Rocket, was first identified by Kevin Feige as a character to keep an eye on at 2018’s premiere of Avengers: Infinity War and while the studio put the gears in motion on a streaming series over two years ago, little progress has been made. However, it sounds as though the project may be getting closer to lift off and a new casting call could point toward a classic late-80s, early-90s comic book team showing up in the streaming series.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios has brought a showrunner on board for Nova and in addition to having begun the search for the show’s lead, the studio is also searching for additional talent that has been described as a “group of young protagonists.” While there’s been no indication of whether or not the series will feature Richard Rider or Sam Alexander, the inclusion of a group of young protagonists could be a clue that it’s Rider and the group could just be…The New Warriors!

    While Rider’s time as Nova is certainly most associated with Cosmic adventures such as Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest, many of his early adventures took place on Earth, including teaming up with Night Thrasher, Vance Astro, Firestar, Namorita and Speedball to form the original New Warriors. Introducing the team alongside Rider in a Nova streaming series would be a surprise to be sure but a welcome one.

    The New Warriors almost made it to the screen as a traditional TV series on Freeform. After being greenlit as a 10-episode series in 2017, the series filmed a pilot which was highly regarded but never made it out of the can. Created and written by Kevin Biegel, New Warriors would have featured Squirrel Girl, Mr. Immortal, Microbe, Debrii and original team members Night Thrasher and Speedball. After being dropped by Freeform, New Warriors never found another studio and ultimately was shelved. Could Nova give new life to the group? It’s far too early to say but it is an interesting possibility.

  • Marvel’s Rebuilt ‘Vision’ Series May Be Searching for A Key Young Avenger

    Marvel’s Rebuilt ‘Vision’ Series May Be Searching for A Key Young Avenger

    After being in development under the care of Jac Schaeffer for over a year and a half, the Paul Bettany-centric WandaVision spinoff series originally titled Vision Quest, is now under new management. In April 2024, Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas was revealed to have taken over development on the now-untitled series. Despite Matalas only recently taking over, the series remains on track for a late 2024 start of production with an eye on streaming on D+ in 2026. To that end, the studio has begun the casting process and some details on the search for an actor to fill one of the series’ key roles may hint at one of Marvel Comics Young Avengers popping up.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, the studio is casting for an 18 to 20-year-old to star as one of the series’ co-leads. While no further details were provided, one very interesting possibility comes to mind as to which character might co-lead the series alongside Bettany‘s Vision.

    While we’ll keep additional details about the role under wraps, for now, they do exist. By connecting those dots to the ones revealed by Daniel RPK, it’s possible that the co-lead of the series will be Tommy Shepherd, the son of Vision and Wanda and the brother of Billy Kaplan.

    Kaplan, played by Joe Locke, is set to make his debut this Fall in Agatha All Along which will have to provide some explanation as to how the soul of Billy Maximoff, who disappeared when the Hex was broken, has come been reborn..sort of. If Billy is back, Tommy can’t be far behind and by casting for someone 18-20, they’re right in the same age range of Locke, who is 20 years old. In the comics, Tommy was part of the Avengers Fail-Safe program and was one of the original Young Avengers. With Kamala Khan gathering heroes and a Young Avengers project reportedly coming together quickly, it makes a whole lot of sense for Tommy to show up sooner rather than later.

  • ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Black Widow’ Scribe to Take Over Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Black Widow’ Scribe to Take Over Marvel Studios’ ‘Blade’

    The road to getting Marvel Studios’ Blade into production has been more nightmarish than facing off with a pack of vampires. First announced at SDCC ’19, the film has struggled mightily to get off the ground. Originally set to be penned by the Emmy-nominated Stacy Osei-Kuffour, directed by Bassam Tariq and in theaters on November 3, 2023, Blade has seen more turnover on its creative staff than any project in Marvel Studios’ history and will almost certainly not make its latest release date of November 7, 2025. Now on the hunt to replace Tariq’s replacement, Yann Demange, the project has also hired a new writer to take over the screenplay and this time, it’s one the studio has collaborated with frequently.

    According to Variety, Eric Pearson has taken over screenwriting duties for Blade, following Logan writer Michael Green–among others–in that task.

    First breaking in as the writer of several of Marvel Studios’ One-Shots, Pearson has worked with the studio on Thor: Ragnarok, Black Widow, Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four. According to the trade report, the powers that be at the studio see Pearson as “ a closer who can bring scripts over the finish line.” In the case of Blade, perhaps just getting to the starting line would represent growth.

    Marvel Studios’ Blade is currently as real as vampires and its release date cannot be seen in a mirror.

    Source: Variety

  • The Hierarchy of Power in the MCU Is About to Change (?): Dwayne Johnson Is in Business with the House of Mouse

    The Hierarchy of Power in the MCU Is About to Change (?): Dwayne Johnson Is in Business with the House of Mouse

    The Rock is cooking…and while we can’t quite smell just exactly what it is he’s cooking quite yet, it’s likely to be something special. Through his Seven Bucks Production company, The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment has struck a first-look deal with Disney that will see The People’s Champ develop films for both theatrical and streaming release.

    The agreement cements what’s been more or less a handshake deal between the Seven Bucks and Disney for quite some time. Dwayne Johnson has starred in several Disney films including 2021’s Jungle Cruise and has been leading the promotional charge for Moana 2 as it prepares for its November theatrical release. Johnson’s deal provides the marketable star the opportunity to collaborate with all of Disney’s major studios, including Marvel and Lucasfilm.

    The move is the latest in a series that has seen Johnson grow his brand to unimaginable heights. Johnson spun a successful pro wrestling career into an even more successful acting career and has become a social media icon. The actor has his own tequila label, his own energy drink, his own line of men’s skincare and is part owner of the UFL. Following the major restructuring of Warner Bros. plans with DC Comics characters–which no longer included Black Adam–Johnson now finds himself back in the market for another comic book movie. Interestingly enough, a recent rumor had Johnson in the running for one of the X-Men’s most formidable adversaries, Apocalypse, though no further word has come of that since. While there’s no word just yet on what Johson will tackle first, it’s hard to imagine the star doesn’t have something in mind that would see him move into one of Disney’s major brands fairly quickly.

    Source: Variety