Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Black Panther’ Star Believes a Recast of T’Challa is Inevitable

    ‘Black Panther’ Star Believes a Recast of T’Challa is Inevitable

    As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever approaches the end of its exclusive theatrical window, those who persevered in making the film despite the loss of Chadwick Boseman have continued to share their thoughts on how the film evolved following the actor’s death. Winston Duke, whose M’Baku grew to be a close and trusted ally of Boseman‘s T’Challa, has emerged as a rising star in Hollywood and the conclusion of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever leaves his character in an incredibly important position: as the new King of Wakanda. While M’Baku holds the throne, for now, Duke isn’t afraid to peer pragmatically into the future.

    In an interview with Esquire, Duke talked in depth about the passing of his friend, how it shaped the sequel and what he believes the future of the character to be. In Duke‘s mind, it’s not a matter of if Marvel Studios will recast the role of T’Challa, made famous by Boseman, it’s a matter of when.

    There’s no way they’ll never remake Black Panther in the future. There’s no way that the saga and interpretation of T’Challa, King of Wakanda, will end. He is canon. So trust that it’ll come. But allow this to be a human experience.

    Winston Duke

    While the near future of the cinematic iteration of the World of Wakanda would seem to be prepared to focus on former Dora Milaje General Okoye and the son of T’Challa and heir to the throne of Wakanda introduced in Wakanda Forever, Duke‘s comments are likely in line with some longer-term plans of Marvel Studios. The Multiverse Saga is currently set to wrap up in 2026 with Avengers: Secret Wars, a film that will almost certainly involve familiar heroes from different timelines who may, in some cases, be portrayed by unfamiliar actors. Given that possibility, it’s not hard to imagine Marvel Studios taking the opportunity to cast another actor as T’Challa, a move that would, in a way, not strictly be a recast but still provide the opportunity for more stories about one of Marvel Comics most well-developed characters to be told. Future stories in the MCU could see T’Challa interacting with Reed Richards, Storm and Namor, characters with whom a rich comic book history as been developed. As Duke said, T’Challa “is canon”, but allowing Boseman’s friends and family to go through their own “human experience” rightly took precedent over cinematic stories.

    Source: Esquire

  • REPORT: Gal Gadot Joins Jason Momoa for Major Franchise Sequel

    REPORT: Gal Gadot Joins Jason Momoa for Major Franchise Sequel

    In what is coming as a fairly surprising twist for the Fast & Furious franchise, star actress Gal Gadot is reportedly returning for the upcoming tenth installment, Fast X. She will be reuniting with the likes of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson as they face off against Gadot’s former DC co-star in Jason Momoa

    Of course, the major surprise comes from the fact that her character of Gisele Yashar was killed off during Fast & Furious 6. Granted, this hasn’t stopped Sung Kang from returning in Fast 9, the most recent film, following his character of Han Lue being killed previously.

    Continuity aside, it would make sense to see Gal Gadot return to this major franchise at this point in her career. Within the past month, her marquee role of Wonder Woman was put into question following the cancellation of the third film in the franchise. It has recently been reported that the new team of DC Studios have nixed the pitched Wonder Woman 3 by filmmaker Patty Jenkins. This, plus the report that Gadot’s cameo in The Flash was cut could lead to the idea that the actress will be another casualty of the corporate overturn occurring.

    Fast X is being directed by Louis Leterrier and Gadot will star the likes of Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Brie Larson, Jason Mamoa, and Charlize Theron among others in the all-star ensemble. The film is scheduled to release exclusively in theaters on May 19, 2023.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘The Flash’ Promo Will Air During Super Bowl LVII

    ‘The Flash’ Promo Will Air During Super Bowl LVII

    Despite everything that’s happened at Warner Bros. Discovery over the past few months, The Flash is still speeding into theaters on June 16th, 2023, and apparently, he’ll also race across television screens during the Super Bowl on February 12th. The Wrap is exclusively reporting that the film will air its first major promo during one of the game’s many famed commercial breaks, snapping a 17-year drought for Warner Bros. advertising during the Big Game. The last time Warner Bros. aired trailers for its slate of upcoming films was in 2006 when the company dropped new footage for V For Vendetta, 16 Blocks, and Poseidon. The full-length trailer for The Flash will make its big screen debut a week later, playing before showings of Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Marketing for the superhero project is reportedly full-steam ahead after early screenings tested positively with audiences. That being said, The Flash currently finds itself in a unique situation, with a creative overhaul behind-the-scenes at DC Studios likely positioning the film as one of the DC Extended Universe’s last. The cinematic future of the character, his controversial performer Ezra Miller, and the DC Universe at large are all in question as James Gunn and Peter Safran give the comic book world a major makeover.

    The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti, co-stars Michael Keaton, who is set to reprise his role as Batman in the movie for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns, and Sasha Calle, who will bring Supergirl to life. Ron Livingston, Kiersey Clemons, Michael Shannon, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, and Ben Affleck are also expected to appear.

    Source: The Wrap

  • Original ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Idea Featured ‘Endgame’ Style Conclusion

    Original ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ Sequel Idea Featured ‘Endgame’ Style Conclusion

    When Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was first announced, the end of its title came with a little disclaimer – (Part One). The highly-anticipated sequel to 2018’s surprise hit Into the Spider-Verse was supposed to be a two-part event, but the creatives behind the project ultimately decided on turning (Part Two) into its own third film, Beyond the Spider-Verse. Unbeknownst to everyone, however, there was an even more ambitious idea that came before the two-part sequel pitch.

    Speaking exclusively with The Direct, lead character animator Ere Santos revealed the Spider-Verse follow-up was originally going to be one massive movie. Instead of a trilogy, the second Spider-Verse would have completed a duology, and it would have made up the majority of the two film’s storytelling. Santos described the initial concept as being similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers: Endgame in its size, elaborating:

    [We were asking] ‘Wait, so this is what a two-and-a-half-hour movie?’ This is a really large story that they’re telling. And with all the arcs that they wanted to put in, we were just thinking this was going to be an intense, quick, fast-paced, high-energy movie. But it would have been good. It would have been like, what they were planning was gonna be like ‘Endgame’-esque stuff. Like it was huge. And what they’re planning is still huge.

    Ere Santos

    Santos then went on to clarify that, in the end, splitting the story up between more films was the right move. As is to be expected, three movies allows for more space to tell a proper tale, and as the animator describes it, gives the characters and their arcs “breathing room“:

    But then kind of spreading it out and into two gives it that breathing room we all felt that it really needed to kind of go, ‘Okay, what do we need to set up in the second movie? And how can we resolve it in the third movie? Or not?’ I don’t know. We’ll have to see. It was a really ambitious movie, and at the beginning, it was insanely ambitious, versus what it is now. It’s still super ambitious, but it was like trying to fit two movies into one essentially. But now things can breathe a little bit more.

    Ere Santos

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on June 2nd, 2023, and from the looks of the promotional material, it’s still going to be a pretty epic journey.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Avatar 2’, ‘The Batman’, Black Panther 2′ and More Shortlisted for Oscars

    ‘Avatar 2’, ‘The Batman’, Black Panther 2′ and More Shortlisted for Oscars

    It’s a big year for cinema, even while the box office has been struggling. We’ve seen some massive successes beat expectations, such as Top Gun Maverick taking the cinema by storm. Marvel was building back its pull at the box office with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. We’ve had indie standouts like Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Whale, The Banshees of Inisherin, and more. DC was even back in style with a creative new take on their iconic Dark Knight in The Batman.

    Now, the time has once again arrived for what the future has in store as we enter the awards season. The Oscars has just dropped its shortlisting for those films that may gain a nomination for the 95th Academy Awards. This is not the final nomination list but rather the first breakdown of those projects that have a chance of getting the coveted nomination.

    Here’s a quick highlight of some noticeable nominations for this year. Original Score has nominated some big projects like Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Devotion, Glass Onion, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Nope, and more. “Hold my Hand” by Top Gun: Maverick and “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther sequel join the Original Song shortlist among many others.

    The superhero and blockbuster genre once again dominates the Visual Effects shortlist, which includes The Batman, Wakanda Forever, and the Doctor Strange sequel, but is also joined by All Quiet on the Western Front, Jurassic World Dominion, Nope, and more. Though it would be hard to imagine the Avatar sequel not winning the category considering James Cameron‘s mastery of the arts over the many years of production.

    It’ll be exciting to see how the year turns out, and with the variety of projects currently out there, this might be one of the most exciting Oscars yet. Of course, everyone will have their favorite and feel like one project over the other should’ve won but it’s always great to celebrate the accomplishments of cinema from an indie, blockbuster, or just a movie lovers perspective.

    Source: Oscars

  • ‘Black Adam’ Producer Turned Down a ‘The Flash’ Cameo for Dwayne Johnson

    ‘Black Adam’ Producer Turned Down a ‘The Flash’ Cameo for Dwayne Johnson

    Black Adam is quite the mess with the release underwhelming and everything that followed being quite the rollercoaster of emotions for everyone involved. Dwayne Johnson was focused on building a new corner of the DC Extended Universe but surprisingly he avoided involvement with most of the franchise that didn’t quite fit into his own plans.

    We recently learned that the actor declined to join Shazam: Fury of the Gods in a small role, which would’ve made the most sense for the character given Black Adam is Shazam’s main rival. Yet, he seemingly only saw the opportunity to build his own “Justice League” with the Justice Society of America. Yet, he even declined to join one of the main members’ upcoming solo film The Flash according to a new tweet by The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez.

    It’s interesting that this inquiry went out to producer Hiram Garcia instead of the actor directly, but it’s bizarre that they’d not want the actor to appear in one of the main Justice League member’s storylines. Especially the multiverse concept would offer some fun ways to give him some more fun to play around with the role and connect him with the overarching narratives. So, it seems like an odd opportunity to pass on. Perhaps there was the believe that Black Adam was big on its own and Dwayne Johnson’s plans to create his own little corner, he may want to keep it as independent as possible. Whatever the reason, the story continues to get more and more confusing.

    Source: Twitter

  • Sony Boss Offers Update on Tom Holland’s Next ‘Spider-Man’ Film

    Sony Boss Offers Update on Tom Holland’s Next ‘Spider-Man’ Film

    2022 has been a great year for Sony Pictures. Superhero-wise however, 2022 has not been the best year for Sony. While they’ve seen some successes, their latest attempt at expanding their Spider-Man franchise, wasn’t quite what they hoped for. Spider-Man: No Way Home made a major splash at the box office when it was released a year ago, but Mobius tanked at the box office. Not just that, the internet created an “It’s Morbin’ Time” joke that made them believe they could give the film some extra box office legs but ended up failing even worse.

    So, while we have various other spinoff series in some form of development, all eyes are on the next Tom Holland-led project. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been expanding quite rapidly, but there’s still no word on the fourth entry that was confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Now, Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman finally got a chance to tease what’s next for the wall-crawler in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He ensured that it was happening.

    You bet. When you can expect it, I don’t know. Serve no wine before it’s time.

    Tom Rothman

    It might still be some time until we get an update on what the future has in store for us with the Spider-Man franchise. Marvel Studios has been reshaping its initial phase plans. So, perhaps once one year has fewer projects, we might see the time frame for the next entry. Who knows if we get one Spider-Man film before the Avengers crossover once again and the follow-up right after?

    Source: THR

  • ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Swims Past $500 Million Worldwide

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Swims Past $500 Million Worldwide

    After less than a week in release, Avatar: The Way of Water has already nabbed a huge milestone at the box office. As of Tuesday, the movie has surpassed $500 million at the worldwide box office. However, while an impressive feat, The Way of Water still has a ways to go before it is deemed profitable. (The sequel to 2009’s Avatar is said to have cost around $350 million.) Luckily for The Way of Water, though, it’s expected to continue to dominate the box office in the coming weeks.

    It took just five days for Avatar: The Way of Water to reach $500 million worldwide, and it’s thought that the movie will cross $1 billion at the box office before the New Year. It’s of note that, outside of The Way of Water, only seven other films have surpassed $500 million at the box office this year. The movie pulled in $18.3 million domestically and $40.5 million internationally on Tuesday, bringing its collective haul to $555.9 million.

    While the film should continue to do decent business at the box office, with the movies never fully recovering from the pandemic, it’s doubtful it’ll achieve the heights of its predecessor. That film, of course, pulled in $760 million domestically and $2.92 billion globally.

    Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theaters.

    Source: Variety.

  • Star Wars Leading Man Shoots Down ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Rumor

    Star Wars Leading Man Shoots Down ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting Rumor

    Some time ago a rumor began to make the rounds that an actor who had appeared in a Star Wars project was in the running for a role in Fantastic Four. This rumor, the actual dictionary definition of vagueness, unfortunately, generated a nearly infinite number of follow-up rumors one of which was that Andor star Diego Luna was in the running for Reed Richards. Luna recently addressed those rumors during an appearance on Kristian Harloff’s The Sith Council on his YouTube channel.

    When asked by Harloff if he would have any interest in taking a role with Marvel Studios, Luna made it pretty clear that his current obligations with Andor would keep him from doing that in the near future.

    I was talking about that this morning, like the rumors. When you become part of rumors, if half of the rumors were real, you know. It’s just incredible the amount of stuff that I see now out there. The only thing I can tell you, man, is that, for the next two years, I’m busy. In two years, we’ll see if what I want to do is even film. We’ll see.

    Diego Luna

    Of course, fans have a hard time believing anything any actor says these days about potential jobs with Marvel Studios and will probably dissect Luna’s comments for the next few days; however, Luna seems to be shooting pretty straight about his time commitment on Andor, a project on which he’s an executive producer. While Luna is rightfully a fan-favorite and a well-deserved media darling, fans are going to have to keep pulling names out of the Star Wars hat until they find the right one for a role in Fantastic Four.

    Source: The Sith Council

  • Gabriel Byrne Joins The Cast Of ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’

    Gabriel Byrne Joins The Cast Of ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’

    Lionsgate has begun marketing John Wick: Chapter 4 with a trailer and stills ahead of its re March 2023 release. The creatives behind the franchise have already confirmed that work on a fifth chapter of the John Wick franchise is in the works but the popularity of the character and the deep mythology of the world has already resulted in the birth of a John Wick Cinematic Universe. Two spinoffs within that shared universe, The Continental and Ballerina, are already at various stages of development. Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, began production last month and now word of a newsworthy addition to its cast has arrived.

    According to Deadline, actor Gabriel Byrne has joined the cast of the Len Wiseman-helmed spinoff. Byrne’s role in the film, which will focus on de Armas’ Rooney, a ballerina/assassin who was briefly seen in John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum, was undisclosed in the report. Byrne joins Anjelica Huston, Norman Reedus and Lance Reddick as new members of the John Wick universe with Ian McShane reprising his role as Winston and Keanu Reeves is also expected to appear in the film, which takes place between Wick 3 and 4.

    Ballerina currently has no release date but is expected to be ready for theaters by late 2023/early 2024.

    Source: Deadline