Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Quantumania’ Director Says Cassie Lang is Central to Film

    ‘Quantumania’ Director Says Cassie Lang is Central to Film

    Cassie Lang has been among the biggest talking points of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania since it was first announced. The 2020 reveal that a third Ant-Man project was in development also brought the news that up-and-coming Freaky star Kathryn Newton would become the third actress to bring the character to life, following Abby Ryder Fortson‘s turn as the child version of Cassie in the first two films and Emma Fuhrmann‘s teenage take in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. This sudden recasting caused some controversy among those who hoped to see Fuhrmann continue in the role, but director Peyton Reed is confident Newton‘s performance will help carry Quantumania to new heights.

    Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker explained Cassie and the relationship she has to her family will be central to the story of the upcoming Ant-Man threequel. The film’s trailer hinted the youngest Lang would be largely responsible for the chaos that ensues throughout, and Reed all but confirms this in his exclusive interview, stating fans will be able to see Cassie in a brand new light:

    One of the single most intriguing things that I was excited to do in this movie was progress the Scott-Cassie relationship. It’s been central to all the Ant-Man movies, the big difference here being that, as a result of Endgame, Cassie is now a young woman. She has become a scientific mind in her own right. She’s been going through Hank Pym’s old journals and notebooks, and has really latched on to this idea of quantum science and quantum technology.

    Peyton Reed

    In the comics, Cassie grows up to become a size-changing superhero much like her father. Initially known as Stature, and later as Stinger, she is known as a founding member of the Young Avengers and an important figure in the Marvel mythos. Newton can be seen wearing a fairly comic-accurate suit in the promotion for Quantumania, indicating the movie might also portray her turn to superhuman status.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters February 17th, 2023.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • Peyton Reed Promises ‘Quantumania’ Won’t Be “Palate Cleanser”

    Peyton Reed Promises ‘Quantumania’ Won’t Be “Palate Cleanser”

    Ant-Man and the Wasp are going big. The traditionally tiny heroes have a long track record of being an afterthought among fans, with their films often viewed as simple Avengers epilogues or “smaller”, less important entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Paul Rudd‘s large supporting role in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame went a long way in solidifying the size-changer and his cohorts as major Marvel players, but it didn’t do much to change the reputation of his solo franchise. According to director Peyton Reed, this will change with the series’ third film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

    Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Reed promised that the movie will not be another “palate cleanser” for the MCU. Instead, the film, which kicks off Phase 5, will match the expectations set by large-scale team-up projects like Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Describing his attitude towards Quantumania, the filmmaker explained:

    People felt like, ‘Oh, these are fun little palate cleansers after a gigantic Avengers movie’. For this third one, I said, ‘I don’t want to be the palate cleanser anymore. I want to be the big Avengers movie.’

    Peyton Reed
    via EW

    Reed went on to say he “metaphorically kicked in Kevin Feige’s door” to demand the third Ant-Man adventure be considered very important to the greater MCU. If fans of the legacy character were worried Marvel Studios wasn’t taking him seriously, they can take comfort in knowing Reed is on their side. The director also described how the exciting new setting helps change the tone of the movie and create more “epic“:

    In the first one, we introduced the idea of the Quantum Realm, we kind of dipped our toe into it, and then even more so in the second one. But we obviously left a lot of unanswered questions. We wanted to go in a different direction, and create an epic movie where the bulk of it takes place in the Quantum Realm. For me, it was really exciting, because the other two films take place in San Francisco, and this one, we were creating this incredibly complex subatomic world, and all the environments and ecosystems and creatures and beings that inhabit that world.

    Peyton Reed

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th, 2023.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • How to Watch ‘Black Adam’

    How to Watch ‘Black Adam’

    Dwayne Johnson‘s 15 years of dedication and passion to Black Adam didn’t result in the type of box office he or Warner Bros. Discovery hoped for and any of Johnson’s future plans for the character seem to have been blown to bits by the change in leadership at DC. However, if you didn’t catch the film in theaters and still want to see it, it’s now as easy as ever.

    Black Adam, which had previously been available on VUDU for a $24.99 rental, is now available on these platforms at these prices:

    • HBO Max: free with subscription
    • VUDU: buy for $19.99
    • Prime Video: buy for $19.99
    • Redbox: buy for $19.99

    The film was not well-received critically, compiling a 39% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 41 Metascore on Metacritic. Audiences seemed to enjoy it a bit more, giving it a B+ Cinemascore. If you already subscribe to HBO Max, you can enjoy what looks like Dwayne Johnson’s one and only DC film appearance for free starting today!

  • REPORT: James Cameron Has an Epic Cut of ‘Avatar 3’ in the Can

    REPORT: James Cameron Has an Epic Cut of ‘Avatar 3’ in the Can

    How long can James Cameron make Avatar 3? If a new report is to be believed, the director’s latest attempt would keep audiences in their seats for quite some time. While speaking on this week’s episode of his industry insider series The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider dropped the wildly intriguing tidbit that Cameron recently handed in a cut of his untitled Na’vi threequel that spanned a whopping nine hours in length. If that wasn’t enough, the veteran filmmaker reportedly also wants to keep the cut and finish the entirety of it’s VFX before any effort is made to shorten it’s runtime in the editing room.

    The Avatar franchise has earned a reputation for producing long films, with 2009’s debut entry clocking in at two hours and forty-one minutes and this month’s Avatar: The Way of Water hitting three hours and twelve minutes. Amra Ekta Cinema Banabo (We Will Make A Cinema), a Bangladeshi project from 2019, holds the record for longest non-experimental film ever put in theaters at twenty-one hours and five minutes. While Avatar 3‘s nine hours are a far cry from that, they’re still probably a bit much for the average theatrical audience, and it should be expected that the movie will be cut down significantly. However, considering how confident Cameron is seemingly feeling about his full-length sequel, this report may indicate viewers are in for another three-plus hour experience in 2024.

    Avatar: The Way of Water is now in theaters, and Avatar 3 has – obviously – already been filmed. If both of these movies find success, Cameron has up to five more sequels conceptualized and ready to enter production. There is no report on how long Avatar 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 may be.

    Source: The Hot Mic

  • REPORT: Austin Butler Chasing Hot Marvel Studios Role

    REPORT: Austin Butler Chasing Hot Marvel Studios Role

    The breakout star of Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis is reportedly ready to flame on. Austin Butler, the 31-year-old actor who burst onto the film scene this year after nearly two decades of steady work on television, is supposedly putting himself in contention to play Johnny Storm in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four. The film is one of the most anticipated superhero projects currently in development, and there have been no shortage of rumors swirling around its potential cast. This information comes from a recent episode of Jeff Sneider‘s The Hot Mic, in which the industry insider dropped the possible bombshell that Butler had spoken to his representation and his agents were in the process of “putting him up for Human Torch.”

    This does not mean that Butler is a front-runner for the role, or even that Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel are genuinely interested in him as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s future. If true, however, it might be another indicator of just how coveted roles in the Matt Shakman-directed blockbuster have become in Hollywood. The Fantastic Four are major players in the Marvel Universe, and landing a leading role in Shakman‘s project could mean several years of big money and bigger exposure to follow. As Sneider puts it in the same episode of his show, Fantastic Four is one of two “crown jewels” for Marvel’s next era in the MCU, and “all the actors in town want to be part” of it.

    The film, set to be released on February 14th, 2025, will be the fourth attempt at bringing the titular team to life on the big screen, and fans are hoping it will be better than what they’ve seen in the past. There are currently no actors officially attached to the cast.

    Source: The Direct

  • Justice League Meets RWBY in New Animated Project

    Justice League Meets RWBY in New Animated Project

    No, you did not read that title wrong but it looks like the multiverse is opening up in unexpected ways. The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled that DC is partnering with Rooster Teeth for the project Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One. Besides a bizarrely long title, the story will see Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Vixen, Cyborg, and Batman transported to the world of Remnant. Now once again stuck as teenagers, they work alongside the heroes Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang to take down Grimm before he destroys everything.

    The project is based on a script by Meghan Fitzmartin with RWBY director Kerry Shawcross set to helm the project. The project has a massive cast that includes the following:

    • Chandler Riggs as Superman
    • Nat Wolff as Batman
    • Natalie Alyn Lind as Wonder Woman
    • Ozioma Akagha as Vixen
    • Jen Brown as Pyrrah
    • Aaron Dismuke as Oscar
    • David Errigo Jr. as The Flash
    • Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin
    • True Valentino as Cyborg
    • Jeannie Tirado as Green Latnern

    The original RWBY cast is also back with Lindsay Jones as Ruby, Kara Eberle as Weiss, Arryn Zech as Blake, and Barbara Dunkelman as Yang. There are no further details on this project and it’s uncertain if this might be something they’ll release for Direct-to-Video or Streaming. It surprisingly marks the second time these two worlds collide, as there was also the comic line published by DC from 2021 until 2022. Perhaps, there were already plans for this release around that time, building up to the adaptation.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Nikyatu Jusu Set to Direct ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Sequel for MGM

    Nikyatu Jusu Set to Direct ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Sequel for MGM

    Night of the Living Dead is back and it looks like MGM is already set to return to the iconic zombie franchise. Nanny‘s Nikyatu Jusu is already attached to direct the film for Village Roadshow Pictures, Westbrook, Origin Story, Vertigo Entertainment, and Sanibel Films. It seems the deal was grown out of a “highly competitive situation.” The film will be based on a script by LaToya Morgan, who is no stranger to zombies given her time on The Walking Dead. MGM is setting it for a theatrical run.

    George A. Romero‘s original adaptation Night of the Living Dead back in 1968 was technically the film that defined the genre and went on to spawn sequels, reboots and countless others trying to capitalize on the “Living Dead” genre. To this day, Night of the Living Dead already has five sequels directed by Romero and it’s uncertain if this one will continue where the last entry left off. It’s plot is under wraps and it’s only titled as a sequel and not a reboot.

    Jusu has made quite the splash with her work on Nanny, which was the first horror film to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, which also made her only the second Black female director to receive the reward. So, it’s no surprise that Amazon wasn’t going to waste any time to get her attached to a new project, especially one with such a legacy behind it. It’ll be interesting to see if they try to stick to what makes this genre iconic or rather try to twist the genre on its head with a new look t a zombie-infested world.

    Source: Deadline

  • Patrick Brice to Adapt ‘Party & Prey’ for Legendary and AfterShock Media

    Patrick Brice to Adapt ‘Party & Prey’ for Legendary and AfterShock Media

    It looks like Legendary Entertainment is joining forces with Aftershock Media to devleop a feature film based on the graphic novel Party & Prey by Steve Orlando and Steve Foxe. Patrick Brice of Creep fame is already attached to adapt the film based on a script by Rob Forman. The graphic novel only released last year, which explores the story of Alan, who meets Scott at a nightclub, who he shares a strong chemistry with and ends up at his house. There, they both uncover each other’s dark secrets as they end up having a wild night together. Foxe had the following to share on the adaptation:

    Creating PARTY & PREY alongside Alex, Juancho, Hass my fellow Steve, and the crew at AfterShock was a taboo thrill all its own an opportunity to tell a violent horror story entrenched in the gay community, without its rough edges sanded off for easier consumption. I can’t wait to see P&P interpreted into a new medium for an entirely different audience to discover.

    Steve Foxe

    The film will be produced by Lee Kramer, David Sigurani, and Jon Kramer. Max Zupanovic will also co-produce alongside the original creactors Orlando and Foxe, who have an executive producing role. Orlando shared his enthusiasm about the adaptation.

    From our nightmares to reality, in the best way possible! Here we are at a moment with PARTY & PREY that we never expected, but couldn’t be more excited for! This has been a story that’s clawed its way to life from the start, first from out of both my mind and Foxes, but as well from those of Alex Sanchez, Juancho! and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. And, of course – AfterShock! I couldn’t be prouder of this book – its lens, its action, its horror, and its representation across the board. We created the comic we wished would be on the stands, and now I couldn’t be more honored and energized for the world to see it on the screen.

    Steve Orlando

    It’ll be interesting to see how they adapt the story and thrillers are always a good seller. Plus, it’s a production for the queer community, as highlighted by its creators, which once again pushes representation in every genre forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • Dwayne Johnson Turned Down a Cameo in ‘Shazam 2’

    Dwayne Johnson Turned Down a Cameo in ‘Shazam 2’

    You know what’s weird? That the Shazam franchise has seemingly no real direct connection to the Black Adam franchise even though those characters are famously rivals in the original comics. During San Diego Comic-Con, Warner Bros. had a panel promoting both next entries, especially with Shazam: Fury of the Gods‘ original release around the corner, but they didn’t use the chance to have these obviously connected characters interact with each other to hype up fans. There was no Zachary Levi squaring off against Dwayne Johnson eventhough that would’ve been the perfect build-up for these two characters. Now, it seems that Dwayne Johnson has even turned down a potential cameo in the upcoming Shazam sequel.

    The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez took to Twitter to react to a post highlighting that these two characters won’t likely ever meet due tot he DC Studios’ shake-up with its new co-heads very likely rebooting the entire franchise. There, he highlighted that Johnson passed on a cameo in the upcoming sequel and was approached directly to join in. It would’ve made sense to also build up to an eventual confrontation in the third entry but it seems even more apparent that Johnson‘s interpretation of the character is purely as Superman’s rival.

    The actor hasn’t been subtle about it, especially trying to sell his film on the return of Henry Cavill to the role; who ironically now also won’t return again after all that work threatening Warner Bros. executives to get him back. He’s been hyping up the character’s involvement quite a bit and their “big clash” which isn’t really Black Adam’s usual M.O. to beginw ith. Characters change in adaptation but one can see that he chose a character he personally liked and wanted to turn him into a Trinity level character. You have to respect the hustle but also it’s sad that he’s also the reason Black Adam was taken out of the original script for the first Shazam film only to completely move the character away from his base mythology.

    Source: Twitter

  • Lee Isaac Chung to Direct ‘Twister’ Sequel

    Lee Isaac Chung to Direct ‘Twister’ Sequel

    Lee Isaac Chung will direct the sequel to Twister. The news comes courtesy of Deadline with the outlet revealing Chung won the gig following an extensive search that was said to have top directors chasing the job. Talks are still early, however, the Oscar-nominated director is expected to helm the long-awaited sequel, Twisters, for Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.

    Twisters was first announced in October after Universal and Amblin fast-tracking the project after they received Mark L. Smith‘s screenplay. At the time of that news, it was thought the studio might seek to try and get Helen Hunt to return for the sequel, with the hope being that the story would focus on her character’s daughter she had with the character played by the late Bill Paxton, who has caught the storm-chasing bug like her parents. As it currently stands, though, no cast is attached to the project. Universal and Amblin are simply focused on closing Chung’s deal.

    Should a deal take, Twisters will mark Chung’s first tentpole film following the successful Minari. The director is said to have impressed executives following a one-on-one last week, which saw him relate his own experiences growing up on a farm in Arkansas and taking cover in storm cellars when a tornado would come.

    As of right now, Twisters does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Deadline.