Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • “No Conversations” on a Potential Sequel to the ‘Fast and Furious’ Spinoff ‘Hobbs and Shaw’

    “No Conversations” on a Potential Sequel to the ‘Fast and Furious’ Spinoff ‘Hobbs and Shaw’

    Fast and Furious, or also known as the Fast Saga, has been coming to an end but there’s a lot of expectations of more future entries on the project. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw was the first attempt with Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson taking on the leading roles this time around. Yet, due to quite a bit of drama Johnson has seemingly left the entire franchise behind and it seems that producer Kelly McCormick doesn’t have any motivating words to add in regards to the future of this spinoff.

    While promoting the upcoming Violent Night film, she confirmed that while they’d be all-in for a new entry, “there’s no conversations at this time” as confirmed by McCormick. With one of its leading stars out of the picture, it’s not too surprising but Statham is a household name and could easily carry on the franchise with a new addition replacing Johnson as the new co-lead. She goes on to highlight that it was meant to set up more stories in this universe, especially with Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart joining in the spinoff.

    I do feel like there were a lot of seeds planted to try to create a spinoff in a way that included a Kevin Hart and a Ryan Reynolds and sort of all that kind of stuff. And that was intentional but not necessarily because we had plans in mind just because it would be fun to have different players for them to play with if anybody or we wanted to go for it in a different way. So, you know, I don’t know, I mean Dwayne’s a really busy guy and you know, he would be the one to motivate all of that. So, you know, we’re ready if he wants to and until then he’s just dominating so all power to him.

    Kelly McCormick

    For now, it seems that the future of the Fast Saga will be on hold, or they’ll start pitching ideas as soon as the final film starts rolling towards cinemas. Perhaps we’ll enter the next Saga for the franchise with the Furious Saga.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Confirms The Spot’s Villainous Role in Both Sequels

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Confirms The Spot’s Villainous Role in Both Sequels

    In the first entry into the Spider-Verse franchise, Kingpin mainly had the villainous role. It made sense, as it wasn’t focused on traveling the multiverse but rather on something local Miles Morales would have to face before becoming Spider-Man himself. Now that the multiverse has opened up in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, he has much bigger threats to face.

    In an interview with Total Film, director Kemp Powers teases the big role The Spot has in not just Across the Spider-Verse but even its already confirmed sequel. While a joke villain in the comics, the directing trio have big plans for the character moving forward.

    The Spot is an interesting villain because he seems like a joke, but when you really look at his powers, there’s incredible potential. His ability to open portals across dimensions sets him up perfectly for the Spider-Verse. He’s the villain of the next two films… and let’s just say that the Spot and Miles are connected in surprising ways.

    The Spider-Verse offers a lot of opportunity to explore the crazier corners of the Spider-Man mythos. It’s crazy to think when we first heard rumblings of Spot having a major role back in February of 2021 that he’d end up as the main antagonist in both new entries of the animated franchise.

    His powers do seem perfect for embracing the insanity that multiverse travel offers and here’s hoping that they go all out with the way he’ll challenge Miles, Gwen, and any other Spider-Person he ends up crossing paths with. Now, we only need to find out what exactly that surprising connection is and what motivates him to travel across the multiverse.

    Source: Total Film

  • First Story Details for ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    First Story Details for ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

    Directors Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Justin K. Thompson have been waiting a long time to finally talk about their upcoming animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The first entry has become a cult-classic Best Animated Feature Film Academy Award winning film and the expectations are high for its follow-up, as we once again join Miles Morales. Spider-Man is about to enter the Spider-Verse and it looks like a lot of trouble is heading his way.

    In an interview with Total Film, Powers finally got the chance to share some details from the upcoming project, such s confirming once again that the Dot is the film’s main antagonist and even hinting at Gwen Stacy’s story, as she’ll face “the unique dilemma of being Gwen Stacy. She’s a vigilante seen as responsible for the death of her world’s Peter Parker. The cop in charge of tracking her down is her father.” It seems that we’ll be revisiting the original comic origin of the character, and it does make you wonder if this might connect to the larger multiverse story, which has been teased in the film#s official synopsis.

    After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man [Morales] is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

    Miles taking on other Spider-People from across the multiverse makes for an interesting storyline. Powers also highlights that the Spot is also no joke in this film, as his abilities will truly define the challenge that is ahead. Whatever is heading Miles’ way, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

    Source: Total Film

  • Live-Action ‘My Hero Academia’ Adaptation a Go at Netflix

    Live-Action ‘My Hero Academia’ Adaptation a Go at Netflix

    Netflix and Legendary Entertainment are partnering to adapt the incredibly popular manga property, My Hero Academia, into a live-action film. The project, which is being written by Obi-Wan Kenobi scribe Joby Harlold, will be directed Shinsuke Sato.

    Legendary acquired the rights to produce a live-action version of the property in 2018 and have been searching for a partner since and Sato has been on board all along. The popularity of My Hero Academia has been growing rapidly and in 2019, Kohei Horikoshi, who has written and illustrated the manga, won a Harvey Award for his work.

    Though the project has been in development, THR reports there is no cast in place at present.

    Source: THR

  • ‘Strange World’ Hitting Disney+ This Month

    ‘Strange World’ Hitting Disney+ This Month

    Strange World is coming home. Disney announced on Monday that the animated film will hit Disney+ on December 23rd, just in time for the holidays. The move comes after Strange World has failed to find its footing at the box office. The film, which was released on Nov. 23rd, has only earned $53.4 million at the worldwide box office. Its opening weekend ($12.1 million domestically) was one of Disney’s worst opening weekends in modern times, especially for the studio’s animated films.

    Along with the announcement, Disney also unveiled a brand new poster celebrating the movie’s upcoming release on Disney+.

    Strange World tells the story of a legendary family of explorers, the Clades, as they attempt to navigate an uncharted, treacherous land alongside a motley crew that includes a mischievous blob called Splat; Legend, the family dog; and a slew of ravenous creatures.

    Strange World was directed by Don Hall (Raya and the Last Dragon) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer Raya and the Last Dragon). The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu.

  • First Synopsis for DC’s ‘Blue Beetle’ Revealed

    First Synopsis for DC’s ‘Blue Beetle’ Revealed

    Amidst all the talk of cancellations and reboots of varying rigidity as James Gunn and Peter Safran ascend to the DC Studios throne, some properties seem to remain on track despite the changes. One such project is 2023’s Blue Beetle, starring Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Mariduena and helmed by Angel Manuel Soto. Warner Bros. Discovery recently rolled out a new poster for the film reaffirming its August 18, 2023 theatrical release and now, via WB’s 2023 slate preview, the first synopsis for the film has been revealed.

    The film will focus on Mariduena’s Jamie Reyes, who is canonically the third character to have gone by Blue Beetle in the comics but became widely popular after appearing in the animated series Young Justice. While the most well-known Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, is absent from the synopsis, rumors suggest Kord’s existence is acknowledged and certainly play a key role in the film.

    Recent college grad Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena) returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armour capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.

    So far only set photos of Reyes’ Blue Beetle suit have made their way online and those were met mostly with high praise. A first look at the film should be forthcoming in the first quarter of 2023, perhaps with Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

  • Stephen Lang on His Villainous Return in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    Stephen Lang on His Villainous Return in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

    In 2009’s Avatar, Stephen Lang played Colonel Miles Quaritch whose disdain for the inhabitants of Pandora made him both memorable and hateful. At the film’s end, Quaritch met his fate at the hands of Neytiri making the actor’s return for the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, an interesting proposition. Director James Cameron stated that the character will be the main antagonist for the next three Avatar films and it was revealed earlier this year that Quaritch’s return came with a twist: his consciousness has been uploaded into a Na’vi avatar.

    During the global press event for Avatar: The Way of Water, Lang sounded thrilled for the opportunity to return to the role that gained him some significant cachet in Hollywood.

    Oh it was very exciting to come back and it was, I was just so honored to be able to deepen and expand on the vision that Jim had for this character. I think in the first film he’s very, very colorful, he’s got personality, he’s got some great qualities. But essentially he moves through like a mindless shark, in a way.

    Stephen Lang

    Continuing on, Lang talked a bit about the “irony” of returning as what is known in the film as a Recombinant and how it lead to a new understanding of the character

    …There’s the absolute magnificent irony that Jim has written of coming back as the very thing he has been trying to destroy. And having to make the adjustment to that, to adapt to that. And I think it’s just, it’s been a… it was a total pleasure for me to continue to massage this character, and find the depth, and maybe some of the humanity that’s in him.

    Stephen Lang

    As for that humanity, Quaritch seems like a character who might be fairly hard to redeem. As Lang quipped, “He’s such a warm character, and beloved by so many…” and to that end, there are probably a lot more fans waiting to see him suffer more than anything.

    Avatar: The Way of Water will continue the villainous tale of Quaritch when it hits theaters December 16th.

  • Peyton Reed Teases “Great” ‘Fantastic Four

    Peyton Reed Teases “Great” ‘Fantastic Four

    Long before Marvel Studios regained the live-action rights to Fantastic Four, director Peyton Reed pitched a version of the film to the execs at Fox. That film obviously was never made and Reed has since gone on to become the driving force behind Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man franchise. With the third film in the franchise, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, next up on Marvel Studios’ theatrical slate, it seems that the first round of press has begun and Reed found himself asked about his never-was Fantastic Four.

    In an interview with Somos Geeks, Reed quickly dismissed his take on Marvel Studios’ First Family in favor of hyping the upcoming film which is due to hit theaters on February 14th, 2025. Marvel Studios Fantastic Four was originally set to be directed by Jon Watts, who directed Marvel Studios and Sony’s Spider-Man trilogy; however, Watts had to depart the project and after a long search, Marvel Studios brought WandaVision director Matt Shakman on board. Though Shakman has only been on the project for a little less than four months, development on Fantastic Four has been ongoing for years, including an ongoing cycle of concept art. That art, it turns out, is something Reed has been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of while hanging out at Marvel Studios. “Matt Shakman is gonna do great,” said Reed, continuing on to say. “and I’ve seen initial artwork for the Fantastic Four…stuff around the Marvel offices…it’s gonna be great.”

    Concept art does not a movie make, of course, but Reed’s vote of confidence, which he volunteered on his own, should not be taken lightly. While there are some parts of the internet who don’t appreciate the Ant-Man films or believe Reed should be helming Marvel Studios projects, the perception of the director by those in charge of Marvel Studios couldn’t be any more different than that. Reed’s voice and passion for Marvel are valued and respected at the studio and he may even be a contender to direct the capstone of the Multiverse Saga, 2026’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Concept art isn’t just lying around everywhere at the studio, so Reed’s ability to take a peek could hint as his involvement in Secret Wars. Of course, it could also mean absolutely nothing. But as every day goes by without a director for the sixth Avengers film and the release of Quantumania (which is going to really surprise MCU fans) draws nearer, one does have to consider the very real possibility that Reed might be on the shortlist to helm the big saga-ending project.

    Source: YouTube

  • The Sunday Paper—December 11, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—December 11, 2022

    dc studios future
    superman cavill

    This week the news fell into an alternate reality where DC is making all of the headlines. A huge report pointed to several shakeups in the newly-formed DC Studios. The report indicated that not only did they pass on Patty Jenkins‘ third Wonder Woman film, but also won’t move forward with a Black Adam sequel; even as Dwayne Johnsondesperately crunches the numbers to prove it’s a success. The biggest shock was also the fact that Henry Cavill may have returned briefly as Superman but is unlikely to do so once again. The upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may be the last we see Jason Momoa in the role, though news coming out of that film’s test screening will disappoint both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton Batman fans apparently.  

    For his part, co-CEO James Gunn took to Twitter to vaguely half-confirm the report. Though it is probably safe to say that even the top of the totem pole does not have all the answers. While the studio’s“lack of communication to talent reps and content creators” is reportedly “creating a riot”, Gunn did take the time to confirm to fans on Twitter that the character of Superman is a big priority for DC Studios going forward.

    daredevil born again cast

    In Marvel Studios news, we’ve gotten a couple of potentially big rumors about Avengers: The Kang Dynasty this week, including who the first Avengers to fall to Kang might be and a very interesting potential ally in the fight against the Big Bad. In the spirit of the first-parters to major MCU crossover events, we also saw some interesting concept art of a character mash-up between Iron Man and Doctor Strange that was cut from Avengers: Infinity War. 

    This week, we learned that actresses Margarita Levieva and Sandrine Holt have joined Daredevil: Born Again in major roles. While the roles are not confirmed, there is a chance Holt could be portraying Tyger Tiger, a character with more links to Madripoor than Hell’s Kitchen, but could tie together some criminal enterprises. 

    guardians of the galaxy nova

    As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever remains in theaters, we keep learning interesting tidbits. Michael B. Jordan opened up about what it took to keep Killmonger’s return in the film a surprise, and new concept art reveals alternative Namor designs. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the near-ish horizon, we speculate which characters might meet their untimely fate in the film which is promised to be an emotional last outing for the team.  Whether or not there will be more adventures for a new iteration of the team is a decision that Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, and his trusted Parliament have to make but in-universe, Guardians or not, the galaxy still needs heroes—and we have just the suggestion.

    In the gaming world, it appears Marvel’s Avengers video game experiment is coming to an end. Developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, Marvel’s Avengers was an ambitious attempt at launching Marvel’s biggest superhero brand in the digital marketplace. Marvel’s Avengers will reportedly “sunset” in 2023 with support for the game and new content slowly ceasing to exist. 

  • SNL is the Reason ‘Avatar’ Changed its Logo and Font

    SNL is the Reason ‘Avatar’ Changed its Logo and Font

    Have you ever wondered why James Cameron‘s Avatar suddenly changed its logo and font? At the time, there was the righteous assumption that perhaps it was mainly done with Disney’s usual knack of marketing its projects but it seems that it was more a reaction to a joke by Saturday Night Live. Yes, you read that correctly, the SNL sketch starring Ryan Gosling jokingly referring to the font as Papyrus is one of the reasons.

    Producer Jon Landau got a chance to talk to Entertainment Weekly, where he reflected on the joke and even went on to highlight that the correct font wasn’t actually Papyrus but Toruk. It seems the fact that it had a very plain logo, the SNL sketch in combination with people questioning its actual cultural relevance inspired the need to establish a logo that screamed Avatar.

    When we realized that the movie was going to expand into a franchise and we’d have other IPs, we went out and created our own font that we’re now using, and we call it Toruk, and it’s available for people to use. But the Papyrus font is a fun thing, and I also love the fact that… it was certainly several years after the movie came out, and I guess it illustrated to people who were questioning Avatar’s cultural relevance that it was still part of the culture.

    Jon Landau

    Even with The Way of Water set to make a massive opening box office, and a secured but rare China release, the discussions are still making the rounds on how relevant this franchise truly is. The first film has the heavy burden of having to make $2B to be considered a success but there’s also the dead market at the moment that could drag it down. For now, we have to see what’ll happen once it releases next week.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly