Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Director Teases More M’Baku in ‘Black Panther’ Sequel

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Director Teases More M’Baku in ‘Black Panther’ Sequel

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is more of an ensemble film than the first was, especially with the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman. As the film centers on paying tribute to the man’s legacy in many ways, the film takes a different approach and will see the impact on the various characters that we’ve met in the first Black Panther film, while also introducing the world to Talokan, the MCU’s interpretation of Atlantis.

    Still, a lot of the promotional material only teased what we can expect from the story and how the various characters work through their own grief. In the official press conference for Wakanda Forever, director Ryan Coogler highlighted that Winston Duke‘s iconic M’Baku will likely have twice as much screentime as he did in the first film.

    You know, and I will say that, you know, Winston’s not here, but M’Baku was in this movie more than he was in the first Black Panther. I think probably, like, a two-to-one ratio. You know, he probably has twice as many scenes as he had in the first one. And so he’s there, you know.

    Ryan Coogler

    M’Baku was a standout in the first film and even made a return in the Avengers film with Duke reprising the role. While he wasn’t close to T’Challa, he did have an important arc with him in the first film, which did open up the possibility to further explore his arc in this film. We saw in the crossover films that they’ve developed a close bond, especially showcasing how far they’ve grown since the power struggle for the throne in the first Black Panther film. So, it’ll be interesting to explore that dynamic that we may have not gotten a chance to see on the silver screen.

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Pulls in $45M in Advance Ticket Sales

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Pulls in $45M in Advance Ticket Sales

    All eyes are on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s release later this week, as it’s the final entry of Marvel Studios’ ambitious Phase 4 and rounds out the year for the studio. The studio has faced a bit of a sophomore slump but still remains a constant when it comes to its box office success. Many have wondered if Wakanda Forever would buckle under the weight of the previous entries and the loss of its main star Chadwick Boseman, but it’s currently performing very well.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest Black Panther film has already pulled in $45M in advance sales just in the United States with quite a few days still to go. It’ll release worldwide on Wednesday with no releases in China or Russia planned currently. At the moment the film is likely to make at least $175M with some hoping to be closer to $200M depending on word-of-mouth from the film. Even Disney CEO Bob Chapek highlighted the pre-sales in the latest earning call.

    Ryan Coogler has delivered another culture-defining film … evidenced by advance ticket sales.

    Bob Chapek

    The film has sold more than Thor: Love and Thunder but is behind Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which was perceived as an event film and was quite frontloaded. It may reach $60M+ by Friday which would put it past the first Black Panther which ended up earning $202M in its opening back in 2018. It went on to pull in $1.34M and it’ll be interesting to see how Wakanda Forever manages to perform in comparison once it releases in a few days.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Ana de Arma’s ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Adds Keanu Reeves

    Ana de Arma’s ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Adds Keanu Reeves

    The John Wick franchise is continuing to grow, as not only are we getting a TV spinoff that explores the early days of the iconic hotel chain but also a female-led spinoff only known as Ballerina as of now. It’s unclear if this new cinematic franchise will receive an original naming to tie it all together, but it does seem like the franchise’s iconic star, Keanu Reeves, is set to join the production of the upcoming spinoff.

    Collider has shared the news that he’s already in Prague filming to return as the iconic character that kicked off a new franchise. He’ll be joined by the returning Ian McShane with Ana de Armas being attached as this spinoff’s main star. Len Wiseman is directing the production based on a screenplay by Shay Hatten. There’s no word if this story is set after any of the John Wick titles, or potentially explores the early days of the hitman’s time as Baba Yaga.

    It’s crazy to think that a simple concept would end up growing to become such a massive franchise. Even the small horror film A Quiet Place is continuing to grow with its first spinoff in the works. So, we’ll see just how big this franchise can go, especially if Ballerina and The Continental end up being successes. There are many more hitmen out there in this neo-noir world. So, there are also many more stories that could be told that would still fit within the story we were introduced to all the way back in 2014.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Eyeing Massive $365M Opening

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Eyeing Massive $365M Opening

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to open huge at the box office this weekend. The sequel to 2018’s massively successful Black Panther is eyeing a $365 million worldwide opening. That includes a projected domestic between $175M-$185M and $180 million internationally. Those numbers would put Wakanda Forever on track for an opening between $355M to $365M.

    Should those numbers hold, that’ll give Wakanda Forever the third highest debut of the pandemic following fellow Marvel movies, Spider-Man: No Way Home ($568M) and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness ($429M). Unsurprisingly, box office experts expect Wakanda Forever to dominate the box office for some time. With little to no competition, Wakanda Forever could realistically dominate until Avatar: The Way of Water releases on Dec. 16.

    Since estimates came online, Wakanda Forever has been consistently tracking for an opening North of $175 million. With positive word of mouth, it’s entirely possible Wakanda Forever‘s box office haul will only continue to climb.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Tenoch Huerta, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Mabel Cadena and Alex Livinalli. It’s set to hit theaters on Nov. 11th. Tickets are available now.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Ian McShane Joins ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’

    Ian McShane Joins ‘John Wick’ Spinoff ‘Ballerina’

    Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff, Ballerina, has added Ian McShane to its cast. The news was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter with the outlet reporting McShane will reprise his role as Winston, the manager of the Continental. He will star opposite leading lady Ana de Armas. The film follows a young woman with killer skills who uses said skills to get revenge when her family is killed by hitmen and is set within the John Wick cinematic universe.

    McShane has appeared in every John Wick film to date as Winston and reprises the character once again in John Wick: Chapter 4. Outside of the John Wick universe, McShane has appeared in titles such as American Gods as Mr. Wednesday, Hellboy, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and the HBO series, Deadwood.

    The movie is being produced by John Wick director Chad Stahelski, Basil Iwanyk, and Erica Lee. The project is being overseen by Brady Fujikawa and Chelsea Kujawa for Lionsgate. Production on Ballerina is expected to kick off on Monday with Len Wiseman (Underworld) directing from a screenplay by Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4). As of now, the film does not yet have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • RUMOR: Owen Wilson Joins the Cast of ‘Deadpool 3’

    RUMOR: Owen Wilson Joins the Cast of ‘Deadpool 3’

    With Deadpool 3 now deeply entrenched in the pre-production process, casting and plot leaks and rumors are sure to become more prevalent. While nobody has an idea of what to expect from the upcoming film, the idea that it’ll somehow connect the Fox X-Men-verse to the MCU is a prevalent one amongst theorists. Now, an interesting bit of casting information might make that theory a little more believable.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Owen Wilson will reprise his role as TVA Agent Mobius in Deadpool 3. It would mark the character’s first cinematic debut after being a prominent member of the Disney+ Loki series. His addition would also imply that this storyline will lead Deadpool out of his original Fox X-Men universe into the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, as his role also changed in the finale of the series.

    According to RPK, Wilson’s role is a fairly meaty one which would seem to make quite a bit of sense if Deadpool and Wolverine started any multiversal shenanigans over the course of the film. It’ll be interesting to see if this implies that the version of Wolverine we meet is even from the original universe or a new version altogether. Hopefully, whatever direction they go, he’ll get to finally wear the iconic yellow suit that he never was able to wear during his tenure as Logan in the 20th Century Fox films.

    Source: Twitter

  • J.D. Dillard No Longer Set to Helm a ‘Star Wars’ Film

    J.D. Dillard No Longer Set to Helm a ‘Star Wars’ Film

    In February 2020, it was revealed that Sleight director J.D. Dillard was set to direct a Star Wars movie from screenwriter Matt Owens. At the time, it wasn’t known whether or not the project would be for the big screen or for Disney+. Details regarding the plot and characters involved were also unknown at the time. Unfortunately, it seems those eager to see a Star Wars film from Dillard will continue to wait, though, as the mysterious project is no longer moving forward.

    In an interview with The Wrap to promote his latest film, Devotion, Dillard was asked about the status of his Star Wars project. Sadly, it seems things simply didn’t work out and the project is no longer moving forward. “It was not for lack of trying.” the director said. He also made it a point of noting if he does make a space film, it’ll be an original idea.

    The outlet tried to get Dillard to comment on what a Star Wars film from him would “feel like,” to which Dillard cited a memory from his childhood.

    “My dad being an aviator, we had a bunch of flight simulators, including TIE Fighter. I’m playing this game for months. And my dad’s flying it with me. And I’m like, ‘Man, this game is just so cool.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, you know, this game comes from a series of movies.’ And I was like, ‘You’re kidding me.’ That is where I watched ‘Star Wars’ for the first time and realized the full scope of what it meant to world build because I’d been playing this pseudo-16-bit game.”

    Dillard, however, did briefly comment on the J.J. Abrams‘ Superman project with Ta-Nehisi Coates, which he was loosely tied to at some point. He called the project, “something I have never spoken about” and said that Abrams has his number “if that is ever to be a conversation.”

    News that Dillard is no longer developing a Star Wars project comes on the heels of the announcement that Shawn Levy is entering a galaxy far, far away. That project, however, will take some time to enter production as Levy still has Season 5 of Stranger Things and then Deadpool 3 to worry about first.

    Devotion, the latest film from Dillard, will hit theaters on Nov. 23rd.

    Source: The Wrap.

  • Early Returns on Rotten Tomatoes Have ‘Wakanda Forever’ Flying High

    Early Returns on Rotten Tomatoes Have ‘Wakanda Forever’ Flying High

    Ryan Coogler’s emotion-packed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in theaters this weekend but critics, including our own Hunter Radesi, have had ample time to screen the film ahead of its wide release. With the expiration of the embargo, dozens of reviews are making their way online and onto Rotten Tomatoes and the early returns are very promising for the film.

    Though it’s not quite Certified Fresh yet because there are not enough reviews, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opened up with an impressive 94% through the first 84 reviews. The balance between a powerfully emotional tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman and a plot that advances the story of the nation of Wakanda are among the most commonly mentioned strengths. Others who were less high on the film called into question the film’s hefty run time, its pacing and convoluted plot.

    2018’s Black Panther stands as Marvel Studios’ highest-rated film to date with a Certified Fresh rating of 96% with over 529 reviews. For the sequel to be so well-received following the tragic loss of Boseman and a complete rewrite of the script is a testament to Ryan Coogler and the team behind the sequel.

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Producer Discusses Talokan and the Threat of Namor

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Producer Discusses Talokan and the Threat of Namor

    Namor the Sub-Mariner is one of the few remaining marquee Marvel characters to never appear on the silver screen but now Tenoch Huerta is prepared to introduce the character in a major way as the antagonist of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Wakanda Forever afforded Ryan Coogler the ability to build another civilization into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While speaking with ScreenRant about the upcoming project, producer Nate Moore discussed this concept and how connections between Wakanda and Talokan (the Mayan-influenced version of Atlantis) play a major role in the sequel.

    Because there’s such an interesting contrast between Talokan and Wakanda, that’s [what] I think drew Ryan as a storyteller to Namor in the first place. Obviously, there’s a history in publishing of Namor and Atlantis and the Black Panther and Wakanda being at loggerheads because they’re both such powerful nations that have such autonomy. But to also tell the story of colonization through the perspective of two people who’ve experienced it so differently made for a really interesting collision of ideologies.

    Nate Moore

    The themes of colonization and cultural identities are right within the wheelhouse of Ryan Coogler as a filmmaker. If he can keep the momentum that he brought with the original Black Panther (alongside his other directorial triumphs), then Wakanda Forever has all the earmarks to be another resonant classic. In that line of thinking, the Black Panther sequel could certainly match the quality of the first with another villain on the level of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Early reviews of the film seem to indicate he’s hit the mark with Namor. Nate Moore further elaborated on the idea of Namor being a major threat and how that plays into the infrastructure of Wakanda.

    Namor’s such a powerful character. It’s hard to think of anybody who could challenge Wakanda, right? It’s the most technologically advanced nation in the world. At times, it has a Black Panther, if not the Dora Milaje. Man, who’s going to scare these guys? That is a very short list. And all of a sudden they’re faced with somebody who’s more powerful than anybody they have, and it forces them to respond in a different way than any other person would, really. Namor is such an important character that you have to commit time to get to know him. So, it’s not like you can throw him into an ensemble and say, “Also this guy.” You want to take the time to build out that world. Hopefully, we were able to achieve that with the same love and dedication to the details as we did with Wakanda in the first movie.

    Nate Moore

    It certainly will be interesting to follow the audience’s response to the character and see if Namor will have the longevity of other notable antagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens exclusively in theaters on November 11, 2022.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Shawn Levy to Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Film Following ‘Deadpool 3’

    Shawn Levy to Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Film Following ‘Deadpool 3’

    With Deadpool 3 and Season 5 of Stranger Things still on deck, Shawn Levy looks to have already set his next feature. Deadline has reported that Levy is in talks to helm a Star Wars movie. The outlet reports that Levy will develop the project to direct it, but no further details are available as of this time.

    Levy is the latest director to be attached to an untitled Star Wars project. Taika Waititi is developing a Star Wars film and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy recently signed on to direct a movie penned by Damon Lindeloff. Lucasfilm is also working with Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige to develop an unspecified project. With Levy tied up on the final season of Stranger Things, and then set to jump on Deadpool 3 with his Free Guy leading man Ryan Reynolds, Levy’s Star Wars project is likely still years away at best.

    Up next for the always-busy Levy is the Netflix mini-series, All The Light You Cannot See, in which he directed all four episodes. He most recently directed The Adam Project, which also starred Reynolds. Levy also helmed Free Guy with Reynolds, in which a sequel is reportedly being discussed. As of right now, no writer or release date has been announced for Levy’s Star Wars film.

    Source: Deadline.