Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Producer Nate Moore on Storm’s Future in Wakanda

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Producer Nate Moore on Storm’s Future in Wakanda

    From the moment Disney’s merger with Fox Studios was complete, fans began theorizing about how one of Marvel Comics’ most powerful mutants, Storm, might fit into the story of the Black Panther sequel. Once the wife of T’Challa and the Queen of Wakanda, Storm’s connection to Wakanda remains strong in the present day despite no longer being married to T’Challa. While her duties to the X-Men had her busy on Mars, Ororo still found herself playing a role in current Black Panther writer John Ridley’s series. Even though T’Challa’s relationship with Nakia was clearly prioritized in Black Panther, fans were still adamant that Storm could find her way into the sequel and even as the film was reworked following the death of Chadwick Boseman, the Storm theories never stopped coming.

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens this week and, to nobody’s actual surprise, Storm is not in the film. However, with at least one more Wakanda-based streaming series on the way and a third film in the series all but a sure thing, fans are still looking to the future for hope that the character might show up in Wakanda, reflecting the strong connection she has to the nation in the pages of Marvel Comics. In an interview with Screen Rant, Marvel Studios Parliament member and Wakanda Forever Executive Producer Nate Moore may have dashed those hopes. When asked about the chances of Storm showing up in Wakanda down the road, Moore certainly didn’t seem optimistic saying, “Well, Storm’s relationship with Wakanda in publishing is pretty interesting. Obviously, we might be a few years out from the X-Men, so I’m not sure we’re there yet.“

    The quote certainly doesn’t inspire confidence that Ororo will find her way to Wakanda any time soon, though it doesn’t completely rule it out of the question. While there are plenty of ways that Storm could be worked into Black Panther 3, the unfortunate reality is that the strength of the character’s connection to Wakanda came from her relationship with T’Challa and that’s sadly not something that the MCU can replicate at the moment. Perhaps down the road after Avengers: Secret Wars, new possibilities for the pair to unite on screen might emerge but until then, it sounds like Storm may not be part of the plans to continue to story of Wakanda.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • Ryan Reynolds Reveals Production Timeline for ‘Deadpool 3’

    Ryan Reynolds Reveals Production Timeline for ‘Deadpool 3’

    After taking some time to get the pieces in place for it, Deadpool 3 now seems to be making steady progress. Hugh Jackman agreed to return to the role of Wolverine, which he believed he’d left behind with 2017’s Logan, and the film was finally put on the Marvel Studios slate with a release date of November 8, 2024. Obviously, that means production on the film must be getting underway at some point in 2023 and in a recent interview, star Ryan Reynolds gave a little clarity to when that should be.

    In an interview with Sirius XM’s Stars, Reynolds explained that he, Jackman and director Shawn Levy are “up to our necks in prep” and that the film is still being written, and that he will be wrapped up in production on it for the next two years. The actor then added that shooting on the film, which he called “the easy part”, is expected to take place “just before Summer.”

    Reynolds also noted that he only fully revealed the film’s plot to Jackman after he’d agreed to return, adding he can’t wait to “unleash” the movie to audiences. Though there have been no details released about what to expect from the threequel, plenty of theories have made their way around, including one that ponders the idea of the film adapting the Marvel Comics’ miniseries Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe.

  • Chris Pratt’s ‘Garfield’ Adds Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang

    Chris Pratt’s ‘Garfield’ Adds Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang

    Many will remember the upcoming animated Garfield film mostly for the memes that were generated out of the coincidence of Chris Pratt not only voicing this film#s main character but also the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie. It turned into a joke that Pratt was set to voice any character that was animated. Still, the film is moving forward and has added quite a cast since its initial announcement.

    Ving Rhames, Hannah Waddingham, Cecily Strong, Nicholas Hoult, and even Samuel L. Jackson have joined the production in various roles. Now, the new animated film has also added SNL’s Bowen Yang alongside Ted Lasso Emmy winner Brett Goldstein. David Reynolds of Finding Nemo fame has written the script with Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgove. The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little director Mark Dindal is set to adapt it for the silver screen.

    The film will adapt the famous cartoon cat from Jim Davis, who made Jon Arbuckle’s life a living hell alongside the lovable dog Odie. In 2004, the first live-action. and animated hybrid was released with Bill Murray in the title role. The series has been going strong ever since it started in 1978, but even developed its rather curious fanbase online with the concept of Gorefield taking the adorable cat and adding some Lovecraftian elements to it. The upcoming film is very likely to stay away from that idea and offer a child-friendly film, it’s been an interesting rabbit hole exploring the cat’s influence on the internet.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • James Cameron Open to End ‘Avatar’ With Third Entry if ‘The Way of Water’ Bombs

    James Cameron Open to End ‘Avatar’ With Third Entry if ‘The Way of Water’ Bombs

    It’s hard to deny that James Cameron has been quite ambitious when it was first revealed that he was not only returning to the Avatar series but also had four more sequels in some form of development. After a long wait since the first film made box office history ever since it was released in 2009, The Way of Water is finally set to release next month in December. Cameron has already filmed the third entry and it seems that they may not move forward if the upcoming Avatar sequel bombs.

    In an interview with Film Total, Cameron discussed the possibility of not going forward with his five-film plan but rather wrapping up the story with its already filmed third entry. There’s no word if Disney is also setting its eyes on the upcoming release to set the benchmark on what to expect for the franchise, but it definitely seems like the record-breaking director is set to keep a close eye on how it performs.

    The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly’, if it’s just not profitable. We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It’s the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we’ll remind people what going to the theatre is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a shit now?

    James Cameron

    Cameron is very likely to not disappoint at the box office, especially as early projections already have the film set to break some records even if it might not get close to the first entry. Given that the four films have a billion dollars behind it, it’s no wonder that they hope to make some money off of the new entries and we’ll have to wait a bit longer before we know if a lot more Avatar is heading our way.

    Source: Film Total

  • New Details Emerge about the Origin and Death of the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    New Details Emerge about the Origin and Death of the Vulture in Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4 has long been a giant question mark to fans, but some exciting new details are finally becoming public. It’s been known for a long time that Hollywood legend John Malkovich would have portrayed Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, in the film, had it come to fruition, but his character’s actual role in the plot has always been shrouded in mystery. Luckily for those who want more information, an upcoming book centered on Spider-Man, Sean O’Connell‘s With Great Power, has shed a little bit of light on the matter.

    According to the novel, Raimi‘s Vulture would have been a modernized version of the villain, who utilized razor-sharp blades on his wings as a primary form of weaponry. He also would have been quite the vicious adversary for Tobey Maguire‘s hero, with a featured scene specifically designed to be on par with Alfred Molina‘s infamously terrifying hospital sequence in Spider-Man 2. Instead of a grotesque transformation, however, the scene in question would have seen Vulture lurking over a library, picking off goons sent to take him down. Storyboard artist Jeffrey Henderson confirmed this was an example of how the antagonist would have received his nickname, explaining it as part of the character’s planned origin in the movie:

    He was essentially a guy that did as a lot of ugly stuff for the government, did a lot of ugly stuff as a private contractor… I thought a clever thing to do would be to say that part of the reason they called him The Vulture was because when he was done, he didn’t leave anything but bones behind.

    Jeffrey Henderson

    Furthermore, With Great Power reveals exactly how Vulture would have perished in Spider-Man 4. The plan was for Spider-Man and his winged foe to have a climactic battle that began in the New York City subway system and ended atop the Citicorp Center on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, with Vulture gaining the upper hand before things go sideways. Henderson explains:

    They were going to have a big brawl-for-it-all, where Vulture almost kills Spider-Man. And then Spider-Man at the last minute—he’s really wounded, he’s bleeding really badly, he’s in real trouble—Peter finally, almost as a reaction, forces The Vulture off. When he does, it snaps some of the stuff from the wings, so he ends up just tumbling into the ether, off the top of the Citicorp building. That’s what does him in.

    Jeffrey Henderson

    The book goes on to explain that, after Toomes’ death, his daughter would have stepped in as the main villain for the movie’s third act. It sounds like this version of the Vulture would have been wildly different than the one Michael Keaton eventually brought to life in Spider-Man: Homecoming, even if the later adaptation is still adored by fans.

    Source: The Direct

  • Kumail Nanjiani Cast Some Doubt on the Status of ‘Eternals 2’

    Kumail Nanjiani Cast Some Doubt on the Status of ‘Eternals 2’

    Marvel Studios Eternals served as a departure from the “Marvel formula” that has often been at the center of criticism of MCU films. Ironically enough, the departure from that formula became the center of criticism of Eternals, leaving fans wondering when, and maybe even if, a sequel might happen. Earlier this year, however, Patton Oswalt, who voiced Pip the Troll in a sequence that could set the stage for a potential sequel, claimed that a sequel was in the works. Shortly after that statement, it seemed clear that Oswalt was just repeating something he’d read online and not prematurely sharing any official info.

    In an interview with The Playlist, Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani gave a little insight into what the situation with Oswalt may have been all about.

    I have no idea. I don’t think Patton was right. I think that there was a hoax website – one of those where it’s like one letter off from the real one. They tweeted it, and it spread around and I think that’s what Patton saw.

    Kumail Nanjiani

    While Nanjiani obviously isn’t able to speak for Oswalt, it does sound like he may have a little better grip on exactly what happened. While Eternals 2 doesn’t seem to be a sure thing, Nanjiani’s Kingo, who was one of the film’s brightest spots, will be referenced in two upcoming MCU projects and, according to the star, he’d love to continue playing him.

    I honestly don’t know anything. I would love for Kingo to come back. I love playing that character…That one’s very fun to play, you’re just in a good mood. You do finger guns, you’re like a movie star – what’s not to love? You’re just in a good mood the entire time.

    Kumail Nanjiani

    Having a group of characters such as the Eternals in the shared universe without them ever showing up again or interacting with corners and characters is certainly hard to imagine; however, there’s no guarantee that any future interactions or arcs involving the characters will be part of a sequel. Some of the characters have been Avengers in the past and with two Avengers team-ups on the slate, they could show up there as the Multiverse Saga concludes. Until official word comes down from Marvel Studios, it remains best practice to remember that the actors are often the last one’s to know what’s going on behind the scenes.

    Source: The Playlist

  • Netflix to Adapt ‘Gears of War’ for Feature Film and Animated Series

    Netflix to Adapt ‘Gears of War’ for Feature Film and Animated Series

    Another marquee video game franchise has officially found its streaming home. It has been revealed that Netflix has acquired the media rights to produce projects based around the Gears of War video game series. This comes after what has been described as a competitive negotiation process over the past number of months. The franchise had gradually become one of the most successful for the Xbox consoles. The announcement comes on the 16th anniversary of the franchise launch.

    After coming out as the victors in the bidding war, Netflix has high aims for Gears of War to become a stalwart for the service, including the production of a live-action feature film based on the franchise. This will then be followed by transitioning the intellectual property into an adult-animated series. No creative member has yet to be attached to either project. If both the film and the animated series go well, then Netflix would then plan to further expand the franchise. Video game adaptations have tended to be a mixed bag for the film industry, and with that in mind, it would be wise to not get too far ahead of expectations for this new acquisition by Netflix when there’s still a great deal of time before the release of the first project.

    The Gears of War video games are set on a planet in the midst of a societal collapse due to the arrival of the Locust, a species of creatures from the underground that have taken control of above. It is then the responsibility of the Delta Squad and their leader Marcus Fenix to lead the last hope for humanity.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Daniel Kaluuya to Voice Spider-Punk in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Daniel Kaluuya to Voice Spider-Punk in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    The ensemble of the animated Spider-Verse is expanding even more for the upcoming sequel. It has officially been announced that Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya will be playing Spider-Punk in 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While many of the characters in the film are Peter Parker Variants, the Spider-Punk mantle is a Variant of a character named Hobie Brown. He joins an already stacked voice cast including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, and Jason Schwartzman among others. The film is being directed by the trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.

    Not much is known about what the sequel will entail, but it is confirmed that it will follow Miles Morales (Moore) on a new multiverse-traversing mission with a new team of Spider-people. These include reuniting with Spider-Gwen (Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Johnson) while meeting the likes of Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman (Rae), Spider-Man 2099 (Isaac), and now Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk. It has also been confirmed that Spot, played by Jason Schwartzman, will be the main antagonist of the project.

    Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk, a homeless teenager who fights to represent the oppressed citizens of New York City in his universe, was created by writer Dan Slott in 2014. Having an actor with the stature of Daniel Kaluuya voicing the role seems to indicate a major role for Spider-Punk in this upcoming sequel. Kaluuya is best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in Judas and the Black Messiah alongside his lead roles in both of Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Nope.

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is scheduled to release theatrically on June 2, 2023.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie Almost Played a Villain in ‘Spider-Man 4’

    Angelina Jolie is an international superstar and, more recently, a Marvel superhero. The actress joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021’s Eternals as the semi-immortal warrior Thena, but as it turns out, this almost wasn’t her first venture into the world of Marvel comics. An upcoming novel by Sean O’Connell, titled With Great Power, gives some of the first in-depth details on the development of Sam Raimi‘s unmade Spider-Man 4, and may have revealed an alternate timeline where Jolie was attached as an original supervillain. It’s well-known that actor John Malkovich was in line to play the film’s main baddie, the Vulture, and that Anne Hathaway would have appeared as a new love interest for Tobey Maguire as the Black Cat. Now, it would seem Jolie was being sought by Sony to portray Adrian Toomes’ vengeful daughter – The Vulturess.

    According to an early access report from The Direct, the studio wanted the former Mr. & Mrs. Smith star to take over as the movie’s main villain after Malkovich‘s Vulture met an untimely demise. Jolie‘s unnamed potential character would have played a role throughout the film, as “an accomplished executive representing a venture capital firm that was trying to buy the Daily Bugle.” After her father’s death, presumably in the second act, Jolie would have put on the Vulture suit herself and taken up the mantle. Notably, this information falls in line with a longstanding rumor that Hathaway‘s Felicia Hardy would have been revealed as Toomes’ daughter and set up as the Vulturess instead of Black Cat. It’s unknown if Black Cat and the Vulturess were separate characters in the story, or if Hathaway simply slipped into Jolie‘s role when the part became vacant. Either way, it makes for a fascinating look into a world where Spider-Man 4 actually happened.

    Source: The Direct.

  • Ryan Coogler Reveals a Key Weakness of Namor’s in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Ryan Coogler Reveals a Key Weakness of Namor’s in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is set to introduce one of Marvel Comics’ oldest characters into the MCU, but with a unique twist. The sequel will see Namor, known in the comics as the Sub-Mariner, come into conflict with the nation of Wakanda. However, instead of being the ruler of Atlantis, this iteration of Namor rules an underwater nation known as Talokan.

    Namor has long kept his nation secret but the events of Wakanda Forever threaten that secrecy, bringing the winged-footed mutant to the shores of Wakanda. He’s already been seen flying in the trailers and showcasing some pretty impressive resiliency, but from what director Ryan Coogler says, audiences haven’t seen it all just yet.

    [There’s] no equal in terms of his capabilities, being able to breathe underwater and breathe at high altitudes and walk around on land. He’s incredibly strong, he’s as strong as Thor, and if he’s around enough water he can be as strong as the Hulk.

    Ryan Coogler

    Despite all the changes to the character and the creation of a new underwater nation, Coogler’s comments do seem to highlight one of Namor’s classic weaknesses from the old comics: his need to return to the water to regain his strength. If he’s away from the water for too long, not only would Namor be weak, it could be fatal. This is a flaw that was exposed by some of Marvel Comics heroes and villains in the past, so it’s possible that it may come into play in the film, which releases in theaters on November 11th.

    Source: Marvel.com