Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Brendan Fraser is Open to Return for a New ‘The Mummy’ Sequel

    Brendan Fraser is Open to Return for a New ‘The Mummy’ Sequel

    Legacy sequels are all the rage right now. While superhero films still have a strong grab at the box office, Top Gun: Maverick and the latest Scream entry proved that people are in love with revisiting iconic franchises. So, it’s a common question to ask actors that have quite a substantial history with the medium if they’d return to a popular franchise that may have defined their career. So, it’s no surprise that Brendan Fraser was also asked about potentially returning for a fourth Mummy film. While there have been stories of the consequences he endured as a result of working on it, he still is down to potentially return.

    I don’t know how it would work. But I’d be open to it if someone came up with the right conceit.

    Brendan Fraser

    The actor also had some thoughts on the remake from 2017 starring Tom Cruise that sunk the future Dark Universe. While the adaptation tried to take a different direction with the franchise and still played tribute to what came before, Fraser believes the lack of “fun” lead to it not leaving a mark in theaters.

    It is hard to make that movie. The ingredient that we had going for our Mummy, which I didn’t see in that film, was fun. That was what was lacking in that incarnation. It was too much of a straight-ahead horror movie. ‘The Mummy’ should be a thrill ride, but not terrifying and scary.

    Brendan Fraser

    Of course, the new adaptation was hoping to adapt a horror-themed universe paying tribute to the original Hammer and Universal horror franchises; the originator of cinematic universes.

    Source: Variety

  • Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser has seen quite the glow-up since his return to acting with Doom Patrol. It opened up many avenues moving forward, and not only is he in the Oscar-contender The Whale but was also going to take on a more villainous role in the DC Extended Universe. Sadly, that was cut short when Warner Bros. suddenly decided it wanted a tax break rather than make at least some money off of the latest DC entry.

    It’s no wonder that it’ll leave a bitter taste in anyone, especially everyone involved with the production as Blue Beetle got to continue production while an almost finished film was completely scrapped. It definitely left some scars on everyone involved including Fraser, who opened up about the issue of this project falling apart while praising Leslie Grace‘s “fantastic” performance.

    It’s tragic. It doesn’t engender trust among filmmakers and the studio. Leslie Grace was fantastic. She’s a dynamo — just a spot-on performer. Everything we shot was real and exciting and just the antithesis of doing a straightforward digital, all-green-screen thing. They ran firetrucks around downtown Glasgow at 3 in the morning, and they had flamethrowers. It was a big-budget movie, but one that was just stripped down to the essentials.

    Brendan Fraser

    It’s truly a shame that they couldn’t bring this big-budget film to HBO Max or even the silver screen. While the streaming development does keep some projects from releasing in theaters, but it at least we were able to see a vision come to life. Yet, Batgirl seems unlikely to ever see the light of day and we can only theorize what the project was like based on the leaked set footage and teases by those involved with the project.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Rosaline’: Kyle Allen on His “Dimwitted” Romeo’s Obsession

    ‘Rosaline’: Kyle Allen on His “Dimwitted” Romeo’s Obsession

    For centuries, Romeo and Juliet has been used as inspiration for what’s likely an incalculable number of stories about star-crossed lovers. From direct retellings such as 1936’s and 1968’s Romeo and Juliet and 1996’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet to reimaginings such as Gnomeo and Juliet and Warm Bodies, the love story of the titular characters has been etched into the collective consciousness of us all. The main beats of the story are fairly well-known as young students across the globe are exposed to it as part of their studies making the beginning, middle and end of Shakespeare’s play common knowledge.

    With an ending as traumatic and final as the one written by the Bard, a sequel to the story would be a tough nut to crack if one wanted to extend the story; however, prequels and/or concurrent stories focusing on other characters who survived the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues are fair game and that’s where Hulu found inspiration for their upcoming film Rosaline. The unseen character is the unrequited love of Romeo at the beginning of the play and the reason he ultimately decides to attend the Capulet party where he meets and falls in love with Juliet.

    Romeo’s quick change of heart upon seeing Juliet has often been seen as love at first sight but taken another way, it’s really just a young man who is a romantic and is in love with the idea of being in love. At a recent global press conference for Rosaline, actor Kyle Allen, who brings Romeo to life in the film, discussed that very topic.

    Romeo would fall in love with a stick if you’d let him. He’s completely obsessed with the concept and the idea of love. And other than that, that’s pretty much the entirety of his personality. He doesn’t have much else going on.

    Kyle Allen

    Allen goes on to describe Romeo as “dimwitted” which is a nice way of saying that for much of the time audiences are engaged with the character, his decisions aren’t made by his brain so much as…well, not his brain. What will this latest Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale add to the collective story? Fans can find out when Rosaline streams on Hulu, beginning October 14th.

  • Director Karen Maine on What Drew Her to ‘Rosaline’

    Director Karen Maine on What Drew Her to ‘Rosaline’

    Hulu is set to release a new take on the iconic Romeo and Juliet story later this week with Rosaline. The film, which is inspired by the book While You Were Mine, takes the focus off of the star-crossed lovers and instead focuses on Rosaline, Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s ex-girlfriend. Last week, Disney held a virtual conference for the movie, featuring director Karen Maine and some of her excellent young cast, including leading lady, Kaitlyn Dever.

    When asked what had drawn her to the project, and how she was ultimately approached about it, Maine suggested Dever’s casting played a big role in her decision to sign on for the movie. “So, the script was sent to me, and I was told that Kaitlyn was attached to play the lead,” she said. “So immediately I was like, I love Kaitlyn and her work. Dying to work with her. She’s amazing. So, [I] read it. The script was amazing.”

    The script, of course, was penned by (500) Days of Summer writers Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter, two writer Maine has been a fan of for some time. After reading the script and seeing how they were incorporating a classic Renaissance period with modern language, she began to craft the story in her mind. “And the idea to, you know, set it in classic Renaissance period with this modern language and the modern sensibilities and themes just would create this, in my mind, this perfect juxtaposition of, you know, old and new that just really nailed the comedy and let it shine.  So that was really the goal.”

    For Maine, getting to work with Dever and craft a story as unique as Rosaline was a huge deal. But she also felt the music used in the movie was pretty important, too. In order to achieve her goal of expertly mixing old with new, Maine made it a point to include more modern music, as well as instruments that were used during the Renaissance period. “The music was really great too, because we’ve used modern elements like synth, but also a lot of old, kind of, period instruments from the time, like lutes and flutes and harpsichords and all that.  So, it’s all blended in there as well.  So, it’s really, you know, walking that line between old and new.”

    Rosaline begins streaming exclusively on Hulu beginning October 14th.

    KEEP READING: Review: ‘Rosaline’ is a unique spin to the Romeo and Juliet tale, delivering a delightfully chaotic love story sure to please.

  • Michelle Yeoh & Pete Davidson Board ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’

    Michelle Yeoh & Pete Davidson Board ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’

    Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson have joined the cast of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for Paramount. Yeoh will voice the Maximal Airazor, while Davidson will lend his voice to the Autobot Mirage. The news was announced on Tuesday by director Steven Caple Jr. in behind-the-scenes videos featuring the actors recording their lines for the film.

    In the Instagram post, which can be seen below, Caple Jr. teases their involvement in a series of playful videos. “Pete Davidson in disguise. 😂 @transformersmovie cast is amazing, man. Sneak peek of Pete voicing Mirage & @michelleyeoh_official blessing us as the voice of Airazor #rotb 2023″

    Production on the movie wrapped in October 2021. While details regarding Rise of the Beasts are being kept under wraps, a recent rumor suggests we’ll see the Transformers face Unicron in the forthcoming film. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. It is currently set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Dune 2’ to Release Two Weeks Early in 2023

    ‘Dune 2’ to Release Two Weeks Early in 2023

    On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Dune: Part Two is now set to release two weeks early. The news came after Disney announced a slew of new release dates, including a new date for the delayed-Blade. Dune will now take over Blade‘s vacated date of Nov. 3, 2023, instead of Nov. 17, 2023.

    Production on Dune: Part Two kicked off back in July. The film is set to tackle the second part of the iconic novel by Frank Herberts, and it’s set to star Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam and Javier Bardem. 

    The first Dune film was a box office smash when released in 2021. Produced on a $41 million budget, Dune went on to earn $401.8 million at the worldwide box office. A sequel was quickly announced, along with a spinoff television series tentatively called Dune: The Sisterhood.

    Dune: Part Two is directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Villeneuve.

    Source: THR.

  • Sydney Sweeney to Star in ‘Barbarella’ Remake

    Sydney Sweeney to Star in ‘Barbarella’ Remake

    Sydney Sweeney continues her rise into prominence within Hollywood and is next set to lead a revitalized science fiction franchise. Deadline has announced that the actress will be starring in a new Barbarella film for Sony Pictures. The film will be based on the vintage French comic series by Jean-Claude Forest. It has previously been adapted to film in 1968 in a project starring Jane Fonda. The movie is still in the early development stages with no writer or director attached to the project at this time.

    Barbarella follows the tales of the titular character, an astronaut from the 41st century, from the evil ways of scientist Durand Durand. While not met with massive success financially at the box office, the film has garnered a relatively strong cult following in the over 50 years since its release. The character and literary series has served as a notable figure in the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s.

    For Sweeney, this film will continue her strong working relationship with Sony Pictures. The young actress has a supporting role in the upcoming Madame Web film, which is set to branch off to a new corner of the greater Spider-Man universe. It’s currently unknown what role she is playing in the superhero film. She has quickly been rising in Hollywood thanks to her Emmy-nominated performances in the first season of The White Lotus and the second season of Euphoria for HBO.

    Source: Deadline

  • Latest ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Conner

    Latest ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Conner

    We’ve gotten quite a few set photos from the sets of Madame Web but the latest batch might be our best looks yet. As shared by @DakotaJBRA on Twitter, more photos offer a clear look at the film’s main cast. We get a good look at Dakota Johnson‘s comic-inspired outfit as the leading lady herself while being joined by Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Connor, whose roles still haven’t been confirmed as of yet.

    We still know very little about the project,t but the set photos have teased that Madame Web is likely visiting Spider-Man’s home turf of New York City quite a bit. Of course, there’s the question of who might be their version of the character. Set photos that recently surfaced seemingly hinted at the adaptation of the character that may have a big role in the story, but there never was an official casting for a “Spider-Man” in the spinoff.

    Whatever they may be doing with this project, it could become their most unique take on a Spider-Man spinoff. Morbius didn’t quite pull in audiences as they hoped but perhaps a project that focuses primarily on the mythology based around the webhead could be something people would flock to theaters for. Here’s hoping that first trailer might be able to grab our attention and showcase what Sony has in store for us with this project.

    Source: Twitter

  • Jonathan Majors Teases His “Warrior Version” of Kang the Conquerer in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Sequel

    Jonathan Majors Teases His “Warrior Version” of Kang the Conquerer in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Sequel

    Kang the Conqueror will soon arrive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Jonathan Majors first appeared as his Variant He Who Remains in Loki, but our true first introduction to the character won’t be until next year. He is teased as the big bad of this Multiverse Saga, especially with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but it seems that we’ll see just how vicious he can be in the Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel.

    Majors revealed in an interview with Variety that he added ten pounds of muscle to prepare for the role. While he’s also been busy preparing for this time in the upcoming Creed sequel, it seems the main inspiration was that he can explore different Variants of Kang throughout his Marvel cinematic Universe tenure.

    It was the character and dimensions of Kang [that drew me to the role]. And the potential that it had. I thought, ‘I’ll take a chance on that

    Jonathan Majors

    According to his coach Jamie Sawyer, we may also get a very combat-focused take on the character in Quanumania; one of the reasons he also added the muscle is to ensure that he was fittingly reflecting his role.

    He is the warrior version of Kang, so there was a focus on what that warrior would look like who’s been around through the ages and has developed every type of combat skill. It was about making him look like an imposing figure.

    Jamie Sawyer

    Even Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige teased that the actor has a presence when he enters the room, which adds to his position as the new big bad for the franchise moving forward. We’ll see what they may have planned for the character and what other versions we might see

    Source: Variety

  • Disney Updates its Cinematic Release Slate for the Coming Years

    Disney Updates its Cinematic Release Slate for the Coming Years

    The cinematic experience is partly enjoying a film in theaters while also going through the continuous reshuffling of release schedules. Not every release manages to stay consistent due to production conflicts and various challenges that come together. Blade has recently faced some troubles as it lost its director and naturally was postponed, but surprisingly many more films from Marvel followed with a whole new slate. That isn’t all, as Disney used the opportunity to update its entire slate.

    Disney’s upcoming 2024 release will now include:

    • 3/1/24 – Elio
    • 3/22/24 – Disney’s Snow White
    • 5/3/24 – Captain America: New World Order
    • 5/24/24 – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
    • 6/14/24 – Inside Out 2
    • 7/5/24 – Mufasa: The Lion King
    • 7/26/24 – Thunderbolts
    • 9/6/24 – Blade
    • 11/8/24 – Untitled Deadpool Movie
    • 12/20/24 – Avatar 3

    Fantastic Four is scheduled for 14th February 2025 with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty set for May. They have also added two untitled Marvel films for July and November. They wrap up the year with an untitled Star Wars film in December, the first cinematic entry since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Avengers Secret Wars is now scheduled for May 2026 with three more Marvel films already given a release date. Avatar 4 joins that same year in December with its fifth entry already planned for 2028. They also already mapped out another untitled Star Wars film in 2027.

    It definitely looks like Disney has some big plans for the coming years and it’s crazy to think just how mapped out they are until 2028. Of course, the last two years only have one entry each, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see more Marvel films get scheduled once we near the Avengers release. It looks like their next