Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    It would appear Warner Bros. Discovery is not done cutting movies yet. Variety is reporting that the company has been quietly removing content from its popular streaming service HBO Max, including at least six films that had been released on the platform as exclusive “HBO Max Originals”.

    The culled projects consist of Moonshot, a sci-fi rom-com starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse that dropped only a few months ago; Superintelligence, a dystopian rom-com from Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone; An American Pickle, a Seth Rogan comedy that stars the actor in a duel-role; The Witches, a 2020 remake of the Roald Dahl classic, directed by Robert Zemeckis with an all-star cast of Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock; Locked Down, a Doug Liman heist film with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Hathaway; and finally, Charm City Kings, a drama from Angel Manuel Soto.

    The removals appear to have been made in an effort to cut costs, and were first discovered by users of Reddit after Warner Bros.’ controversial cancellations of Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt on Tuesday. Also noted, the reboot of cult classic comedy House Party, which was set to be produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter‘s SpringHill, has been scrubbed from HBO Max’s release calendar. It was previously expected to drop on July 28th. As mentioned by Variety, it’s not an unusual practice for streaming services to take films on and off of their catalog.

    However, it is strange that the company would remove films produced specifically for distribution on HBO Max, including Moonshot, which has only been out in the wild for about three months, and that the changes would be made without any sort of announcement. It remains to be seen if these now-unwatchable projects ever see the light of day again.

    Source: Variety

  • John Boyega Denies Any Marvel Rumors, No Interested in Joining the Franchise Currently

    John Boyega Denies Any Marvel Rumors, No Interested in Joining the Franchise Currently

    At this point, it’s hard to deny that almost any big-name actor has had at least one or two rumors hinting at them joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If they may be real or not, it’s one of the most prolific franchises in the industry, and its continued rise even as it’s facing a sophomore slump in Phase 4 should not be downplayed. Among the many rumored is John Boyega, who has now openly denied any rumors surrounding him having been secretly cast in a role.

    In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he reveals that he’s had enough of big-budget projects after his work on the Sequel trilogy of Star Wars, and is focusing on more “nuanced” projects. He also makes a good point on the weight of joining any project comes in the shadow of Iron Man which became a big part linking the projects for years.

    That’s not in the vision for me now. I want to do nuanced things. I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas, because I know it’s real hard to top Iron Man in that universe.

    John Boyega

    There will always be rumors and likely some not believing Boyega‘s own statements in regards to his approach to future projects Still, it seems that the actor wants to return to his roots and has gone through enough with the weight that Star Wars already put on his shoulders; especially the fan reactions. It’ll be exciting to see what his next project will turn out to be.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Scoob!’ Christmas Special Secretly Scrapped Alongside ‘Batgirl’ to Cut Costs

    ‘Scoob!’ Christmas Special Secretly Scrapped Alongside ‘Batgirl’ to Cut Costs

    The rather shocking news dropped recently that Batgirl was shelved. While reasonings were uncertain, a new report by The Hollywood Reporter hints that the reasoning is part of the new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, and his strategy on cost-cutting measures. He wants to focus more on creating theatrical films rather than streaming but it seems that it’s coming at a rather heavy toll.

    Not only did they scrap the $90M budgeted and finished Batgirl, but they also decided to shelve their animation project, Scoob! Holiday Haunt. The animated holiday special was already in some form of production and seemingly had invested $40M. Supposedly, the reasoning is due to their strategy of avoiding big-budget projects for HBO Max and focusing on a theatrical release.

    What doesn’t make sense is the concept of filming an entire project only to scrap it. It also raises questions if other productions that are already in some form of development could be on the chopping block next. The idea to never bank on $130M worth of productions and not even just using a minimal marketing strategy to wrap up productions at a decent cost efficiency to draw out any benefit is quite surprising.

    Zaslav never was going to be the one to save the production company, and its uncertainty if the recent announcement of adding Alan Horn, former Disney creative officer, will make any changes if they are swiftly taking down projects. Our best case scenario would be if they pivot their productions and create a stronger focus, but it could also potentially go down a much darker route with uncertainty hanging over future productions.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Star on How His High Evolutionary Differs From the Comics

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Star on How His High Evolutionary Differs From the Comics

    Chukwudi Iwuji is hitting the comic book scene, as after a scene-stealing performance on Peacemaker, he’s followed director James Gunn over to his next major project. He is set to star as the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and even gave us a first look at his costume during San Diego Comic-Con.

    We still know very little about how his character will tie into the story outside of hints he’ll be the one that created Rocket Racoon. Yet, Iwuji was able to tease his overall take on the character in an interview with Collider, even highlighting there’s some “Shakesperean about him” when he brought the character to life.

    Shady doesn’t touch it. He is narcissistic, sociopathic, but very charming. I couldn’t have thought of a better character that uses [a] skill set better to join the MCU with. Because there’s something very Shakespearean about him, there’s something very emotionally dark about him, and he’s a lot of fun on top of all that. The costume like you mentioned, the day I put on that costume because he looks very different from how he is in the comics, but the costume just worked. There’s something about putting it on, which I’m glad you mentioned because a big part of my performance was that costume.

    Chukwudi Iwuji

    Marvel Studios isn’t new to changing things up from the comics to add a new fresh take on the medium. He definitely gave us a good glimpse at his “emotionally dark” take on the character, and it does sound like a fun take. Iwuji getting a chance to just play around with a character after giving us a more serious performance in Peacemaker. It’ll definitely be fun to see his take on the High Evolutionary next May.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Batgirl’ Has Been Shelved and is Not Being Released

    ‘Batgirl’ Has Been Shelved and is Not Being Released

    Earlier today, a report surfaced from the New York Post stating that DC and Warner Bros. Discovery had opted not to release its previously announced Batgirl film. Now, The Wrap has come out to confirm that the movie is not being released. The reasoning behind the decision is that, despite reshoots and an increased budgets, Batgirl just wasn’t able to come together well enough to please the studio. Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly said to want to make big theatrical event films, and Batgirl just didn’t feel like an event film.

    Batgirl was one of the few films put into development prior to the merger and was to be an HBO Max original. Production on the title kicked off last November and wrapped back in March, when director duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah shared the first look at leading lady Leslie Gace in costume as Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. While the nearly completed $90 million film will be shelved, the studio is said to be keen to work with film’s directors and star and wants to work with them again soon.

    The decision to not release Batgirl comes after the studio canceled the Wonder Twins film shortly after casting its lead roles. Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to tighten its grip on its DC properties, taking time to re-evaluate the projects that were in development before David Zaslav took over. Unlike the Wonder Twins, however, Batgirl was nearly complete and had been announced as receiving a theatrical release earlier this year. The decision to shelve a $90 million film as the studio takes a closer look at its budgets is sure to ignite a conversation among fans online. One can only hope Grace gets another chance to don the cowl sooner rather than later.

    Source: The Wrap.

  • ‘Nobody’ Producer Confirms Sequel, Bob Odenkirk Set to Return

    ‘Nobody’ Producer Confirms Sequel, Bob Odenkirk Set to Return

    Films based on assassins are all the rage these days, with then success of John Wick spawning many more copycats. One in particular hit theaters last year, starring Saul Goodman himself, Bob Odenkirk, who played a retired intelligence agency hitman who’d been brought back into action after a home invasion; sounds a bit familiar. The film was quite the hit, garnering positive critical reaction and grossing over $50 million at the worldwide box office on a shoestring $16M budget. It seems to have been enough to warrant a sequel as the film’s producers confirmed a sequel is in development.

    David Leitch recently sat down with Collider while promoting his upcoming action film Bullet Train, where he confirmed that a Nobody sequel is in the writing stages and they’ll be working on the project as fast as they can. Leitch went into detail about just how much people loved working on the first one, and that it meant a lot to everyone involved.

    Oh, I think everyone’s really excited about it, Everyone involved is like, ‘Full steam ahead.’ We are in the script process, and I think we had so much fun making that. Kelly and I had a blast, the actors had a blast, the studio loved the results, and it’s happening. I mean, I think it’s happening as fast as we can make it happen.

    David Leitch

    Leitch went spoke more on the sequel to cast aside doubts that the project wouldn’t happen, explaining that they’re excited to get working on it with Odenkirk.

    Yes, I do. I do, because there are these certain journeys that you go on, and they’re just undeniable experiences for the people involved. And that was one of them. And I think all of us want to go back and play in that universe, and we want to see Bob bring that character to life again.

    David Leitch

    With Better Call Saul set to wrap up its sixth season in the next few weeks, Odenkirk is going to have a whole lot more time on his hand to explore new projects, with one of those hopefully being the Nobody sequel.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing $30 Million Opening Weekend

    ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing $30 Million Opening Weekend

    Brad Pitt’s latest film, Bullet Train, is heading toward a slow start. The action flick opens in 4,300 theaters across North America this Friday, but box office experts don’t seem to have high hopes for it. As of now, Bullet Train is eyeing $30 million – or more – in its opening weekend.

    Reviews for the film hit today and they seem to be mixed. Bullet Train currently has a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics noting the Pitt-led film feels flat and lacks steam. While a $30 million opening would be enough to lead the domestic box office over the weekend, it’s a lower projection than anticipated given the film is an action-packed thriller aimed at adult men. The R-rated film was costly to produce – around $90 million – so it’ll be interesting to see how the box office plays in the coming weeks. Poor word of mouth, though, could take down the film before it ever gets a chance to speed off. Bullet Train could also potentially see competition from Jo Koy‘s Easter Sunday which opens on Friday, too.

    Bullet Train has also been the subject of controversy which could hinder its box office potential. Based on a book of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka which features primarily Japanese characters. Rather than cast a primarily Asian cast, Sony and those involved with the project used the “fictional people” argument to justify the decision not to bring in Japanese actors. Just a few days ago, director David Leitch argued that the characters are “not real people, and maybe they’re not even Japanese.” While Isaka is okay with the casting decisions made regarding Bullet Train, it’s likely the controversy will ultimately impact the movie’s overall potential when all is said and done.

    Bullet Train hits theaters on Friday.

    Source: Variety.

  • Zombie Apocalypse ‘As We Know It’ Finds its Cast

    Zombie Apocalypse ‘As We Know It’ Finds its Cast

    It looks like an upcoming horror comedy As We Know It has found its cast, as it has added quite a few comedic veterans to headline the project. Oliver Cooper, known for his work on Project X, 30 Rock‘s Chris Parnell, and Jackie Brown‘s Pam Grier have joined the project to face a late 90s nuclear zombie apocalypse. The story follows the story of James Bishop who is facing a breakup and is trying to finish his book before the apocalypse arrives.

    They aren’t alone, as they also added Mike Castle and Taylor Blackwell, alongside a TikToker by the name of Danny Mondello. In the directing chair is Josh Monkarsh and the production has already started production during the end of July. It’s going to wrap up in early August and is based on a script by Monkarsh, who co-wrote it alongside Christopher Francis and Brandon DePaolo. It does sound like it could be a fun time and it’s not the first horror comedy to take a look at the apocalypse through the lens of comedians.

    Unlike Seth Rogen‘s This Is The End though, the actors aren’t playing themselves but they are sticking to a fictional storyline. Still, the cast does sound promising and it’ll be interesting to see how it comes together. Comedy is subjective and they may add their own spin fo the concept. There’s no word if this will also be a mostly adult comedy, as zombies aren’t strangers to more PG-13 fare as well but with the popularity of R-rated comedies it would seem strange they’d not stick to it with the base concept.

    Source: Variety

  • Dolph Lundgren Sets the Record Straight on ‘Creed’ Spinoff

    Dolph Lundgren Sets the Record Straight on ‘Creed’ Spinoff

    You’d think the announcement of a Drago spinoff focusing on the father-son duo by the same name spinning out of Creed would mostly have a positive place in media coverage. Yet, it seems that it hit quite a soft spot with Rocke himself, Sylvester Stallone who publicly spoke out against the franchise’s producers due to a rights ownership discrepancy. Now, Dolph Lundgren has “set the record straight” in regards to what exactly is going on and that he’s also in touch with Stallone in an interview with Variety.

    Just to set the record straight regarding a possible ‘Drago’ spinoff. There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr. Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go.

    Dolph Lundgren

    So, it does seem it’s in very early stages and it may not happen given the circumstances; at least not with the returning cast. Plot details remain uncertain and if there’s no approved script, it might be in a very early stage of development. So, we’ll have to see how or when this project even comes together. It’s good to see that Lundgren is in touch with Stallone and offers some insights, as the former Rocky star has pointed to the producers of the franchise as “parasites” in a recent Instagram post. He’s actively condemned the Winkler family in the past and it’s interesting

    Source: Variety

  • Amazon Sets Release Dates for its Film Slate

    Amazon Sets Release Dates for its Film Slate

    Amazon’s Prime Video has unveiled a slew of release dates for some of its biggest movie titles, including the Harry Styles-led My Policeman. Deadline was able to exclusively reveal the release dates, as well as a mini synopsis for each project. According to the outlet, a fair amount of the films will see their world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival, like My Policeman and Lena Durham‘s Catherine Called Birdy. While a couple of the films have already debuted at Sundance, including Nanny from Nikyatu Jusu and Run Sweetheart Run from Shana Feste.

    My Policeman, starring Styles, will hit theaters on October 21st and then move to Prime Video on November 4th. My Policeman is a tale of forbidden romance and changing social conventions. It follows a relationship between three people – Tom, the policeman, a teacher named Marion, and museum curator Patrick – and their journey throughout the decades. It was directed by Michael Grandage from a script by Ron Nyswaner and is based on the book by Bethan Roberts.

    While Sylvester Stallone‘s Samaritan will debut on Prime Video on August 26th. The film focuses on a thirteen-year-old boy named Sam Cleary, played by Javon Walton, who suspects that his reclusive neighbor Mr. Smith (Stallone) is a “legend hiding in plain sight.” That legend would be none other than the super-powered vigilante, Samaritan, who was thought to be dead after a firey warehouse battle with his rival, Nemesis. However, Cleary has a plan to coax his neighbor to reveal his true identity. The film hails from director Julius Avery and also stars Pilou Asbæk, Dascha Polanco and Moises Arias.

    Something from Tiffany’s, a film we previously announced was happening here on Murphy’s Multiverse, will debut on Prime Video on December 9th. It stars Zoey Deutch, Kendrick Smith Sampson, Ray Nicholson, Shay Mitchell, Leah Jeffries, Jojo T. Gibbs, Javicia Leslie, Chido Nwokocha, Stephanie Shepherd and Michael Roark. The project is an adaption of the Melissa Hill novel of the same name. It tells the story of two men who find themselves shopping at Tiffany’s for the women in their lives. Gary, one of the men, is merely looking for a charm bracelet, while Ethan is looking to purchase an engagement ring. When a mix-up is made with the shopping bags, the two couples will find their lives intertwined.

    Other release dates include Nanny on December 16th, following a limited theatrical run kicking off on November 23rd, Run Sweetheart Run on October 28th, and Catherine Called Birdy will hit theaters on September 23rd before moving to Prime on October 7th.

    Source: Deadline.