Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘The Hunger Games’ Prequel Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Alumni

    ‘The Hunger Games’ Prequel Adds ‘Game of Thrones’ Alumni

    Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has added yet another impressive name to its cast. Deadline reports that Game of Thrones alumni Peter Dinklage has joined the cast as Casca Highbottom, who is the dean of the Academy.

    “Dean Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life. As the austere and vindictive face of the games, he sets the rules that will determine every aspect of Coriolanus’s fate. I’m thrilled that Peter will be bringing him to life,” director Francis Lawrence said in a statement to Deadline.

    Dinklage joins a cast led by Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler, who plays tribute Lucy Gray Baird. Also starring in the film are Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer, Jerome Lance, Ashley Liao, Knox Gibson, Mackenzie Lansing, Aamer Husain, Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples, Hiroki Berrecloth and Jason Schwartzman. Production on the Hunger Games prequel is currently underway, with the film slated to hit theaters next year.

    “With production underway, we couldn’t be more excited about the way this cast has come together and thrilled to be welcoming Peter Dinklage to Panem. Peter is not just a fan favorite actor who brings a commanding presence to every part he plays,” Nathan Kahane, President of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group told Deadline. “He is one of the best actors alive. He will bring a formidable, charismatic authority to the important role of the dean of the Academy.”

    The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows an  18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, long before he became the president of Panem, as he becomes the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games approaching, Snow is alarmed to find he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a young girl from District 12 – the same district Katniss is from in the original series. Like Katniss, Lucy is defiant, but Snow finds a way to turn the odds in their favor as they race to survive and ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

    The film will be released into theaters on Nov. 17th, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Drops By 68% in its Second Weekend

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Drops By 68% in its Second Weekend

    Fans have all been keeping a close eye on where exactly Thor: Love and Thunder would end up in its second weekend. After quite the drop on its second Friday at 80%, the film still managed to pull in $46 million at the domestic box office. That makes for a 68% drop, which is higher than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ 67% drop. Still, the film grossed higher than its estimated $130 million, pulling in $144 million during its opening weekend. It’s also the same drop that Black Widow faced in its second weekend, as well as Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    The follow-up to 2017’sThor: Ragnarok now stands at $233.2 million in its second weekend and is about to cross the half billion mark worldwide. Globally, the film stands at $498 million. However, despite opening higher than Ragnarok‘s $122.7 million, Love and Thunder was not able to out-gross the film’s second-weekend earnings of $57 million. The drop could be an indicator moving forward if this remains a trend. The 68% drop is similar to that of other summer superhero blockbusters, such as Man of Steel (67.9%) and Fantastic Four (68.2%). And with Top Gun: Maverick raking in $1.2 billion, it is clear that Marvel is getting beaten at the box office this summer.

    It seems that general audiences are not connecting with Thor: Love and Thunder as much as they did Thor: Ragnarok. CinemaScore has given the film a general audience consensus of B+, compared to Ragnarok‘s A. However, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also received a B+, and ended up grossing $950 million worldwide. Only time will tell if Love and Thunder will have the same momentum.

  • New Marvel Studios’ SDCC Banner May Hint at Sharon Carter in Comic-Accurate Suit

    New Marvel Studios’ SDCC Banner May Hint at Sharon Carter in Comic-Accurate Suit

    Here’s an interesting surprise, a new Marvel Studios banner has been spotted for San Diego Comic-Con. Not only does it potentially hint at an announcement for Captain America 4 with Sam Wilson at the forefront. Yet, the interesting reveal is the person behind him, which could be our first look at Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter in a comic-accurate suit.

    Now, we have to point out that there is a good chance that this is an updated design for Florence Pugh‘s Yelena Belova who also sported a white suit in the past but she had a green vest overlaying it. This time around, it’s a full white costume, and with Carter’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe recently, she may be returning in the near future. Going by the hair and face, it does seem more likely it is Sharon Carter.

    The character has taken a more villainous role after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which led to us uncovering that she’s been secretly acting as the Power Broker in Madripoor. Perhaps her return to the CIA, and a hint at a secret accomplice, may lead to a bigger role and her returning to her spy roots.

    The white outfit was Agent 13’s staple in the comics and it’s surprising it took this long to find its way into the MCU. We’ll have to wait and see if this new look will be unveiled or teased during SDCC, perhaps even something they are simply setting up for a film or TV series that won’t release until next year, as it’s based on concept art seemeingly.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Faces Harsh Second Friday Drop at the Box Office

    The numbers are in and Thor: Love and Thunder has faced quite the harsh drop going into its second weekend. Reports have stated that the latest Marvel film has plunged by around 80% after a bombastic opening last weekend. The domestic box office is showing its fangs with pretty much every production with one exception, Top Gun: Maverick, has faced similar drops. Even Minions: The Rise of Gru faced a harsh 70% drop on its second Friday.

    This marks the second highest drop for any Marvel film, as it’s around 2% ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which fell from a $91M Friday. The current drop is closer to what Black Widow faced when it was released last year on June 29th and November’s Eternals (75%). So, the film is likely to wrap up around $45M and pull in $233M in its first ten days.

    Any other franchise, as Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn points out, this would be a strong second weekend but it is simply a record for a Marvel production. The question is if it’ll avoid the $100M loser club after opening to $144M. It’ll likely pass $500M worldwide by tomorrow but with some key markets also slowing down, anything can go for now. Even Jurassic World: Dominion saw a 73% drop and it had an A- CinemaScore while critics weren’t thrilled with the project.

    Is this the “end of Marvel” as many like to call any non-record breaking box office opening for their films? Not really, as it continues a trend we’re still seeing throughout the pandemic with bigger blockbusters. $13.8M is lower than Minions’ second weekend at $14.43M but that isn’t an indicator. Frontloading has become a new norm and the B+ Cinemascore simply points to people enjoying their first watch, but in no hurry to do so again.

    What works in its favor is that there’s no real competition moving forward outside of late July’s DC League of Super-Pets which likely is going to focus on a much younger crowd. Even with a 1.35x multiplier, the film would still end up around $315M which is around the same as Thor: Ragnarok. The only risk factor is the Disney+ release but Doctor Strange didn’t slow down too much still pulling in $34M after its release. That film faced the same CinemaScore and 45 digital release window but still managed to leg out to $950M.

    Most films in this era for Marvel have had harsh drops and the pandemic is still an issue for some. So, people are much more selective about what film they’ll watch or spend money on. Korea has seen Top Gun take back the top spot where it’s been performing exceptionally well like in many other markets. While the film won’t pass The Batman at this rate, it’s a good sign such different projects can pull in very different numbers.

    Source: Forbes, Forbes (Minions), The Numbers

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Announce ‘Fantastic Four’ Cast and Director at D23, Eyeing 2024 Release

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios May Announce ‘Fantastic Four’ Cast and Director at D23, Eyeing 2024 Release

    With D23 and San Diego Comic-Con on the horizon, rumors are going crazy with what exactly Marvel Studios has planned for the future. Phase 4 has been surprisingly been controversial as everyone is trying to find their footing in a post-Endgame world. Yet, it seems D23 will give us a clearer picture.

    According to DisInsider’s latest Rumor of the Week, they not only hinted that The Thing may appear in She-Hulk but also Marvel Studios’ D23 plans. They share that Kevin Feige and his team might unveil the film’s cast during the Disney-owned event.

    That is not all, as they also teased a director announcement after Jon Watts famously left the project to take a break after Spider-Man: No Way Home. They may be eyeing a 2024 release for the film, which means they’d have to start production sooner than later.

    It’s still a rumor and have to take it with a grain of salt, but D23 does seem like a perfect time to tease the future. SDCC is also their usual Phase announcement event but with a Disney-owned event on the horizon, wouldn’t be too surprising they mix it up.

    Source: YouTube

  • Adam Scott Joins Cast of ‘Madame Web’

    Adam Scott Joins Cast of ‘Madame Web’

    The cast of Madame Web continues to grow in recognizable star power. Fresh off his Emmy nomination for his lead performance in Apple’s hit series Severance, Adam Scott has joined the cast of Sony’s latest Marvel film. Sony declined to comment on the news and the nature of Scott’s role remains unknown at this time. Madame Web will features Dakota Johnson’s portrayal of the titular character alongside the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Emma Roberts, and Tahar Rahim. The film is being directed by S.J. Clarkson and currently is in production in Boston, Massachusetts.

    Not much is known about what this film will ultimately be about as the character of Madame Web hasn’t had much of anything in the way of a solo-based story in the comics. Industry insiders have speculated that this film will seeJohnson’s character essentially become the Sony version of Doctor Strange and tie into Spider-Man’s connection to the multiverse. Meanwhile, it’s also been suggested that Madame Web could end up being some different, secret project (whatever that may mean). Recent set photos revealed a probable early-2000s New York City setting for at least part of the film (which could hint at this film connecting with the Sam Raimi-directed universe of Spider-Man). 

    In addition, there have been some rumblings that Marvel Studios is involved with this film in some way. If this is accurate, it has the potential to be game changing both in terms of how the greater ensemble of Spider-Man characters could connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and for the working relationship between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.

    Source: Deadline

  • First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    First ‘Madame Web’ Set Photos Hint at Early 2000s NYC

    We just recently heard that production has already started on Sony’s Madame Web film. Sydney Sweeney revealed it in a brief interview and right after, it seems we already got our first look at the set. It seems that Sony is turning Boston into New York City of the early 200s0s as shared by Boston’s Kevin Slane. It’s certainly an interesting choice and could be our first hint at where the project is going, most certainly given the connection between Tobey Maguire‘s Spider-Man having released around that time.

    There’s no confirmation that this is definitely going to tie together, but it’s definitely something interesting to note given the time period. Madame Web has a close connection to the Spider-Verse and it would be a fun way to mix up what we’d initially expect from the Sony film. With hints that Marvel Studios is potentially involved as well, they may be using this opportunity to pull in the characters they’d want to include in a potential multiverse-focused Avengers storyline.

    If they do manage to tease a connection similar to Morbius, who knows if this might connect to those films. Aaron Taylor-Johnson has also taken on the role of Kraven the Hunter which may tie in some way or another to whatever Sony has planned. The post-credit sequence confirmed Vulture is stuck in another dimension and Venom also exists within that timeline, but there are still many questions surrounding how it might all tie together. We can only speculate for now.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’ Director to Adapt Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’

    ‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’ Director to Adapt Live-Action ‘Lilo & Stitch’

    Now, this is quite the surprising reveal but it seems that Dean Fleischer-Camp already has set his next major project after the critical darling that is Marcel The Shell With Shoes On. Deadline has revealed that he’s attached to direct the live-action adaption of the popular animated film Lilo & Stitch. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich are producing the project with Ryan Halprin set to executive produce. There is no word if the film is currently going to be a theatrical one or even land on Disney+.

    Chris Kekianiokalani Bright is currently in negotiations to write the film’s script that retell the story of the human girl Lilo who finds herself an adorable pet, who she names Stitch. The fact that he’s actually a creature that was engineered to destroy everything in its path and is also a fugitive from the space’s equivalent of the police. This will be the first live-action film for Fleischer-Camp who has hit it big with his work on the A24 film.

    It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how they tackle this project and his background in animation is likely going to help with bringing Stitch to life. This film marks the latest addition to the family of live-action reboots for Disney classics, which have been quite successful for the studio. As deals are finalizing, we may get some casting announcements sooner than later.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Passes $200M Internationally

    Thor: Love and Thunder has been an interesting release, as it was welcomed with some more mixed arms by viewers. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness also faced a similar fate, mostly due to its horror roots, the B+ CinemaScore didn’t stop it from reaching creeping closely to $950M. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder may not have opened to thunderous applause, its box office numbers are certainly impressive.

    Just a few days into its first week after a strong international and domestic opening weekend; only missing the third-highest grossing opening weekend of the year by a million. Now, the film has already passed $200M worldwide after pulling in $16.4M. It now stands at $203.5M domestically

    The film opened to a $2.9M bow in France, which was one of the last to release and is an impressive +53% ahead of Thor: Ragnarok‘s release. Only slightly behind Jurassic World Dominion, as we saw domestically as well. Korea is seemingly the one market that has slowed down quite a bit given it got a worse ranking there, which is surprising given its strong standing with previous entries.

    The film is likely to pass $200M domestically by Friday, which sets it up for a strong weekend that could be on the lowe rend of Marvel’s recent high drops. Still, it seems its overall weekend to day seven is on the lower spectrum of the multiplier. A big drop is expected in the second weekend around the 60%+ but leg it out throughout the rest of the summer.

    Even Minions: the Rise of Gru faced a surprising harsh drop in its second weekend with only Top Gun: Maverick defying all expectations. It already pulled in $178.9M and has passed F9‘s $173M. So, it’ll be interesting what the weekend has planned for the latest Marvel venture.

    Source: Box Office Pro, Twitter, Forbes

  • Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    Wild ‘Fantastic Four’s Director Rumors Debunked

    It’s been a wild day, as quite a few rumors have made their way online as of late. Among them was who exactly is going to be spearheading the Fantastic Four movie. After Jon Watts left the project to focus on his Star Wars Disney+ series, many wondered who could fill his shoes. Suddenly, directing icon Steven Spielberg became a wildly rumored choice for the film with some even stating that Marvel Studios reached out.

    Now, Variety’s Adam B. Vary has put out a quick tweet debunking those wild rumors and highlighting that they have never been true. So, it seems we’re still without a clear indicator of who exactly is going to take over the project and give us the third attempt at a live-action adaptation of the Fantastic Four.

    https://twitter.com/adambvary/status/1547641254011293696

    UPDATING

    Source: Twitter