Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • First Details and Concept Art for Pixar’s New Film ‘Elemental Revealed

    First Details and Concept Art for Pixar’s New Film ‘Elemental Revealed

    While Pixar is busy promoting its upcoming animated film Lightyear, which will take a closer look at the inspiration behind Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear, the news has arrived on what we can expect from their upcoming release on June 16th, 2023. It turns out the next feature film will be titled Elemental and Disney has released a first look at the key concept art behind the Pixar film.

    Image

    The feature film will be directed by The Good Dinosaur‘s Peter Sohn with producer Denise Ream attached. It’ll follow the story of an unlikely pair named Ember and Wade. While polar opposites due to their elemental backgrounds, they will swiftly learn they have something in common in their world where people made of fire, water, land, and air reside. Sohn goes on to highlight the inspiration for this project.

    My parents emigrated from Korea in the early 1970s and built a bustling grocery store in the Bronx. We were among many families who ventured to a new land with hopes and dreams—all of us mixing into one big salad bowl of cultures, languages and beautiful little neighborhoods. That’s what led me to ‘Elemental’.

    Peter Sohn

    In a world where elements are alive, it’s an interesting concept to see how they interact with each other. The concept art already teases how water and fire may not quite mesh well and who knows what other types of characters might find their way into the story. It sounds like a concept that perfectly fits into Pixar’s creative take on storytelling and we’ll see how they bring life to elements in creative ways.

  • ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Producer Offers Update on Margot Robbie-Led Sequel

    ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Producer Offers Update on Margot Robbie-Led Sequel

    We’ve heard some time ago that Disney was developing sequels based on the popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. While Johnny Depp has openly stated he has no interest to return, as they kicked him from the initial project amongst the allegations made by Amber Heard, there have been rumors that a new sequel was in development with a plan to have Margot Robbie lead the project. In a new article by The Times, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has revealed that they are still working on the sequel, and are currently working on two scripts for the film, each one depending on if she joins the production or not.

    Yes. We’re talking to Margot Robbie. We are developing two Pirates scripts — one with her, one without.

    Jerry Bruckheimer

    He’s also asked if that means we’ll see Johnny Depp potentially return, but he only stated “Not at this point. The future is yet to be decided.” The actor, however, has very publicly stated that he has no interest in ever returning to the franchise. It seems the original plan for the sequel was to act as a final send-off for Jack Sparrow, which he was co-writing at the time. It won’t be the same to have the franchise continue withou this inclusion, and it does seem like he’s done with the franchise given what has transpired. For now, we can only wait and see what the future has in store for the production.

    Source: The Times

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Drops by 67% in its Second Weekend, Reaches $688M Worldwide

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Drops by 67% in its Second Weekend, Reaches $688M Worldwide

    We’ve all been keeping a close eye on where exactly Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would end up in its second weekend. After quite the drop on its second Friday at 83%, the film still managed on its way to pull in $61M at the domestic box office. This makes it a 67% drop, which is higher than Eternals‘ 61% drop. Still, the film has opened with the 11th highest opening of all time and is still pulling in quite the numbers. It’s also the same drop that Spider-Man: No Way Home faced in its second weekend, which was Christmas at the time.

    Doctor Strange‘s sequel now stands at $291.9M in its second weekend and has already surpassed the first film’s total domestic run as a result. It’s also pulled in more than other sequels like Captain America: Civil War and is likely to pass Iron Man 2 soon. Still, the drop could be an indicator moving forward if this remains a trend, as it’s a similar drop to Man of Steel (67.9%) and Fantastic Four (68.2%). With two more weeks to go before Top Gun: Maverick, if it doesn’t face too many harsh drops in the next two weeks it could get close to $400M or only slightly edge out The Batman.

    For those wondering, the film has been pulling quite the numbers internationally, which also pushes it further into potentially ending its run at around $955M. As such, it’ll make at least 30% more than its predecessor and is still at a strong $688M worldwide right now. Still keep in mind that this is excluding Russia and Ukraine due to the current crisis, as well as without a Chinese or Saudi Arabian release.

    Forbes’ Sam Mendelsohn points out that it may be developing towards “for fans only” properties like Harry Potter and Twilight, but it probably is likely that expectations going in for a film with the title “multiverse” on an Avengers-level crossover event and the horror elements may have turned some people off. The ceiling is also quite high which could be self-sufficient but a clearer picture will be established with future entries that don’t face these expectations. Spider-Man: No Way Home might be one of the reasons people went in with these expectations.

    Source: Variety, Twitter, Forbes

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Faces Harsh 82% Drop in Second Domestic Friday

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Faces Harsh 82% Drop in Second Domestic Friday

    The numbers are in and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness faces a harsh 82% drop from its first Friday into its second. As such it managed to pull in $17M. Of course, the frontloaded film isn’t hurting too bad but the slower word of mouth seems to be a factor here. It’s facing a slightly higher drop than Black Widow did and not too far from Spider-Man: No Way Home. As the Spider-Man films are released through Sony, this makes Marvel Studios‘ biggest drop.

    The horror elements may be playing a key factor here, as it might jell as well with the general audience. Currently, it’s on its way to a $60M+ weekend at this rate. So, it’ll end the weekend just shy of $300M. It was not a terrible second week given how high it started but a sign that its core audience arrived early. It’s hard to tell but it may be a sign that while momentum in its initial weekend was better, the B+ did hurt it long-term as it’s something people may also be hesitant to return to repeatedly if the horror elements just don’t jell 100% with them.

    While Forbes points out the trend may be due to the MCU moving more towards fans rather than the general audience, it may be reflective of the unique direction of this film. It also pulled in a strong Monday and Tuesday which highlights viewers were a bit more scattered this time around. If it manages to pull in more on Saturday, it’ll head towards a stronger $65M. We’ll see how the weekend ends to get a better feeling about it.

    Source: Deadline, Forbes

  • ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Writer Explains Why the Film Did Not Introduce Mutants to the MCU

    ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Writer Explains Why the Film Did Not Introduce Mutants to the MCU

    As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rounds out its first week in theaters, fans are finally able to share and compare their thoughts on Marvel Studios’ 28th feature film. In the buildup to the movie, Multiverse of Madness gained a reputation for being quite secretive. Many had theories that a wide variety of Marvel characters would cameo via the infinite possibilities of the multiverse—for the most part, they did not.

    One rumor in particular follows Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff wherever she goes: mutants. Now that Disney owns the film rights to X-Men characters, fans are eager for mutants and their stories to debut in the MCU. Though not currently, throughout much of her comics history Wanda was a mutant and the daughter of famed villain and antihero Magneto. Coupled with the fact that Patrick Stewart’s Professor X made his appearance in the Doctor Strange sequel’s trailer, many thought or hoped this film would be where mutants are introduced in the MCU. Some fan theories even pointed to the House of M storyline as inspiration for Multiverse of Madness.

    In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the sequel’s writer Michael Waldron explained how the film’s creators discussed House of M and other mutant-centric stories but ultimately did not feel that Multiverse of Madness was the place to introduce them. He stated:

    Yeah, we talked about House of M, and there’s plenty of examples of Wanda doing bad things throughout the comics in an effort to get her kids back. But ultimately this story didn’t need mutants to be powerful, I guess was our feeling. And, you know, wherever that lies on the timeline for the MCU, it didn’t feel like this was the right place to introduce it — because then it suddenly would have just been about mutants. And this is really a story about Wanda and her grief and her descent into darkness in this movie.

    Michael Waldron

    While audiences have to wait longer to meet the MCU’s version of X-Men or related characters, an introduction to mutants in Multiverse of Madness surely would have either been rushed or taken over Doctor Strange’s second solo film. In any event, fans can keep speculating on the countless possible ways that these characters could be introduced by Marvel Studios in live-action.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.

    Source: Entertainment Tonight

  • REPORT: Daniel Craig Originally Was Cast as Illuminati’s Balder the Brave in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    REPORT: Daniel Craig Originally Was Cast as Illuminati’s Balder the Brave in ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    Earlier today, Deadline’s Justin Kroll revealed that Daniel Craig originally was going to play Mr. Fantastic instead of John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Well, a new report from Heavy Spoilers reveals that he was indeed replaced by Krasinski due to his inability to fly with COVID fears bur he wasn’t going to play Mr. Fantastic.

    Turns out, he was cast as the Asgardian Balder the Brave. Seems he was going to be talked into killing himself by Wanda but Craig’s travel concerns lead to an inspired replacement. It may be that Kroll only heard of Krasinski replacing Craig and made the direct connection through Mr. Fantastic.

    https://twitter.com/heavyspoilers/status/1525415942078988290?s=21&t=WOsv-EFAl7tXK_evYlihEQ

    It’s definitely a testament to their powers to improvise, as otherwise their plans may have fallen apart and it could’ve delayed production by quite a bit if he was a necessity and wasn’t willing to fly out. Still, it gave us the fan casting many wanted to see making it one of Marvel’s many happy accidents.

    Source: Twitter

  • John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic Took Daniel Craig’s Spot in ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Illuminati

    John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic Took Daniel Craig’s Spot in ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Illuminati

    UPDATE: We later would learn that it may not be that Craig was the original choice for Mr. Fantastic, but rather was hired to play Balder the Great, the Illuminati’s Thor equivalent. As he was once almost meant to play the God of Thunder, it’s no surprise that they wanted to add that meta-joke but ended up getting their hands on bringing a popular fan casting to live.

    The arrival of John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a fan-casting gone wild. While his future as the character was left uncertain, it definitely left quite an impact on viewers, as he’s been one of the top favorites for quite some time now. Yet, it turns out that may have just been a happy accident as Deadline’s Justin Kroll revealed they initially had someone else as their first choice for the role, but they couldn’t join due to COVID.

    As teased by Elizabeth Olsen, she hadn’t met any of the Illuminati members that died by her hand. Barstool Sports’ Robbie Fox points out that this is mainly due to scheduling conflicts, which makes sense given the time it was being filmed, but Kroll revealed that the pandemic also was the reason their first choice didn’t fly out of London to film for the role. And going by the GIF included, it seems their initial plan was for it to be Daniel Craig.

    Craig would’ve been quite a curious choice. The star was on a high with his last run as James Bond 007 after No Time to Die. So, many might’ve not expected him to arrive in another blockbuster franchise like this. Yet, some may argue that him not being willing to fly out actually gave many the fan casting they’ve dreamt about for some time now. So, it all kind of came together for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness after all. Yet, somewhere in the vast multiverse, Craig ended up flying out there and is that universe’s Mr. Fantastic.

    Source: Twitteer

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Elizabeth Olsen “Never Met” John Krasinski on Set

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’s Elizabeth Olsen “Never Met” John Krasinski on Set

    The pandemic hasn’t been easy on film productions, especially Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which included quite a few small but essential roles with the Illuminati. The one that drew in quite some excitement was the reveal of John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic. Sadly, his character meets a swift end alongside the other members of the Illuminati, but it turns out that while they died at her hand, she never met him or even the rest of the Illuminati members.

    In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress was forced to take a lie detector and seemingly reveals she seemingly has no idea who Krasinski even is.

    I don’t know him. I would never assume that an actor would be the smartest man alive. I don’t think so. No, I’ve never met him… I’ve never met him. Never met him!…I’ve never met that man. I’ve met his wife.

    Elizabeth Olsen

    While it’s odd she would know who his wife is, it adds to a recent interview with CinemaBlend, where she confirmed that she “never met [any of] them” and that it was “movie magic” that created the sequence. It’s very likely that scheduling issues led to her not meeting them on set, as they had to reshoot some elements that weren’t quite possible due to COVID. It’s something we’ve been seeing more and it’s even more impressive if you consider how well these sequences interweave. If she didn’t say anything, may have never known.

    You can watch her lie detector test here:

    Source: Vanity Fair via Variety

  • Charlize Theron Shares New ‘Doctor Strange 2’ BTS Video

    Charlize Theron Shares New ‘Doctor Strange 2’ BTS Video

    While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is filled with some iconic additions, the first post-credit sequences caught many off-guard when Charlize Theron appeared as Clea. The iconic Doctor Strange comic character has a lot of potential in how she sets up the next storyline, and while we may have to wait a little longer, Theron has been busy sharing some looks behind the scenes on how she brought Clea to life. At first, we got a good look at the make-up that was done to add some character to her design, now she shared a short video that looks like she was scanned for a 3D model, which may have originally been used for more scenes.

    It gives us quite the close-up of her costume and the detailed work that went into bringing it to life is quite impressive. Even the cape has a lot of details to add that otherworldly effect. While it didn’t seem like they animated how it moves, it would make for great detail that her otherworldly powers are reflected in what she’s wearing, especially in a way to highlight its design.

    Theron is a fantastic addition to the franchise, and it hopefully means we’ll see a lot more of Clea in the future of the MCU. Not only would she set up a great Doctor Strange threequel, but may also be someone that ends up appearing in crossover events as she helps keep the multiverse from crashing into each other. So, we’ll see what the future has in store.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Teases More Doctor Strange Variants

    New ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Concept Art Teases More Doctor Strange Variants

    Concept art of Marvel Studios’ films gives us a good glimpse at the various ideas they had during the ongoing production. Artist Karla Ortiz took to Twitter to share a piece of artwork that highlights an early production visual to help “build hype and potentially inform new looks” of the many Variants of Doctor Strange. While the film would go on to feature different versions of Strange, we never actually get to see them fight together which is highlighted in this visual. .

    https://twitter.com/kortizart/status/1524909401743556608

    It also looks like they have gone through “MANY” variations of Strange. They’ve used the character’s core red-and-blue color scheme to give each variation a unique design. It makes you wonder if we’ll ever see the other versions that didn’t make it into the film. Multiverse of Madness made the most out of its concept in a comic world but didn’t make it a focus to just run through countless versions of characters we know, which highlighted some impressive restrained by the creators.

    https://twitter.com/kortizart/status/1525194615980060672

    We’ll see if more concept art makes its way online in the future, but it’s great to always get a look behind the scenes. It’s interesting that they’ve mapped out concept art for multiple Doctor Strange variants that didn’t find their way into the film. Of course, there’s always the chance they originally intended to have more versions make their way into the film before the pulled back to ensure it fits the overarching narrative.

    Source: Twitter