Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Sam Raimi Describes Changing ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Based On Other MCU Projects

    Sam Raimi Describes Changing ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Based On Other MCU Projects

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project with “multiverse” in the title, but it’s certainly not the first to tackle the topic. The movie is set to continue some of the plotlines established in both Wandavision and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and will utilize several elements first introduced in Loki. Keeping this in mind made things a little more complicated for director Sam Raimi, who had to juggle more than just his own project when developing plotlines. Luckily, the filmmaker is pretty sure everything turned out for the best, and even had some help from writer Michael Waldron along the way:

    It was a fun challenge, and a little scary. Most of the work was done by [screenwriter] Michael Waldron, who is a really big fan of the Marvel Comics and has friends on the WandaVision writing staff, so we would communicate with each other, the WandaVision team and ours and the Spider Man: No Way Home team, and we would keep abreast of their changes. And even while we were shooting, they were shooting, and we’d be making changes based on changes that they made, because we really wanted this to be the next installment. We really wanted it to be a really good — not sequel, but a very logical next step for the fans.

    Sam Raimi

    This could partially explain why Multiverse of Madness underwent so many reshoots during production. The MCU seems to be an ever-changing beast, like any good comic book universe, and the next solo Doctor Strange adventure still has to fit somewhere between the lines. It also likely didn’t help that Multiverse of Madness was originally scheduled to premiere before No Way Home, which meant the way both films referenced each other would have had to be changed to accommodate the new timeline. Thankfully, it seems like this level of studio adjustment worked out better for Raimi than it did when he was making Spider-Man 3 in 2007.

    Check out Multiverse of Madness when it hits theaters on May 6.

    Source: Fandom

  • Sam Raimi Reveals How ‘Evil Dead’ Influenced ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ 

    Sam Raimi Reveals How ‘Evil Dead’ Influenced ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ 

    Since it’s very announcement, Marvel Studios has been describing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as their first true foray into the horror genre. As such, it made a lot of sense when the company hired Sam Raimi to replace Scott Derrickson as the film’s director. The iconic filmmaker has experience with both comic book projects and horror movies, and has even mixed the two before in 1990’s Darkman. However, it was apparently his work on the famed Evil Dead franchise that helped him the most throughout filming of Doctor Strange. In a recent interview with Fandom, Raimi explained:

    It was really nice to have the experience of having made those horror films because I could take my knowledge of building suspense and delivering scares, and when it got spooky in Multiverse of Madness, I could apply those techniques.

    Sam Raimi

    The latest MCU film is said to be filled with plenty of ghastly moments and jump scares. Raimi is known for his fast-paced camera work and up-close visuals, which the film’s star Rachel McAdams confirmed in her own quote:

    He’s really great at describing what is happening in his mind’s eye, thank goodness, because, you can see it all sort of swirling in there. And you’re like [whispering] ‘What are we doing? What’s happening?’ And then he’s very good about taking you through the whole day and what this will look like and what’s coming towards you and the build up of a scene and how scary it’s going to be. You sort of start to understand, like, ‘Oh, this is my part in this. And this is how I can help him make it as scary as possible.’ That was kind of fun. And doing super, super tight shots – like, way up in your face! But once you know why, that’s kind of exciting.

    Rachel McAdams

    Fans will see just how terrifying Doctor Strange can be when Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6th.
    News

    Source: Fandom


  • Sam Raimi Reveals First Cut of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Was Much Longer

    Sam Raimi Reveals First Cut of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Was Much Longer

    As Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness prepares to blow fans’ minds, more information is coming to light about what it was like behind the scenes. Audiences are eager to witness director Sam Raimi’s return to the Marvel movie scene and what his signature flair will add to the horror-inspired film.

    One aspect of the unreleased film that has caught people’s attention is the official run time. Conversations about run times seem to have increased dramatically in the past few years, and many have questioned whether the Multiverse of Madness’s two-hour and five-minute run time is appropriate for the perceived scope of the film.

    Raimi recently told Collider that the first cut of the film was indeed significantly longer than the final cut. Apparently, the final film was cut down from a two-hour and forty-minute run time. At that length, the Doctor Strange sequel would have been one of the MCU’s longest films to date. The final cut is actually right about the average length for an MCU film.

    In explaining that there are a few deleted scenes he expects to make the eventual Blu-ray, Raimi commented on the film’s runtime:

    Well, the first cut…I actually don’t remember the length of it…it was probably about two hours and forty minutes and it slowly came down even though we did the reshoots. We took out material even though the reshoots went in.

    Sam Raimi

    While the runtime is controversial despite the fact that general audiences have yet to see Multiverse of Madness, fans should trust that the filmmakers left out material for the good of the film. You can read our review as to why no one should worry about how long the sequel is.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Regrets Some Multiverse Rules He Introduced in ‘Loki’

    ‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Regrets Some Multiverse Rules He Introduced in ‘Loki’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is almost upon us. You can read our spoiler-free review here. The 28th Marvel Studios feature film will be the latest—and likely biggest—leap into the multiversal lore of Phase Four. The movie promises to be a bold and wild Sam Raimi-directed adventure that sees our titular character, with company from major characters like the Scarlet Witch and America Chavez, travel through the multiverse to prevent a great evil that threatens it.

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse was, in fact, broken open during the events of the season finale of the Loki Disney+ series that debuted in 2021. With the new multiverse in full focus going into the Doctor Strange sequel, the film had quite the helping hand in its writer Michael Waldron, who also penned Loki. Previously, producer Richie Palmer has praised Waldron’s involvement with respect to how the Disney+ series already set the groundwork for some of the rules of the multiverse.

    Interestingly, Waldron recently told Digital Spy that he has some regrets about how rigidly he defined some of the “rules” of the multiverse in Loki due to its potential effects on future multiverse projects:

    We worked pretty hard on Loki to make it as airtight as possible. But there were times when I was like, ‘Oh, shit, I wish I hadn’t have defined that so clearly. I don’t know why I had to be so specific in my time-travel television show about the rules of the multiverse.

    Michael Waldron

    Even though there may be some challenges in keeping multiversal mechanics consistent in the MCU as a whole going forward, Waldron still believes that his work on Loki greatly benefitted the writing process of Multiverse of Madness. He stated:

    But, I was glad that I came in with institutional knowledge of the multiverse and was able to get the creative team of Doctor Strange on the same page as me on everything. Because like with Loki, that’s the most important thing when you’re dealing with this…You have to all have a shared language of all this stuff, otherwise it can get pretty confusing.

    Michael Waldron

    If Loki limited some of the creative direction of Multiverse of Madness with respect to the physics and understandings of the multiverse, it seems as though it still ultimately enabled the sequel to have a coherent and consistent tone with the MCU. A “shared language” about the multiverse will undoubtedly come in handy to both filmmakers and audiences going forward.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases in theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Digital Spy

  • Karen Gillan Wraps ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, Talks the Future of Nebula

    Karen Gillan Wraps ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’, Talks the Future of Nebula

    A recent batch of photos from the set of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seemed to indicate that Karen Gillan’s time on set was coming to an end. Today, the actress confirmed that she had completed her portion of the 2023 sequel’s principal photography.

    Gillan was cast as Nebula in early 2013 and has appeared in 4 films (Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) with 2 more (Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) appearances on the way. After serving as one of the primary antagonists of the first Guardians’ film, Gillan’s role expanded greatly as her character evolved. Nebula served as one of the main characters of Avengers: Endgame and director James Gunn has said she will play a larger role in Vol. 3.

    As Gillan explains, the future of the character is up in the air given that Gunn has repeatedly explained that the third film will be the end of the story for the current iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy. It is possible, however, that given her popularity, Marvel Studios could look to work with Gillan on a solo Nebula project, keep her attached to future Guardians’ films or simply find another way to incorporate the character. Nebula has had one of the most intense and emotional onscreen arcs of any character in the MCU, so it would be a shame if the threequel closes the door on the character’s future now that she’s come to find herself after years of abuse at the hands of Thanos.

  • Sam Raimi Thinks Scarlet Witch is More Powerful Than Doctor Strange

    Sam Raimi Thinks Scarlet Witch is More Powerful Than Doctor Strange

    One eternal debate among Marvel fans is about just how powerful Wanda Maximoff really is. The Scarlet Witch has always been a dominant force in the comics, and the events of WandaVision have finally helped bring the character up to speed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After fully embracing her abilities, Elizabeth Olsen‘s Avenger was able to best a wildly capable witch and take down the centuries-old Agatha Harkness. However, the character has never faced the MCU’s headlining magic-user, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s Dr. Stephen Strange, and it’s still up in the air whether or not that fight is one she could win.

    Luckily, Wanda’s next big screen appearance will be in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so it’s possible events play out in such a way that fans will finally get an answer to that question. A recent poll conducted by Fandom revealed that 62% of voters thought Scarlet Witch would wipe the floor with the Master of the Mystic Arts, and an ensuing interview with director Sam Raimi let slip the filmmaker was inclined to agree. Citing her use of Chaos Magic as the tipping point, Raimi explained:

    Just from my reading of the Marvel comic books, knowing what happened to her, she seems like she just was born with it. That chaos magic is really a bad, bad mother. You don’t want to mess with it. So I bet that she, when push came to shove in a fair fight, could probably handle Doctor Strange.

    Sam Raimi

    Other members of the Multiverse of Madness cast also chimed in, and every single one of them put their vote towards Wanda. Benedict Wong called the decision a “tough” one, but eventually gave the nod to Maximoff, remarking, “It’s the chaos magic, isn’t it?”. Rachel McAdams explained her stance was due solely to WandaVision:

    I loved WandaVision so much. Not that I haven’t loved Benedict [Cumberbatch] in everything he’s ever done, but I did love what Lizzie did with that character. She was just such a force!

    Rachel McAdams

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Fandom

  • First Tease of High Evolutionary Spotted in New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Set Photo

    First Tease of High Evolutionary Spotted in New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Set Photo

    We’ve long wondered who might be the villain in the upcoming third entry of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Recent set photos offered a hint at what may be the MCU’s interpretation of Halfworld, Rocket’s homeworld in the comics. It looked like a replica of Earth with some outdated clothing, but what stood out is that every “human” seemed like they were also a hybrid of a random animal. Now, Cosmic Circus has shared what may be our first tease of the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

    There have been rumors that Chukwudi Iwjui might be playing the character, but we still haven’t gotten an official announcement on who exactly he’s playing in the upcoming threequel. The tease is certainly interesting and the alien language further hints at similarities to Earth but with some unique distinctions. It may be a different take on the Counter-Earth, which was high Evolutionary’s way of creating a “purer” version of the normal Earth.

    Image

    It still seems possible that his history is with Earth and that may have been his inspiration. He’d actually make a perfect counter to Star-Lord, who also has a history with the planet but is still stuck in a very different time. They may bond over that era before realizing that while Star-Lord learned to embrace the future, especially going by the Holiday Special teases, Evolutionary is still stuck to a bygone era. So, they may use this as a way to create a contrast between the two.

    Source: Cosmic Circus

  • Producer Hiram Garcia Reveals Why ‘Black Adam’ Was Delayed

    Producer Hiram Garcia Reveals Why ‘Black Adam’ Was Delayed

    A while back fans were disappointed to learn that the DC Extended Universe film slate was hit with quite a few big delays, sending films previously dated to release this year like The Flash and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom into 2023. One casualty fans felt was the delay of Black Adam, a film that had been stuck in development hell for quite some time and was finally close to releasing. It was initially dated for July 27th, 2022 but was sent back a few months to October 21st, 2022 and now we finally know why.

    Producer on the film, Hiram Garcia, has revealed just why Black Adam would not be making its previously dated July release date. Garcia stated that due to the pandemic there became such a backlog of work for VFX studios that they would not be able to complete work on the film in time for the set date.

    I think we’re just in a world right now where there was a huge and understandable freeze-up when the pandemic hit and a lot of productions were put on hold, Now that the industry has really roared back, the pipeline for VFX is so jammed. Obviously all these superhero movies just require so much VFX, and we’re just in a situation where the majority of the VFX houses are just completely swamped with work.

    Hiram Garcia

    Garcia went on to talk about how well the film was coming together and just how grateful they are for the VFX talent they have working on the project.

    They’re busting their ass and we’re so grateful for all those VFX houses, It feels like things are starting to calibrate and I think you’ll start to feel less shifts down the line. We’re excited about it and we’re really excited with the way the movie’s been looking and excited to finish it and get it out into the world.

    Hiram Garcia

    Fans will have to wait just a little bit longer to witness the debut of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Black Adam, but they wanna make sure it’s well worth the wait and the best film it can be. Hopefully, this news will help ease some tension amongst fans who were worried about its delay.

    Source: The Wrap

  • New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Set Photos May Tease Rocket’s Halfworld

    New ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ Set Photos May Tease Rocket’s Halfworld

    Not too long ago, we covered a few set photos from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that seemingly gave us our first look at some comic-accurate costumes for the Guardians. At the time, it gave us a good look at Star-Lord and Nebula. Now, a new batch of set photos has found its way online from JustJared. While they don’t include any other Guardian members, it does give us a good look at the planet they are on, which looks a lot like Earth. Yet, the characters running around are seemingly humanoid and animal hybrids. Could this potentially be a new interpretation of Rocket Raccoon’s home planet Halfworld?

    As these images are provided by JustJared, we cannot share them but they can be checked out by clicking here.

    In the images, we get a good look at characters that look like they have attributes of a bat, a boar, a cat, and more. They are all very humanoid with some animal attributes. So, it doesn’t look like they are normal-sized unlike Rocket, who is mostly a raccoon with some improvements. Yet, the clothing seems quite outdated, which makes you wonder if perhaps this is a planet where another evolution echoed that of Earth but got stuck in another timeline.

    Perhaps Halfworld is the playground for the High Evolutionary, who was from Earth. With his time in space, he may have wanted to return to an era when he last saw his home and while creating the various creatures that roam this planet, ended up also replicating something that is similar to Earth. Rocket may have been part of earlier experiments and these are the most advanced results of the Evolutionary research. It would be a fun way of playing with the Guardians and the audience. For now, it’s just speculation but it does look like we’ll get a very unique interpretation if this is indeed Halfworld.

    Source: JustJared

  • Kevin Feige Agress There Were Too Many Spoilers in the ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Trailers

    Kevin Feige Agress There Were Too Many Spoilers in the ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Trailers

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a film that was always going to have a rough time promoting. Most of the film is seemingly building up Strange’s adventure through the multiverse and even a meeting with the Illuminati. While the initial tease of Patrick Stewart in the trailer was something that got many people’s attention, later promos included quite a bit more than what people were bargaining for. One even included some massive reveals that probably weren’t meant to make their way online before the release.

    It seems that Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, also agrees with that sentiment. As when he was asked during the premiere, he stated without hesitation that “there’s been too much in the trailers“. Something many would agree with, especially with those trailers that were made publicly available this short ahead of the film’s release.

    There’s been too much in the trailers, I don’t want to talk about anything else. But I will say, Sam has made this movie to be experienced on as big a screen as possible, and it’s even the first one in a long time that 3D was really taken into account too, because the first Doctor Strange film I think was out best film ever in 3D, and this one now will be right alongside that.

    Kevin Feige

    It’s unclear how much influence Marvel Studios has over its marketing, as the trailers may have been coordinated directly via Disney. Though, one would assume they would require a sign-off from the company and producers, as there were hints directors also actively work with the marketing teams. It does seem safe to say that Feige might take this feedback internally and ensure that it doesn’t repeat again.

    You can watch the red carpet event here:

    Source: YouTube via The Direct