Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • BREAKING: ‘The Batman’ Sequel Officially In Development

    BREAKING: ‘The Batman’ Sequel Officially In Development

    Back in March, the world was introduced to Matt Reeves‘ take on Gotham City and the Batman mythos with the fittingly named The Batman. The film was a resounding hit, finding universal praise from fans and critics alike. Not only did it manage to bring in over $750 million at the worldwide box office, but now it’s also dominating on HBO Max, quickly becoming the most-watched DC film in its first week with 4.1 million households streaming the film. With success like that, a sequel announcement to the film was only a question of time.

    At the Warner Brothers panel during CinemaCon, Reeves is also confirmed to return to direct the upcoming sequel. Robert Pattinson will, of course, return as the caped crusader, but the plot details of the film are still unknown. Still, it seems that they plan to have the team from the first entry return for the sequel that’ll continue Bruce Wayne’s story of realizing what it means to be a symbol for his city.

    We might still have to wait a bit until we get our first look or even tease what the sequel will be about, but it seems likely it’ll build upon the ending of the first film as Gotham is flooded. Batman having to save civilians while a new threat shows its fangs would make for a unique backdrop and challenge in a Batman film.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • BREAKING: ‘Fast X’ Production on Hold Indefinitely as Justin Lin Exits Project

    BREAKING: ‘Fast X’ Production on Hold Indefinitely as Justin Lin Exits Project

    Here’s rather shocking news, but it looks like Justin Lin has exited the upcoming tenth Fast and Furious entry, titled Fast X. He is stepping down as director shortly after the project started production. While he will remain as a producer, it seems that he has left the project due to creative differences. He has published a statement on leaving the project:

    With the support of Universal, I have made the difficult decision to step back as director of FAST X, while remaining with the project as a producer. Over 10 years and five films, we have been able to shoot the best actors, the best stunts, and the best damn car chases. On a personal note, as the child of Asian immigrants, I am proud of helping to build the most diverse franchise in movie history. I will forever be grateful to the amazing cast, crew and studio for their support, and for welcoming me into the FAST family.

    Justin Lin

    It’s certainly heavy that he swiftly left the project just as it started. Sadly, we may never find out what exactly led to the creative differences, especially as he was also set to direct the eleventh and final entry in the Fast Saga. According to Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit, it seems that they are considering David Leitch and F. Gary Gray as replacements.

    For now, it seems unclear if the film will manage to make its May 19th release next year, as the search for a new director begins. It seems that Lin isn’t leaving the project with bad blood, but something must’ve led the director to decide that he no longer wants to direct the film. We’ll see if they might already have a replacement in mind in the near future.

    Source: Deadline

  • First CinemaCon Footage Description of Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Finds its Way Online

    First CinemaCon Footage Description of Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Finds its Way Online

    It looks like Sony did have something special for visitors of CinemaCon, as Sean O’Connel shared some details on footage that was shown from their upcoming Spider-Man spinoff film, Kraven the Hunter. Even though it just recently started production it seems they already had a little teaser ready for visitors. He shared it on his @WGreatPowerBook Twitter profile on a book covering Sony’s adaptations of the franchise.

    In his Twitter post, he highlights that it was a rather brief sizzle real showing Aaron Taylor-Johnson hanging on to a car, which was first revealed in leaked set photos not too long ago. It seems that they also showed the new logo, but he seems to believe they might release something online. For now, we’ll have to wait and see if that’ll get released.

    We’ll see if they actually will share anything from the project online, but it seems too early to tease anything. The only thing they might do is share the first logo for the project, similar to getting the Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse logo after they retitled the project. Still, it seems they are certainly moving full force with the project.

    Kraven the Hunter is quite an interesting project, as it’s unclear how exactly they are building up their anti-Spider-Man team out of Morbius‘ post-credit sequence. He very likely won’t have a role in this film. So, it makes you wonder how they are trying to set up an anti-hero version of the Sinister Six that is still out to take down the webhead.

    Source: Twitter

  • Theater Owner Chief Announces the Death of Day-and-Date Releases

    Theater Owner Chief Announces the Death of Day-and-Date Releases

    There have been quite a few discussions since the start of the pandemic on what exactly the future of cinema looks like. The Batman‘s success in theaters and as a strong HBO Max addition seemingly added some momentum to the full recovery of cinema. It’s been rough since the pandemic started in 2020, but family and indie films are finally gaining some momentum again as that audience is slowly creeping back into theaters.

    As CinemaCon is currently ongoing, which is all about the “cinematic experience,” the National Association of Theatre Owners chairman John Fithian made a broad statement during his address. He believes that the day-and-date model has now died as they move forward in a more traditional direction, especially highlighting piracy as a reason.

    I am pleased to announce that simultaneous release is dead as a serious business model, and piracy is what killed it. When a pristine copy of a movie makes its way online and spreads, it has a very damaging impact on our industry.

    John Fithian

    Warner Bros. was one of the few to truly embrace the day-and-date model, as every release for the entire year got that special treatment. Now, they are still embracing a digital next model with a 45-day release.

    When analyzing title after title it becomes very clear that spikes in piracy are most drastic when a movie is first available to watch in the home: it doesn’t matter if its available via premium video on demand or subscription video on demand,” said Fithian. “Robust theatrical windows protect against piracy. If a major title that people are clamoring to see in theaters is released too quickly to the home and then pirated, the temptation to stay home and watch pirated films becomes greater for many potential moviegoers.

    John Fithian

    He goes on to highlight the issue of piracy without giving concrete examples. Still, their main focus will be on 2022 and moving forward, as the potential of this year’s releases offers a lot more box office momentum. One could argue that the topic is quite a bit more complex, especially given the personal investment in the medium also painting the full picture. Yet, the piracy issue has definitely left its impact on the industry, especially with the lack of Chinese releases.

    There’s no true answer and the model may not truly be dead, especially as streaming services start to crack on piracy concerns moving forward. Netflix’s recent fall will also bare its fangs moving forward, but the streaming market is definitely not something of the past. We’ll see if 2022 might be our first return to 2019 numbers, especially building upon the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Batman.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Wicked’ Film Now Split Into Two Parts

    ‘Wicked’ Film Now Split Into Two Parts

    Here’s another film that you could possibly find under “development hell” in the dictionary, the long-awaited big-screen adaption of the hit broadway musical, Wicked. The project has been in development since 2004, never finding its footing and failing to happen. Things seem to finally be in motion with Jon M. Chu at the helm of the project. While production still ended up getting delayed, it seems some creative changes behind the project have lead to us getting a little more Wicked than we bargained for.

    Chu himself took to Twitter to announce that the Wicked film would now be split into two, rather than cram the entire musical into one. He went on to explain that it would be impossible to do the project justice by only doing one film, citing that they attempted to cut songs or reduce character arcs but it just wasn’t working out. This led to the decision to turn the adaption into a two-parter.

    Back in October, it was announced that production on Wicked would be delayed till the summer of 2022 with filming now set to take place over in the UK. Currently, the musical adaption only has two stars attached, with Ariana Grande set to play Glinda and Cynthia Erivo set to play the role of Elphaba. With production set to kick off here in a few months it seems likely we could be hearing more news on that front at any moment.

    Wicked is currently set to release in December of 2024, but no specific date has been announced just yet. It is unknown if the films will shoot back to back as of right now.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Director to Helm Live-Action Adaptation of ‘Robotech’ For Sony

    ‘Hawkeye’ Director to Helm Live-Action Adaptation of ‘Robotech’ For Sony

    Fresh off the immense success of Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye, director Rhys Thomas has found his next project. The filmmaker has officially boarded the movie Robotech, set to be produced by Sony Pictures, as his first major feature film. Thomas is set to direct a script from longtime Sony collaborators Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, with recent rewrites by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka.

    The first duo is best known for their work on nerdy projects like Iron Man and Punisher: War Zone, while the latter pair are better known for their arthouse work on films like the upcoming Sharper. Hollywood producers Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari will guide the production with the help of the company Harmony Gold.

    Robotech will be based on the 1980s anime series of the same name. The story is set in a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology of an alien spacecraft that crashed in the South Pacific and is now utilizing their advancements to fend off an attack from a hostile alien race. Carl Macek created the original American series, which was itself an adaptation of three separate Japanese shows made in three parts.

    It ran from 1982 to 1984 with minor success and has since gained something of a cult following. The movie will be Thomas‘ first big-budget feature, after over a decade of mostly television work. His prior films consist of Staten Island Summer and The Comeback Kid, the first of which released directly to digital download.

    Source: Deadline

  • New Photos for Joe and Anthony Russo’s ‘The Gray Man’ Released

    New Photos for Joe and Anthony Russo’s ‘The Gray Man’ Released

    Joe and Anthony Russo have been busy with their new action thriller The Gray Man. They reunited with their Avengers co-workers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to adapt the 2009 novel of the same name. The film is set to release on Netflix in July and is considered the most expensive production ever produced by Netflix with a $200M budget. Now, we got a good look at the upcoming cast.

    The film is stuffed with talent which includes Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton, and many more. Netflix Geeked took to Twitter to share a few photos from the cast as they start to ramp up marketing for the film. With a new look at the cast, we might expect a trailer in the coming months, as we are also nearing their usual two-month marketing period.

    The original novel follows the story of Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), who is a mercenary that accidentally uncovers a dark secret within his agency. Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former colleague of his, puts a bounty on his head and kicks off a manhunt.

    Given Netflix’s current situation, it definitely will try to hype up the marketing for this film to pull in new subscribers. Here’s hoping that the trailer is just around the corner, as we get to see this cast in action and what the Avengers director’s brought to the table to retell this classic novel. Netflix is fully investing in this project, and who knows if they pull back on their production budgets after recent events.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘Ghostbusters’ Film is in the Works at Sony

    New ‘Ghostbusters’ Film is in the Works at Sony

    Sony is calling the Ghostbusters again. A new film was announced in the closing sizzle reel during Sony Pictures’ CinemaCon presentation. The fifth film in the franchise is coming hot on the heels of the largely successful Ghostbusters: Afterlife which was released in 2021.

    No talent or other details were given. It currently remains unknown if this will be a sequel to Afterlife, another reimagining like 2016’s ill-fated Ghostbusters, or some sort of spinoff. While the 2016 film was panned by critics and fans alike, Afterlife finished its opening weeks just behind the viral Disney film Encanto at the box office. Ghostbusters: Afterlife received a decent reception, hopefully allowing the franchise to breathe again after many considered it to be dead. While we still don’t know much about the new movie, it would make a lot of sense for Sony to try and improve and capitalize on the formula that finally found them some success. Whether that means we see the new recruits step up and lead the franchise into a new future, or once again relying on fan service is anyone’s guess.

    Ghostbusters: Afterlife, directed by Jason Reitman, and released in 2021, received $204.6 million at the global box office on a $75 million budget. The film was released on November 19, 2021. It was the 10th highest-grossing film of 2021.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Delayed Until 2023

    ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Movie Delayed Until 2023

    Last September, Nintendo made headlines as it announced the voice cast for its animated film based on the highly popular Mario franchise. The internet went crazy as it was revealed that Chris Pratt had been cast as the titular plumber, along with Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. The film has been in the works for quite some time, and it was finally set to release this year during the holiday season, but it looks like things may have changed. 

    Originally set for a release date of Dec. 21st, 2022, Super Mario Bros. has been delayed four months and is now set to hit theaters on April 7th, 2023. Unfortunately, for Japanese fans, the delay is a tad bit longer with a April 28th Japanese release. No reason was specified for the film’s delay, but its likely just due to not being able to have it done in time and after the last Mario movie, they probably want to make sure they have it just right. 

    Shigeru Miyamoto announced the delay himself through the Nintendo of America Twitter account, detailing that he spoke with the films producer Chris Meledandri and the two decided that the film would be delayed and that it would be ,”well worth the wait.” The film’s release date will now be occupied by Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, which was originally set to release on Sept. 9th, 2022.

    Along with Pratt, Black, and Rogen, the film will feature the likes of Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. 

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Venom 3’ Officially in Development at Sony

    ‘Venom 3’ Officially in Development at Sony

    While the Venom films are far from a critical success, the films have proven to be a success for Sony. The first film was a surprising box office hit, and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, delivered what many fans wanted to see with the arrival of Carnage. It went on to gross $502 million globally in midst of a pandemic, so a third entry into the franchise seemed like a no-brainer and things already seem to be in motion on it. 

    Sony’s CinemaCon panel brought quite a bit of news regarding its work with the library of Marvel characters at its disposal and towards the tail end of the showcase, the studio confirmed that Venom 3 is indeed in the works. 

    We received no other details on the project, but we can assume that Tom Hardy will return as the lethal protector. No writer or director has been announced for the project, but Let There Be Carnage saw Andy Serkis take the reigns of the franchise from Ruben Fleischer, and it’s possible that Serkis could indeed return to direct. 

    The last time we saw Hardy as the character was at the tail-end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where we found his intoxicated and stranded in the Marvel Cinematic Universe trying to process the happenings of that world and its inhabitants like Iron Man and Hulk. Eddie Brock found himself pulled back to his own universe suddenly but left behind a droplet of the symbiote, which we assume will find its way to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the future.

    No release date has been announced for the film

    Source: Variety