Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Rumors of Jared Leto’s On-Set Behaviours

    ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Rumors of Jared Leto’s On-Set Behaviours

    Jared Leto is well-known throughout the industry, but not for the reasons you’d expect. During his tenure as the Joker on David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad, the actor took “method acting” a step too far by sending his co-stars some questionable gifts. There’ve been rumors that he’s done something similar with his time on his latest feature Morbius, where he plays a character with a disability. Supposedly, he would walk around on crutches and remain in character even long after the camera’s stopped rolling As such, it would cost the production hours for him to just go to the bathroom as a result. Morbius’ director Daniel Espinosa has now confirmed his off-screen behavior in an interview with Uproxx.

    Yeah. Because I think that what Jared thinks, what Jared believes, is that somehow the pain of those movements, even when he was playing normal Michael Morbius, he needed, because he’s been having this pain his whole life. Even though, as he’s alive and strong, it has to be a difference. Hey, man, it’s people’s processes.

    Daniel Espinosa

    As his focus on moving around with crutches became too much, they made a deal to have him sit in a wheelchair as it otherwise would’ve dragged production out even more. It certainly sounds like the director of films like Life and Safe House has faced some harsh challenges on set, especially how he generalizes the experience with actors. He even goes on to say that:

    If you want a completely normal person that does only things that you understand, then you’re in the wrong business. Because what’s different is what makes them tick. It’s very hard to be able to say, “I can take this part away and I will still get the same stuff from him.” I don’t do that. I’m more to see like, “Hey, if you’re doing this, we have to do this.”

    Daniel Espinosa

    So, it sounds like directing a feature film, especially a high-budget one, is quite the challenge. He hints that there are many parties involved with these projects that had their own goals with the production. So, to top it off with actors that have very specific expectations and their own methods to tackle projects like these certainly adds to the pressure any creative has to go through in a competitive industry like Hollywood.

    Source: Uproxx

  • ‘Venom’s Separate Spider-Man Timeline Was Pitched by Sony Not Marvel Studios

    ‘Venom’s Separate Spider-Man Timeline Was Pitched by Sony Not Marvel Studios

    There have been many discussions on who exactly had what idea in setting up the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s relationship with Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. While Tom Holland‘s run as the character stuck in the MCU after Spider-Man: No Way Home, we learned that the universe introduced with Venom was a completely separate timeline altogether. That set-up naturally bled over into Morbius, which existed in this separate timeline. The introduction of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture has added quite a lot of confusion to the story, but luckily director Daniel Espinosa revealed some details on how it came together.

    Most theories pointed to Marvel Studios pitching the idea of a separate universe for Sony, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. According to Espinosa in an interview with Uproxx, Sony was the one that created the concept of this different timeline. Naturally, it led to some issues as the film was originally going to release two years earlier, way before No Way Home even entered production, but ended up having to change course after a constant barrage of delays. So, they had no idea what Marvel Studios was cooking up and Sony forced their hand to adapt. Still, this new timeline was their idea from the get-go:

    But I think that the concept of having different timelines were, I believe, came from Sony, not from Kevin Feige. It was Sony that initiated that idea. I think that Miles Morales that you have in Spider-Verse, I would bet your life on that you would have Miles Morales from the Spider-Verse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point.

    Daniel Espinosa

    It’s a curious reveal, but it may be a hint that Sony wanted absolute freedom to work within their own sandbox. Even if the forced introduction of Vulture made no sense and broke the rules set by the MCU film. Still, that has never stopped the studio from trying out different things as they are seemingly building up towards a villainous crossover against a version of Spider-Man we haven’t seen yet. For now, we’ll have to see where this is heading.it

    Source: Uproxx

  • ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Kicks Off Press Tour With No Trailer in Sight

    ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Kicks Off Press Tour With No Trailer in Sight

    Well, this is awkward. We’ve all been wondering where exactly the trailer has been for Thor: Love and Thunder. The film isn’t that far away from release, yet there hasn’t been anything from the production. Marketing has changed quite a bit due to the pandemic, but it still has been catching people off guard. Yet, adding more to the confusion is the fact that its main actor Chris Hemsworth has shared a photo of him joined by director Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson kicking off the film’s press tour.

    UPDATING

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Morbius Takes Top Spot at the Domestic Box Office With $39M

    ‘Morbius Takes Top Spot at the Domestic Box Office With $39M

    Morbius has been welcomed by audiences with harsh critique, but even its negative reception by critics didn’t stop the film from still nabbing $39.1M at the domestic box office. The film opened across 4,268 theaters in the North America. It’s still a strong pull even for the film landing at 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it won’t break any records.

    To put that in comparison though, Venom managed to pull in $80M back in 2018 before its sequel even went on to pull $90M during the pandemic. While it still remains an issue to this day, we’ve been seeing stronger openings for the usual crowd-pleasing films. Internationally, it hasn’t managed to break the $100M, as it was just shy with $84M.

    To be fair, Sony hasn’t invested that much like other big blockbuster films this time around, as the production budget for Morbius was around $75M. The big test always remains how strong the holding is going into the second weekend, but with word-of-mouth being as it is, we might likely expect a considerable drop going in. For now, we can only theorize.

    Source: Variety

  • Sydney Sweeney on Joining Sony’s ‘Madame Web’ Movie 

    Sydney Sweeney on Joining Sony’s ‘Madame Web’ Movie 

    Sydney Sweeney has emerged as one of the 2020s biggest up-and-coming young stars. She’s fresh off hit roles in HBO’s series Euphoria and The White Lotus, and has dabbled in film with appearances in movies like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The Voyeurs. Next, she’ll be joining the modern superhero frenzy starring opposite Dakota Johnson in Sony’s Madame Web adaptation. The project will be the fourth installment in the studios’ Universe of Marvel Characters, following the Venom movies and this month’s Morbius.

    Speaking to Variety, Sweeney finally opened up about preparing for her role in the film and her excitement over boarding the project:

    I’ve been ordering a bunch of comic books. There’s a lot to learn. I’ve always been a really big fan of all of the Marvel and Sony Universe movies. I’ve grown up watching them all and I’ve been engulfed in the entire world my entire life, so being able to be a part of that is such an incredible, incredible thing.

    Sydney Sweeney

    While the actress did not divulge which character she may be playing, she did reveal it’s not one fans might be expecting. Sweeney spoke about trying to take challenging roles as she furthers her career:

    I like to try and find characters that are challenging for me in multiple different ways, and are completely different from one another. I want to continue to shock people with the characters that I play when they don’t expect that I would choose that next.

    Sydney Sweeney

    While Morbius hasn’t exactly landed well with critics, or viewers, hopefully Madame Web will find the audience Sweeney is looking for. The film is set to be directed by S.J. Clarkson, and has no current release date.

    Source: Variety

  • Bill Skarsgard to Lead ‘The Crow’ Reimagining by Director Rupert Sanders

    Bill Skarsgard to Lead ‘The Crow’ Reimagining by Director Rupert Sanders

    Not, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke, but it looks like The Crow reimagining has once again entered some form of development. This time around, It‘s former Pennywise, Bill Skarsgård, will take on the role with Rupert Sanders set to direct the project. It’ll once again explore the revenge mission of Eric Draven with King Richard‘s Zach Baylin writing the script of the modern take of the classic. The 1994 version is infamous for the accidental on-set death of Brandon Lee. The Nun‘s Corin Hardy has been trying to get a new version off back in 2018 with Jason Momoa originally attached.

    Some have said that any attempt to revive the franchise has been cursed for quite some time. The Momoa revival has been in development hell long before he was attached to the project in some kind of form. Of course, there’s some hesitancy to tackle a project like this given Brandon Lee‘s death after the gun prop used wasn’t cleared ahead of time. It’s been a tragedy that set new security regulations for the entire industry.

    It’s uncertain if the story wills tick to the story of the original adaptation, or give it a unique twist. They might certainly try to modernize the storyline, or they could stick to the original’s more Victorian-inspired design. There a re a few angles they could take while still paying tribute to the original film and its legacy. As it’s still in early development, we’ll see where they take the story once production picks up.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Jim Carrey Has “Mixed Emotions” About ‘The Batman’s Riddler

    Jim Carrey Has “Mixed Emotions” About ‘The Batman’s Riddler

    Matt Reeves‘ The Batman finally hit theaters last month, and was welcomed with rave reviews. A large portion of the acclaim went to Paul Dano‘s performance as classic Batman baddie The Riddler, who was reimagined for the film as a sadistic serial killer hell bent on exposing the many crimes of Gotham’s elite.

    However, not everybody is over-the-moon about the antagonist’s new portrayal, and the list of those with mixed feelings apparently includes a rather famous former Riddler himself. In a recent interview with British outlet Unilad, promoting his upcoming film Sonic the Hedgehog 2, superstar Jim Carrey revealed that the darker tone of Dano‘s villain was not exactly his cup of tea:

    I’ve not seen it. It’s a very dark version. I have mixed emotions about it. To each his own and all that. I love [Paul Dano] as an actor, he’s a tremendous actor. I do worry. There’s a spot of worry in me over gaffer-taping people’s faces and encouraging people to do the same. Some sickos out there that might adopt that method…I do have a conscience about the things I choose…I know there’s a place for it, and I don’t want to criticize it, but it’s not my kind of thing…it’s very well done, those movies are very well done.

    Jim Carrey

    Carrey became the third person to bring Riddler to life on screen in 1995’s Batman Forever, which starred Val Kilmer in the title role with Tommy Lee Jones as fellow rogue Two-Face. That film was infamously campy, as director Joel Schumacher took over the franchise and reintroduced some of the lighthearted goofiness of the 1960s television series.

    Riddler’s plot in Forever was not to violently murder anyone, but instead to steal their intelligence with an improbable, convoluted doohickey. Though he doesn’t agree with the disturbing nature of the latest Batman film, it is nice to hear the Canadian comedian still give praise to Dano‘s acting ability and give lenience towards other’s enjoyment of the movie.

    Sonic the Hedgehog 2 releases in theaters on April 8th.

    Source: Unilad

  • Adil El Arbi Shares New Set Photo as ‘Batgirl’ Wraps Production

    Adil El Arbi Shares New Set Photo as ‘Batgirl’ Wraps Production

    Director Adil El Arbi has taken to his personal Instagram account to share that the HBO Max film Batgirl has wrapped up production. He alongside Billal Fallah took on the task to bring the famous super heroine to life, as Leslie Grace takes on the titular role. There are theories that it might not release until next year due to the delay of The Flash, which was set up to reintroduce Michael Keaton as Batman into the DC Extended Universe. Still, it’s great to see that they were able to wrap up production, and even shared a new look at Grace‘s costume.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbz_D9jMQvn/?utm_medium=copy_link

    Batgirl will see the young heroine face off against Firefly, a popular Batman villain that is known for his love of arson. We know very little about the plot or even if other villains may have a role of some kind. It’s even more surprising given how many photos have found their way online from the production, especially during its stay in Glasgow. Of course, there are probably enough interior shots that were done that way to avoid any potential leaks.

    Grace will be joined by some veteran actors in their respective roles, most notably Michael Keaton that originally took on the role in Tim Burton‘s 1989 film. It’s uncertain if the film will build up his return through The Flash, but as it’s planned as a follow-up it can just skip to that part directly.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Morbius’ Opens to $5.7M in Thursday Previews, Eyeing a Potential $50M- Opening Weekend

    ‘Morbius’ Opens to $5.7M in Thursday Previews, Eyeing a Potential $50M- Opening Weekend

    Morbius is a curious case of a film constantly getting pushed back even after it originally eyeing a release in January of 2020. After all that, it was welcomed by some harsh reviews and opened up to a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has now seemingly still managed to pull in $5.7M on a Thursday, which is half of what Venom: Let There Be Carnage got last year. It’s not a great opening but with a $75M budget it’s still nothing to get worried about for Sony.

    Still, the weekend will be the ultimate test, as photos of seemingly empty theaters are making the rounds and hints that the latest blockbuster entry may lose its momentum quite fast. While at best it could score around $45M, it might be closing in on $35M by the end of its weekend run. Early predictions did have it at potentially breaking $50M opening weekend early on, which could still be possible if it somehow picks up in its second weekend.

    Sony wasn’t dumb and invested less into the picture knowing that Morbius isn’t a household name like Venom is. Most of its marketing put all its money on building up the connection to Spider-Man. We even got various hints at it either being part of the MCU, Maguire‘s universe or even the Amazing franchise. Yet, as director Daniel Espinosa openly leaked the post-credit sequences a week ahead of its release, it’s unclear if there are any expectations of the film moving forward.

    Source: Forbes, Box Office Pro

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s Jim Carrey is “Fairly Serious” on Retiring Soon

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s Jim Carrey is “Fairly Serious” on Retiring Soon

    Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is finally finding its way to theaters and with a third entry already on the horizon, the franchise seems set in stone to further expand. Of course, there’s hope to keep actors involved as much as possible but it seems one of its big draws, Jim Carrey, might be considering retiring soon. In an interview with Access Hollywood, the actor talked about wanting Dr. Robotnik’s mustache to grow even bigger but also revealed that he’s “fairly serious” about retiring from acting.

    While he does say “probably” and that it depends on “if the angels bring some sort of script that’s written in gold ink that says to me it’s going to be really important for people to see” but then pointed out he’s going to take a break to focus on his art world. He highlights that he’s “done enough” and that is why he’s considering leaving this part of his life behind him for a more calmer experience.

    It would be a shame, as he has generally retreated from acting for some time. He’s also has a Netflix special on the horizon to honor the late and talented Bob Sagat, but it was a rather surprising reveal during the interview, especially as it was made after finding out Dolly Parton wants him to play Porter Wagoner in a biopic. If he goes through with it, it’s unclear if the newly established Sonic the Hedgehog franchise will move forward without Dr. Robotnik or potentially even recast him. Of course, they could also have him appear in smaller roles throughout to lessen the work load while still keeping him active in it.

    If you are interested, you can check out his interview with Access Hollywood right here:

    Source: Access Hollywood