Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Colin Farrell’s Penguin Won’t Smoke in ‘The Batman’

    Colin Farrell’s Penguin Won’t Smoke in ‘The Batman’

    It looks like Colin Farrell‘s version of Oswald Cobblepot will be lacking one of his many signatures in the upcoming The Batman film. In the comics, the character has often been portrayed smoking a cigarette or even a cigar at times, but it seems that Warner Bros. won’t allow the portrayal of the character with it. In an interview with Jake’s Takes, he revealed that he fought quite a bit to get his character to smoke in the film, but his requests were always turned down.

    Big studios make big decisions around such thing as the presence of cigarettes in films. I fought valiantly for a cigar. At one stage I said, ‘I can have it unlit! Just let me have it unlit.’ They were like, ‘No.’ [As if] a bunch of 12 year olds are going to start smoking Cuban cigars because [the Penguin is smoking cigars in a movie.]Colin Farrell

    They aren’t the only ones that have set a smoking ban in their productions, as Disney famously made the decision back in 2007. They even extended it to their other subsidiaries – sorry Wolverine fans, no cigar for him – and are quite strict on it. To be fair, Farrell’s upcoming version of Cobblepot seems closer to a gangster version of the character that is only now on his path to embracing the Penguin identity. So, we’ll see what the future has in store for the character and if he at least gets his iconic hat.

    Source: Jake’s Takes via Variety

  • ‘Avengers: Endgame’s Joe Russo Warns on Overdoing the Multiverse Storyline

    ‘Avengers: Endgame’s Joe Russo Warns on Overdoing the Multiverse Storyline

    The multiverse has arrived last year in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Loki kicked off events that would eventually set the stage for Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We don’t know how big the plans are for the concept, but even DC is jumping in on the trend with The Flash set to potentially even rewrite the history of the DC Extended Universe. Avengers: Endgame‘s director, Joe Russo, was asked about his thoughts in regards to how much more we can expect it moving forward. He had a simple approach by stating that “too much of one thing is a bad thing.” His full quote is as follows:

    So yeah, too much of one thing is a bad thing, but I think there are enough creators and innovators in the space where you can expect to be surprised. Just don’t expect corporations to surprise you.

    Joe Russo

    He’s definitely right that too much won’t be good for the film’s long-term. There’s always a chance that it gets too convoluted or difficult to figure out how everything connects. Plus, it’ll bloat the market if all these films provide are cameos of familiar faces just because they could. It does seem like the MCU version of the multiverse might come to an end once the story teased with He Who Remains hits its boiling point. Who knows if an adaptation of Secret wars might be the project that brings it all together once again.

    Source: IGN

  • Producer Reveals ‘Loki’ Had A Major Influence On ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Producer Reveals ‘Loki’ Had A Major Influence On ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is already one of the most anticipated movies of the year. While still being the follow-up to 2016’s Doctor Strange, the sequel promises to be packed to the brim with content that could rival big Marvel Studios films like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    Central to Multiverse of Madness’ story is, of course, the multiverse. With that comes infinite possibilities of what we could see in the film or where our characters could go. While cracking open the multiverse is no easy feat, Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer told D23 Magazine that the filmmakers already had a starting point. Specifically, Palmer credited the Disney+ series Loki as being a major influence for the Doctor Strange sequel.

    While Spider-Man: No Way Home was the first official live-action venture into the multiverse, Loki already set the scene. Michael Waldron served as the writer for both Loki and Multiverse of Madness. Palmer stated:

    [Waldron’s involvement in the movie] was a blessing for us, because we got the guy who created the rules of the Multiverse for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to come in and continue that story in our movie…Michael’s strength is the character stuff. As you saw in Loki, all the best moments involved the characters against the backdrop of those alternate timelines. It’s kind of like that in our movie, too. Michael’s script brought a lot of heart to sci-fi concepts such as the Multiverse.

    Richie Palmer

    The “rules of the multiverse” apparently came quite in handy. Palmer goes on to note:

    It was really exciting. We found that we didn’t need to spend a lot of time recapping the rules; we felt the audience would get a lot of that by now. With Michael, we could jump into telling a good story within what’s already been established.

    Richie Palmer

    It is exciting and even rewarding to think that the dramatic moments from Loki’s memorable finale of the Sacred Timeline branching off into a chaotic multiverse could lead straight into Doctor Strange’s dealings with it. With the concept of the multiverse being built up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is also nice to know that its rules are being kept consistent. Audiences will have the chance to see just how much Multiverse of Madness was influenced by Loki when the sequel hits theaters on May 6.

    Source: D23 via The Direct

  • Sienna Guillory, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Skyler Samuels Join ‘The Meg’ Sequel’s Cast

    Sienna Guillory, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Skyler Samuels Join ‘The Meg’ Sequel’s Cast

    It looks like the sequel to 2018’s shark movie Meg is picking up speed. Titled Meg 2: The Trench, the film has now added Sienna Guillory, who recently appeared in Clifford the Big Red Dog, The Gifted‘s Skyler Samuels, and Snowfall‘s Sergio Peris-Mencheta. They will join Jason Statham, who is set to return to face off against another megalodon in the upcoming sequel. At least that is what we theorize given that the plot still remains under wraps.

    It seems safe with the title that we’ll get another megalodon, but who knows how many might find their way to the surface this time around once they enter the mysterious trench teased in the title. All week now about are the roles the new additions will take on. Peris-Mencheta will play one of the film’s antagonists, who is a hard-edged mercenary. Samuels is a new member of Stathams‘ crew while Guillory plays the head of an applied sciences division.

    Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, and Cliff Curtis are also going to return to the franchise in the upcoming sequel. The film is already filming in the United Kingdom with Ben Wheatley at the helm after his work on High-Rise. It’ll be interesting to see if the film manages to go even more over-the-top than the previous entry.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Matt Reeves Confirms Sequel Plans for ‘The Batman’

    Matt Reeves Confirms Sequel Plans for ‘The Batman’

    Before we even saw footage from The Batman, Warner Brothers showed great faith in the film, greenlighting the GCPD spin-off series and eventually a series revolving around Colin Farrel’s Penguin. After multiple delays in production and release date shifts, the film is set to hit theaters next week and while it has yet to be confirmed, it seems a sequel is already in the cards.

    At a red carpet event for The Batman, Matt Reeves confirmed that he’s already begun talks with the studio about a sequel to the film. Reeves talked about how it was important for the film to be able to stand on its own and to not make a film that would need a sequel to feel complete. He shared his excitement to tell more stories in this world and highlighted Farrel’s upcoming Penguin series.

    Reeves, previously talked about how he’d love to bring some of Batman’s rogues into the fold and was looking for the challenge in how he could ground them in this world. One villain in particular that he suggested was Mr. Freeze, a classic villain l, previously portrayed in live-action by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    The Batman is hitting theaters on March 4th, 2022 and will star Robert Pattinson alongside Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Paul Dano, Colin Farrel, and Andy Serkis.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Producer On How ‘What If…?’ Inspired One Strange Variant

    ‘Multiverse of Madness’ Producer On How ‘What If…?’ Inspired One Strange Variant

    With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness only a couple of months away and with a recently-released full trailer, anticipation for the film has never been higher. The follow-up to 2016’s Doctor Strange promises to surpass its predecessor in scale alone, and fans are expecting it the multiversal flick to feature plenty of surprises and exciting cameos.

    The Doctor Strange sequel is entering the multiverse in a big way. Marvel Studios’ only other live-action dive into alternate universes came with Spider-Man: Far From Home. Still, the MCU has previously explored the multiverse in the animated series What If… ? In fact, one of the most prominent episodes featured Doctor Strange and a variant of himself that the series named Doctor Strange Supreme. With the inclusion of a sinister-looking Strange variant in the Multiverse of Madness trailer, many wondered if What If… ?‘s Strange Supreme made his way into live-action.

    The answer appears to be no. Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer explained in Spring 2022’s D23 Magazine how the film took some inspiration from What If… ? but will seemingly not feature Strange Supreme himself:

    After all the decisions he’s made over the years, this movie really shows Stephen reckoning with himself…things get pretty trippy. We love that episode of What If…?, and we hope to do it justice. It shows another version of Doctor Strange – one who let the universe he lived in be destroyed because of his love for Christine. If he was capable of that, for a selfish reason, is that something that our Stephen would be capable of doing, too? We’d like to think, ‘No, our guy’s the hero,’ but you never know.

    Richie Palmer

    While it may be disappointing to some that Strange Supreme will not actually have a live-action appearance, it does seem like the What If… ? episode certainly did not go unnoticed, and its strong themes of self-identity, grief, desperation, and the line between good and evil will likely be in play for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

    Source: D23 via The Direct

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is “Truly [a] Sam Raimi Movie”

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is “Truly [a] Sam Raimi Movie”

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness promises to provide a unique experience and tone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After creative differences led Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson to leave the sequel, Marvel Studios brought famed director Sam Raimi on board.

    After directing the original Spider-Man trilogy–including the infamous Spider-Man 3–many were surprised to see Raimi taking charge of the mystic and ambitious Multiverse of Madness. Raimi has managed to gain quite the following over the course of his career, particularly for supernatural thrillers and horror films. Because horror seems so far outside of the MCU’s wheelhouse, some have been afraid that Marvel would dampen Raimi’s style and creative freedom. However, Marvel Studios producer Richie Palmer is assuring fans that this is not the case:

    When it comes to a movie like this, where we’re incorporating a bunch of different genres, he’s the perfect man for the job, and that’s not even getting to how well he works with a camera or that he’s the master of suspense in his own right. We’re really leaning into those ‘Sam Raimi’ qualities and making this a truly Sam Raimi movie.

    Richie Palmer

    Palmer also highly praises Raimi’s work and skill in the Spring 2022 D23 Magazine:

    To have Sam Raimi working on this movie is an insane dream come true for all of us… He’s one of the godfathers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For him to pick up the Doctor Strange story after a Spider-Man movie that has Multiversal ties was really exciting for us. There is no one with better instincts. Whether it’s sci-fi, horror, comedy, or romance, Sam is the master.

    Richie Palmer

    Raimi’s unique filmmaking style seems to have been highly encouraged and utilized in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. The film’s trailer certainly caught fans’ eyes for its bold style and conjured up plenty of speculation over the movie’s anticipated ambitious and wild story. Raimi fans will have to wait until Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness released in theaters on May 6, 2022 to judge for themselves, but it looks like we are in for a treat.

    Source: D23 via The Direct

  • Marvel Studios Wanted to Introduce America Chavez into the MCU “For a Long Time”

    Marvel Studios Wanted to Introduce America Chavez into the MCU “For a Long Time”

    D23 has just dropped its Spring 2022 issue and it offered some updates on Marvel Studios’ upcoming sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film will introduce the world to Xocithl Gomez‘s take on America Chavez, an interdimensional hopping teenager. Producer Richie Palmer revealed that they’ve actually been hoping to introduce the character for some time now.

    America is someone we’ve been trying to get into the MCU for a long time. This felt like the best place to do it, because ‘Multiverse’ is in the title and her powers specifically have to do with the Multiverse – her powers being that she can punch open doorways to other universes. That’s something we haven’t seen in our movies, a character who can actually walk from one universe to another. That’s maddening in itself for characters such as Doctor Strange and Wong, whose jobs are to protect those barriers.

    Richie Palmer

    The upcoming multiverse-focused storyline is the perfect gateway into the franchise. Plus, Strange and Wong realizing someone can just punch their way through realities are certainly going to bring some great banter between the three. D23’s issue also confirms that their first meeting is during the battle with Gargantos, which was teased during the first two trailers. So, she might join the fray rather early in the upcoming film. If she’s been on Marvel Studios mind for som time, it does make you wonder what the future has in store for her.

    Source: D23 via The Direct

  • Sony Reveals Digital, UHD/Blu-ray Release Dates for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Sony Reveals Digital, UHD/Blu-ray Release Dates for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    With rumors recently circulating that an extended cut of Spider-Man: No Way Home might make its way back to theaters in Indonesia, concern grew that fans would have to wait quite a while before being able to view the film in the comfort of their home. Thankfully, Sony put an end to all the speculation and revealed exactly when fans will be able to push play.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home will be available for purchase on digital platforms on March 22nd with physical copies going sale three weeks later on April 12th.

    The film currently sits as the third highest-grossing film domestically, ahead of Avatar but still behind Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: Episode VII-The Force Awakens. It’s most recent predecessor, Spider-Man: Far From Home, raked in nearly $47M in Blu-ray sales, and it’s likely that No Way Home will move just as well, continuing to pad Sony’s bottom line on the film.

  • ‘Star Trek’ Cast Was Not Aware of the Fourth ‘Star Trek’ Film

    ‘Star Trek’ Cast Was Not Aware of the Fourth ‘Star Trek’ Film

    We were all excited when it was announced that the Kelvin timeline would continue with the upcoming fourth installment of the Star Trek franchise. Paramount was celebrating its rebranding in style with a batch of announcements during its investor day, which included the confirmation that the original cast is in talks to return. Well, it turns out that they may have fibbed a little, as in a new piece by The Hollywood Reporter we learn that the cast had no clue. Most of the USS Enterprise actors’ rep teams had not heard of an announcement for a fourth entry and that there were even talks for them to join.

    What makes this such a surprise is that the film is already eyeing a production start by the end of the year, which puts Paramount in a rather uncomfortable place to negotiate if they are trying to hit their theatrical release on December 22nd. They do reveal that the first negotiations will start with Chris Pine, as he’s the “lynchpin to the project.” The script isn’t even finalized and there’s no word on an actual green light or budget. It seems that they dropped their leverage to court Wall Steet investors. We’ll see if this hurts them in the long-term due to how giving up this leverage may inflate the film’s overall budget.

    It’s certainly a power move by Paramount to try and prioritize Wall Street investors over the talent for its film. They’ve been using the franchise to further develop Paramount+, as they try to make use of their existing IPs to compete with Netflix and Disney+. Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks have been instrumental in their strategy with more spinoffs already in development. So, it would seem strange that they’d not prioritize these negotiations in advance, but we’ll see what it might mean for the films moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter