Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Uncharted’s Ruben Fleischer Working on a ‘Jak and Daxter’ Adaptation

    ‘Uncharted’s Ruben Fleischer Working on a ‘Jak and Daxter’ Adaptation

    Ruben Fleischer has been busy promoting his upcoming release of Uncharted, but it seems like he isn’t quite done with the world do PlayStation adaptations. In an interview with Digital Trends, he has revealed that he is working on also adapting another popular franchise. It looks like he has set his eyes on potentially bringing Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter to life.

    I’m actually working on Jak and Daxter, a version of that, for PlayStation, which I think would be really cool to bring to life.

    Ruben Fleischer

    Naughty Dog has had its hand in a variety of franchises, and Jak and Daxter might be one of the more curious ones to try and adapt in live-action. Uncharted mostly focused on hyperrealism while the franchise featuring a talking otter and weasel hybrid, Daxter, had a more fantastical and cartoony design. So, an adaptation might be a bit more troubling and potentially more expensive venture.

    It’s not quite as cartoony as Crash Bandicoot, especially as later entries beyond the Precursor Legacy took a more adult route. So, they might skip most of the origin and go directly to the storylines from the second or third entries. Of course, it may still take some time as the director might get busy with Uncharted sequels if they end up a success.

    Source: Digital Trends

  • Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Adds Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, and More

    Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Adds Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, and More

    Zack Snyder has made quite the home for himself at Netflix with Army of The Dead spawning multiple spin-offs and a sequel. The director has since expanded his work for the streamer, as he has begun developing Rebel Moon, a sci-fi film on a planet threatened by Regent Balisarius with only a few warriors to protect it. The project has only added Sophia Boutella in the leading role and not much was known about the project. Luckily, Snyder has now announced more of the cast, which will feature some familiar faces from his past works.

    Joining the cast of Rebel Moon will be Ray Fisher, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy, Charlotte Maggi, and Sky Yang with more casting set to be announced soon. It’s unknown just who each of them will be playing as plot and character details still remain under wraps. With the casting announcement came some new concept art that could offer us our first look at the tyrannical Regent along with what looks to be a few of the warriors in the film.

    Snyder is best known for films like Watchmen and 300, as well as kicking off the DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel. He recently was able to finish the work he could never finish with Zack Snyder’s Justice League. No release date for the film has been set just yet as production is set to begin sometime in April until August. Rebel Moon will be the second franchise Snyder hopes to build at the streamer with what looks like a rich new universe for him to explore and build.

    Source: Twitter

  • BREAKING: Saul Zaentz Co. Looking for a Buyer of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’s Film and Gaming Rights

    BREAKING: Saul Zaentz Co. Looking for a Buyer of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’s Film and Gaming Rights

    Well, Hollywood is going to turn into a bidding war for the rights of Middle Earth, as Saul Zaentz Co. has decided to sell their Tolkien holdings. As such, it means the movie, merchandising, gaming and live events rights to his properties will go on sale. ACF Investment Bank is currently handling the sale with an estimated $2 billion as its current predicted value. The timing of course comes hot off the heels as Amazon started promoting their upcoming original series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Amazon currently leading the pack on purchasing the rights, which is fitting given their current work.

    It’s quite the sell if any of the major names currently can get their hands on it. Netflix has been hunting franchise after franchise to create their own extended IP library. So, one of the most iconic fantasy franchises will definitely be on their radar yet given the close relationship, Amazon seems like the likeliest buyer.

    If you’re wondering why Warner Bros. isn’t involved, the rights returned to Zaentz Co. last year, as the rights ran out for not producing any projects involving the Tolkien books. It seems that the overall interest in developing more projects had sold the company on selling the rights, especially as Amazon made a deal directly with the Tolkien estate for their series.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Power of the Dog’s Kodi Smit-McPhee Passed on Playing ‘Kraven the Hunter’s Chameleon

    ‘The Power of the Dog’s Kodi Smit-McPhee Passed on Playing ‘Kraven the Hunter’s Chameleon

    It looks like today’s a day all in the name of Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man spinoff, Kraven the Hunter. Not only did Russell Crowe join the production, but we also got a confirmation that the rumor of actress Jodie Turner-Smith joining the production was sadly untrue. Now, it seems that an “almost” casting was revealed, as Jeff Sneider shared the news that Kodi Smit-McPhee has seemingly passed on the role of Chameleon, who was rumored to appear in the film back in June. It seems that it was due to scheduling conflicts that he couldn’t further pursue the role.

    It sadly happens quite frequently that some actors can’t tackle various roles due to projects overlapping. We’ll see if we get an announcement soon about who ended up taking the role. The character also is a fitting addition, as the initial article teased that most of the cast will consist of the titular character’s family. Well, Chameleon is actually his half-brother named Dmitri Smerdyakov. It’ll be interesting to see if he might end up as the main antagonist of the story, as both brothers end up in an ongoing conflict. We’ll see if we get more news in the near future.

    Source: Twitter

  • Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Film Adds America Ferrera

    Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Film Adds America Ferrera

    Margot Robbie has found her co-star for the upcoming Barbie film, as Deadline has just announced that America Ferrera has joined the production that also features Ryan Gosling. Greta Gerwig is hired to direct the film that’ll bring the classic doll toy to life on the silver screen. There was no word what her role is, as Warner Bros. continues to keep the production’s plot a secret but there are teases it won’t be the typical story you might expect featuring a plastic doll.

    It’s being produced under LuckyChap Entertainments with Robbie also having a producing role. Mattel’s Robbie Brenner is also involved alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman. Ferrera has been quite busy, as she is currently set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. She also recently worked on a few episodes of Netflix’s Latinx dramedy Gentefied.

    It’ll be interesting to see how they tackle a project focused on Barbie, as many adaptations on popular toy lines have taken a strong meta-narrative direction. Great Gerwig‘s involvement certainly is a promising addition that may push the project into a new direction that will certainly surprise us. So, we’ll have to wait and see once production finally starts.

    Source: Deadline

  • Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Adds Russell Crowe

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Adds Russell Crowe

    The upcoming Kraven the Hunter film is starting to prepare for production, as it is currently eyeing a release on January 13th of 2023. As such, it seems the production has finally started expanding its cast and the first to join is no other than Maximus himself, Russell Crowe. His role is still unannounced, but it seems that most of the cast will consist of Kraven’s family members, which might flesh out the character in curious ways. It may be a hint that we’ll explore most of the character’s childhood and find out what turned him into the greatest hunter there ever was.

    J.C. Chandor will direct the upcoming film that is based on a screenplay by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk. Long-time Spider-Man producer Avi Arad is also returning alongside Matt Tolmach. The details still remain uncertain about the project and just how they aim to tackle the character’s origin story. It continues Sony’s focus on expanding Spider-Man‘s franchise without the titular wall-crawler. So, who knows if they might embrace a crossover with the Sinister Six.

    We’re still awaiting the release of Morbius which has been confusing viewers on its continuity due to the trailer including references from across the Spider-Man franchises. They have also recently started work on a Madame Web-focused film, which is still a curious addition to their offerings. Though, it is the same company that wanted to explore an Aunt May origin story.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Artwork Teases Green Goblin Joining the Final Fight Earlier

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Artwork Teases Green Goblin Joining the Final Fight Earlier

    Spider-Man: No Way Home has been all the rage since its release back in December. It’s no wonder given how the nostalgia-filled project managed to cement an emotional strong film that was made for fans, newcomers, and anyone in between. Illustrator Marek Okon took to Twitter to share some of the artwork realizing the events from the film with his latest focusing on the finale featuring all three Spider-Men facing off against some familiar foes.

    The artwork looks great and it’s a nice touch of seeing all three versions of the iconic hero swinging side-by-side into battle. The curious addition is that the Green Goblin may have originally had a bigger role earlier in the climax, as he is seen here while Elektro and Sandman are still active. It’s difficult to make out but he also may have kept his original mask as well. In the film, he ends up joining at a later time after everyone else has been taken down already.

    The illustrator also shared some artwork featuring the Mirror Dimension, which was Doctor Strange’s way of keeping Peter Parker from running away with the Deus Ex Machina that could’ve sent the villains home. It gave us some great visuals throughout their confrontation and it seems there were some additional ideas like using a small town as the backdrop.

    It’s always impressive to see the many ways films are interpreted early on before they finalize designs or the direction. Still, the backdrops remained mostly unchanged and still remain as some of the most memorable within the MCU’s legacy. It’s still surprising to think that a rebuilt Statue of Liberty would make for such an effective background.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Mission: Impossible 7’s Budget Ballooned to $290M Due to COVID

    ‘Mission: Impossible 7’s Budget Ballooned to $290M Due to COVID

    Just recently, we learned that the Mission: Impossible sequels were delayed into 2023 and 2024. As production was affected strongly by COVID, they want to ensure that everything goes smoothly. in a new report by Variety, it was revealed that the seventh entry in the franchise had faced quite the issue with its production budget, as it seemingly has ballooned up to $290M, which is quite a bit higher than what the studio’s had expected, especially with the last entry, 2018’s Fallout having a production budget of around $190M.

    What influenced this was that it had to stop and start production seven times since it initially started back in February 2020. An action sequence that took place during the Carnival of Venice occurred when Northern Italy went into lockdown. They tried to dodge to Rome but the cases spiked there too. So, it’s no surprise that the budget continued to rise at a rapid rate. Variety points out that the production had faced the issue over and over again due to the borderless virus chasing them down even when they started productions in Poland or the United Arab Emirates.

    It wouldn’t be too surprising that other projects were hit in a similar manner, as many were forced to shut down. The only issue was that this production budget led to co-producer Skydance meeting its cap from a financial contributions side, which led to Tom Cruise a director Christopher McQuarrie having to add the missing $50M. We’ll see how that may have potentially affected the product once it releases in theaters next year. For now, Paramount is hoping that the insurance may help ease the burden.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Madame Web’s Dakota Johnson May Have Hinted at Marvel Studios Involvement

    ‘Madame Web’s Dakota Johnson May Have Hinted at Marvel Studios Involvement

    Here’s a rather curious detail, as The Direct has noticed that actress Dakota Johnson, who was recently confirmed that she’ll tackle the role of Madame Web in her own solo outing, has shared a curious piece from Deadline on the project. That alone continues to confirm that she is past the “in talks” stage but what stands out is that she also tagged Sony alongside Marvel Studios in her post.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZumGUHvraC/

    Of course, this doesn’t confirm that Marvel Studios have any direct involvement with the project, but it’s not the first time that there have been hints they are starting to co-develop some of the projects currently over at Sony. We had a similar reveal from Olivia Wilde, who is currently working on a Spider-Woman project. She revealed that she was actively consulting Kevin Feige, the CEO of Marvel Studios, who also works with sony on the recent Spider-Man trilogy.

    There’s a good chance that these projects continue to take place throughout different parts of the multiverse while Marvel can focus on their own projects. Yet, as Madame Web is known for her ties to Spider-Man’s own web of the multiverse, they may want to be involved as much as possible to ensure that it connects perfectly into their own plans. Plus, who knows how they might continue to explore the multiverse after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    Source: Instagram via The Direct

  • New ‘Lightyear’ Trailer Reveals Emperor Zurg’s Redesign

    New ‘Lightyear’ Trailer Reveals Emperor Zurg’s Redesign

    The new Lightyear trailer has finally dropped which gives us a look at a reinvented look of our favorite Toy Story character. Pixar tackles the character’s story as Chris Evans’ Buzz Lightyear heads out into space after being marooned on a planet. In his travels, he’ll face various dangers which include the return of a familiar villainous face.

    In the trailer, he briefly mentions that they are being hunted by a robot that might be familiar to fans of Toy Story 2, as he wields a triple-barreled weapon which many will instantly recognize as the go-to weapon for his arch-rival Emperor Zurg.

    Image

    The design looks great while still keeping elements from the original like his eyes. He noticeably no longer has his cape, but it would seem out of place in what looks like an inorganic world. There was a great sense of adventure and danger for our hero, and it felt very adult for what you usually expect with Pixar’s offerings. So, we’re quite excited to check their upcoming film, which hopefully won’t just end on Disney+ again.

    You can check out the trailer right here:

    Source: YouTube