Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Won’t Be Eligible for 2022’s BAFTA

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Won’t Be Eligible for 2022’s BAFTA

    It looks like Sony managed to miss its opportunity to nab any nominations for this year’s BAFTA awards. According to Deadline, it seems that Sony has not uploaded their film to their streaming platform, BAFTA View, and as such is not eligible for any potential nominations. They even went out of their way to find a solution, but couldn’t agree on one. For now, a trailer plays for members when they click on the film’s page. They’ve shared the following statement as the voting round one closed on January 3rd:

    Spider-Man: No Way Home did not meet the eligibility criteria for the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 and therefore did not qualify for entry. As outlined in our rulebook, all films must be made available to voting members on BAFTA View prior to Round One voting closing to ensure fairness and parity for all titles and the film was not made available by the distributor.

    There are some theories that they mainly wanted to avoid any illegal uploads of the film during its strong box office tenure. Sony has not made a clarifying statement on why they failed to upload the film on time, but this year is the first time that DVD screeners aren’t accepted and only the online streaming service is provided, which was started in 2020. The film was already starting its campaign for awards season with many believing it may have some good chances this year, which makes this a bitter decision by Sony.

    Source: Deadline

  • Leaked ‘Batgirl’ Set Photos Seems to Hint at Hugo Strange

    Leaked ‘Batgirl’ Set Photos Seems to Hint at Hugo Strange

    After a long wind up, Batgirl has finally begun production. They are currently busy filming in Glasgow. This is now the third Bat-centric DC film to claim Glasgow as its headquarters and background for Gotham City, following The Batman and for a brief time, The Flash. With production preparing for exterior shots, the streets of Glasgow have been transformed into Gotham City with all sorts of vehicles and posters. Already it seems like some set photos found their way online featuring posters that may hint at a more sinister presence behind the scenes in Gotham City.

    The set photo teases the existence of the notorious Batman villain, Hugo Strange. A poster on-site with the captions “Excellent! Excellent!” features a man with a striking resemblance to Hugo Strange with a bald head and sinister grin. The only thing missing would be his iconic coke bottle glasses, which seem purposely scratched out.

    Hugo Strange first appeared in Detective Comics #36, where he first went up against Batman after using a concentrated lightning machine to cover Gotham City in a thick and dense fog. It allowed his gangs to rob Gotham Cities banks without being seen. Strange was also one of the first Batman villains to figure out his identity. He would later return and begin experiments on insane asylum patients, using growth hormone serums to turn them into giant monsters and send them on a destructive path throughout Gotham city.

    The character is still around to this day and made his live-action debut in Gotham, in which he was the root cause of so many villain origins as products of his experiments at the Indian Hill research facility. He also was one of the main antagonists of Batman: Arkham City. It’ll be interesting to see if they are building up his appearance later down the line, or he might have a role in the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • Makkari and Sprite Mention Thanos in New ‘Eternals’ Deleted Scene

    Makkari and Sprite Mention Thanos in New ‘Eternals’ Deleted Scene

    We’re only a few days away from the home release of Eternals, which will be made available digitally. It’s also getting a Disney+ release to subscribers that have been waiting for their chance to revisit the Chloé Zhao film. With the release, we also get our first look at some of the bonus features that offer a look at what didn’t quite make it into the film’s theatrical release.

    The first deleted scene, as shared by @UPDATESETERNALS offers a discussion between Makkari and Sprite. It takes place around the time they found her in their old spaceship, as she started holding artifacts from human history. They discuss if it’s worth saving humanity with a special focus being given to the Avengers win over Thanos. You can check it out here:

    https://twitter.com/UPDATESETERNALS/status/1480574642230280193

    The scene highlights the core message for Sprite’s conflict later on, but also gives us more insight into why Makkari became a hoarder. It would’ve been great if they included this reference in the film to offer a better glimpse into what Makkari was up to all this time. It may have also helped with some people that were a bit surprised by Sprite’s decision later in the film.

    Source: Thrillist via Twitter

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Available for Digital Pre-Order

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Available for Digital Pre-Order

    Spider-Man: No Way Home has been dominating the international box office even as concerns over the Omicron variant dominate. Well, those that didn’t have a chance to see the film in theaters luckily won’t have to wait too long until it is made available. Fandango’s digital retailer Vudu has shared that the latest Sony release will be made available digitally on the service. Pre-orders are also live for the standard definition (SD), high definition (HDX), and 3K UHD each priced at $19.99.

    As ComicBook points out, there are no plans for a release on Disney+, as it’s more likely to be made available through Starz or Netflix due to deals Sony made. There was one made with Disney back in 2021, which might bring the film to the streaming service at some point, but very likely not before 2023. As such, the film will mostly be made available through video-on-demand services for anyone who missed out on the opportunity to see it in theaters.

    No Way Home was a powerful new entry for the Spider-Man franchise that pays tribute to the earlier cinematic entries while setting up the future for Tom Holland‘s take on the character. Given how many cameos the film includes, it’ll be quite exciting to see what may have ended up on the cutting room floor that’ll be made available with the home release.

    Source: Fandango, ComicBook

  • Sebastian Stan Has “No Clue” What’s Next for Bucky

    Sebastian Stan Has “No Clue” What’s Next for Bucky

    Marvel Studios streaming series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier allowed Sebastian Stan to showcase his talents and really dive deep into who Bucky Barnes was. By the time the season was over, Bucky had seemingly moved on from the haunting memories of his time as The Winter Soldier and was, for the first time in nearly 100 years, free to move on and purse a life of his own choosing.

    Like many of the other characters from the Disney Plus streaming series, it’s clear that there’s another chapter in Bucky’s story waiting to be told, but it isn’t clear when that chapter will be told. While it makes sense the Stan would reprise the character in Captain America 4, there’s hardly been any word on that film, much less its cast. With so many people wondering when we’d see Bucky next and no clear answer, Collider went right to the source, asking Stan when he’d next appear in the MCU during an interview for his next film The 355.

    I don’t know. Per usual, I can’t answer that question. I have no clue, but look, I think it’s sort of about seeing what’s next for him, right? To some extent, the show, I felt, really graduated him to another level of experience and taking on his past a lot better and gave him another sense of place and sense of family that he’s found there with Sam. So he’s in a pretty good spot right now. I’d be curious to see what the next interesting thing that we could tell with him would be, and as you well know, that is above my pay grade. There are far wiser men and women who are making those decisions.

    Stan did go on to promise that Bucky was not among the multitude of rumored cameos in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Animated projects aside, it doesn’t seem as though Stan has been a part of any of Marvel Studios projects that have wrapped recently or are still filming, meaning it might be until 2023 before the live-action return of Bucky Barnes. But as much as Stan loves playing the character and as much as fans love him, there’s certainly a future in store for him.

    Source: Collider

  • Currently No Plans for ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Sequels or Spinoffs

    Currently No Plans for ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Sequels or Spinoffs

    Here’s some sad news, as even in a world filled to the brim with spinoffs and sequels, it seems that Warner Bros. has no plans for any expansion of the recently resurrected The Matrix franchise. The Matrix Resurrections – fitting title – wasN’t a cheap film to produce with $190M and there were expectations it would make bank at the box office. Yet, it currently stands at $106M globally and is struggling to even make its production budget back. It sadly even had the biggest drop in its second week.

    There has been no word how the film performed on HBO Max as part of its simulcast release, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, it may have joined the top five. Box office analyst Jeff Bock had the following statement regarding its sub-par performance:

    The fact that Resurrections is heavily meta doesn’t help attract new audiences either. Truth is, the multiplex masses weren’t on board

    So, while HBO Max’s performance is optimistic there’s another issue that is adding some uncertainty about a future for the franchise. Lana Wachowski has not signed on for more films after directing the latest legacy sequel, and Keanu Reeves‘ contract does not include sequel options. As such, even if they move forward with sequels it doesn’t mean that the actor will also make a definite return. Even with a strong performance on the streamer, mostly related to its older audience, there has not been an official word by Warner Bros. For now, it seems like we might be in for another long wait.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Bill Murray Reveals He’s Playing a “Bad Guy” in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    Bill Murray Reveals He’s Playing a “Bad Guy” in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    One of the great mysteries surrounding Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been the identity of Bill Murray’s secret character. The legendary funny man accidentally revealed his own involvement with the film some time ago, despite zero confirmation from the powers that be at Marvel Studios. Now, he’s finally given fans an idea of the role he’ll play in the film.

    While making an appearance on the latest episode of The Eli Manning Show, the Ghostbusters star had this to say about his character:

    …I’m a bad guy.

    Bill Murray

    It’s quite straightforward without giving away any details. Murray as a villain is quite a surprising direction and we can’t wait to see him take on this role. We’ll see what he’ll add to stand out from Marvel Studios’ roster of villains, who have varied from truly memorable antagonists, like the Mad Titan Thanos or the recent addition of Wenwu, to those forgotten to time. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on July 28, 2023.

    Source: The Eli Manning Show

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Swinging Toward $700 Million Domestically

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Swinging Toward $700 Million Domestically

    Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to dominate the box office.

    The superhero flick is on its way to passing $700 million domestically, after pulling in $8.3 million on Friday. Current estimates have it on track for a $30 million weekend in its fourth weekend. That’s only a 45% drop from the New Year’s box office. This will push the film to $650 million domestically, with the film expected to hit $666 million by Sunday. With the film continuing to hold, it seems likely the film will cross $700 million at the domestic box office in the next week or two — an incredibly impressive feat, even pre-pandemic.

    $666 million is enough to push No Way Home past Titanic ($659.3 million), while also pushing it to the sixth-highest grossing movie. The only big new release this weekend, The 355, failed to serve as any competition for No Way Home. The Simon Kinberg film – which he co-wrote, directed and produced – only took in $4.3 million. That is well below the projected $20 million the studio was hoping for going into the weekend.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home is in theaters now.

    Source: Deadline

  • Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals Deleted America Chavez Scene

    Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Concept Art Reveals Deleted America Chavez Scene


    The Spider-Man: No Way Home runtime was already filled to the brim with cool characters and surprise appearances, but it looks like the movie originally had one more trick up its sleeve. A batch of brand new concept art for the wildly successful Spider-Man film has found its way online, and it reveals that Xochitl Gomez’ America Chavez was initially supposed to make a big appearance. The art, from artist Maciej Kuciara, features Chavez surrounded by Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and his friends, in what looks like a potentially pivotal moment in the story.

    When Marvel Studios first announced its Phase 4 schedule, No Way Home was set to release after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A series of delays changed things up and it’s then likely that Chavez was removed from the spider-flick in order to make her debut in the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel. It’s unknown what role she was to play in Spider-Man’s story, but America’s ability to travel between dimensions might have been a good reason to get her involved.

    Writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers recently dropped the news that a different character was originally intended to introduce Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to the MCU. Perhaps America was supposed to appear and help Peter get the other Spider-Men to help him, instead of Ned gaining magical abilities. Also of note, it appears Flash Thompson and Betty Brant were at one point more involved with the action of the story, as they are featured prominently with the other protagonists in the image.

    Source: Twitter

  • The First Wave of ‘The Batman’ Funko Pops Have Arrived

    The First Wave of ‘The Batman’ Funko Pops Have Arrived

    With a new trailer having just arrived, promotion for The Batman is now hitting its stride. As such, merch for the film has started to make its way online, including the first wave of Funko Pops for the film. Featuring two deluxe Pops and one 10-inch figure, the wave focuses on the film’s core characters: Batman, Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot and the Riddler.

    The 10-inch deluxe Batman Pop! features a great look at the film’s hero and is available for pre-order at Entertainment Earth by clicking here. Expected to ship in April, the Pop! sells for $22.99.

    The deluxe Pops! are expected to ship in June and are available for pre-order at a price of $24.99. You can pre-order the Batman in Batmobile Pop! by clicking here and the Selina Kyle of Motorcycle Pop! by clicking here.

    And, finally, there are 5 individual character Pops!, including two different versions of the Dark Knight! Each of them are available for pre-order by clicking the respective link below. Expected to ship in June, they are selling for $11.99 each. The Cobblepot and Selina Kyle figures each feature a Chase Variant, meaning that a variant Pop! will be randomly inserted during the production run.

    Pre-order Oswald Cobblepot Funko Pop! from Entertainment Earth.
    Pre-order The Riddler Funko Pop! from Entertainment Earth.
    Pre-order Selina Kyle Funko Pop! from Entertainment Earth.
    Pre-order The Batman Funko Pop! #1189 from Entertainment Earth.
    Pre-order The Batman Funko Pop! #1187 from Entertainment Earth.

    The Batman hits theaters on March 4, 2022.

    Murphy’s Multiverse is an Entertainment Earth affiliate.