Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • A ‘Kick-Ass’ Reboot Is Happening

    A ‘Kick-Ass’ Reboot Is Happening

    It’s not common to see a director decide to reboot his own franchise but Matthew Vaughn is not one to make common choices. A few years ago, he talked about the possibility of doing a spin-off of Kick-Ass, the Mark Millar-penned hit comic that Vaughn brought to the mainstream with its gung-ho violence and superhero satire, with a brand new character named Patience Lee. Now, the director has confirmed that a reboot is ready to happen.

    We’ve got a big reboot of Kick-Ass in two years. Big reboot. It’s so fucking nuts that I can’t talk about it. But we’ve got that ready to go. All the rights revert back in two years and then we’re going to reboot it where people will be like, he is insane.

    The original Kick-Ass premiered at a time where the concept of a successful R-Rated superhero film was unheard of. A decade later, the superhero movie landscape is now in a completely different place where violent superhero films and shows are very successful. To see a brand new take on Kick-Ass should be interesting to see given all the changes the industry has seen.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Off to a Strong International Start, Eyeing $300M+ Opening Weekend

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Off to a Strong International Start, Eyeing $300M+ Opening Weekend

    Well, the numbers are certainly showing an impressive start for the third entry in the MCU Spider-Man franchise. While Far From Home was the first to break the $1 billion milestones, it seems like No Way Home is going to follow shortly after. It already was proving its potential through its record-breaking pre-sales, its rollout in international markets is continuing that very trend. Deadline first reported that it already grossed $5.28M in Korea, which puts it 11% ahead of 2019’s Far From Home release, which was the film’s second-biggest market behind China. It’s also dominating France and will release in select markets as of Friday, such as the Netherlands, India, Germany, and more.

    Some markets are even accommodating their release windows, such as the Netherlands opening early due to a 5 PM curfew. U.S. numbers haven’t arrived yet, but it seems that it made around $50M+ in its Wednesday previews alone and is definitely going to nab around $300M+ at this rate. Of course, COVID restrictions could become an influencing factor, as pointed out, but there’s always the potential it goes beyond it if it continues down this path. Overseas projects have it at $160M to $180M, but there’s potential to go higher if the pandemic codicils don’t hamper its development. Charlie Jatinder shared some insight into how the markets are performing:

    Especially, the UK numbers are impressive, as it pulling in £7.2M in comparison to this year’s most successful release in the country, No Time to Die, managed to earn around £100M with an opening consisting of £4.5M. So, it looks like the film will definitely have strong legs internationally at this rate.

    We’re still waiting for more data on how the domestic market has performed, but its Wednesday numbers are already quite impressive and signal good things. Even as the Omnicom scare is making the rounds, there’s still some hope that it’ll hold strong and we can expect a generally strong performance. Will it pass $1 billion? There’s some hope it might be the first to do so since the pandemic started, but we’ll have to see how its weekend starts developing as word-of-mouth spreads.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter, Twitter (UK)

  • Marvel Legends “Defender Strange” Confirms a Third Strange Variant in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Marvel Legends “Defender Strange” Confirms a Third Strange Variant in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    For some time now, Marvel Studios has unfortunately allowed the first look at characters from many of their upcoming projects to come from either merchandise leaks or pre-orders. That is again the case for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as first looks at new wave of Marvel Legends and a Target Exclusive have now made their way online.

    Of great interest is the Target Exclusive “Defender Strange” figure. The presence of the figure confirms not only a previous leak relating to upcoming Funkos, but also leaked plot points about the upcoming film. In both cases, “Defender Strange” represents a THIRD variant of Stephen Strange present in the film.

    “Defender Strange” joins normie Strange and Strange Supreme (who is reportedly seen briefly in the first look at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness attached to Spider-Man: No Way Home) as variants of the character that appear as the film explores the multiverse. Strange Supreme was first seen in What If…? and “Defender Strange” seems to be based on the character’s look in Matt Fraction’s Defenders. With a trip through the multiverse ahead, there’s no telling how many variants might appear!

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Merch Offers First Look at Rhintra and Mordo’s New Look

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Merch Offers First Look at Rhintra and Mordo’s New Look

    It looks like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness merchandise is slowly finding its way online. We’ve got a few teases of what’s to come and there have been quite a few rumors on how or who won’t appear in a film. A few weeks ago, a toy leak gave us a hint at what would be included, such as comic-inspired ones for Sleepwalker and D’Spayre. Well, they finally arrived and include some surprising reveals, such as our first look at Rhintra and Baron Mordo’s new look for the upcoming film. @Preterniadotcom shared the first look which you can check out here:

    https://twitter.com/preterniadotcom/status/1471516231857577985

    It seems that Baron Mordo now goes by Master Mordo in the new listings and is rocking a great new look. We still don’t know what the film has in store for him and if we might see mother Variants of the character. As we’re about to set out into the multiverse, there seem to be the dangers of endless potential, as who knows if even Doctor Strange will always be the same person.

    Source: Twitter

  • Warner Bros. Interested in Developing More ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoffs

    Warner Bros. Interested in Developing More ‘Harry Potter’ Spinoffs

    The Wizarding World is still going strong, with the latest entry in the Fantastic Beasts series set to hit theaters in April. However, it doesn’t seem like The Secrets of Dumbledore will be the final film in the wildly popular franchise that started with the original Harry Potter book and continued through at least eleven movies. In a recent conference hosted by Bloomberg, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff commented on the future of Potter at the company:

    We would love to develop more original Harry Potter series, and we regularly talk to J.K. Rowling and her team. It’s got to be right though. Whatever we do has to be true to the canon, and true to the ethos of the Wizarding World, and who Harry is.

    Ann Sarnoff

    The quote is especially interesting considering Sarnoff‘s use of the word “original”. Both of the series currently in existence, Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, originate from literary works by author J.K. Rowling. The British writer is a controversial figure, but she’s remained very involved with the characters who made her famous.

    Each Fantastic Beasts film has been plotted by the creative, who continues to expand her own universe through live-action projects. It would seem the plan is for this to continue, possibly with Rowling outlining completely new stories without any basis in literature. Fans will have to keep their eyes out for any possible announcements on the horizon. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is currently eyeing a release in theatres on April 15th.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Warner Bros. Committed to Theatrical Releases in 2022

    Warner Bros. Committed to Theatrical Releases in 2022

    Warner Bros. shook the market when they decided to go for day-and-date releases of all their 2021 films. While some directors have openly discussed their disappointment in the decision, it made sense given the uncertainty of how long the pandemic would continue to drag on. Now, we’re about to enter the next year, and Warner Bros. CEO, Ann Sarnoff, has opened up on if they had considered also tackling a similar release for 2022 even with the pandemic still an issue for many. When interviewed at a conference by Bloomberg Wednesday, she discussed how they are now committed to theatrical releases in the new year.

    Have we thought about going back to day and date? Sure, we thought about it, but we have made our commitments to the theaters to the agents to the talent. Everyone was hoping we would be on the other side of the pandemic by now

    The releases would affect projects like The Batman, which they are definitely expecting to fill out theaters once it releases in March. The Secret of Dumbledore, which continues the ever-popular Harry Potter franchise, will follow in April as both kick-offs a strong year for the company. As things are calming down somewhat, it’s great that studios are committing to once again promoting theatrical releases and ensure the media moving forward.

    The good balance lies in the new release windows. Those that miss out on a theatrical release will get access to it on HBO Max within a faster time, a similar strategy we’ve seen Disney+ tackle with their releases like Encanto already going out during Christmas. It’ll be interesting to see how this new direction might change our understanding of cinema and streaming moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Amy Pascal Open to a Possible Blade-Morbius Crossover

    Amy Pascal Open to a Possible Blade-Morbius Crossover

    If the trailers for Spider-Man: No Way Home are any indication, no villain is truly off the table for Marvel Studios. The film is set to be a crossover of multiple Spider-Man franchises, with characters from both the iconic Sam Raimi films and the cult favorite Marc Webb movies set to appear in the MCU film. With this in mind, it doesn’t seem far-fetched that other characters from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could show up in the MCU as well.

    This is the same thing Geeks of Color must have been thinking when they asked Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and longtime Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal what they thought about the potential of a Blade and Morbius meet-up happening somewhere down the line. After Feige pondered the question enthusiastically, Pascal took charge with an answer:

    Blade and Morbius, that’s a cool idea. We, uh, y’know – the future…You never know what’s going to happen. There are all sorts of possibilities.

    Amy Pascal

    The response is not a straight-up rejection of the question, but it isn’t a full confirmation either. Blade and Morbius have a long history together in the pages of Marvel’s comic books. The vampiric duo has been both friend and foe, battling each other and teaming up as part of the supernatural group the Midnight Sons. Morbius was even set to be the main antagonist of Blade II at one point, which is a deleted scene from Blade featuring a distant look at the character. While that never came to pass, it doesn’t seem like the people in charge of the pair’s future are opposed to making it happen at some point.

    Source: Geeks of Color

  • ‘No Way Home’ The Highest Rated Live-Action Spider-Man Film on Rotten Tomatoes

    ‘No Way Home’ The Highest Rated Live-Action Spider-Man Film on Rotten Tomatoes

    It’s never easy to finish a trilogy. There are high expectations on how you end what would normally be the final part of your series and build upon what came before. First reactions and early reviews hinted at Spider-Man: No Way Home being one of the few threequels to manage exactly that. And now, the film has become the highest-rated live-action adaptation of Spider-Man on Rotten Tomatoes with 95%. It’s not the highest-rated project overall, as that title still belongs to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at 97%, but it seems that multiversal storylines featuring the webhead are critical darlings.

    to put that into comparison, the last two MCU entries featuring the webhead were also rated fresh by the service. Homecoming was the highest-rated for some time with 92% while its sequel Far From Home stands at 80%. Tobey Maguire’s trilogy saw a stronger one with its third entry, as the first one stands at 90%, the much-beloved sequel Spider-Man 2 has a 93% rating while the final one dropped down to a still-fresh rated 63%.

    Andrew Garfield‘s run didn’t have a strong high with the first entry from 2012 starting at 72% while its sequel dropped down and is currently the only non-fresh rated live-action Spider-Man film with 52%. As Sony is definitely thinking about a future for Tom Holland’s run as the character, it’ll be interesting to see if it can carry over the momentum.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes

  • Denis Villeneuve Set To Direct Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Rendezvous with Rama’

    Denis Villeneuve Set To Direct Arthur C. Clarke’s ‘Rendezvous with Rama’

    Dune‘s success has caused a resurgence of ambitious sci-fi in mainstream cinema. In addition to the announcement of a sequel to Villeneuve‘s new franchise, we now received word that Warner Bros. has plans to adapt Hyperion, another genre classic. Today, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the director will tackle the adaptation of another sci-fi novel, this time by Arthur C. Clarke, the mastermind behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, titled Rendezvous with Rama.

    The story of Rendezvous with Rama follows a group of human space explorers that are tasked with intercepting an alien starship that is hurtling through the solar system. It is believed that the missions will lead to mankind’s first contact with alien intelligence.

    The film will be produced for Alcon Entertainment Studios and Morgan Freeman will be one of the producers. At the moment, Villeneuve has plenty of projects he’s actively working on. In addition to the film adaptation of Clarke‘s book, he has the mentioned sequel to Dune (and a potential third installment), the Dune: Sisterhood series, the HBO limited series The Son with Jake Gyllenhaal, and the long-announced Cleopatra, where Angeline Jolie at one point was involved.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Sony Expecting a $150M Domestic Opening for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Sony Expecting a $150M Domestic Opening for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    We’ve been covering the box office for quite some time now. It’s been a rough year with the pandemic closing down cinemas for extended periods. After 2020, the new year started with a bang as Godzilla vs. Kong, F9: The Fast Saga and Black Widow started the return for the local box office to recover. So far, only Venom: Let There Be Carnage managed to inch close to it with around $90M in October. It seems like Spider-Man: No Way Home is pretty much set to break pandemic records, but it seems there’s some debate between predictions.

    Sony seems to be taking a more conservative route, which makes sense. You never know how the box office may play during these uncertain times. As such, Sony is going in with a more conservative approach and predicting the film will make at least $100M with a potential high at around $150M. If you remember, we’ve shared predictions that saw the film even managing upward of $250M even during earlier predictions. Exhibitor Relations’ Jeff Bock, a senior analyst, believes that the impressive aspect will be its legs going into the new year:

    Spider-Man: No Way Home’ isn’t just the most anticipated movie of the holiday season, it’s the most anticipated movie of the year. As we’ve seen from countless other superhero flicks in 2021, audiences will not only break the box office opening weekend, but have legs for months

    Jeff Bock

    Some time ago, early predictions and pre-sales already had the film en route to pass the $200M benchmark, which would be quite impressive even during non-pandemic times. Spider-Man: Homecoming made $117M back in 2017 with Spider-Man: Far From Home gaining $92M. Yet, even with a weaker opening weekend, the film managed to surpass the previous entry and even race past the $1B mark. Still, in these times it’s difficult to say if No Way Home would even manage a similar feat. You can be sure everyone’s going to keep a close eye on its release.

    Source: CNBC, The Numbers