Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Scarlett Johansson Talks her Upcoming Producer Role for Marvel Studios

    Scarlett Johansson Talks her Upcoming Producer Role for Marvel Studios

    Just a month ago, Kevin Feige announced that he was working with Scarlett Johansson on an untitled project for Marvel Studios. She is moving on to a new role s producer after her first solo outing in Black Widow. There has been a lot of speculation as to what project this might be about, such as a film inspired by the comic series A-Force or a spin-off to Black Widow movie. In a recent interview with Collider, Johansson shared her motivations for being a producer for multiple films as well as working for Marvel.

    I have worked for 30 years, which is insane when I say it out loud, but I think I just understand the efficiency of how productions run and how you thin the fat on a production and make things well oiled.

    Scarlett Johansson

    With that much experience, it seems like a natural move to tackle a project as a producer, and it seems that the freedom Marvel Studios offers is exactly the kind of thing

    As far as Marvel goes, it’s like working with family there. Marvel has some of the best IP ever and you can really dream big there and nothing’s ever off the table and you kind of throw all these blue sky ideas around and see what sticks. It’s like a creative playground that’s just like a dream. Again, I have that shorthand with my fellow creatives there that comes from being in the world for 10 years with those guys.

    Scarlett Johansson

    Sadly, she still doesn’t give away what project she is working on, but she certainly seems excited about tackling the new project. Of course, it seems very likely that she’s tackling a film next, but there is a chance a Disney+ series is also involved in some capacity. Some Marvel Studios actors have been moving into producing or even directing roles and it’ll be interesting to see who else might join her.

    Source: Collider

  • James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on 2009’s Avatar film. No, not The Last Airbender but James Cameron‘s science fiction space opera that he was working on for many years. It’s been over ten years and the ambitious director teased that he’s not only working on one but four sequels of the original. The brand is now under the Disney umbrella after they purchased 20th Century Fox. After a long bout of silence, Cameron has finally opened up on the sequel and even offered some insight into the upcoming projects.

    It sounds kind of nuts, the process. I mean, if Avatar hadn’t made so much damn money, we’d never do this — because it’s kind of crazy

    James Cameron

    While we still don’t have an official title, the story of the first sequel will take place 14 years after the original. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in his new homegrown Na’vi body, has settled down with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and has started a family. The film this time around will be less bout them but their children. Producer Jon Landau shared that family will be at the heart of these sequels moving forward:

    AVATAR 2

    Ultimately, the sequels are a story about family, and the lengths parents will go through to keep that family together and keep them safe. I always say that Jim’s movies have universal themes — and really, there’s no more universal theme than family

    Jim Landau

    The long-held rumors are true as the first two entries will focus on the ocean and introduce a clan of reef-dwelling Na’vi, who goes by the name Metkayina. The Titanic director is well known for his work in ocean conservation. So, he wanted to combine his love of filmmaking and exploring the ocean into one project. The reason production took so long was that their performance-capture technology wouldn’t work underwater, which they had to adapt.

    AVATAR 2

    Production has wrapped on the first two entries of the franchise with Avatar 3 heading for a 2024 release. The reasoning it’s still planned to release this late is due to the focus on giving Weta enough time to bring the effects to life. The last two entires won’t release until 2026 and 2028 respectively.

    What we are doing now, from a story standpoint and a world standpoint, is on a much larger scale. That’s both exciting and challenging. We are putting much more detail, first and foremost, into the performances of the cast, but we’re [also] putting much more detail and diversity into the world that we are creating.

    Jim Landau

    Cameron has shared his fear that the films may not make the money he hopes they will, especially with how much money they’ll cost to make. Yet, 20th Century Fox and subsequently Disney have put a lot of trust into the director to bring four high-budget sequels together. Avatar was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame as the highest-earning film of all time only to take it back with a China re-release. It’ll be interesting to see if the wait was well worth it for everyone involved.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle to Adapt Donny Cates ‘God Country’ for Netflix

    ‘Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle to Adapt Donny Cates ‘God Country’ for Netflix

    Jim Mickle made a name for himself as the co-creator of Netflix’s hit series Sweet Tooth. Now, he’s locked in his next project as he’s going to adapt Donny Cates‘ God Country for Netflix with Legendary, who is also working on the Enola Holmes and live-action Gundam films. and AfterShock Media developing the project. He’ll direct the project and is co-writing the script alongside Cates.

    The story is about Emmet Quinlan. A widower who suffers from dementia is brought back to his prime through a magical sword that he found in the wreckage after a tornado hit. Now, it’s his only tool to protect his family after creatures from another world start threatening his home in search of his newfound powers. Cate‘s has made a name for himself for his work on the Venom series and wrote the six-issue series with Geoff Shaw bringing it to life with his art.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Kevin Feige: “There Are Ideas” for Harry Styles’ Starfox

    Kevin Feige: “There Are Ideas” for Harry Styles’ Starfox

    While Harry Styles‘ appearance in the Eternals never turned out to be the surprise it was intended to be (star Salma Hayek gave it away well before the film debuted), it still thrilled fans of the talented star. Styles popped in during a mid-credit scene where he was introduced by Pip the Troll as Eros, brother of Thanos. Any concerns of Eros being of a similar mind to his brother, the Mad Titan, were quickly erased as it was made clear that Eros, aka Starfox, was there to help.

    While the scene was a clear set up for a potential sequel to Eternals, Marvel Studios’ brass has yet to give a green light to a second film. Even without an Eternals sequel, Styles’ character could still have a bright future in the MCU given his comic book counterpart rubbed shoulders with any and every Cosmic hero and was, at one time, an Avenger. Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, was asked about Styles at last night’s premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home and gushed about the star and his potential future in the MCU:

    That was a fun one…that was a fun teaser tag at the end of the movie. We have a lot of fans-outside the studio, of course-but within the studio, of Starfox, of that character, Eros. So as the MCU has continued into the cosmic arena, there are ideas.

    While Starfox’s comic book history is, to put it mildly, problematic and not fit for Marvel Studios’ projects (or any projects, really), having a star like Styles attached as they redefine the character for the MCU shows just how astute and forward thinking Feige and crew are. Much like Hawkeye star Hailee Steinfeld, Styles comes to the MCU with a huge fanbase that will back any and every project in which he’s involved…and it seems like Feige might just be one of them, himself.

  • Victoria Alonso Updates Progress on ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Victoria Alonso Updates Progress on ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Much has been made of the extended production time of Marvel Studios first 2022 release, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Production on the film began last November, under the working title Stellar Vortex, before wrapping in April after having been disrupted by COVID. A reported 6 weeks of additional photography on the film wrapped up in September following which is was reported that another two months of work were scheduled on the film to “realize the full potential of the film.”

    It’s standard operating procedure for Marvel Studios to schedule additional photography for all of their projects, however, the recent two month extension caused some stir among fans that the film was in trouble. The film has undergone tremendous changes since its inception, with a new creative team of Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi, taking over from Scott Derrickson, who wrote and directed the first film. As usual, however, Marvel Studios has kept quiet about the upcoming sequel, simply moving the film’s release date from March to May.

    The only person related to Marvel Studios to have publicly acknowledged the reshoots was star Benedict Cumberbatch, who also happens to play a major role in the latest MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film’s red carpet premiere was last night, bringing out all the big wigs at both Marvel and Sony, including Marvel Studios’ President of Physical, Post Production, Victoria Alonso. Alonso was asked if that extensive additional photography had wrapped up yet and she was unsurprisingly forthcoming with her response saying, “No we haven’t (finished production). We’re shooting additional photography-we’re almost done.“

    Alonso’s comments fall in line with the expected timing of the extended shoot, which was originally reported to take about 6 weeks to complete. Should everything work out, production should wrap on the film before Christmas, giving the studios more than four months to edit in the new footage and get the film ready for its May debut.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now slated for a May 6th, 2022 release.

  • “Nothing has Been Determined”: Sony CEO Speaks Out on Tom Holland’s Future as Spider-Man

    “Nothing has Been Determined”: Sony CEO Speaks Out on Tom Holland’s Future as Spider-Man

    Last night marked the red carpet premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home, meaning the stars and Hollywood suits were out in full force. Among them was Sony CEO Tom Rothman, who as Chair of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, has overseen the partnership between Sony and Marvel Studios that has led to MCU-set Spidey films like No Way Home.

    The collaboration between the two studios has been wildly successful and with the conclusion of the Spidey high school-set trilogy, fans are eager to know if Tom Holland will be back in the role once his contract is up. A couple of weeks back, Sony Pictures producer Amy Pascal, who has worked on all 3 Holland Spidey films, told Fandango that a deal to keep collaboration had, in fact, been reached. When asked to confirm or deny Pascal’s comments last night, Rothman laughed and said:

    “I will confirm that my dear sister-in-arms, Amy, is a very optimistic person. that’s what I will confirm. The reality is nothing is set. Nothing has been determined. But on the other hand, everything is still possible.”

    Before concluding that portion of the interview, Rothman added, “Hope springs eternal. We’ll see.” Speaking as the CEO of a company, Rothman is smart not to give anything away until the ink is dry on all the contracts. Will there be more Spider-Man movies? Always. Will Marvel Studios and Sony continue to collaborate to make them? It sure seems like it based on everything we’ve heard during press junkets the past few weeks. However, we recently saw the Sony/Marvel Studios deal come to an “end” before being saved by last minute efforts by Holland, so Rothman’s totally in line here with his response. With everything on the table, however, it’s encouraging to think about another decade or so of the studios working together to bring Spidey to the big (and small) screen.

  • Critics Are Raving About ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Critics Are Raving About ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Spider-Man: No Way Home just held its rabidly awaited premiere last night and the internet is already on fire with all the reactions from those who attended. Our own Mary Maerz got to attend a press screening and also joined the chorus of celebratory acclaim for the film. Check out her full review here.

    https://twitter.com/mrymrz_/status/1470642552084725766
  • Sony’s Marketing Team Originally Wanted to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Keep the Villains a Secret

    Sony’s Marketing Team Originally Wanted to ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Keep the Villains a Secret

    Spider-Man: No Way Home became one of Hollywood’s worst-kept secrets. Shortly around the time production started, news dropped that some iconic villains from the franchise’s history made their grand return. Alfred Molina flat-out confirmed his involvement at one point, which had everyone’s attention even more. Rumor after rumor hit the web on the villains and other Spider-Man actors making a return. Well, it seems that if they managed to keep this a secret, they were going to go down a very different marketing route.

    Tom JHolland revealed in an interview with Yahoo.com that they were going to market the film as a “civil war” between Doctor Strange and Spider-Man. We do get some inclinations of that in the trailers, but they wanted to keep the villains of the marketing until they realized how impossible it was to keep them a secret.

    Remember when that was the initial marketing plan? The initial plan was to make the film seem like a civil war between myself and Doctor Strange and they were gonna keep everything a secret. That is impossible.”

    Tom Holland

    Of course, history turned out quite differently and some of the villains are highly showcased in the various trailers and even posters. It was a smart move, as it seemed that the confirmation of some of the rumors got everyone’s attention and hype, as it’s currently on route to becoming the highest-grossing film since the pandemic started. So, in a way, the rumor mill may have helped out a bit this time around even if they still can’t quite keep a lid on it.

    Source: Yahoo

  • ‘Kingsman 3’ Eyeing a September Production Start

    ‘Kingsman 3’ Eyeing a September Production Start

    Just as the prequel spinoff for the popular Kingsman franchise is about to hit theaters, it seems that production is already preparing for the upcoming third entry in the franchise. Taron Egerton‘s Eggsy will finally make his return as it’s currently eyeing a September production start. The sequel will build upon the previous two entries, Kingsman: Secret Service and The Golden Circle. We’ve known the film has been in the works for some time, but it’s our first update on the new entry.

    The news came from ComicBook.com, which got a chance to sit down with producer and director Matthew Vaughn, who confirmed the production start while promoting The King’s Man. Unlike the previous entries, this film takes place far in the past and explores the beginnings of this important British spy organization during the first World War. It’ll be interesting to see if the third entry might pick up some potential plot points set up in this prequel.

    The third entry has a lot to live up to, as The Golden Circle upped the ante of craziness and action. It’ll be interesting to see how they continue the storyline and what the future has in store for Eggsy. Perhaps he’ll grow into a mentor role as well to teach a new generation about the Kingsman, or we explore international agencies.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • ‘Encanto’ Heading to Disney+ for the Holidays

    ‘Encanto’ Heading to Disney+ for the Holidays

    Well, this is quite a surprise. Encanto has just recently been released in theaters and it looks like Disney is not going to waste any time to bring it to Disney+. In a new Twitter post, they announced that the latest animated musical will release on the platform on December 24th. So, we’re getting a nice Christmas present and they also shared a new clip of the song “What Else Can I Do?” alongside the announcement.

    It’s curious that they are going to release it early instead of letting it still run longer in theaters, especially with Eternals not releasing until January. It seems that they are trying o bank on the animated project’s target audience, which is quite in line with Disney+’s family-friendly focus. Sadly, some markets had a lockdown during its original release date and very likely will end up waiting for the release on the streaming service, which may hurt its international box office. Here’s hoping the film will still hold strong and everyone will enjoy it over the holidays.

    Source: Twitter