Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Alfred Molina Loved the Freedom CGI Gave Him in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Alfred Molina Loved the Freedom CGI Gave Him in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Spider-Man: No Way Home will finally see the return of Doc Ock to the silver screen. Even better, Alfred Molina will return as the character, which he last played in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Of course, modern technology offers new ways for him to bring the character to life, and his mechanical tentacles are no longer brought to life through puppeteering but rather CGI. Of course, it has raised some people’s eyebrows on the choice, but it seems Molina was quite happy with the new direction.

    In the latest episode of Hot Ones, Tom Holland was interviewed about the upcoming film and he offered some insight into how excited he was to work alongside the Spider-Man veteran in the new film. Not just that, he even offered some insight into how they brought the iconic mechanical limbs to life in the series, especially in comparison to 2004.

    His robotic arms were puppets. They were real tangible things and they’d have a guy on each one and they would puppeteer them while he was performing. So, he had to work in tandem with the other four guys. On this film, obviously, technology has advanced. CGI is so prevalent in these films. So, it was amazing seeing him have a bit more freedom on set with the way he could move without having to rely on other people.

    Tom Holland

    Holland even offered a little insight into how they made it look like he was using the limbs to walk. He goes on to highlight that the actor had a lot of fun with the new set-up, especially as it would swing him around.

    We have this thing called da toothpick rig, which is like a long bar, almost like a crane, with a platform on one end and weights on the other. And, they’d put him on that crane so they can move him around so that it looks like the arms are carrying him. And he loved it. Like, he absolutely loved it.

    Tom Holland

    He also goes on to share that Molina would even get dragged off in the middle of a conversation while being attached to the toothpick rig. It sounds like they had a lot of fun during production and it’s great to see the actor embrace the new technology, especially as it probably made it easier for him to tackle action sequences even with his age. It’ll be interesting to see the final product come to life once the film is finally released next year.

    Source: YouTube

  • Disney Shares First Look at Animated Film ‘Strange World’, Eyeing Thanksgiving 2022 Release

    Disney Shares First Look at Animated Film ‘Strange World’, Eyeing Thanksgiving 2022 Release

    Who knows how many projects Disney is working on. As it’s uncertain if we get a new Investors Day this year, the House of Mouse is looking for new ways to share first looks at upcoming projects. So, Disney took to social media to unveil next year’s animated project, Strange World. The film will be directed by Don Hall alongside Qui Nguyen, who also wrote its script. It’s eyeing a Thanksgiving release in 2022. Not only did they unveil their logo but also offered a first look at the fantastic world we can expect from their latest project where our heroes “journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land.”

    Don Hall is famous for his work on Big Hero 6 and Raya and the Last Dragon, where he worked alongside Qui Nguyen. The story is inspired by the popular pulp magazines that was made on wood pulp paper, which is the reason for its naming. The film’s logo also takes inspirations from those designs and it means we can expect a fun sci-fi adventure. Hall shares his love for the genre and what inspired him to tackle the project.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • Tom Holland Wants Spider-Man to Fight Morbius Next

    Tom Holland Wants Spider-Man to Fight Morbius Next

    There is absolutely no shortage of villains in the next big Spider-Man film. No Way Home will see the famed web-slinger take on the likes of Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Electro, Lizard, and Sandman, but it’s a bad guy we won’t see that star Tom Holland wants to face off against next. In a recent interview with Fandango, the British heartthrob reveals it’s Jared Leto‘s Morbius, the Living Vampire, that he wants Spider-Man to battle on the next film. Holland cites the terrifying nature of Leto‘s character as part of his attraction to the potential future battle. Check out his full explanation in the following tweet posted to Fandango’s feed:

    Holland must enjoy a good fright, considering it’s also the reason he lists Willem Dafoe‘s Goblin as one of his favorite antagonists to film with thus far. Although Morbius is a natural fit for Blade’s rogue’s gallery, the character actually originates from the pages of Spider-Man. Morbius has been a recurring foe for the wall-crawling hero over the past several decades and was famously featured in a large role on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. 

    Fans will get their first live-action glimpse of the Living Vampire’s full power when Morbius drops in theaters on Jan. 28, 2022. The Daniel Espinosa film follows the story of Leto‘s Dr. Michael Morbius, a talented medical professional who gains vampire-like abilities after a dangerous attempt at curing his own rare blood disease.

    Spider-Man: Far From Home hits theaters later this month.

    Source: Twitter

  • Spider-Man Was Going to Face Off Against Kraven in ‘No Way Home’ At One Point

    Spider-Man Was Going to Face Off Against Kraven in ‘No Way Home’ At One Point

    We’ve all been wondering what exactly happened to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Early on, it seemed like the film was heading in a very specific direction, but it seemingly took a different route at one point in development. Our very own Charles Murphy shared some tidbits he heard on the project, such as Joel Kinnaman being considered for a role that might’ve ended up being Kraven the Hunter. Suddenly, the multiverse opened up and we got a very different film and some doubt was cast on the original vision.

    Luckily, Tom Holland confirmed that the Kraven storyline was their original plan for No Way Home. While he doesn’t give away any exact information, in the hopes that they might revisit the concept in a sequel, it does feel like a relief to finally get a confirmation on what the vision was for this film. Yet, the interesting aspect was that this version was their Plan B, as “things weren’t working out” at the time. His full quote states that:

    For a long time, there was going to be a Kraven movie that was going to be the third movie because things weren’t working out and all sorts of different stuff. Jon pitched me this Kraven movie, which actually was really cool. I don’t want to talk about it in case that movie ends up happening down the line, but it was fun.

    Tom Holland

    There was even a time that the Spider-Slayers would’ve had a role of some kind in one version of the film’s draft. It’s not uncommon for things to change, and it seems that the many contractual goals they’ve set were able to come together to bring us the multiversal film we’re getting next week. So, we’ll see if he might still get a chance to face off against Kraven in a sequel, as Kraven’s Last Hunt would make for an amazing film.

    Source: Collider

  • RUMOR: Corey Stoll to Become MODOK in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    RUMOR: Corey Stoll to Become MODOK in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

    It was recently reported that the Marvel Studios’ third size-changing adventure, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, might feature classic Marvel villain M.O.D.O.K. as one of its major threats. Now, we may know who will play the big-headed menace on the big screen. Early reports indicated that Marvel was interested in comedy legend Jim Carrey for the role, but a new rumor suggests that former Yellowjacket actor Corey Stoll may make his grand return to the MCU as the character instead. If true, it would mean that fans would most likely be getting a very different interpretation of M.O.D.O.K. than they’re accustomed to seeing.

    Traditionally, M.O.D.O.K. is portrayed as an A.I.M. scientist named George Tarleton. Upon creating the Cosmic Cube, the head thinkers at A.I.M. use it to turn Tarleton into M.O.D.O.C., a Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing. However, a malevolent Tarleton quickly takes control of the organization and switches “Computing” to “Killing”. This version of the antagonist is the one seen in countless video games and animated series, including the recent M.O.D.O.K. show on Hulu where the character is voiced by Patton Oswalt.

    The last we saw of Stoll was at the end of 2015’s Ant-Man, where his character Darren Cross was being sucked into the Quantum Realm limb-by-limb. If the West Side Story actor is playing the same character, it’s very possible that this ugly process is part of what turns him into the oddly sized monstrosity that is M.O.D.O.K. Long-term exposure to the Quantum Realm could also have played a role in his descent to madness. The multiversal shenanigans of Marvel’s Phase 4 might make it possible Stoll is playing a variant of Cross from another timeline. After all, we were shown a giant Yellowjacket helmet in the timeless void of this year’s Loki series. Ultimately, the options for how the character is re-introduced into the MCU are endless, and we’ll have to wait and see how Quantumania plays out before we know anything for sure.

    Source: GWW

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ Author Details How the Disney + Adaptation Differs From the Book

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ Author Details How the Disney + Adaptation Differs From the Book

    The animated film Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted on Disney Plus last week and fans of the book have noticed it wasn’t exactly a beat-for-beat adaptation of the original novel, nor an animated remake of the 2007 film. According to author Jeff Kinney, who also wrote and served as an executive producer on the new, animated film, that was intentional. Kinney used the animated retelling as way to beef up the emotional impact of the story, as he explained to our Arlyn Murphy.

    We’re really trying to tell an emotional story. Like my first book is just a bunch of jokes, really, with a thin story and this is a more meaty story where you really come to care for Greg and Rowley.

    Creators are famously never satisfied with their works and often tweak and revise things endlessly. In Kinney’s case, this new film gave him a chance to slide a little bit of empathy into the film, something Murphy noted in her review. As Kinney told us, he hopes to adapt all of his Wimpy Kid series’ books into animated films for the streaming service (in fact, Rodrick Rules is already in the works and headed to D+ next year), so it’ll be fun to follow how he continues to tweak the stories of each of his works moving forward.

  • Netflix ‘Daredevil’ Showrunner on Series Status as MCU Canon

    Netflix ‘Daredevil’ Showrunner on Series Status as MCU Canon

    Earlier this week, Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, confirmed that Charlie Cox, who portrayed Matt Murdock and Daredevil over 3 seasons of the Netflix series, Daredevil, would be portraying the same character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cox will join Daredevil co-star Vincent D’Onofrio, who first appeared in the briefest of cameos in Episode 3 of Hawkeye, as actors who will portray their Netflix characters in MCU. While that makes for an exciting future, what’s not clear is if the their appearances in the MCU will be continuing the stories they began telling on Netflix, will serve as a soft reboot or will ignore them entirely and simply be the same actors playing entirely new versions of the same characters.

    With so much uncertainty over the topic, Twitter user Trash ‘n Treasure smartly asked one guy who might know: Daredevil Season 1 showrunner and director Steven DeKnight. Unfortunately, as it turns out, DeKnight is in the same boat as the rest of us.

    It looks like people will continue to debate the canonicity of the Netflix series until we have further evidence from the projects in which the characters will appear (and let’s be honest, even when faced with a factual answer, people will still debate it). However, while fans continue to dwell on the past of the characters, it’s a lot more enjoyable to focus on what seems like it’s going to be an exciting future for them. Regardless of whether or not the events of the Netflix series “happened” in the MCU, two actors who gave incredible performances are about to give fans a whole new set of events to enjoy and debate. With D’Onofrio and Cox expected to be fully revealed in the roles over the next two weeks, we wont have too long to wait to start enjoying them all over again.

  • Kevin Feige Uncertain About Nova’s MCU Future

    Kevin Feige Uncertain About Nova’s MCU Future

    With the MCU expanding into so many new corners, numerous fan-favorite characters are making their live-action debuts. One character in particular that people are eager to see adapted is Nova. The character first appeared in 1976 and has served as both a protector of Earth and one of the galaxy’s greatest heroes.

    The opening of Avengers: Infinity War seemingly set up a possible origin story for Richard Rider, with Thanos decimating Xandar off-screen it in pursuit of the Power Stone. During the press rounds for that film, Kevin Feige teased the “immediate potential” of the character, but over three years later, he’s still yet to be seen. In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Feige was asked if it was more likely we’d see the Human Rocket introduced in his own project or in another film. And as he often does, Feige didn’t give much of an answer:

    It’s a good question, it’s a good question. We have plenty, you know it depends…we oftentimes…see Black Panther is a great example! We were always working a Black Panther standalone. The world of Wakanda, how to dive into that. Then the opportunity for him to appear first in Civil War came up. So it always varies.

    Kevin Feige

    Feige definitely seems to be hinting here that Nova could indeed appear in another project in a smaller, supporting role before eventually spinning off into his own project. With so much focus on Xandar in the Guardians of The Galaxy films, and Vol. 3 currently in production, it feels like it might be the best place for the character to debut.

    SOURCE: Instagram

  • UPDATE: NO New, Potentially Spoilery ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Trailer Coming Soon

    UPDATE: NO New, Potentially Spoilery ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Trailer Coming Soon

    Update: a message from the BBFC indicated there will be no new trailer:

    A listing by the British Board of Film Classification confirms that Sony has cut a third trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home. The premiere of the film is set to take place on December 13th and is already poised for a senses-shattering opening weekend at the box office, with an expected domestic take of over $250M.

    Sony has already pushed out two trailers for the film, with the most recent one fully revealing the film’s villains and the narrative around how they make the jump to the MCU from their own universes. While that trailer heavily featured Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jaime Foxx’s Electro, it certainly held back on confirming the biggest rumor about the film: the return of Spider-Men past, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

    While everyone with an ounce of common sense knows the two will be in the film (plot leaks, leaked photos, leaked videos and, most recently, a leaked soundtrack all confirm it), Sony has generated a ton of social media buzz for the film by withholding them to this point. With the second trailer having been such a hit among fans, what would Sony have left to put in a third trailer for a film that’s already on pace to be among the highest grossing films of all time?

    Releasing a third, spoiler-heavy trailer just a few days ahead of the film’s release would be a curious move for a normal studio, but par for the course for Sony. An argument could conceivably be made that revealing Maguire and Garfield could drive more fans to the theaters, but pretty much every theater across the country is sold out for opening night, if not opening weekend. A confirmation of Charlie Cox’s role in the film, something Kevin Feige made possible by confirming that the actor would be playing Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the MCU moving forward, while still spoilery might be a little more reasonable. We’ll all find out together.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters next week!

    Source: BBFC

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Eyeing $250M+ Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Eyeing $250M+ Domestic Opening Weekend

    Currently, Spider-Man: No Way Home is beating all expectations. Even while some are cautious about the new Omnicom variant, its box office performance has been nothing but stellar. Its pre-sales were on par or slightly behind 2019’s Avengers: Endgame in key markets. Even without a China release, the film is pretty much on route to beat any release since the pandemic started and even rivals those of 2019. With 10 more days until release, the numbers are looking better than ever.

    Charlie Jatinder, who has been a reliable source for box office insight, shared that the film has already sold around $60M in pre-sales tickets in its domestic market. As such, while including $40M for its opening day, it would set the film on opening at around $200M or even $240M over the weekend. With international developments, the film might even manage a $500M opening worldwide.

    These numbers also match with Box Office pro’s prediction that has given the film a higher fluctuation rate in its release, as they believe it could even go up to $250M. We’ve seen a few films break even their best predictions while some also barely scratched it. In these uncertain times, it’s a bit hard to define, but with some strong momentum, it could even manage upwards of $690M in its worldwide release. We’ll see how its critical reception and word-of-mouth strengthen those numbers moving forward.

    Source: Twitter, Box Office Pro