Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Mahershala Ali’s Introduction to Blade was the 1998 Wesley Snipes Film

    Mahershala Ali’s Introduction to Blade was the 1998 Wesley Snipes Film

    Blade is technically the grandfather of Marvel’s cinematic ventures. When the Stephen Norrington-directed film was released in 1998, it revolutionized not only superhero films for many years to come, but also played an integral role in representation within cinemas. Soon, Mahershala Ali will take on that very role as part of a wider universe, the fittingly titled Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    While still professionally avoiding questions on the project, Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast got a chance to ask the actor how he was introduced to the character. It seems, he went through the same story as many of us, as he states that:

    Well, only what I discovered like everyone else in the 90s with Wesley Snipes. […] I don’t think the guy even notice how at that time I was just accustomed to there not being black superheroes. The best you got was, like, He-Man, there was, I forget the character’s name in that, there was supposed to be a black character. At least, he was voiced by a black guy and modeled after a black guy, […] but you just weren’t seeing anyone. Once Spawn came out and Blade, then it was really exciting just to have some superheroes that look like you.

    Mahershala Ali

    It once again highlights how rare it was back in the day for kids of any age to feel represented in media. While downplayed, many kids from different backgrounds look for heroes they can look up to. So, there’s an important reason why Ali is tacking on the role and its importance of carrying on the torch that was lit by Black Panther, as he also briefly discusses in the podcast.

    Source: Variety

  • RUMOR: ‘The Matrix Resurrection’ PS5 Tie-In ‘The Matrix Awakens’ Leaks

    RUMOR: ‘The Matrix Resurrection’ PS5 Tie-In ‘The Matrix Awakens’ Leaks

    Here’s a curious discovery. Reddit user u/the_andshrew shared a potential The Matrix Resurrection tie-in that was uncovered in the PSN’s backend that is only available through the PlayStation 5. It’s supposedly made in Unreal Engine 5, which is the cornerstone of the new generation of gaming. All we have is a visual that teases the title of The Matrix Awakens and the iconic visual design used in most of the upcoming film’s marketing and trailers.

    https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202111/3023/2Xx5zJZOqDPuGZxQMf68YNaV.png

    The title of “experience” is a signifier this might not be an actual game. It might be similar to the Spider-Man: Far From Home tie-in VR experiences, where you get to spend some fun time in the shoes of your favorite webhead. So, we might take on the role of Neo in a short segment, or they might play on you entering the Matrix through the VR headset. It’ll be interesting to see what this might end up being once it is officially announced.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Quantumania’ Crew Merch Includes Cracked Ant-Man Helmet and Popular Kang Fan Artwork

    ‘Quantumania’ Crew Merch Includes Cracked Ant-Man Helmet and Popular Kang Fan Artwork

    Just recently, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania wrapped production. Everyone has kept an eye out on the Internet if some crew merch might find its way online and luckily exactly that happened. Ace Ruele shared a t-shirt the stunt team used that had quite an interesting tease. What sticks out is that Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man helmet is heavily damaged and cracked, which may not bode well for our favorite size-changing hero. If you look closer you’ll see Kang in the helmet’s reflection that may be familiar to people.

    If you look closely, it turns out its fanart from artist spdrmnkyxxiii that you can find online based on what Jonathan Majors could look like as Kang. It’s not uncommon for these to find their way online and crew merch is commonly not created by official sources but brought to life by the teams. They sometimes tease elements of the film or TV show but don’t include actual artwork. Still, it’s a great design.

    https://twitter.com/AceRuele/status/1462806940053028869

    Here’s the original design as shared by the artist back in September of 2020 that seemingly was used in the stunt team’s crew merch:

    It’s still a great tease and highlights once again that Kang the Conqueror will have quite a large role in the upcoming story. We know very little about Quantumania and the usual comedic Ant-Man franchise might face quite the shakeup. The cracked helmet is quite foreboding especially with how involved the stunt team is in the action. We’ll see what the future has in store for Scott Lang.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Doctor Strange Into The Multiverse of Madness’ Lego Set Offers First Look Gargantos

    ‘Doctor Strange Into The Multiverse of Madness’ Lego Set Offers First Look Gargantos

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe is going all-in on the multiverse with the Spider-Man: No Way Home, followed by Doctor Strange Into The Multiverse of Madness a few months later. The film will see the return of Stephen Strange alongside Wanda Maximoff, who joins him following the events of WandaVision. Outside of Wanda and America Chavez appearing, not much is known about the film as plot details are still very much under wraps. However, it seems marketing could be kicking into action with a recent leak from Lego.

    A new Lego set for the upcoming Doctor Strange film has made its way onto the internet. and it seems to confirm something previously reported on our site. The set is named ‘Gargantos Showdown’ and features a brick-built Gargantos along with Doctor Strange, Wong, and America Chavez, who will also be making her MCU debut in the film. The set comes with a description that states:

    Gargantos, the giant, one-eyed monster, spots Doctor Strange, Wong, and America Chavez and wriggles on its long, green tentacles towards the 3 heroes. Will the team’s special powers and weapons be enough to defeat the monster or will they be tangled up in tentacles? Only you can decide.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CW9g6bjLKJr/

    Back in July, reports surfaced suggesting actress Yenifer Molina had joined the cast as ‘Gargantos 2.’ For those who aren’t familiar with the character, Gargantos was a giant tentacle monster from Marvel Comics who was under the control of the Lemurian villain known as Naga. The character has ties to Namor but hasn’t been featured in comics since 1989. 

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently set to hit theaters on May 6th, 2022.

    SOURCE: Instagram

  • ‘Shang-Chi’ Had Creative Liberties in Bringing Ta Lo to Life

    ‘Shang-Chi’ Had Creative Liberties in Bringing Ta Lo to Life

    Shang-Chi and the Legends of Ten Rings introduced the world to a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the mystical pocket dimension of Ta Lo. Once we get past the dangerous forest, we enter a realm filled to the brim with mystical creatures. It’s the home of the loveable Morris that became a mainstay of our core group of unlikely heroes. In the Blu-ray release of the Marvel Studios film.

    In one of the newest features, we get a glimpse into how they brought Morris to life through a proxy that Ben Kingsley grew quite fond of throughout the filming process. Yet, the biggest highlight was once we enter Ta Lo and meet these various creatures that live in this realm. Naturally, they are quite a bit different from those we live side-by-side within our daily life.

    Simu Liu highlights that they had quite a bit of creative liberty in bringing these mythological beings to life. So, there were no restrictions set on what they can include here, especially with the appearance of Dweller in Darkness, who has had quite a variety of different designs and takes throughout the years. If we get to revisit this location and other locations teased in the film, we might see many more mythological creatures make their appearance in the MCU.

    Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.

  • New Look at Netflix’s ‘Hilda and the Mountain King’ Shared Ahead of Trailer Release

    New Look at Netflix’s ‘Hilda and the Mountain King’ Shared Ahead of Trailer Release

    The heartwarming story of Hilda offered a beautiful adaptation of Luke Pearson’s graphic novel series. We visit a world where humanity lives alongside mythical creatures. After a long life in the middle of nowhere, she and her mother moved to the walled-in Trolberg. That didn’t keep her from getting in quite a bit of trouble and various adventures. The latest at the end of the second season ended up with her switching with a mountain troll and becoming one.

    After a long wait, the film is finally on its way that’ll adapt the story Hilda and the Mountain King, which will follow up where the previous season left off. The official Twitter account released a new piece of the upcoming entry. It also seems to be teasing something, which means we’ll very likely get a trailer soon.

    The animation for this series has always been a highlight, especially with how mellow and welcoming it is. It’s a very approachable story and is a great show to forget the world. The Netflix series is sadly coming to an end as a final third season is planned as a follow-up to The Mountain King. It’ll be interesting to see if it can keep up the pacing as it comes to an end.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Shang-Chi’s Awkwafina Joins Universal’s Dracula Film ‘Renfield’

    ‘Shang-Chi’s Awkwafina Joins Universal’s Dracula Film ‘Renfield’

    Just recently we learned that Nicolas Cage joined Universals project Renfield, which will explore the classic story of Dracula from a different perspective. Nicholas Hoult will take on the main role of Dracula’s servant and will help bring the project to life alongside director Adam McKay. It looks like the casting process has just begun, as Deadline just reported that Awkwafina has also joined the project.

    Currently, the Shang-Chi actress’s role remains under lock and key, but she’s a perfect addition to the more comedic take on the horror classic. Cage will tackle the role of Dracula in the film produced by Skybound Entertainment. They’ll be working off of a script by Ryan Ridley.

    Our titular character, R.M. Renfield, was a former asylum member that went on to become the servant of the prince of darkness. Details are scarce on the project, but it looks like it won’t be a period piece but rather a modern interpretation of the original Dracula novel. It’ll be interesting to see just how different this take on the project might end up being and if it starts off a new, more comedic, Dark Universe.

    Source: Deadline

  • Ethan Hawke’s Role in ‘Knives Out 2’ is Just a Cameo

    Ethan Hawke’s Role in ‘Knives Out 2’ is Just a Cameo

    Ethan Hawke has been quite busy as of late. Comic fans are excited to find out what his mysterious role might turn out to be in the upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight. But that isn’t all he is working on, as he was also spotted on the set of Knives Out 2. It’s unclear what exactly his role is going to be, but there were many theories on what role he might potentially have. Turns out, he’s not really in the film that much according to his latest interview with ScreenRant. In it, he stated that:

    Knives Out 2, I just have a cameo in that movie. Don’t expect much from me

    So, it does open a curious question of what exactly a cameo would entail in a murder mystery. In a way, he may be the sequel’s victim that brings Daniel Craig’s, Detective Benoit Blanc, to join the unlikely party to uncover what exactly happened. Christopher Plummer took on the role of victim in the first film, where he had a minor role outside of the opening and a few flashbacks. So, he might have a similar role in the film.

    Yet, there’s also the chance that he really has nothing more than a brief cameo before he disappears. Perhaps his character might set up a third entry that is already in development as part of Netflix’s multi-million deal. It’s uncertain if director Rian Johnson wants to take a “cinematic universe” approach with the project, or will keep individual projects as a separate storyline with only Blanc acting as the connective tissue. Only the film’s release will give us a clear indication of where this new franchise is heading.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • Composer Natalie Holt Joins ‘Batgirl’ Production, Shares New Set Photo

    Composer Natalie Holt Joins ‘Batgirl’ Production, Shares New Set Photo

    Just yesterday, we got our first set photo from the upcoming HBO Max original film, Batgirl. The story about Barbara Gordon’s time in the iconic mantle will explore Gotham in a new way. Director Adil El Arbi shared the photo on his Instagram account, which teased Barbara’s future as a beat cop in the series. production is finally revving up in Glasgow and it looks like they’ll soon be joined by a new GCPD cop that has some musical talents.

    Natalie Holt announced back in September that she joined the HBO Max original to compose its soundtrack. After her incredible work on Loki, her addition was an exciting prospect that got many wondering what exactly she may add to this particular story. Of course, it’s too early to get a feeling for exactly that, but she did tease that she is now on set. Her tease might also hint that she’ll have a cameo as a GCPD officer in the series.

    https://twitter.com/filmmusicholt/status/1466099113720692739?s=21

    We might see others of the production team appear as cops whenever Barbara is going through her job. She likely is working for her father, which will add quite a bit of tension between them. So, who knows how nosy her colleagues are and appear in the background during their discussions. It’ll be interesting to explore her story from the perspective of a police officer, as she’ll definitely be active as Batgirl throughout the story. It could lead to an interesting conflict of interest. Here’s hoping we get more teases or even a look at Leslie Grace in costume from what was teased during DC FanDome.

    Source: Twitter

  • Nicolas Cage Joins Universal’s ‘Renfield’ Movie as Dracula

    Nicolas Cage Joins Universal’s ‘Renfield’ Movie as Dracula

    Nicolas Cage seems like the actor who could appear in almost any project and you’ll never expect it. Well, he’s now joined Universal Studios’ attempt at reviving their monster franchises as the lord of darkness himself, Dracula in the upcoming film Renfield. He’ll be joined by Nicholas Hoult who’ll take on the role of the count’s iconic henchman.

    Chris McKay, fresh off the work on The Tomorrow War, will tackle the project. He is producing alongside The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Bryan, and Sean Furst. The titular character was brought to life in Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel, who becomes obsessed with his new lord as they end up depending on each other. It is teased as a modern-day adventure with a comedic tone, which makes sense given McKay‘s filmography. Of course, the addition of Nicolas Cage just adds to that very fact.

    It’ll be interesting to see if Universal is still focused on bringing a cinematic universe to life. While the Dark Universe failed to pick up steam after The Mummy, the more comedic approach might add an extra layer to the experience and make it stand out from other crossover franchises. They might even play on the cheesiness of the original films and bring that to life in curious ways.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter