Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Adil El Arbi Shares First ‘Batgirl’ Set Photo as Production Starts

    Adil El Arbi Shares First ‘Batgirl’ Set Photo as Production Starts

    The DC extended universe seems to finally be set on a consistent path project-wise. for a while there it seemed like films were just randomly getting announced but would never really come to fruition. Thankfully, it seems like things are finally in order, especially with the upcoming Batgirl project. It was another film that struggled to really get going early on, initially picking up Joss Whedon to write and direct, before Warner Bros. cut ties with the director. After a long wait, it has officially begun production.

    Director Adil El Arbi shared an Instagram post from the set. We get a look at the office of Barbra Gordon, who has been revealed to be working as a cop, most likely for GCPD. The photo gives us a look at the current logo for the film as well as hints when it may be set. In the background there appears to be some decorative tinsel, possibly hinting at the film being set during the holiday season. It will certainly add a nice visual flair to this film’s version of Gotham.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6NJ64sqk9/?utm_medium=copy_link

    Some speculation could hint at Barbra beginning the film working as a cop, but something happening, involving her father, leading her to follow her own path and become Batgirl. The film was written by Christina Hodson, who previously worked on Birds of Prey and The Flash. Adil El Arbi will direct the project alongside Bilall Fallah.

    Source: Instagram

  • Marvel Studios’ Andy Park Reveals Early Shang-Chi Costume Designs

    Marvel Studios’ Andy Park Reveals Early Shang-Chi Costume Designs

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of 2021’s highlights, as the film combined the elements that made Marvel Studios the powerhouse that it is today. While telling a personal story about family, we also get a closer look at a new part of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ta Lo offered a peek into a new dimension where our protagonist embraced his heritage and future. Even better, he got a new look that was passed on to him and his sister by their mother. The design has become quite iconic but it may have looked quite a bit different at one point.

    Marvel Studios director of visual development shared a first look at alternative designs for Simu Liu’s costume. The first includes a nice visual of the Great Protector in the background. This design is closer to what we got in the film, but had some urban elements included, such as a hoodie. The dragon skin element is still included which would become a mainstay in his final design.

    The other design is quite a departure, which almost seems like it was plucked out of a Tron film. The design was inspired by a potential spy direction for the series given the characters’ history with MI-6. Park highlights that he had no idea what the story was going to be about, which is why he just tested out concepts. It also integrates the classic Bruce Lee jumpsuit into the overall design.

    It highlights how many different angles there are with these characters. The team even enters production on the designs and brings these elements to life long before any story elements or scripts are finalized. We’ve learned that they support writers by bringing these concepts visually to life as they are developing scripts, which means there might be many others out there we haven’t seen yet.

    Source: Instagram

  • Mahershala Ali on Taking On the Mantle of Blade After Wesley Snipes

    Mahershala Ali on Taking On the Mantle of Blade After Wesley Snipes

    It was quite a surprise when during the last San Diego Comic-Con attended by Marvel Studios when Mahershala Ali walked out on stage. What caught us even more by surprise was the reveal of him taking on the role of Eric Brooks, the famous vampire hunter feared as Blade. Of course, he’s not the first to take on the role, as he’ll take over from Wesley Snipes, who played the character back in 1998.

    In an interview with Jake’s Takes to the new Apple film Swan Song, he was asked about what makes his version different from Snipes take. The Academy Award winner gave a great response on what it means about tackling this kind of role and carrying on the mantle:

    You know, what I look forward to is earning it. I look forward to earning, you know, there’s an anticipation for it, there’s an excitement for it that he owns, that Mr. Snipes owns, you know? And so in filling his shoes, I’m just working to earn my place in this. And I’m excited to get going and do the work.

    Mahershala Ali

    We only got a voice clip of the actor as Blade during Eternals post-credit sequence, and we still don’t know when the project will enter production. But you can see that the actor is excited about the role and we can’t wait to see his take on the character. You can check out the full interview here:

    Source: YouTube

  • ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down a Role in ‘Shang-Chi’

    ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down a Role in ‘Shang-Chi’

    Jessica Henwick’s star has been on the rise over the last couple of years. Beginning with her turn as Nymeria Sand in Game of Thrones, Henwick began stealing the show more and more frequently. Such was the case in Marvel’s Netflix series Iron Fist, where Henwick’s performance captivated audiences and lead to fans clamoring for a spinoff. Henwick’s next big thing is a role in next month’s The Matrix Resurrections and, as it turns out, it came at the expense of another Marvel role.

    In an interview with EW, Henwick revealed that she was up for a role in Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings at the same time she was auditioning for WB the role of Bug in the fourth Matrix film. According to Henwick, both studios knew about the other roles and forced Henwick to make a choice, which Henwick cleverly referred to as a “red-pill/blue-pill moment” as she was not guaranteed either role at that time.

    Henwick didn’t share what role she was up for in Shang-Chi, but given her age, it would seem the roles played by Meng’er Zhang and Fala Chen would be appropriate and, likely in that order. It’s interesting that Marvel Studios was open to working with Henwick once again given that she ended the second season of Iron Fist in a position of prominence. One could argue that this would be furhter evidence that Marvel Studios does not consider the events of Iron Fist, and by association any of the Defenders projects, to be canonical in the Sacred Timeline. While Marvel Studios has worked with Gemma Chan on multiple projects, her minor role in Captain Marvel saw her face painted blue and gave her relatively few lines making it easier for her to move into Eternals in a main role. It’s hard to make the same argument for Henwick and Blade star Mahershala Ali, who had major supporting roles in their respective Netflix series.

    The Matrix Resurrections will debut in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22nd.

    Source: EW

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Turns in Senses-Shattering 24 Hour Pre-Sales

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Turns in Senses-Shattering 24 Hour Pre-Sales

    The most anticipated film of 2021 had a pretty intense first day of presales. According to Fandango, Spider-Man: No Way Home’s first 24 hours of presales eclipsed presales for Black Widow in just 2 hours and then went on to pass Avengers: Endgame, a film that had the largest domestic opening weekend on record. These numbers are quite impressive, as the last Avengers entry went on to premiere at $357.1M in its opening weekend.

    Reports suggest that the threequel sold over 3 million tickets on presale for more than $35M in sales. If those numbers are accurate, No Way Home will have sold 20 times the amount of tickets either Black Widow or Eternals sold within the same timespan. It managed to beat out Black Widow‘s numbers in just two hours. As such, there are already theories out there that this may be our first film to pass the billion mark since the pandemic started.

    It looks like Sony’s strategy has paid off, as they’ve been still keeping a lid on all leaked or rumored stories surrounding the threequel. What is noteworthy is that the nostalgia factor of the returning villains and the potential appearance of former Spider-Men might be quite the draw for audiences. It’ll be interesting to see how it keeps up that momentum once reviews hit the internet.

    Source: A Trade

  • Sony and Marvel Studios Have Not Finalized a Deal for Post-‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ After All

    Sony and Marvel Studios Have Not Finalized a Deal for Post-‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ After All

    Here’s a curious development. Sony and Marvel Studios’ third Spider-Man film is about to release with No Way Home. Just as the tickets went on sale, we are starting to get some teases of the future for Tom Holland‘s time as the webhead. Producer Amy Pascal earlier today revealed that they are already working on the next trilogy and confirmed that there’s already a deal in place for the upcoming three films. Well, turns out that might not be the full picture just yet.

    So, even though that quote seemed like a definite deal was in place, The Hollywood Reporter has shared that Sony insiders are not aware of any official plans being in place just yet. Yes, Sony wants to continue working with Holland and Feige but there’s nothing concrete finalized for any trilogy or future film.

    Of course, if cooperation is wanted on both sides, it’ll definitely happen. Plus, the MCU connection has boosted quite a few of their projects and it would be strange to pull the plug right after Venom: Let There Be Carnage teased a meeting between the two. Marvel Studios also likes to keep some cards close to the chest. So, we might get a clearer picture on Spidey’s future in the new year.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Tom Burke to Replace Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Furiosa’

    Tom Burke to Replace Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Furiosa’

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is no longer starring in the Mad Max spinoff, Furiosa.

    The spinoff to George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road was to star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II alongside Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy, who portrays the titular character. Per Deadline, Abdul-Mateen is exiting the project due to scheduling conflicts. Interestingly enough, the outlet is unsure what project the actor is working on, it just notes that it’s a project Abdul-Mateen has been developing for some time. It’s thought production unexpectedly moved up on the mysterious project, forcing the actor to depart Furiosa.

    Replacing the actor is Tom Burke. This marks Burke’s first major studio film. He has previously starred in titles such as True Things and The Show. Burke’s role in the film is currently unknown.

    Furiosa will see Miller return behind the camera to direct from a script he co-wrote with Nick Lathouris. Miller will produce the film alongside his longtime Oscar-nominated producing partner Doug Mitchell.

    Furiosa hits theaters on May 24, 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • Third ‘Magic Mike’ Film Heading to HBO Max, Channing Tatum Returning

    Third ‘Magic Mike’ Film Heading to HBO Max, Channing Tatum Returning

    It looks like Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh are back to continue the story of stripper Mike Lane, the titular Magic Mike. Warner Bros. has greenlit a third entry in the franchise that’ll premiere exclusively on their streaming service, HBO Max. Soderbergh will bring the script to life from Reid Carolin, who is also returning from the previous two entries. Magic Mike XXL‘s director, Gregory Jacobs, also return was the producer on this project alongside, Nick Wechsler, Peter Kiernan, and writer Carolin. Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, Toby Emmerich, shared his excitement on the third film that’ll be titled Magic Mike’s Last Dance:

    Is there anybody on screen more charismatic and appealing than Magic Mike? We’re thrilled to be back in business with Channing, Steven and their creative team to bring back Magic Mike’s wonderful combination of dance, drama, romance and humor.

    Toby Emmerich

    The title of “Last Dance” seems to imply this might be the final film in the franchise moving forward. Tatum is quite excited to return to the character and highlights that “The stripperverse will never be the same.” Turns out, the reason they decided to add a third was due to the work on their live show. So, we’ll see what Mike Lang’s future will be like with the new

  • Dolph Lundgren Praises James Wan’s Work on ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’

    Dolph Lundgren Praises James Wan’s Work on ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’

    We’ve all been waiting for some more news on the upcoming Aquaman sequel that’ll explore the mysteriously lost kingdom. James Wan has still remained coy on what exactly the film’s title is hinting at and what the future of the franchise has in store for us. We did learn that Dolph Lundgren would reprise his role back in October, as he shared an Instagram post with part of his wig already on from the set. It was an interesting surprise due to his role as King Nereus and it opened up many questions about how he might tie into the story.

    In an interview with THR, the actor didn’t quite give away any details on what to expect but did tease that we can expect quite a bit of an upgrade from the previous entry. The films take place in Atlantis and it was no small task filming everyone in a way that makes them feel like they’re truly underwater. According to Lundgren, the effects have already come a long way to make that effect even easier and praise Wan‘s involvement.

    That whole picture is just a class act. I think [Aquaman 2] is better. I think the script is stronger and it’s more exciting. The technology has moved forward in four years, so I was really pleased to be a part of it. James Wan is just going to blow everybody away again by this tremendous world that he creates. He’s involved in every little detail, even every little piece of every weapon, and I think it’s going to be great.

    He’s certainly excited about the upcoming sequel and it’ll be interesting to see how the new technology may have changed elements from the production. We’ll likely not spend all the time underwater due to the adventure-vibe the first film gave off. With the first photo teasing an icy location, we’ll get quite a few new locations to explore in the sequel. If it’s anything like the first film, we’re in for a great time.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • BREAKING: Sony and Marvel Studios Have Officially Extended Their Spider-Man Deal

    BREAKING: Sony and Marvel Studios Have Officially Extended Their Spider-Man Deal

    It looks like Tom Holland may just be stuck playing Spider-Man until he’s 30 after all. In an interview with Fandango, Sony Pictures producer Amy Pascal revealed that Sony and Marvel Studios have plans to continue to work together on a new trilogy of Spider-Man films, saying “Marvel and Sony are going to keep going together as partners.“

    Tickets for Spider-Man: No Way Home went on sale last night and caused chaos. With press screenings for the film set for this week, the press cycle has officially kicked off and Pascal told Fandango that not only is No Way Home not the end of the road for the unprecedented deal, but that the two studios are planning another trilogy:

    This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel – [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie. We are getting ready to make the next Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland and Marvel. We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies.

    It’s unknown what further collaboration between the two studios will look like, but with Tom Hardy’s Venom crossing over into the MCU it’s possible that future could include Holland’s Spidey coming face-to-face with the symbiote.

    We’ll continue to cover this story as it develops.

    Source: Fandango