Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • New Leaked ‘Ms. Marvel’ Promo Art Confirms No Embiggening for Disney+ Series

    New Leaked ‘Ms. Marvel’ Promo Art Confirms No Embiggening for Disney+ Series

    There’ve been countless rumors of Ms. Marvel’s new abilities in the upcoming Disney+ series. It seemed like Marvel Studios was trying to reinvent her character and add a new element to what she is capable of. Then suddenly our first artwork hit the web teasing a very different ability set. Yet, we still believed she might utilize her Embiggening from the comics alongside this new ability. Well, a new promo art has leaked online showcasing that the large fist we know from the comics will get replaced by these purple-esque constructs. Check them out here as provided by Twitter user @Ben_vlbd.

    It’s strange to think they’d stick to many of their characters’ origins but change that of Ms. Marvel so drastically. Either they are trying to bring her character closer to her namesake inspiration, or they are setting up a bigger transformation down the line. Her Inhuman lineage plays a key factor in her character, especially as she overcomes the challenges of being a Muslim-American teenager. Here’s hoping a trailer might give us more insight into this change.

    There’s also the strange Easter egg teasing the arrival of Maximus from the Inhuman royal family in the first sizzle reel from last year’s Disney’s Investors Day. Who knows if they are reshooting some aspects of the series, as it’s currently the first Disney+ series to face a delay. We received actual footage of the series long before Hawkeye, but it somehow got pushed back into 2022. Here’s hoping we find out more at Novembers’ Disney+ Day which will tease the MCU’s future.

    Source: Twitter

  • Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Ever since we’ve heard that Marvel Studios might expand its animation department, it opened up the floodgates of how they might tackle future projects. What If…? was our gateway into that very mission with its 3D style that brought iconic actors from previous projects to life. Of course, as they expand it opened up the question of how Marvel Studios may approach future animation projects. Would they stick to the one established in the Disney+ series, or might they take a unique take with each project? Well, a new job listing might give us a better hint at an upcoming project.

    What If...? | Disney+ Originals

    Disney and Marvel Studios are actively seeking a 2D/3D FX Designer. What makes this listing interesting is that there’s a strong emphasis on 2D FX work throughout, such as asking to showcase hand-drawn 2D FX abilities, general design work, and general familiarity with 2D animation principles as well as high-end anime 2DFX style. It’s great to see that Marvel Studios isn’t being restrictive to a specific type of animation. It’s one of the advantages of this new venture, as every artist can add their own distinctive style. So far, the only other animation style we heard of was for the upcoming I Am Groot Disney+ series, which supposedly is going for a photo-real 3D style.

    Of course, the implication of familiarity with anime animation is noteworthy but doesn’t mean we’ll get a One Piece or Naruto-styled series. Series like the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles utilized specific animation queues popularized in Japan to bring its action to life. It’s also generally become a trend to make use of its stylized approach to animation in the West. Some classic examples would be Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Samurai Jack, and even Marvel’s own Ultimate Spider-Man. So, it’s not uncommon for the popular genre to be part of 2D artists portfolio in the West nowadays.

    The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2 Ep. 8 - Clip 1 - YouTube

    This isn’t comparable to Star Wars: Visions, which included actual Japanese anime studios to develop its episodes. Yet, there’s always a chance that kind of cooperation is in the cards eventually for other Disney projects. They most likely simply are trying to find talented artists in the industry that have intimate knowledge of the different genres of 2D animation that are currently popular.

    Source: Disney Careers

  • Kevin Feige Calls Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus “Perfect Casting”

    Kevin Feige Calls Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus “Perfect Casting”

    It was in April when Alfred Molina simply confirmed his involvement with Spider-Man: No Way Home. There were countless rumors and theories regarding the return and the actor seemed quite happy to share the information. It was a surprising turn of events, as Marvel studios might be one of the most secretive companies in the industry with strict NDAs. Yet, his open confirmation may have also led to his inclusion in the first trailer, as he signals the beginning of the multiverse.

    In the latest issue by Empire, we’ll finally get some coverage on No Way Home, as we inch closer to his December release. In it, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige briefly teased the upcoming film and how Alfred Molina was “perfect casting” that they never could replicate. As such, entering the multiverse was the perfect way to avoid that issue and bring the actor back in to tackle the role one last time. As he put it:

    I remember having discussions with Amy Pascal years ago. Do we want to revisit villains we’ve seen before?’ No, let’s do Vulture, and Mysterio, and characters we haven’t brought to the screen before. But I remember thinking, ‘How would you even do Doc Ock again?’, because Alfred Molina is perfect casting. If you ever brought him back, it would have to be him somehow.

    Of course, Molina’s take on the character has become an important icon in cinematic villainy. Still, we’ve seen countless versions of the character since that added their own spin. A personal favorite is Scott David Menville‘s interpretation in 2018’s Spider-Man game. There’s also Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s reinterpretation of the character Olivia Octavius, who was brought to life by the always incredible Kathryn Hahn. So, there are opportunities to expand the character from a live-action perspective, but Molina‘s return feels like a perfect final send-off for the character and the franchises that came before.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    It’s crazy to think that the current version of Spider-Man on the silver screen came from a conversation between Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal. A discussion that ended with a sandwich being flung his way led to a brand new trilogy that’s about to break open the cinematic multiverse as we know it. The return of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and potentially more iconic faces from the franchise’s long history to appear. So, it’s not a surprise for director Jon Watts to compare it to the recent franchise juggernaut of the MCU, Avengers: Endgame.

    We’re definitely trying to be ambitious. It’s ‘Spider-Man: Endgame’,” he says, laughing, but seemingly not joking. Part of that ambition?

    Jon Watts

    In the same interview, Tom Holland also shared his excitement when he initially made the pitch for the upcoming third entry to include actors from former Spider-Man films. In a way, he believed it was only a joke reference and that it would never happen or get pulled off.

    When I was first pitched the idea, I was like, ‘Wow, that would be awesome if we could pull it off’. But there’s just no way it’s going to work. You’re just not going to be able to get everyone to do what they need to do. It’s just not going to happen.’ But it did happen. And it’s crazy.

    Tom Holland

    It’s certainly insane to think we’re about to enter the multiverse in a big way. With Sony announcing two new Marvel films for 2023, it makes you wonder if they’ll build upon whatever No Way Home sets up. Venom: Let There Be Carnage did tease a potential connection and it might just be the beginning for Holland‘s Spider-Man into the vast multiverse.

    Source: Empire

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    Ever since the rumors started, it seemed like a crazy idea that Spider-Man would face off against villains from past film franchises. Yet, once the trailer dropped, it all changed. We got various teases throughout the trailer until the final confirmation that Alfred Molina will indeed return as Doctor Octopus. We only briefly saw him at the tail end of the trailer, as he greets Peter. Sadly, the trailer ends there as Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker equips the Iron Spider. Our wait for more has finally come to an end, as Empire shared new exclusive images with one featuring Spidey running away from his new nemesis, who is about to throw a car at him.

    The chosen image is certainly a curious one given how blurry it is. It certainly looks like Spidey knows that he might not have a chance against Doc Ock, but there’s a fun idea of both using their expendable limbs against each other. Yet, he’s using the most advanced version of his suit and is seemingly running away from his new enemy. Perhaps he realizes what he has unleashed and is trying to figure out a way to take him down. To his dismay, this version of Doc Ock already faced off against a Spider-Man and might know his tricks.

    We luckily also got a second image teasing Parker’s suit from Far From Home, which might become a stable design throughout the film. The Empire cover did tease a combination of both designs that he’ll wear at some point in the story. There’s also the black-gold suit that was teased through merchandise and briefly in the first trailer. It’s going to be interesting to see how he’ll juggle all these villains and different costumes throughout the potentially 150-minute long film.

    Source: Empire

  • New Leaked ‘Black Adam’ Photos Tease Hawkman’s Full Costume

    New Leaked ‘Black Adam’ Photos Tease Hawkman’s Full Costume

    DC Fandome came and went, leaving fans with a lot of new things to talk about regarding the upcoming slate of projects over at Warner Bros. Among them is the tightly anticipated adaptation of Black Adam. The panel revealed our first look at the film, its opening sequence, as well as small teases of the four core members of the Justice Society of America. Sadly, we didn’t get a clear look at their costumes, but rather just a few glimpses.

    Luckily, it seems that more images have found their way online giving us a clearer look at Hawkman’s symbol, whose iconic Hawk was only briefly shown. The difference with this look is that they’ve given Hawkman grey armor beneath the emblem and strap. New photos from behind the scenes of the film offer a much better look at Hawkman’s chest piece, alongside a pair of armored burgundy pants, and gloves fit with talons.

    https://twitter.com/ffn_media/status/1451655684140019712?s=21

    Hawkman looks to be sporting an accurate adaptation of his comic book design with all the pieces of his costume we’ve seen so far. We did get a glimpse earlier in the month at his costume from some set photos. So, at this point we’ve seen enough. We just have to wait for an official look at all the pieces put together.

    Hawkman will be played by Aldis Hodge in the upcoming film, which is currently set to release only in theaters on July 29th, 2022. The film will feature the debut of Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam alongside Pierce Brosnan, Quintessa Swindel, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, and Marwan Kenzari.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Runtime Potentially Shorter Than ‘Eternals’

    RUMOR: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Runtime Potentially Shorter Than ‘Eternals’

    There’s been much discussion surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home. We have no idea when we can expect the next trailer, as we inch closer to its December release. With all the various leaked and rumored characters, it seemed like the film might give Avengers: Endgame a run for its money. So, it seemed like the perfect fit for a three-hour entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even the upcoming Eternals film passed Avengers: Infinity War‘s runtime. A new tweet by well-known scooper Daniel Richtman‘s second account may give us a clearer indication.

    He started with a tweet that simply included “30:2” before later revealing it was about a potential runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes. So, it’ll total around 150 minutes. As such, it’ll have a similar length to films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War. In comparison to previous Spider-Man entries, Homecoming ran for 133 minutes while Far From Home was 129 minutes.

    Marvel Studios has been playing around with longer runtimes for its films, especially as they started to explore larger concepts. It’s no longer origin stories or the focus on singular heroes. Instead, they’ve started adding more crossovers between characters to further interconnect the ever-expanding MCU. Doctor Strange seemingly has a larger role in the film and has a guiding role for the young Peter Parker. The longer runtimes are starting to make sense given their approach to the MCU films in the future.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Eternals’ Approach to Ikaris Eyebeams is in Tribute To DC’s Superman

    ‘Eternals’ Approach to Ikaris Eyebeams is in Tribute To DC’s Superman

    Ever since they announced that Eternals was heading to the silver screen, we’ve wondered how they’d adapt these iconic characters. While they aren’t the most famous among Marvel’s long list of heroes, they did have some similar designs. Among them is Richard Madden‘s Ikaris, whose core ability to shoot lasers from his eyes is awfully similar to that of DC icon, Superman.

    Some of us thought they might shy away from the ability but a teaser revealed they still kept it in. Not just that, there’s even a cheeky reference to someone claiming they saw him with a cape. There’s also the way they designed his lasers that are similar to recent appearances of the character. Well, it looks like that was an intentional node to the iconic DC hero, as director Chloé Zhao reveals in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com.

    I take some responsibility for that. I think we’re in the business of telling stories about mythology, and Superman, for example, comes from origin of mythology. In many different cultures, there’s a form of Superman. And the people that created Superman and the brilliant filmmakers [who] brought Superman to screen, their movies are basically, in my opinion, doing a modern interpretation of that mythology

    Chloé Zhao

    A week ago, producer Nate Moore did highlight that there are many similarities, but the basis of his “eyebeams” is the same cosmic energy we’ve seen from the other Eternals members. So, while they play on familiar elements, it’s still given a unique spin. Zhao joked that she sees no reason why they can’t pay tribute to others, which is true.

    There have been numerous callbacks to DC in Marvel comics over the years. So, there’s no reason the films can’t do something similar. Plus, both comic companies share heroes with a variety of similar power sets. So, a comparison will be unavoidable at some point.

    Source: ComicBook.com, ScreenRant

  • ‘Eternals’ Chloé Zhao Talked to Marvel Studios on Avoiding LGBTQ+ Censorship

    ‘Eternals’ Chloé Zhao Talked to Marvel Studios on Avoiding LGBTQ+ Censorship

    It hasn’t been an easy rode to LGBTQ+ representation in cinema. While the United States has made big strides, there are international markets that still tend to cut out these scenes. To still bank on the box office, films tend to get censored in the process. The same worry has hit Marvel Studio’s upcoming Eternals film, which features the franchise’s first LGTBQ couple on screen.

    In an interview with IndieWire, director Chloé Zhao was asked about the potential censorship of her film. She shared that she and Marvel Studios were actively working on avoiding any censorship. Especially as she highlights how vital Phastos’ family is to the core of his character. She gave a hopeful “fingers crossed” that they might be able to avoid it.

    I do believe discussions were had and there’s a big desire from Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut. Fingers crossed

    Chloé Zhao

    One factor still hanging over the film is that a release in China is still a big question mark, where these adaptations are commonplace. If they want to avoid censorship, the film will likely not release in those specific markets. In the interview, she also highlights how Phastos’ lover and child anchor the Eternal and give him a reason to fight. How they also took their time to ensure that they can also give these characters an intimate moment on screen.

    Source: IndieWire

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Empire Cover Teases the Film’s Villains

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Empire Cover Teases the Film’s Villains

    The wait for this next installment in the Spider-Man franchise from Marvel Studios has felt like an eternity. With so much news and so many rumors about what’s going on, we just can’t wait to get our next good look at the film. On top of it all, the promotion on the film has been quite scarce, as we’ve only gotten one trailer. The film is slowly inching closer to its release date and Sony remains quiet.

    Luckily, a new look at the film from Empire Magazine has given us a look at a new suit. Not just that, we are even given a tease at who Spidey will be up against this time. The first trailer for the film teased the return of Doc Ock and Green Goblin but the subscriber cover for December’s issue seems to confirm a few more rumored foes. Alongside the pumpkin bombs and Doc Ock’s mechanical arms, you can clearly see a fist made of sand, a green and yellow lightning bolt, as well as a mysterious yet familiar dome.

    Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently set to hit theaters exclusively on December 17th, 2021. The film will feature the return of Tom Hollands Peter Parker, alongside Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, and Marisa Tomei. While there still seems to be a lot secrets surrounding this film, it could be one of, if not, Marvel studios most ambitious films to date and the start of the MCU’s next big saga.

    SOURCE: Twitter