Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • Chris Columbus Exits ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Film

    Chris Columbus Exits ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Film

    Five Nights at Freddy’s was quite the popular game for a while. It currently is preparing for the upcoming PlayStation-exclusive game Security Breach but has been quite silent for some time. There have been some issues with creator Scott Cawthon, as he moved on from the franchise. Yet, he was still involved with the film adaptation. Sadly, it seems that there’s still no hope for it seeing the light of day, as director Chris Columbus has officially exited the project. The reasoning seems to be Cawthon not signing off on the film’s script.

    In an interview with Collider, producer Jason Blum confirmed the director left the project, who has been attached since February 2018. He didn’t reveal if they may already have someone new attached to tackle the project, but he did offer some insight into the reasoning why it’s been taking so long to enter some form of production.

    We’ve written multiple scripts, and we’ve got where we’re threading a needle, which is doing justice to Five Nights at Freddy’s and making Scott (Cawthon) happy. The only way that we would go about it is giving Scott … I don’t want to do something that Scott doesn’t like. Let me say that a different way. I don’t have the right to do anything Scott doesn’t like. Basically, Scott has kind of like the equivalent of ‘final cut’ and it’s taken longer than I hoped to get the right story.

    Jason Blum

    Cawthon is very productive of the property. So, it’s understandable he wants to make sure that everything is perfect when tackling the project. Yet, we know they went through ten scripts by this stage, as revealed by him back in November. Yet, he also said they’ll enter production in the spring of 2021 and already signed off on a script. So, something might’ve changed since and creative differences led to Columbus leaving.

    Source: Collider

  • Ben Affleck Compares Working on ‘The Flash’ to ‘Justice League’

    Ben Affleck Compares Working on ‘The Flash’ to ‘Justice League’

    The upcoming film adaptation of The Flash has slowly evolved into the center point of the DC Extended Universe’s multiverse. Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen will somehow meet up with various incarnations of the popular vigilante Batman. We know that Michael Keaton will have a considerable role in the film, but Ben Affleck will also make his grand return in the role of Bruce Wayne.

    Of course, he famously moved away from the franchise after the turbulent production on Justice League after Zack Snyder left the project. We only got teases of his Batsuit from set photos, but never a direct sighting of Affleck. While silent on his exact role, Variety lucked ou stand got a chance to ask him how it was like working on the film. In the interview, he ended up also opening up about how it compares to his previous DC project.

    [The Flash] was a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience had been difficult. This was really lovely. Really fun… I had a great time… I love Ezra and I had a chance to see Jason [Momoa], who’s over there making ‘Aquaman [and the Lost Kingdom].

    Ben Affleck

    There’s been a lot of hope he can revisit his original Batman pitch before he ended up moving on from the project. While it’s exciting to see Matt Reeves bringing a gothic touch to the series, but there’s always curious about what Affleck‘s version would’ve looked like. A positive experience could interest him in giving it another chance. So, we’ll see if its success may kickstart a separate Batman franchise to exist alongside Reeve‘s adaptation.

    Source: Variety via ComicBook

  • James Gunn Confirms Development On One More DC Project Besides ‘Peacemaker’

    James Gunn Confirms Development On One More DC Project Besides ‘Peacemaker’

    All eyes have been on James Gunn, as he may have kickstarted a new era for DC. The Suicide Squad offered viewers an experience unlike previous entries, and it was only the beginning of his new tenure. While he’ll take a brief pitstop to finalize his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, he’s also already putting the finishing touches on the upcoming HBO Max Peacemaker series. In August, DC President Walter Hamada teased that they may have plans to continue working with the director, but there never was a confirmation he’s already developing something. At least there wasn’t until now.

    In a discussion today on Twitter, Gunn chimed in and confirmed that he is working on another DC project in addition to Peacemaker. Of course, he doesn’t give away what project it is exactly, but it’s great to know that once he’s done with the Guardians threequel, he’ll likely jump on whatever project is currently in the pipeline. He’s no stranger to working on multiple projects and we’ll likely get a hint once he’s wrapped up with his next Marvel project.

    https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1444712947985620994?s=20

    There were rumors pointing to Idris Elba‘s Bloodsport potentially getting his own series, but the director shot that down rather quickly. He confirmed that it was in no state of development, which means he’s most likely working on something else. Of course, there’s a chance that Gunn is currently still preparing a pitch for his next DC project, as him working on it doesn’t mean it’s entered any form of pre-production. Whatever it may end up being, we’re definitely going to be in for a wild ride.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Venom’ Sequel Kills the Box Office With A $90M Opening Weekend

    ‘Venom’ Sequel Kills the Box Office With A $90M Opening Weekend

    After being projected to debut to a nice $60M domestic box office, Venom: Let There Be Carnage absolutely blew the doors off that number with a $90M open, exceeding projections by 50%. The sequel to the 2018 film started off with a great take at Thursday night’s previews and didn’t slow down one bit and knocked Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings out of the top spot after 4 strong weeks.

    As noted above, Let There Be Carnage outdid its predecessor by $10M and did so in the midst of a pandemic. Speaking of the pandemic, the $90M also marks the highest grossing opening weekend of a film during the ongoing health crisis.

    The first film was a hit with fans, less so with critics, so it’s no surprise to see audiences out in droves to see it, especially with it getting higher marks than its predecessor by many of those same talking heads. The film has also generated substantial buzz around its mid-credit scene which appears to bring Tom Hardy’s Venom to the MCU and face-to-face (kind of) with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Given the huge success the film had, it’s likely the studio won’t wait long to greenlight a third film and make good on the promise of that scene.

  • ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Open to Romance Between Katy and Xialing

    ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Open to Romance Between Katy and Xialing

    It’s hard to believe that it has been exactly one month since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings first hit movie theaters. While some thought it would flop, the film received critical acclaim and is currently the highest-earning movie of 2021 in terms of box office performance.

    Over the past month, fans have been able to experience and discuss their favorite aspects of Shang-Chi, including characters that created from scratch solely for the film. The movie highlighted the now-popular friendship between Simu Liu‘s Shang-Chi and Awkwafina‘s Katy, and many fans specifically enjoyed that the two never became romantic. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed that platonic friendship between the two was always the plan:

    Early on… when I did my initial pitch, it was like Sam and Frodo was the relationship that I had, like, in my pitch… that Shang-Chi needed… the Asian-American sidekick…When we started talking together with Dave about that relationship, we started talking about how many girl friends we have, like legitimate friends… and I think that’s something that we both — it’s very normal to us to have friends who are… and they’re not surface friends, they’re real intimate friendship relationships that are not romantic. And that was exciting for us to do.

    Destin Daniel Cretton

    Still, romance could still very much be in the future of the Shang-Chi franchise. Another standout character from the film was Shang-Chi’s sister, Meng’er Zhang’s Xialing. When asked about the fact that some fans have been vocal about wanting a romantic pairing between Katy and Xialing, Cretton stated:

    I would not be opposed to that.

    Destin Daniel Cretton

    Whether or not Katy and Xialing pair up, Cretton being open to the idea is a huge. As it stands, LGBTQ+ representation is virtually absent in the MCU. It might also signal Marvel Studios’ growing willingness or intention to include more queer characters or storylines. Eternals will make MCU history next month by featuring Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos and Haaz Steiman’s character as a gay couple raising a family together and kissing onscreen, a long-awaited first for the MCU.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters now.

  • Early Drafts of ‘Shang-Chi’ Were “Too Crazy” for Marvel Execs

    Early Drafts of ‘Shang-Chi’ Were “Too Crazy” for Marvel Execs

    In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton and writer David Callaham gave some insight into the development process of the film. According to Callaham, some of the early ideas pitched were “too crazy” to make it into the final cut.

    We were doing some pretty weird stuff at the beginning before (executive producer) Jonathan (Schwartz) kind of pulled us back. He knows the world. I think Destin and I, when we got there, were like ‘We can do anything! It’s Marvel!’ No idea was off the table to begin with, to be honest, which was really cool of Marvel, to let the team explore a little bit, and then eventually they tell you ‘You can’t do that, that’s too crazy’ or ‘We’re doing that somewhere else, but we can’t talk about it,’ that kind of thing.

    One such potentially crazy idea, according to Cretton, would have seen Shang-Chi leave a younger brother behind, rather than Xialing, who would eventually turn into some sort of monster.

    I mean, at one point, there was a moment when Shang-Chi had a brother that was left behind with Dad rather than a sister. That was early on. And there’s inspirations from the comics for that character. And I think the brother, like, turned into a monster at one point.

    As Cretton says, Shang-Chi did have both a half-brother and an adopted brother in the comics, both of whom ultimately did battle with the Master of Kung-Fu. With neither Moving Shadow nor M’Nai, the aforementioned brothers, showing up in the first film, it’s possible that they could have put a pin in the idea and bring the character back in the sequel, seeking to challenge Shang-Chi and or Xialing for control of the Ten Rings (both the objects and the organization.

    It’s always interesting to listen to the creatives behind the projects talk about the developments behind the scenes. Often times, ideas left out of the original films grow over time and find their way into sequels or additional projects; additionally, as Callaham pointed out, they creators sometimes find out that their ideas are already in the pipeline for other projects. Either way, it’s a good idea to file this one away in your memory banks for later as it has the potential to pop up down the line.

    Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is now in theaters and will begin streaming on Disney Plus November 12th.

    Source: Yahoo! Entertainment

  • The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Week of September 27-October 2

    The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Week of September 27-October 2

    The Skrulls Are Coming, The Skrulls Are Coming

    Early in the week, I got the go ahead to share just a little bit of information about the roles of Kingsley Ben-Adir and Killian Scott in Marvel Studios 2022 streaming series Secret Invasion. Nobody was going to be surprised that Ben-Adir, who was cast as the villain in the series, would be playing a Skrull; however what puts a little more meat on the bone of his role is that he’s playing one that has a shared history with Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos. Speaking of Skrulls, it looks like Scott will be playing one as well, partnering up with Ben-Adir’s character.

    Fans Have Much More Marvel Studios Content Coming

    Newly promoted Marvel Studios exec Victoria Alonso gave fans something to chew on when she revealed in an interview that the studio has 31 projects currently at some stage of development. Even the hardest of the hardcore have a hard time coming up with all 31 could be, but with 13 films scheduled between 2022 and 2024, a half dozen or so Disney Plus series and some animated shows on the list, we know there’s going to be diversity not only in the type of projects we’ll see, but also in the people creating and starring in them.

    Star Wars Fans Won’t Have It So Bad, Either

    It’s not quite 31, but it’ll do. Disney Plus has plans to release 10 series set in a galaxy far, far away over the next few years. We know that will start on December 29th with The Book of Boba Fett and we know a few other titles, but it seems Disney Plus still has a few surprises up their sleeve.

    ScarJo and Disney Are Friends Again

    After taking a $40M settlement from Disney, Scarlett Johansson is ready to make some more movies with the studio after suing them over the hybrid release of Black Widow. Disney and Johansson are expected to continue their collaboration with the upcoming Tower of Terror film.

  • ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Now Eyeing $90M+ Domestic Box Office Opening

    ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Now Eyeing $90M+ Domestic Box Office Opening

    Even as early predictions had the sequel to the 2018 surprise hit, Venom, eyeing around $60M+ at the domestic Box Office. It’s once again looking like it might beat expectations. It entered its Thursday previews with $11.6M, which put it at the second-best preview opening for any film of 2021. It’s only trailing behind Black Widow currently. Now, it seems that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is doing even better than initially expected. On Twitter @meJat32, who has built up a reputation for his box office analysis and insight, shared that the film is locking in at $85M, but could potentially even surpass $90M at its current momentum. No matter where it lands, it’s poised to surpass the original’s $80M after making approximately $37M on Friday.

    It’s a good sign that cinema is recovering, as each new cinematic release is doing better than the previous one. Still, these are purely based on the numbers it gained on Friday. We’ve seen films dip quite hard once Saturday rolled around. Shang-Chi had tremendous legs when it was released and currently even surpassed Black Widow with the first $200M+ domestic cume.

    Of course, the second weekend will show if Venom: Let There Be Carnage has any legs to compete with other entries in the box office. Either way, it adds hope that Eternals, and the much-anticipated release of Spider-Man: No Way Home could also become big earners once they release. Right now, it’s looking good for the overall box office making a quick recovery and we’ll return to some normalcy in 2022.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • New ‘Eternals’ Merch Hints at Black Knight’s Legacy

    New ‘Eternals’ Merch Hints at Black Knight’s Legacy

    There are still many mysteries surrounding the upcoming Eternals film. We have no idea how it will build upon the franchise and what exactly it may hold for its future. Yet, the biggest question mark surrounds the curious case of one Dane Whitman. Kit Harington will bring the classic Marvel character known as Black Knight to life in the film. A recent new merch leak may have hinted there’s more to his character.

    In the comics, the various version of the Black Knight has a Raven-inspired emblem on their chest. A recent reveal of an accessory box to tie in with the film’s release includes items replicated from the film. Among them is a ring featuring the previously-mentioned Raven symbol. It may imply that Whitman is part of a long line that held the title of Black Knight. A close look at the ring was shared by @BestofKitH on Twitter.

    He’s known for wielding the Ebony Blade in the comics, but the trailers seem to hint at him being a normal man wrapped up in the life of the Eternals in the modern-day. So, there’s a chance that it is passed on from generation to generation. Perhaps an ancestor crossed paths with the Eternals and he was doomed to repeat it. They wouldn’t cast someone like Harington just to have a bit role. So, Marvel Studios definitely has plans for the actor moving forward. It also would be interesting to have him wield a sword alongside the Avengers.

    Source: Twitter, GameStop

  • Earlier Drafts of ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Featured Spider-Man

    Earlier Drafts of ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Featured Spider-Man

    As we’ve approached the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, we’ve started to seek any potential connections between the latest entry and Spider-Man. As Sony recently gave their “universe” its own name, it seemed like he’ll potentially have a larger role in the story. Yet, director Andy Serkis confirmed he wouldn’t have a role in the film and that it might be too early for these two worlds to collide. Those that got a chance to watch the film, however, found a rather curious tease.

    If you haven’t seen the film yet and want to experience it yourself without any major spoilers, here’s a final warning before continuing.

    In the post-credit sequence, we get a confirmation that Venom might eventually meet up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Of course, it’s still just a tease for now but does open the door for a third entry to tackle a crossover, especially if it turns out successful. Director Andy Serkis did discuss the post-credit sequence and how it came into play much later, while also hinting that Spider-Man originally had a bigger role earlier on in the development of the script.

    [The mid-credits scene was] 100 percent in flux, yeah. It couldn’t have been more in flux-y if you tried. Yeah, of course, it was something that they talked about from before I even came on to the movie. There were moments where he [Spider-Man] was going to be in the story, potentially, and then he wasn’t. But no, we decided that we wanted to really examine the Venom-verse first. So as we were going through principal photography, the inevitable discussions had to be had, but it wasn’t until very, very late on that we reached the precise notion of the teaser that we wanted to lay in there.

    Andy Serkis

    It’s obvious that Sony wants to bank on the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Venom’s rather bizarre way of mind-melding and landing in this specific franchise is still up for grabs. In a way, it does show that it might’ve been a last-minute addition that could get retconned once the eventual crossover drops. It’s also questionable what this means for the quote on utilizing Ravencroft in future entries to not rush their meeting. As the film recently is heading to a fantastic domestic opening, there’s a good chance a sequel is a no-brainer.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter