Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • New Look at Spider-Man Hot Toy Offers Updated Magical Black-Gold Suit

    New Look at Spider-Man Hot Toy Offers Updated Magical Black-Gold Suit

    Long before the first trailer found its way online, we’ve seen quite a few of the new costumes for Spider-Man through the toy releases. No Way Home will continue the tradition of Peter gaining a variety of suits as he progresses through the story. The first trailer dropped and gave us our first glimpse at the upcoming film. Curious though, the new gold and black suit were only featured briefly as Spidey seems to be running through a F.E.A.S.T. center.

    Luckily, Hot Toys has offered an update on their 1:6 figure of the new suit that showcases some of the accessories. It once again confirms that he’ll make use of some magical webbing. The big question was if this costume was just his regular costume inverted, as it seemed to resemble the costume when he inverted it during Spider-Man: Homecoming. The closer look does highlight that design but there’s a curious new detail. Peter’s new suit has a magical gauntlet attached to the arms and is now more connected to the fingers.

    There’s also the fact that he doesn’t have the red fingers that were included in other designs of this suit. We even saw this model with it earlier on, which implies that they dropped it at some point in development. It’s not even included with the hand variants anymore that let you customize the design. There’s a good chance the suit is created from those gauntlets that may act as the source for his webbing. We still don’t know when this costume might come into play, as he faces off against some familiar faces from cinematic past. Here’s hoping that the next trailer offers an even better look at the design in action.

    Source: Twitter, TNS Figures

  • Victoria Alonso Promoted to President Role at Marvel Studios

    Victoria Alonso Promoted to President Role at Marvel Studios

    Marvel Studios has become the cornerstone of modern cinema. Its CEO and president, Kevin Feige, has pushed the franchise forward as it continues to interconnect across media. Of course, he wasn’t alone and built up the franchise ever since Iron Man premiered back in 2008. One of them was Victoria Alonso, who has been officially promoted to President of Physical and Post Production, Visual Effects, and Animation Production. She reports to co-president Louis D’Esposito and moved on from her previous position as Vice-President of Physical Production. Esposito had the following to say on her promotion:

    She is one of the most dynamic, candid and accessible executives in the industry and we’re thrilled that she’ll continue to be by our side in this elevated role as we lead Marvel Studios into the future.

    Louis D’Esposito

    Her first role at the company as Chief of Visual Effects and Post Production when she joined back in 2006. She went on to co-produce Iron Man and became an executive producer once Avengers premiered in 2012. Alonso still is an executive producer on the Phase 4 releases. She had the following to share on the promotion:

    When Louis first suggested I come to work with the team on Iron Man, I never could have imagined the adventure ahead, and as far as I’m concerned, it has only just begun! We have an absolutely incredible group of people who are bringing their many talents to the exciting slate of films and series we have on the horizon, and I’m especially thrilled about ramping up our studio’s animation efforts, which is a personal passion of mine. Look forward to more singing!

    Victoria Alonso

    She’s been very open on her views for the future of the company and its films. The Disney+ expansion has also become a landmark as they fused with the former Marvel TV department. It’s been a long journey for the company, but it’s a well-deserved promotion. We’ve seen a lot of movement with the company, especially since they started to expand their ambitions into animation. The future looks bright for the company and we’re lucky to join them on this journey.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s Success Could Determine an Eventual Spider-Man Crossover

    ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s Success Could Determine an Eventual Spider-Man Crossover

    Sony’s Spider-Man universe is set to expand and many have been wondering when Venom might finally face-off against the wall-crawler. It’s a big year for the franchise, as the Tom Hardy-led sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage premieres in October with the third entry in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films arrives in December. It’s going to be quite the year, especially as we enter the multiverse and the many rumors surrounding these projects.

    Andy Serkis, the director of the Venom sequel, has recently stated that the two will collide in the future at some point in an interview with IGN during the film’s premiere. He loved the idea but wanted to spend more time with Venom before their eventual clash. His earlier statements were a bit more open-ended but in an interview with the YouTuber Jake’s Takes, he seemed surprisingly more definite in his answer on an eventual crossover, as it seems a lot is riding on this film’s success.

    Let’s see what happens on this one first. There’s more still to unpack in the Venomverse before we go there, really.

    Andy Serkis

    The wording of Venomverse is interesting, as it makes this franchise stand out from the recently titled Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. There still is no word if it may crossover into the upcoming Morbius film or how they might expand the franchise. He does highlight again that they’ll collide if they are allowed to continue making Venom movies, which highlights that there might be some pressure that Let There Be Carnage performs. Sony seemed nervous with its release, as they constantly pushed it back.

    If you’re interested, you can check out the full interview here:

    Source: YouTube

  • New ‘Eternals’ Promo Banner May Hint at November Chinese Release

    New ‘Eternals’ Promo Banner May Hint at November Chinese Release

    Here’s a curious hint. There have been many discussions if Marvel Studios will manage to release any films in China this year due to various factors. Shang-Chi still hasn’t gotten one and there was no sign Eternals wouldn’t face the same fate. Chloé Zhao‘s win at the Oscars was heavily praised by the country until comments surfaced that changed their attitude to muting anything in relation to the director online. As such, it seemed unlikely her film will get a Chinese release. Yet, a new banner may have hinted at

    Twitter user @FILMemesTW shared a banner that reveals Eternals will release in Hong Kong theaters as of November 4th. The curious aspect is that it would be a day before it releases in the States. There hasn’t been an official statement so we might still need to take this with a grain of salt for now but it popping up online is curious.

    China has been very strict with its releases as of late, which has kept many productions from hitting any record numbers in their international box office. F9 and Godzilla vs. Kong have made around $200M alone in the Eastern country, which boosted their international standing quite a bit. The current leading film worldwide is a Chinese propaganda film that has garnered almost one billion in the country alone.

    Marvel Studios has still been performing well even without their usual Chinese release. Shang-Chi seems to be on route to pass $400M in its runtime which would be on par with films like Ant-Man in non-pandemic times. Black Widow also had the added benefit of releasing on Disney+ Premier Access which gave it a nice boost in numbers but added its own issues when it came to a foreign release. Still, it’ll be interesting to see if the Chinese release gets announced and how it may benefit the Zhao-directed project’s overall box office performance.

    Source: Twitter, The Numbers

  • Andy Muschietti Teases an Unconventional ‘THE FLASH’ Suit

    Andy Muschietti Teases an Unconventional ‘THE FLASH’ Suit

    Batman is all the rage right now. Next year will see not one but three live-action Batmen on the big screen. The interesting part is that two of them will star in the same movie. Since production on The Flash began, director Andy Muschietti has been dropping emblem reveals for his film’s protagonist. Many fans are eager to see the return of Ben Affleck as Batman and assumed Batman Day would be the day, but to not avail. To catch us off-guard, Muschietti did indeed share a tease, just a day late.

    In a new Instagram post, the director revealed another look at a costume for the upcoming film, but this time it’s sending some mixed signals. What we’ve got this time around is a Batsuit belonging to Keaton but seems to have been spray-painted red with a yellow lightning bolt over the bat. It seems this could be a look at one of Barry’s possible suits in the film. There are also some noticeable differences from previous teases.

    In Justice League, it is revealed that Barry’s suit is made out of the same materials Nasa uses to protect its spaceships from burning up once they re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. To keep it from falling apart, it is held together with wiring. Barry used this suit to run around in as it’s the only material that can withstand his abilities. There’s a chance that his suit cannot withstand whatever leads him into the multiverse and is destroyed upon arrival. This old Batsuit acts as a replacement until he eventually gets his new suit revealed at last year’s Fandome, which we saw in some set photos. It’ll be interesting to see if we get a closer look at this year’s DC FanDome.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘DUNE’ Starts Off Strong Internationally While ‘SHANG-CHI’ Passes $320M

    ‘DUNE’ Starts Off Strong Internationally While ‘SHANG-CHI’ Passes $320M

    It looks like Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming Dune film is off to a great start, as it managed to nab $36.8M internationally in 24 markets. Currently, it is ahead of Black Widow (which didn’t have a China release) and even Villeneuve‘s last film, Blade Runner 2049. It’ll have some smaller releases ahead of its domestic debut in late October which may work in the film’s favor of having an HBO Max release in the States. Perhaps it’s part of Warner Bros.’s strategy to avoid the piracy aspect that’s been hurting these day-and-date releases.

    Dune | Cineplexx AT mobile

    Shang-Chi has been doing quite well internationally, as it now stands at around $320M worldwide. It’s passed A Quiet Place Part II and Sonic the Hedgehog putting it at the higher end of this year’s earners. Its toughest competition remains the Chinese releases of Godzilla vs. Kong and F9, who managed to add an extra $200M in the market respectively. Yet, current predictions still put it at a strong $414M on par with Ant-Man. It may even pass Black Widow domestically at this rate. No small feat for a theatre-only release during a pandemic.

    As Forbes’ Scott Mendelsohn points out, the benchmark for potential sequels lies with a $350M box office. Tenet‘s early release set the current industry standard as it still tries to recover from the pandemic, which still has no end in sight. With this trajectory, it seems safe to assume that Dune will get a sequel, as it only adapts the first half of the original novel. Shang-Chi also seems like a safe bet to explore a new legend now that went beyond everyone’s expectations. We’ll see how the rest of the year plays out as more films hit the market.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘SHANG-CHI’ Continues to Beat Out the Competition in its Third Weekend

    ‘SHANG-CHI’ Continues to Beat Out the Competition in its Third Weekend

    Another weekend has passed and it seems Shang-Chi is still holding on to the top spot. It’s currently eyeing to end the Sunday with a total domestic of $176.1M after an incredible hold of 61%. It’s the second-best third weekend in September with $21M only beaten by the horror film It with $29.75M. The film is showing healthy legs and also benefits from a lack of competition. It went up against the new release of Clint Eastwood‘s Cry Macho, which is only eyeing around $4.7M over the three-day weekend. Unlike the Marvel Studios production, it’s also currently available via HBO Max and could see a strong drop on Sunday.

    Marvel: Das verspricht der erste Trailer zu "Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings" | GQ Germany

    Currently, it looks like Ryan Reynold‘s Free Guy will take the second spot as it may pass the $5M mark this weekend. Other releases aren#t doing much better, as Cop Shop featuring Gerard Butler might miss hitting the $3M this weekend even with glowing reviews by critics. Its reception by viewers is telling a different story. It’s likely to end up on the sixth spot with horror films Candyman and Malignant ahead.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings seem to indicate that the core audience is back in theatres, but not everything is quite where it used to be. Venom: Let There Be Carnage moved back to its October 1st release and with Dune on the horizon, the films might add some much-needed energy. The lack of a Chinese release is hurting some films, as it’s been the saving grace for F9: The Fast Saga and Godzilla vs. Kong. The latter pulled in almost around $200M from that market alone putting it ahead of the current domestic leaders.

    Source: Deadline, The Numbers

  • The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Past Week, September 18th Edition

    The Pulse: Collecting the Biggest News of the Past Week, September 18th Edition

    Life is busy. Sometimes too busy to catch up on all the big news of the week. Never fear, The Pulse is here to get you all caught up on the biggest stories of the past week, September 13-18th.

    Hit Monkey First Look, Release Date Revealed

    Fall TV Preview

    Once upon a time, Marvel Entertainment gave the green light to a handful of animated series. Of those, only MODOK and Hit Monkey survived Kevin Feige’s ascendancy. While we’ll probably never see The Offenders event series, we can see Hit Monkey beginning on November 17th on Hulu. The show is rumored to be “hyper-violent”, so we might not see the Marvel Studios credits roll ahead of it, but it’s still looking like it’ll be a blast.

    Serkis Says Spidey and Venom Meeting is “Gonna Happen”

    Spider-Man Vs Venom: Who Would Win?

    Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage screened last week and all the buzz (including from the studio, bizarrely enough) was about the post-credit scene that is rumored to hint at something fans have long hoped for: Spidey and Venom being in the same place. According to the film’s director, Andy Serkis, fans are eventually going to get what they hope for, saying “of course it’s gonna happen.” When? How? Why? Which Spidey? We’ll all find out together.

    Live-Action Marvel Zombies On the Way?

    Zombie Captain America from What If...?

    What If…? made zombies part of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse and found some pretty great ways to kill them. According to Mark Millar, who was part of the creative team behind Marvel Zombies to the comics indicated that “his sources” have told him that Marvel Studios has plans to bring the undead back “further down the line” in a live-action project. Marvel has a lot of projects in the pipeline, which one do you think makes the most sense for the ghouls to pop into?

    Warner Bros. Developing Multiple ‘MORTAL KOMBAT’ Sequels

    Mortal Kombat: Sorgt in den USA für größtes Kinowochenende seit Beginn der Pandemie

    WB’s Mortal Kombat was never going to win any awards and it wasn’t everyone’s favorite film but it was always going to get a follow up. According to Variety, it may well get several follow ups focusing on individual characters from the gaming franchise’s mythology. As long as I don’t have to sit through a Kano solo film, it’ll be ok.

    Krysten Ritter Wants to Join Charlie Cox in the MCU

    Netflix cancels 'The Punisher' and 'Jessica Jones' | Fangirlish

    Actress Krysten Ritter, who brought Marvel’s Jessica Jones to life on Netflix back in 2015, has decided that she’d like to not be done playing the character. Ritter, who was last seen as Jones in 2019’s third season of Jessica Jones, says she’d “absolutely just die to play Jessica again.” Nobody wants Ritter to die, but it’s great to know she’s up for returning to the role and reimagining the character like her Defenders co-star Charlie Cox totally for sure isn’t doing in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

    ‘THE PENGUIN’ Series in Development at HBO Max

    the batman penguin spin off

    Director Matt Reeves is definitely getting the chance to do some world building around his upcoming Batman film. The latest development, according to Deadline, is a streaming series focused on Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot. That makes at least 2 series spinning out of 2022’s The Batman.

  • Improvisation in Marvel Films: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Yaro Root Scene

    Improvisation in Marvel Films: ‘GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY’s Yaro Root Scene

    Improvisation is a common feature on most movie sets. Actors taking creative liberties with their dialogue and behavior has led to some of the most iconic lines and moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It includes the likes of the “I am Iron Man” bombshell from Iron Man and allegedly 80% of Taika Waititi‘s Thor: Ragnarok. Karen Gillan is no stranger to improvisation on sets, such as Avengers: Endgame‘s opening paper football scene with Iron Man and Nebula, but it seems her improvisation skills may have actually left their imprint all the way back in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

    Speaking to BBC’s Radio 1 this week, the Guardians of the Galaxy actress revealed that another iconic Nebula moment was the product of improvisation. When asked about her favorite lines from her career, she surprisingly said one of them was the “It’s not ripe” line from the Guardians sequel.

    One that I noticed that people want me to always write on pictures is that improvised line actually from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which is “It’s not ripe.” It was improv-ed at the time, and that has stuck beyond anything else.

    Karen Gillan

    The Yaro root is a fruit Nebula spends most of the film chasing in vain. The Guardians repeatedly warn her that it’s not ripe and actively prevent her from taking a bite. Finally at the end of the film, Nebula sneaks her way into trying the fruit and inevitably spitting it out followed by the above-mentioned line.

    How a Single Line Can Add More to the Story

    21+] Nebula Marvel Wallpapers on WallpaperSafari

    Although it might seem like a small side joke, the Yaro root also doubles as a well-written piece of characterization for Nebula. Despite her being an antagonistic, bitter character, the Guardians are still looking out for her best interests, even with something as simple as eating fruit when it’s ready. When the head-strong Nebula rushes to get what she wants on her own terms, it ends up being premature and not what she wanted. The Yaro root is a reminder of how Nebula can benefit from learning to trust others instead of struggling to get by on her own and achieving less.

    So even though it’s a small line from a silly gag, I think this line is actually rather important to her character arc. The meaning of the line makes it all the more impressive that it was an improvisation, especially when you consider that its director James Gunn has previously stated that about 99% of the final dialogue in his films are straight from the script. It’ll be interesting to see if her tendency for improvisation might come to the forefront with director Taika Watiti in Thor: Love and Thunder. As mentioned previously, he’s a fan of improvisation and perhaps he’ll get more of these character-developing scenes through improvisation.

    If you are interested, you can check out the interview with Karen Gillan right here:

    Source: Deadline, MTV, Yahoo, Twitter, The Hollywood Reporter, BBC Radio 1, Twitter

  • Richard Madden Talks How Chloé Zhao’s Unique Vision of Ikaris Inspired Him to Join ‘ETERNALS’

    Richard Madden Talks How Chloé Zhao’s Unique Vision of Ikaris Inspired Him to Join ‘ETERNALS’

    All eyes are now on November’s release of Eternals, which will introduce the world to the earliest point in time of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ll get introduced to a brand new alien race that existed long before the Avengers were around. Director Chloé Zhao whipped up quite the cast which includes Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden. He’ll take on the role of Ikaris, an important figure in the Marvel comics.

    In an interview with Total Film, the actor revealed why he was interested in taking on the mantle and how the non-superhero aspects of this superhero drew his interest.

    That’s why I was drawn to him. I don’t see him as a superhero I’ve seen before. I see him as a man first, and quite a complicated character, before a superhero. You know, superheroes have laser eyes. Superheroes can fly. So, there’s lots of parallels. But as a character, I’ve not seen anyone like him before.

    Richard Madden

    He also goes on to highlight how Chloé Zhao’s vision played a key role in his decision, as it is her vision of these characters that added that flair to draw him to the role.

    The concept of these characters, and how deep Chloé wanted to go with these people who have been alive for so long, and have experienced so many different things. So that’s what really intrigued me – how these people interact with each other, and also the rest of the world when they’ve seen everything and done everything. That was kind of fascinating.

    Richard Madden

    Marvel Studio’s strength was always humanizing their characters. So, Zhao’s vision seems to fit perfectly into the way they’ve approached the MCU. He also teased that he would make a perfect leader for the Avengers, whose existence is still kept unknown to some degree, but confesses he can only make predictions for what the future holds for MCU.

    Source: Total Film via The Direct