Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • EXCLUSIVE: New Details on Fin Fang Foom’s Lair in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    EXCLUSIVE: New Details on Fin Fang Foom’s Lair in ‘SHANG-CHI’

    A couple of months ago, prior to the production on Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings getting back underway, set photos made their way around the usual channels of a huge set being built in Sydney. Seen below, the set features around a dozen smaller huts surround one larger, central hut all partially surrounded by a large green screen. Murphy’s Multiverse has learned some exclusive details about this set which we now believe to be The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon!

    First seen in Iron Man #261, The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon is exactly what you expect it to be: the resting place of Fin Fang Foom. In the comics, the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon has been the resting place of Foom, “He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun”, since he and his fellow Makluans came to conquer Earth. Since then, it has been the job of a group of warriors to keep his terrible power at bay by keeping him asleep. This job has been passed down from one generation to another throughout the ages.

     

    Our source describes the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon set as a hilly, seaside location with a temple at its center with the greenscreen serving as the seashore itself. The other huts each serve their own purposes but the other noteworthy feature is the large, bamboo structure known as the battle dome which is surrounded by an area where the village’s warriors hone the skills necessary to protect Fin Fang Foom.

    As mentioned here by MCU Cosmic, it does seem that Foom is central to the plot of Shang-Chi; however, we’ve been able to dig up some additional details that give quite a bit more context. As in the comics, The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon has been under the protection of the descendants of a group of warriors dating back hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, giving a little more context to why the production was casting for ancient warriors as detailed here.

    These elite warriors have devoted their lives to keeping at bay what is described as an ancient evil bent on the destruction of mankind. But, it seems, they are not alone in keeping this ancient evil asleep as our source indicates that while they are keeping a shapeshifting alien that looks like a dragon tucked away they might just have their own dragon to help them fight off invaders! The warriors wield shields and spears made from dragon scales (see our staff artist’s rendition of them below) in addition to one more incredibly powerful weapon: chi. The MCU Cosmic report mentioned we might see some magic users in Shang-Chi and, from what we can understand, these elite, ancient warriors, much like the Masters of the Mystic Arts, have learned to harness energy through a series of movements but instead of it being magic, it is chi.

     

     

    In addition to the set description, our source adds that the village is led by an elder known as “Huang Bo” (this may or may not be his actual name but it most certainly is the character described in an old casting call searching for a male, 40-60 known as a wise, old statesman and the leader of his village) and he is joined in the village by another fierce protector: Michelle Yeoh’s character. It’s not hard to imagine this location being central to the Mandarin’s end goal, with a living weapon of mass destruction sleeping beneath it and all.

     

    How to trek to Vietnam's Hang En and Hang Son Doong caves

    We’ll stop here as going any further into detail will certainly tread into spoiler territory, but it’s absolutely fantastic to see Marvel Studios mining the comics and bringing The Valley of the Sleeping Dragon to life in an absolutely incredible practical set with a touch of green screen. Perhaps the seaside set will include a nice, dragon-sized cave like the Hang Son Doong cave pictured above. Either way, the hype dial for this film better go to 11 as this set will feature some of the best action sequences in an MCU film to date. We can’t wait to see it in person when Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters on July 9, 2021.

     

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: Tyler Perry’s Next Film Revealed

    EXCLUSIVE: Tyler Perry’s Next Film Revealed

    Tyler Perry has compiled quite the filmography behind him: he is well-known for directing and starring in the Madea films but in looking at the rest of his work both as an actor and director one sees a lot of diversity. Perry appeared in supporting roles in a variety of dramas like Vice and Gone Girl, and he was cast as the lead in Alex Cross. He has, also, directed quite a few romantic-comedies: 2018’s Nobody’s Fool was his first R-rated comedy, the premise being a story about someone being catfished. When reviewing his extensive work, you can definitely see a director that is no stranger to infusing his projects with a variety of political and cultural aspects and influences.

    Back in 2016, he discussed the possibility of exploring a Madea film that tackles the topic of police brutality:

    “I have been able to use this character to bring messages to people who no one has been able to get a message to… She can talk about anything. She can make them laugh. And it’s so disarming — it’s like anesthesia… If I could find a way to talk about police brutality, and all of these people being shot by police officers, through this character — and I’ve been thinking about it — I think it would speak volumes to what so many people can’t say.”

    Four years later, the topic of police brutality is still as relevant as it was in that interview. Perry has been extremely vocal about the events that have transpired across the US and he has openly spoken about the protests that have taken place in Atlanta in the aftermath of another innocent Black person gunned down by police. With that in mind, it looks like the Black Lives Matter movement will be a big inspiration for his upcoming project as a casting grid has revealed various details that may focus on a story that will discuss the Black Live Matter protests and, of course, police violence.

    The film will take place in Atlanta where one of the leads is a pastor in the Sweet Auburn area of the city which is being rocked by violent protests following the questionable use of force by a white police officer on a gay, Black man celebrating his college graduation.

    In contrast to the 2016 interview, Perry’s next project does not appear to feature Madea. We have five different leads, all with their own individual stories that will seemingly connect. The leads are connected to an overarching mystery, which could lend itself to every character having a dark secret.

    The previously-mentioned pastor tries to secure the church from what is described as a “potentially violent protest.” Going by what is pictured, we most likely have a story of police brutality that gets national attention and causes a protest that puts various members of the family on opposite sides given their own history. The film will definitely feature a BLM protest which will may ultimately find the leads locking themselves in the church where they are confronted with each other to sort out the secrets they’ve been keeping for long. This is all just speculation, as we will see which direction Perry will take.

    Production on the film is set to kick off early next month in Atlanta.

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: Working Title of ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel Revealed

    EXCLUSIVE: Working Title of ‘DOCTOR STRANGE’ Sequel Revealed

    Murphy’s Multiverse has learned that the working title of Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness is “Stellar Vortex.” As reported by Murphy’s Multiverse yesterday,  the Doctor Strange sequel is planning to begin filming this November in the UK.

    The vortex part of the working title certainly sounds like it would ring true for something called “Multiverse of Madness.” The stellar part is even more interesting, however, as it might hint at a certain Young Avenger’s super powers and may point to there being a bigger part for Miss America Chavez in the film than first expected.

    Last but certainly not least, here’s a shout out and big thank you to Twitter user @sky_waller  for their assistance with this information.

  • What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios is Kraving Joel Kinnaman

    What I Heard This Week: Marvel Studios is Kraving Joel Kinnaman

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that, while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons (sometimes they just don’t want to tell me yes!). For example, a couple of months ago I got word about updated start dates for Sony’s Uncharted and Spider-Man 3 and how Tom Holland might have to juggle those schedules. As you know, Uncharted got going just as I reported and Comicbook.com later verified the planned start date for Spidey 3.

    Hanna's Joel Kinnaman Teases a 'Different Dynamic' With 'Killing ...

    Before you go on, understand that despite everything I said above, this story should not be considered a scoop or an exclusive or anything more than just a rumor at this point because I cannot, at the moment, find a second source to confirm what I’m sharing here. That said, this checks a lot of boxes and is exactly the kind of thing I would want someone to share with me should they have heard something like it. So…here we go.

    It appears that Marvel Studios is looking for a Joel Kinnaman-type for an unspecified role in the upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Sequel. Given all the rumors and speculation around what Spidey 3 will likely be about and what villains we are likely to see in it, it’s incredibly easy to make yourself believe that the studio wants this Kinnaman-type for a major role and one that fans are dying to see introduced in the film: Kraven…and I’ll be damned if Kinnaman isn’t perfect for it.

    Keep in mind that when studios say they want a “Kinnaman-type” or “Allison Brie-type” that is NOT an indication that that’s the actor they’ve settled on. Those phrases are there to give the various casting agencies an idea of which of their people they should be putting up for the role or checking with to see if they’re available, interested, etc.

    So what is a Joel Kinnaman-type and what does it tell us? It gives us a lot of info, to be honest. It means they’re looking for a Caucasian, probably 30-45, who is big (think physically imposing) but who can act as well. They don’t just want muscle here; they want someone who has some experience as a lead because this is likely a character they’re going to develop over the course of the film like they did with Michael Keaton’s Vulture and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. So while they may not get Kinnaman for the role, you can see why he’s the “type” they want. He’s 6’2″, has a lean physique and has packed on muscle for several roles (see Altered Carbon), has a ton of experience (including work on CBMs) and, much like Kraven, has traveled the world.

    Kraven The Hunter' Sony Movie Reportedly Ties Heavily Into The MCU

    Kinnaman is the guy I never knew I wanted as Kraven until I made this connection, but I want to urge caution one more time before signing off. As exciting as this is, there are too many questions around it to take it as fact. Is the role actually Kraven? It’s unknown but when you start piecing things together it sure seems like it. Would they actually be able to land Kinnaman? I don’t follow him too closely, but it seems like he may have an opening in his schedule this Fall/Winter. Marvel Studios scored big with both Spidey villain castings; Kinnaman would make it a hat trick.

    As always, we’ll be working here at Murphy’s Multiverse to find actual EVIDENCE of this, so until then take this as nothing more than a wild rumor that will get you way more excited than you have any reason to be…and cross your fingers that you get to see Kinnaman as Kraven when Spider-Man 3 comes to theaters in December of 2021.

     

  • Marvel Studios is Interested in the Illuminati

    Marvel Studios is Interested in the Illuminati

    Here’s some cool MCU news to get us through this MCU-less Comic-Con week. Our friends at The Illuminerdi have gotten their hands on a cast listing for a mysterious ILLUMINATI project with Kevin Feige’s name on it. No other details about this project were spared but like a lot of MCU projects in early development, details are generally scarce this early. There’s no telling whether this is a film, TV show, or an animated thing. All this report does is give us the gist: Marvel Studios has this team on their radar.

    What can we expect from the MCU’s Illuminati down the road? For one thing, it’s barely going to resemble what we had in the comics. Cap and Tony are out of the picture. Doctor Strange and T’Challa are the only existing Illuminati members in the MCU currently. We don’t know how Professor X, Reed Richards, Namor, and Black Bolt enter the MCU. You could maybe substitute one of them with Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner.

    I’d be surprised if Marvel Studios shows audiences how screwed up this team is. The comics version of the team was a very compromised one. These dudes delved into some shady shit that would make Tony’s creation of Ultron look like an episode of Rugrats. Heck, they end up trying to murder one another down the road.

    Source: Illuminerdi 

  • Michael Keaton in Early Talks To Reprise Batman Role in ‘THE FLASH’

    Michael Keaton in Early Talks To Reprise Batman Role in ‘THE FLASH’

    Michael Keaton is in talks to join THE FLASH to once again play Bruce Wayne, a role that made him a superstar and help make comics a modern cinematic commodity. According to The Wrap, talks are early and could fall through anytime but this is crazy exciting nonetheless. The uber-popular Flashpoint storyline has been attached to this film for quite a while which would easily explain Keaton’s surprising involvement in the story. If we’re seeing the larger DC multiverse, then it makes sense to see a different version of Batman out there.

     

    And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Variety is saying that Keaton’s role could end up being a Nick Fury-esque mentor role that calls for multiple DCEU film appearances.

    The production history of THE FLASH has been nothing short of a clusterfuck, with countless creative changes behind-the-scenes. But now, it seems like things have calmed down with It director Andy Muschietti helming the project and an early 2021 start date. Let’s hope it all works out because it’s about time we see a Flash film and see Keaton don the cowl once more.

    Source: The Wrap

  • What I Heard This Week: The ‘UNCHARTED’ Domino Effect

    What I Heard This Week: The ‘UNCHARTED’ Domino Effect

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. For instance, on February 19th, I wrote this piece relaying some rumors I’d heard about Marvel Studios updating its Disney Plus slate; the next day, the news broke that a special Disney Plus event would be held in London on March 5th where it is expected that Marvel Studios and Star Wars slates will be updated. I also shared information about Peyton Reed directing episodes of season 2 of The Mandalorian months before he made it official.
    This little nugget was one I found to be very interesting on a lot of levels despite it not being directly related to any of the properties I find interesting.
    Sony Sets Uncharted Movie Release Date Along With Other Films – /Film
    It has been passed on to me that Sony is currently planning to begin filming on their upcoming video game adaptation, Uncharted, in mid-to-late July. The film was just about to kick off production in Germany when the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down but the studio believes that the current community health situation in Germany provides a safe environment.
    This is of interest to me for a few reasons. In late April, during one of the mass shufflings of movie release dates we have seen in response to the pandemic, Sony moved Uncharted from an October 8th, 2021 release date to July 16th, 2021. MCU fans might remember that this was the original date for Sony and Marvel Studios third Spider-Man collaboration, a film that was moved to November 5, 2021, a date originally held for Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness.
    The common denominator here is, of course, Tom Holland. Holland is the lead of both Uncharted and Spider-Man and Sony’s move, in conjunction with Marvel Studios willingness to move the Strange sequel, meant that Holland was always going to film Uncharted before kicking off Spider-Man. However, what is truly interesting to me is that I have also recently heard rumblings about the production of Spider-Man 3 aiming for a late-September.early-October start date. During any other time and taken on their own, these dates would make perfect sense. It’s very common for Marvel Studios to roll cameras on a film 10-14 months before it hits studios, but you can probably see how these two start dates don’t make much sense when taken together.
    Thankfully, I heard just a little more on the subject in regards to Sony’s plans. We all know that, for the foreseeable future, movie sets are going to be very different than what they have been in the past. Fewer people, fewer large scale sets and shorter working days. In practice, that would seem like it would mean shoots would take more time, not less, making it all but impossible for Holland to finish Uncharted in time to get to work on Spider-Man 3; however, it seems that Sony is really keen on getting as many productions done as they can while the water is warm, so to speak (most industry folks are expecting more shut downs in the Fall once flu season begins and the second wave of COVID-19 is expected to hit). To that end, the studio is working towards some unconventional means to get Holland’s work on Uncharted done and dusted in time for him to be back stateside to do Spidey. That might mean shooting out of order to complete Holland’s scenes and it might mean starting work on Spidey without the lead on set, but from what I’m hearing, studios are stepping WAY outside of their comfort zones to get things done during these crazy days.
    If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been banging the “don’t worry about start dates” drum for a while because right now there’s just no way to be sure when things will start, pause, restart and finish; however, in this instance there were so many connected pieces along with the planning around unconventional work by the studios that I thought it was worth the chance to put it out there knowing a COVID spike could happen in 3 weeks putting everything on hold again and making me look dumber than normal. The best we can do now is wait and see, but it’s good to see studios addressing these issues and trying to make hay while the sun is shining.

  • What I Heard This Week: ‘THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER’ To Film in Canada

    Every now and then I come across some information the veracity of which can be confirmed by a second source. What happens FAR more often is that I come across some information that while believable and from trustworthy sources, cannot be confirmed by other sources for various reasons. Typically, when the second scenario occurs, I move on and forget about the information unless, in rare instances, it turns out to be proven true somewhere down the road. For instance, on February 19th, I wrote this piece relaying some rumors I’d heard about Marvel Studios updating its Disney Plus slate; the next day, the news broke that a special Disney Plus event would be held in London on March 5th where it is expected that Marvel Studios and Star Wars slates will be updated.

    Image result for prettiest places in vancouver

    A thing I heard this week: Thor: Love and Thunder may shoot some scenes in Vancouver, British Columbia, aka Hollywood North.

    Since the 1970s, Vancouver has been one of the world’s top production locations. While it hasn’t been a hot spot for Marvel Studios, Helstrom is filming there now and it looks like the plan is for Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder to do some work there as well. As far as I can tell, the plan is still for the bulk of the filming to take place in Australia and for additional filming to take place in Vancouver, among other locations. While I continue to search to find out if the film will be using studio space, my assumption is that they’re going to Vancouver to shoot locations and, to that end, there is no shortage of beautiful places from which to choose.

    Thor: Love and Thunder is expected to kick off production in Australia this August and shoot through the end of the year.

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘SHANG-CHI’ Confirmed to Introduce Multiple MI-6 Characters

    Production on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is set to get underway shortly in Australia and some casting information has begun to leak including some very exciting, if not expected, news: the film will introduce MI-6 agents Leiko Wu, Clive Reston and Black Jack Tarr.

    MI-6 or Military Intelligence, Section 6 is the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service and has played a major role in the Master of Kung Fu comics on which Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is based. After coming to understand the true nature of his father, international terrorist and crime lord Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi worked alongside and then with MI-6, most frequently teaming up with agents Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu, with whom he also had a romantic relationship.

    The film will apparently introduce the idea that Shang-Chi worked for MI-6 at one time, but has since made his “departure from the world.” Reston (whose now confirmed presence in the film was first rumored by HNE) is described as Shang-Chi’s old partner and friend who is now married to Leiko Wu, an elite MI-6 operative who once had “strong feelings” for the Master of Kung Fu. Fellow MI-6 agentBlack Jack Tarr, always up for a fight in the comics, is described as an “elite martial artist who enjoys the thrill of the battle.”

    The studio was searching for a Caucasian male, 45-50 for Reston; a Chinese female, 26-39 for Wu; a Caucasian male 30-49 for Tarr. It is believed that these roles have been filled at this time though I was unable to get responses from representatives of several actors.

    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit theaters February 12, 2021.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Studios ‘SHE-HULK’ Targeting July Start of Production

    Three of Marvel Studios Disney Plus series are now in production in Atlanta with Ms. Marvel on deck with a scheduled April start. Next up: She-Hulk, which I have learned is planning to begin production in Atlanta in July.

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    Announced at 2019’s D23, along with Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight, She-Hulk will be written by Jessica Gao (Rick and Morty) and is expected to be a location-heavy production, meaning it might not require quite as much studio time as something like Loki. The search for an actress to portray Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk began late last year.

    Given the production delays on several Marvel Studios projects due to weather, natural disasters and other unexpected circumstances and the fact that the production of Loki was actually moved up about 10 days, I’m not even trying to bother pinpointing a date in July and just accepting the fact that until the cameras start to roll, I might not know one. However, I am penciling She-Hulk in for a July start of production. She-Hulk should air on Disney Plus in the second half of 2021, though no official release date has been given.