Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • BREAKING: ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Exits ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’

    BREAKING: ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Exits ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’

    It looks like director Destin Daniel Cretton has decided he wants to focus on other projects, as he’s exited the upcoming Avengers film, The Kang Dynasty. Though this isn’t him leaving the Marvel Studios family behind, as he’s setting his eyes on other future projects. He seemingly will still be involved with the Wonder Man series, which was rumored to have been canceled, and the long-rumored Shang-Chi sequel.

    The film initially was going to be released in 2026 with its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars set for 2027. Yet, as Deadpool 3 will be the only release in 2024 and many films are once again being pushed back, we can expect a lot more reshuffling for the studio moving forward. Who knows what other projects might end up looking quite a bit different moving forward?

    It’s good to know that Cretton is still on board with Marvel Studios and that the Wonder Man series is seemingly still in some form of development. The only question is if they are reworking the concept as they are no longer including headwriters but going back to actual showrunners. So, we might see more ongoing projects created with multiple seasons in mind rather than their ongoing mini-series approach.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Marvels’ EP Confirms the Post-Credit Scene’s Uncanny Inspiration

    ‘The Marvels’ EP Confirms the Post-Credit Scene’s Uncanny Inspiration

    The final scene of Marvel Studios’ action-packed The Marvels, which features Kamala Khan recruiting Kate Bishop to join a team of young heroes, was clearly inspired by the MCU’s first-ever stinger which introduced Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury as he recruited Tony Stark after the events of Iron Man concluded. The post-credit scene to The Marvels hit hard as well and while it’s inspiration might not have been quite as apparent to moviegoers, we had a hunch we knew exactly where it came from and now Executive Producer Mary Livanos has confirmed that suspicion in an interview with EW.

    The scene features Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau waking up in an alternate universe and coming face-to-face with a super-powered Variant of her mother, Maria, played once again by Lashana Lynch. While it’s not the first time a powered up Variant of Maria has been seen on screen, this particular Variant was hanging out with the X-Men and going by the name Binary which seemed like a nod to author Chris Claremont’s beloved run on Marvel Comics Uncanny X-Men in which Carol Danvers spent quite a bit of time with the mutant super team. According to Livanos, that’s exactly what went down.

    “The notion that Monica ends up in an alternate universe with the hope that it could tie in with the X-Men was something I always had on my to-do list. I love how in the comics, Carol Danvers as Binary spends some time with the X-Men in space,” explained Livanos of the inspiration for the tag. “I’m so delighted that Kevin [Feige] and folks were stoked about the idea of Binary and the fact that she does fit into the X-Men universe. As a fan, I was just absolutely floored and delighted that we got to get Beast in there and have a big old X, right behind Binary. It was bananas.“

    As for how Kelsey Grammer, who first appeared as Beast in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, ended up back in character for the first time in nearly a decade, Livanos said that was all Marvel Studios One Above All. “Kevin Feige just called him up! Kevin, of course, worked on the X-Men films back in the day, so they have their own wonderful relationship. We were just so lucky to have him.” Only a couple of years ago, Grammer expressed an interest in returning to the role so it’s unlikely Feige had to twist his arm for this appearance; however, given the way The Marvels ended, it seems possible the actor might get at leat one more chance to voice Dr. McCoy in the future.

    Source: EW

  • Ana Nogueira to Write DC’s ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’

    Ana Nogueira to Write DC’s ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’

    It’s been a while since we were first introduced to James Gunn’s new DC cinematic slate that’ll kick off a brand new era for the brand. After 2023 showed its scars with pretty much every release even the high-profile The Flash, many wondered what the future would look like. Warner Bros. is currently also in the news for its questionable decision with Coyote vs. Acme. With the strikes over though, some news is finding its way online and it looks like the first non-James Gunn-directed project is moving forward.

    The Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film focuses on Clark Kent’s cousin and it looks like they got quite an addition. Ana Nogueria is attached to write the project and it’s kind of a reunion, as she originally was working on a spinoff project from The Flash back in 2022, which would’ve seen Sasha Calle in the leading role.

    It’s still uncertain if they will build upon her original pitch of the project, or we might have to expect something different given the franchise’s new direction. Taking the comic Woman of Tomorrow as inspiration is also a way to make the character stand out from her famous cousin, who’ll be the center point of starting the new DCEU franchise with Superman Legacy. It’ll be interesting to see who also might be in the director’s chair for the project.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Taika Waititi Currently Not Involved With ‘Thor 5’

    Taika Waititi Currently Not Involved With ‘Thor 5’

    Taika Waititi offered his unique sense of humor to reinvent the character of Thor just as Chris Hemsworth hinted that perhaps he was slowly done with the character. Yet, there was some backlash with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder given that it fully embraced its Flash Gordon inspiration and offered a full-on comedy even for Marvel Studios’ usual comedic standards.

    So, there’s been a big push for someone else to take over the franchise, as it’s also the only one from the original Phase 1 hero still going on with his own franchise. While we still don’t know if they are actively working on a sequel, it does seem like Taika Waititi isn’t likely to be part of if, as he reacts to rumors of a fifth entry.

    I wouldn’t know if that’s accurate. I know that I won’t be involved…I’m going to concentrate on these other films that I’ve signed on for.

    Taika Waititi

    He goes on to state that he’s already signed up for the next six or seven years, such as the Star Wars film he’s still busy working on that he states is “still marinating.” Yet, he also shares that he loved working with Marvel Studios and if he doesn’t return for Thor there might be another project for him.

    So that’s six, seven years gone. I’d imagine another ‘Thor’ would be a lot sooner than that…But I love Marvel, I love working with them. I love Chris.

    Taika Waititi

    It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for Thor, as we don’t know when we might see him return or even what role he might have in the future of the franchise. As he’s become a father, he might be off somewhere in space trying to raise his daughter Love and won’t return until the right pieces fall into place.

    Source: Variety

  • Iman Vellani Speaks Out on ‘Young Avengers’, MCU Muties Tag and ‘Ms. Marvel’ Season 2

    Iman Vellani Speaks Out on ‘Young Avengers’, MCU Muties Tag and ‘Ms. Marvel’ Season 2

    Despite a less-than-impressive box office, the majority of critics gave The Marvels a thumbs-up though not everyone was on board with Marvel Studios latest entry; however, it seems that very few, if any, critics had anything other than praise to heap upon Iman Vellani in her return as Kamala Khan. The young actress, who first appeared as the character in 2022’s Ms. Marvel, served both as the heart of the film and the film’s eponymous team and made quite the impression in her big screen debut. Though the SAG strike kept her from promoting the film and appearing at the premiere, Vellani was able to make a public appearance at a post-strike screening at the El Capitan and talked to THR about her experience.

    Ironically enough, despite social media’s derision of the film, The Marvels has done more to excite audiences about the future of the MCU than any other film in 2023. While that certainly calls into question the studio’s continued use of post-credit scenes to drive hype (the movie’s final scene and it’s tag are by far the most talked-about moments of the film), the reality is that The Marvels, as Vellai indicated in her interview, is hardly as disinteresting as you might think.

    “There was a version of this in an old script, but we never shot it,” explained Vellani about the film’s final scene in which she recruits Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop to serve as one of the MCU’s Young Avengers. “And then there were rumors that we were going to get to it in additional photography, but with a different Young Avenger,” continued Vellaini, “So I never really got the script until right before additional photography and then I flipped out.”

    The film’s final scene serves as a fun imitation of the MCU’s first post-credit scene in 2008’s Iron Man in which Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury invited Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark into a larger universe. For an MCU superfan like Vellani, having the opportunity to relive that excitement was important. “I immediately rewatched Iron Man and texted Nia in all caps,” said Vellani. “I was like, ‘I cannot believe the honor that I am getting right now. This is crazy!’ I did not need to rewatch that entire movie, but it didn’t hurt. So I was giddy the entire time. All of us were freaking out. It was also the last scene we shot for the movie, and it is the last scene of the movie.“

    As exciting as that scene was for fans of Marvel Comics, the film’s post-credit scene served up an even bigger tease as it revealed that Teyonah Parris‘ Monica Rambeau landed in an alternate universe where the X-Men seemed to be a prominent force. Given that Kamala was revealed as the MCU’s first mutant in Ms. Marvel, the scene, which featured Kesley Grammer‘s Beast, seemed to carry some added significance.

    “They shot the mid-credit scene during principal [photography],” explained Vellani. “They shot it earlier, so they knew what they were doing. But I thought it was going to be something else. I did not realize Beast [Kelsey Grammer] was in it. I knew they shot it, but I was expecting to see something else. And lo and behold, they kept the secret even from me,” added the actress who has a famously open-door relationship with Marvel Studios’ head honcho, Kevin Feige. “I literally jumped and had a heart attack on my bed when I watched it for the first time. I literally texted every single person we worked with, and I was like, “How could you keep this from me?” But at least I got to experience it as a fan, which was so cool. I’m just so excited to see what they do with that in the future.“

    When pressed as to whether or not the scene was included as a tie-in to Ms. Marvel’s reveal that Kamala was the MCU’s first mutant, which Vellani called “an honor”, the actress fell back to the old MCU axiom that it’s all connected. “Yeah, I think they’re connecting a lot of things,” said the actress. “They’re sprinkling in the mutants here and there. We saw [Charles Xavier] in Multiverse of Madness. So I honestly am not privy to what they’re doing with the X-Men and how they’re going to incorporate them, but it is extremely cool and a really big flex to have one in our own movie. Well, two, if you count me.“

    Given Marvel Studios’ less than stellar track record on following through with their post-credit tags and the recent turmoil that has seemed to leave some of the studio’s plans up in the air, it remains to be seen just what importance, if any, the tag will have. However, it’s clearly something that has gained some traction in the minds of fans of the MCU and with the recent struggles the studio’s projects have had, it’s safe to assume they’ll enjoy the online debate about exactly what’s going on in the stinger.

    On the topic of things that seem safe to assume, a second season of Ms. Marvel seems a fairly safe bet despite the uncertainty currently permeating Marvel Studios’ future. Though she certainly didn’t confirm it, Vellani is quite hopeful that the sophomore season will happen, especially given the positive vibes her performance in The Marvels has received. “I am patient, and honestly, I hope all the love that Kamala is getting from this movie inspires people to be more vocal about wanting a season two. I would absolutely love to continue this story, and Kamala and her entire community has so much story left to tell. I want to see Bruno [Matt Lintz] again. I want to see Nakia [Yasmeen Fletcher] again, and that’s just me. So it would be really amazing to have a season two, and there’s so many different directions we can go with it.”

    The Marvels is now in theaters and all episodes of Ms. Marvel are available to stream on Disney Plus.

    Source: THR

  • Warner Bros. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Shopped to Other Studios After All

    Warner Bros. ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Shopped to Other Studios After All

    Warner Bros. did it again. They shelved Coyote vs. Acme to make a tax return just like they did with Batgirl and the Scoob Christmas special last year. Yet, now we’re entering a new era that has seemingly led to some actual consequences this time around. Surprisingly, Warner Bros. is now allowing director Dave Green to shop the live-action and animation hybrid film to other buyers. It seems that Amazon is one of the contenders interested in buying; though it would be great to see this get a theatrical release given the entire history.

    The big development, however, is that the decision to cancel Coyote vs. Acme has revealed that this wasn’t a one-time strategy and has now been leading to some real consequences for the once-major studio. If a film that was tested multiple times in the 90s was going to get axed, many expected that their film had no chance of surviving. It seems a text chain opened due to this tax-cutting decision by the studio which had many creatives questioning their future with the studio.

    This time around, Warner Bros. couldn’t make up the story that it was to protect a brand or that the film wasn’t good, which they hurtfully did with Batgirl. It also seems like creatives are canceling their meetings with Warner Bros. as a result of this action, and we might be seeing CEO Dave Zaslav’s hands slowly destroying one of the few remaining legacy studios just as it is trying to celebrate 100 years. They even tried to kill the TCM department which was only reinstated after big names forced their hands. If you want to know what studio is in shambles, this is a much more telling sign.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios “Likely Moving Away” from Original Kang Storyline

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios “Likely Moving Away” from Original Kang Storyline

    There’s been much debate online over the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many have already called it the end of an era after their first film in a while had a lower opening than even their 2008 release, but that doesn’t mean the production company is just going to sit around. The biggest challenge was that Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror was going to be the main focus of the Multiverse Saga but as it turns out, they may be heading in a new direction.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness is seemingly no longer involved with the first Avengers film, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. A podcast episode of The Ringer’s House of R features writer Joanna Robinson who made the recent MCU book exploring the inner makings that made the studio what it is today. In it, she seemingly hints that Marvel Studios might be moving away from its original plans.

    As this hasn’t been officially confirmed, it’s something we should take with a grain of salt but Loki definitely kept it open how they decide to move forward. They still have many options in how they tackle the entire storyline moving forward and there’s also a chance that they simply retitle the first Avengers film, or perhaps just jump straight into Secret Wars‘ storyline. They could turn whatever happened to the multiverse into a mystery film as these characters try to unravel what happened to their reality.

    Source: Spotify

  • ‘The Marvels’ Debuts With Disappointing $110M Worldwide

    ‘The Marvels’ Debuts With Disappointing $110M Worldwide

    The Marvels is off to a slower start across all markets as the film has pulled in $63.3M internationally and a disappointing $47M domestically. That puts the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe outing at a total opening weekend of $110.3M, which marks the lowest the franchise has ever faced. Sadly, the film hasn’t had any momentum throughout the weekend and ended up on the lower end of Saturday’s estimates, but it hasn’t crashed as hard as some expected going in with the Thursday preview numbers.

    Still, it’s a far cry from the $70M predicted a few weeks ago and initially set for around $80M worldwide. So, we didn’t quite make the jump to the $140M. The social scores seem quite decent but the lack of urgency to check out the movie in theaters is hurting it. That B CinemaScore is not helping matters and it seems the film might fizzle out around the same The Flash did earlier in the year; though that had the promotion from its cast marking this a very different situation.

    Variety states that audiences “flat-out rejected” the film but don’t back it up on why this is a fact. However, the problem remains with its $220M budget and $100M marketing costs (likely cheaper given they didn’t have to organize a lot for the cast involved). Though Variety also seems to have a bone to pick with the studio ever since they dropped that debunked article. Though as CNBC points out there’s hope that legs could still carry the film closer to breaking even with the Thanksgiving holidays don’t he horizon.

    Despite posting the lowest domestic debut for the MCU, ‘The Marvels’ proved once again the importance of the international marketplace for the Marvel brand. The film will now rely on Thanksgiving holiday corridor moviegoing to help move the big budget superhero film closer to profitability and help to determine the film’s ultimate success at the box office.

    Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst (Comscore)

    One thing is clear: there’s a lot of debate online on what exactly happened here. While it got the usual lower CinemaScore, online chatter has been on the uprise since the film was released in theaters. The fact that they had a last-minute debut for Brie Larson on a talk show the day after release isn’t going to randomly sway things even if some are pointing to “promotion taking place anyway.” There’s also the discussion of “being good” not being enough for a film to do well at the box office nowadays as they have become more selective.

    Some are pointing to Oppenheimer and Barbie taking place during the strikes and making bank, but those films were released on July 21st and the SAG AFTRA strike started on July 14th. So, they technically had all the momentum already built up going into the release, and isn’t a fair comparison given that the actors were only able to start after it was in cinemas. Just odd to see that comparison as momentum was definitely carried into the film once it was made available.

    There’s also the streaming factor that has plagued Marvel releases since Disney trained audiences they can always wait 45 days before checking it out if it’s not a “must-see” event similar to Barbenheimer or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. There has been a slow pushback on it but it’ll take time to allow audiences to adapt to this new normal once again. Something highlighted by Five Nights at Freddy’s continuing to just drop as fast it can at the box office with another 53% drop domestically, but it still managed to pass the $250M mark internationally.

    One thing that also stands out is that the box office is in such a state that even with such a disappointing opening for Marvel’s standards it remains at the top spot given how low others are performing. As mentioned in the last analysis, the “bomb” that was Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also remains the tenth highest-grossing film of the year. It’ll likely be analyzed for many years to come and the big question is what is Marvel’s future once 2024 rolls around.

    CNBC’s article shares a curious statement from Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, that highlights that as much as this snag will hurt Marvel Studios: it may be just the changing point from everything it had to endure moving forward:

    If any IP has the depth and capability to do that, it’s Marvel under the leadership of Kevin Feige and his teams. This is certainly a crossroads moment from a creative and business standpoint. Perhaps the relative slowdown in Marvel content next year will provide a healthy and necessary buffer for the studio, for Disney, and for audiences.

    Shawn Robbins

    Source: Deadline, Variety

  • ‘The Marvels’ Heading for MCU’s Worst Opening Weekend

    It’s been an uphill battle for the MCU throughout the last few years. Negative consent has started arousing a certain perception throughout 2023 which has been quite damaging overall with only a few releases making bank and the blockbuster releases burning up before they even got a chance. Continuing that trend is Marvel Studios’ latest The Marvels.

    The film has pulled in $21.5M on its Friday and is likely heading to a weekend gross of $47M to $52M. With a B CinemaScore, it likely is looking at a below $50M. That is slightly higher than the lowest estimate from Box Office Pro, which was at around $45M but there are a lot of different factors at play here (some even believed it would be as low as $35M as the tracking on this film was quite chaotic in the last few weeks).

    Deadline makes a strong case that this isn’t really the fatigue discussion, as people will watch a film they believe is going to be great; Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania still had a grand opening all things considered but lost its legs quickly but it remains in the Top 10 for 2023 (which says a lot about the year). And there’s the entire discussion surrounding Disney’s strong pre-pandemic push to promote its streaming service by milking its cash cow as dry as it could. The pandemic certainly didn’t help.

    In addition, this release isn’t like Captain Marvel which dropped between two of the biggest Avengers releases of the years. I do believe that the assessment of Killers of the Flower Moon’s low box office shouldn’t still be assessed if $200M is truly worth to “advertise” a film on a streaming service while making an additional buck, especially given any MCU film also benefited from a strong streaming surge once available. So, the discussion in those comparisons can be twisted however one would want depending on the result one is looking for, as what is or isn’t successful on streaming is still the biggest question mark in the industry.

    It’s a shame though to see the film open this low given the fun it provides. Most are pointing to a weak word-of-mouth with the B rating but one could wonder if Five Nights at Freddy’s A- rating is also bloated by fans making sure they check out the first installment that had a very impressive $80M opening but quickly floundered the week after. Plus, that film unlike The Marvels didn’t really require much promotion from its cast given it’s a first-time adaptation of a very young audience.

    There’s also the depressing aspect of the current climate that the film releases. Brie Larson and the “Captain Marvel” brand has been hounded ever since that film released and was the butt of many people’s jokes online. So, a negative reception existed, and with a seemingly lack of advertising push in its key demographics but didn’t go out of its way to reach the other side to attract the actual core demographic of this film. Though, the anti-Disney and anti-Marvel sentiment throughout the year also definitely is showing its fangs.

    Is it the end of Marvel? Probably not as next year’s release schedule has been drastically cut down and likely something that was going to happen eventually anyway. One thing is for sure: Marvel Studios is going to be looking internally to restructure their approach which already started with Marvel Spotlight to create a bigger distinction between releases (or more likely their Disney+ outings).

    What is a bit bizarre is the current “downward trend” some are pointing out like Variety, who released an article that actually got debunked by quite a few in the past few weeks but also highlights the way MCU is being discussed. The only “soft” spot it had was during the pandemic when it made more money than most releases and this is the first below $100M opening in a long time for the brand. The bigger question is this going to be a one-time low before a swing back up or just the baseline for future entries needing lower budgets.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Pro, Deadline, The Numbers, Variety

  • Marvel Studios Overhauls Its Theatrical Slate

    Marvel Studios Overhauls Its Theatrical Slate

    Less than 24 hours after the Screen Actors Guild reached a settlement to end their strike, Disney made several adjustments to Marvel Studios upcoming theatrical slate. While the changes will make 2024 pretty barren, 2025 looks to be a strong year for the studio.

    As star Ryan Reynolds shared earlier in the day, the untitled Deadpool movie will hit theaters in the Summer of 2024, moving from May 3rd to July 26th. Two films that were still clinging to hopes of a 2024 release are no officially slated for 2025. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts are headed to theaters on February 14th, 2025 and July 25th, 2025, respectively, and will surround Fantastic Four which is still slated for a May 2, 2025 debut. Finally, Blade, which has seen significant delays as the creative team has undergone multiple changes, is not set for a November 7th, 2025 release.

    Like 2025, 2026 is set to see four theatrical releases. Marvel Studios is holding dates in February, July and November for untitled films and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty remains on the slate for a May 3, 2025 drop.