Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Star Rosa Salazar Joins the Cast of ‘Captain America 4’

    ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Star Rosa Salazar Joins the Cast of ‘Captain America 4’

    Given the spotlight is always shining on the next big Marvel Studios project, surprise castings are a rare occurrence. While most lead roles are scooped by trades, even supporting roles are big news and are often leaked by scoopers and/or smaller sites. Captain America: New World Order pulled off that rare feet by casting the members of the villainous Serpent Society in complete secrecy. Had it not been for photographer Christopher Oquendo staking out the Brown Airport location for the film, the revelation that WWE Superstar Seth Rollins had been cast as one of the Serpents may have stayed a surprise until the film’s 2023 release. While Rollins was easily identified, the identity of his female counterpart in the scene, Serpent Society member Diamondback, has remained a mystery…until now.

    Murphy’s Multiverse can share that Alita: Battlestar and Maze Runner actress Rosa Salazar as the actress who joined Rollins on set as Diamondback. While Salazar’s reps did not respond to inquiries about her status on the project, we are confident that she is attached to it.

    The Serpent Society’s role in the film is unclear but in the comics, they’ve served as antagonists to Captain America more than once. As for Salazar’s Diamondback, her history with Captain America is a little more complicated. Though a member of a criminal organization, Diamondback once dated Steve Rogers so her presence in the film could mean interesting things on the horizon for Sam Wilson.

    Captain America: New World Order is currently slated to hit theaters May 3, 2024.

  • Atlanta Transformed into Chinatown in Latest ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos

    Atlanta Transformed into Chinatown in Latest ‘Captain America 4’ Set Photos

    A lot seems to be going on in Captain America: New World Order. Sam Wilson’s first solo feature film as Cap will see Harrison Ford‘s Thaddeus Ross become President of the United States, the return of Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns and Liv Tyler‘s Betty Ross, the debut of the Serpent Society and the rumored discovery of Adamantium on the corpse of Tiamut the Celestial. While there’s been no Celestial or Adamantium sightings just yet thanks to a massive set that was reportedly built for the film, much of the rest of the goings on have been captured on film while production has been ongoing around Atlanta.

    Photographer Christopher Oquendo, who has recently been very busily scoping out the locations of Captain America: New World Order has once again come through with some photos of a setpiece being assembled in downtown Atlanta. While the location has yet to go live, the photos show a portion of downtown Atlanta being transformed into Chinatown. This won’t be the first or last time that a part of Atlanta has been used as a stand-in for New York City but it is a fascinating location for this project.

    With filming not yet having taken place in the new location, there’s no way to be sure just what’s going on in Chinatown. The location has been featured prominently in Daredevil and Spider-Man comics, most recently when the Dragon Lords, Mister Negative and The Hood skirmished. It’s also where the Sons of the Tiger, three martial artists powered by the same jade amulet that gave power to the White Tiger, set up their dojo. None of those characters are known to be in Captain America 4, however, and while the Serpent Society does have ties to New York City, they arent specific to Chinatown. Given Oquendo’s hashtag indicated the shoot will be spoilery, these are definitely worth following up on as soon as the site goes live!

  • Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Updates the Future of Indiana Jones

    Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Updates the Future of Indiana Jones

    Harrison Ford has made it very clear that Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny will be his final appearance as Dr. Henry Jones Jr. The film, which screened at 2023’s Cannes Film Festival, opens in just over a month and the press tour is already in full swing. In a recent interview with EW’s Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy gave an update on what the future holds for the franchise.

    One of two iconic characters brought to life by Ford, Indiana Jones has been at the center of five films and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series and according to Kennedy, that’s all there will ever be…for now. “It’s Harrison’s last entry. That’s how we look at the Indy franchise,” said Kennedy. “I mean, truthfully, right now, if we were to do anything, it might be in series television down the road, but we’re not doing anything to replace Indiana Jones. This is it. There are five movies that Harrison Ford did. And Harrison is so specific and so unique to creating this role. We just, Steven [Spielberg] agrees, we just wouldn’t do that.” Perhaps partially fueled by the poor reaction to Alden Ehrenreich replacing Ford as his other iconic character, Han Solo, it seems the decision has been made to leave well enough alone.

    While that’s pretty a definitive answer on the future of the character, Kennedy’s mention of a potential television series is of note, however. While there may not be more Indiana Jones, the world the character has inhabited over the years included many colorful characters and big-name IPs are hard to come by in Hollywood. Lucasfilm has already dipped its creative toes into that Indy IP stream once, beginning development on a streaming series centered around Indy’s mentor, Abner Ravenwood; however, that project was reportedly abandoned as the studio refocused its efforts on Star Wars. For now, it seems that fans of the character will have to make do with what’s out there and enjoy Ford’s last ride.

    Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits theaters on June 30th.

    Source: Dagobah Dispatch

  • ‘The Little Mermaid’ Director Rob Marshall on Finding Ariel

    ‘The Little Mermaid’ Director Rob Marshall on Finding Ariel

    Disney’s live-action retelling of The Little Mermaid has opened to largely positive reviews most of which sing the praises of Halle Bailey, who bring Ariel to life with “the innocence and eye for mischief that the story needs to propel its plot forward.” Bringing one of Disney’s most beloved princesses to life was no small task but it is one that director Rob Marshall believed Bailey capable of immediately upon meeting her.


    “I mean, here’s the thing. The first actor we saw for this role was Halle,” said Marshall. “The first thing she did is she came in and sang for us. And she sang that song [Part of Your World]. She shut her eyes and started to sing the song. And I thought, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” explained the director who most recently worked with Disney to helm 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns and 2014’s Into the Woods, two films which also featured plenty of singing.

    (L-R): Scuttle (voiced by Awkwafina), Flounder (voiced by Jacob Tremblay), and Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    However, while both Marshall’s prior films with the studio included familiar tunes, “Part of Your World” is iconic even among Disney’s vaunted catalog but according to the director, Bailey’s rendition was so good, that he knew he had found his Ariel after just a few minutes.
    “I just thought she’s so deeply connected to what she’s singing about. It’s so emotional. It’s so beautiful,” said Marshall before adding, “And I thought, [laugh] oh my gosh, we’ve been doing this for five minutes. Have we found Ariel?”

    Despite being blown away by Bailey, Marshall stayed true to the casting process, auditioning “hundreds” of other actors for the part before returning to Bailey. “But then we saw hundreds of other actors after that,” said Marshall. Bailey continued to move through each round of cuts, according to the director, before it finally became clear the job was hers. “Halle kept coming back in,” he said, “and we saw every ethnicity. We saw everybody. And she claimed the role for hers.” Audiences will have a chance to catch Bailey’s performance for themselves soon as The Little Mermaid opens in theaters on May 26th.

  • Charlize Theron Still Has Yet to Hear Back from Marvel Studios

    Charlize Theron Still Has Yet to Hear Back from Marvel Studios

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened last year to a lot of fanfare box office-wise. While some may have not jelled completely with its horror elements, the film still had a lot to offer in building the future of the Multiverse Saga. We were introduced to what happens when universes collide and also get a tease of how other versions of the Avengers function.

    The biggest reveal was the arrival of Clea, played by Charlize Theron, at the end of the film. She was part of the first post-credit sequence that sadly undermined the third eye reveal just seconds later, but still gave us a hint at what the future has in store with a major actress joining the franchise. Yet, it seems Marvel Studios has yet to get in contact with the actress as she revealed during Jimmy Kimmel Live.

    I don’t. No, I haven’t gotten a call. I’ve not gotten a– Is that bad? Is that bad? Is that bad? No, I’m not lying… I haven’t gotten a call. Is that bad?

    Charlize Theron

    It’s not too surprising given that non of the upcoming projects really require a character like Clea in their stories. We’re taking a bit of a break from the sci-fi-heavy direction the franchise took with more “grounded” stories like Secret Invasion, Thunderbolts, and the new Captain America film. So, we might have to wait a bit until we see her return alongside Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange as they set out to correct the multiverse.

    Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live! via The Direct

  • ‘Bad Boys 4’ Gets a New Title (Exclusive)

    ‘Bad Boys 4’ Gets a New Title (Exclusive)

    Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are suiting back up as Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, bad boys for life who ride together and die together, in a fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise. The new film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, was announced earlier this year and has been filming in Atlanta for some time. With production drawing to a close, a new title has emerged for the project.

    Following up on incorporating Burnett and Lowrey’s motto (we ride together, we die together…bad boys for life) into the title of the third film in the series, Bad Boys for Life, the fourth film in the franchise will be called Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

    While there’s no release date for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, it seems safe to say the wait for it will not be as long as the wait between the second and third films in the franchise. When El Arbi and Fallah resurrected the series in 2020, it had been 17 years since Michael Bay‘s Bad Boys II had been in theaters. With the new film set to wrap production later this Summer, it seems likely that Sony will roll the fourth feature film into theaters some time in 2024.

  • ‘Fast X’ Revs Up Massive $319M Worldwide But Slows Down Domestically

    ‘Fast X’ Revs Up Massive $319M Worldwide But Slows Down Domestically

    It looks like Fast X is still making a splash internationally, as while it didn’t beat the previous entry domestically, it has revved up quite a bit of momentum at the global box office. It highlights that some franchises may face their own slowdown but that isn’t always the case for every single market, especially with how some viewed the international development in Eastern markets for MArvel Studios’ more sci-fi-oriented filmmaking in the last few years.

    Still, Fast X has pulled in $318.9M worldwide, which is a good start even if it only pulled in $67.5M domestically. The international bow makes it the second largest release of the year with The Super Mario Bros. Movie still holding on to the top spot at $377M. Though, it is the third-highest opening for a Fast and Furious film. Still, it had the biggest international opening of any film so far.

    The film actually had an impressive opening in China at $78.3M, which after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also surprised might be a hopeful sign that the market is warming up to external films again. Though domestically, the film received a B+ CinemaScore, which commonly hints at a more positive but mixed reception and it is a lower opening than F9 during the pandemic.

    There is, however, one major issue this film is going to face and that is its hefty production budget. While during the pandemic many film budgets have spiraled out of control with the old $200M now hovering around $250M, Fast X has a bit of a bigger challenge ahead. Even with a massive opening this year, the film has to make quite a bit of cash due to costing $340M.

    That means, the film would have to make at least $640M just to cover its production budget and potentially around $850M to be considered profitable. while its international legs could be a factor, it’s still a long way to know if this film was worth its investment. To put it in perspective, the film costs more than Avengers: Infinity War and 10M less than Avatar: The Way of Water. So, the second weekend will be vital to see how far the franchise’s engine truly will run.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap via The Direct

  • More BTS Photos from ‘Captain America 4’ Tease New Setting, More Serpents

    More BTS Photos from ‘Captain America 4’ Tease New Setting, More Serpents

    With principal photography on Captain America: New World Order having shifted out of the studio this past week, photographer Christopher Oquendo has staked out the Brown Airport location of the production and shared several rounds of excellent behind-the-scenes material. The photographer’s latest shots have unveiled not only a new setting for the film but also some more members of the villainous Serpent Society.

    It turns out the Serpent Society has its own private jet, complete with some gold and green accents that look like they match the costumes worn by WWE Superstar Seth Rollins and an as-yet unidentified co-star from a prior batch of set photos. While set photos never provide much context, it seems safe to say that the Serpents have used their private jet to make their way to Cancun, where their fight with Captain America and Falcon is likely to take place.

    In addition to revealing a new setting for the fourth entry in the Captain America franchise, the most recent set photos also provide a shadowy look at another member of the Serpent Society. It’s expected that there will be five of them in the film (Asp, Bushmaster, Cobra, Constrictor and Diamondback), and, at the moment, it’s still unclear which one of those Serpents will be played by Rollins; however, the photographer–who may be working with some additional information–teased that the shadowy member of the team might be its leader, King Cobra.

    It’s not clear what role the Serpent Society plays in the film just yet but given the amount of time spent on the production on this particular set of scenes, it’s safe to say they at least have a fairly large role in the film and will occupy quite a bit of Captain America and The Falcon’s time! Captain America: New World Order is currently slated for a May 3rd, 2024 release.

  • Winona Ryder Rocks a Familiar Look in Set Photos from ‘Beetlejuice 2’

    Winona Ryder Rocks a Familiar Look in Set Photos from ‘Beetlejuice 2’

    It took 35 years to get it off the ground but production on the sequel to the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice is underway. Director Tim Burton is returning to the world of The Ghost with the Most for the sequel, reuniting with stars Michael Keaton, the lovely Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder who played the titular bio-exorcist and iconic goth girl Lydia Deetz, respectively. Cameras have been rolling on the sequel for over a week and now the first behind-the-scenes look at Ryder has hit the internet!

    Yep, that’s Lydia Deetz! Ryder’s return to the role came complete with looking damn near identical to the character’s memorable late-80s look from the original. Ryder has had an incredible second act to her career with her role on Stranger Things putting her back in the spotlight and now, in this legacy sequel, she’ll be stepping back into one of her most famous roles over three decades later.

    While next to nothing is known about the plot of the film, it will star Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter and Willem Dafoe as an afterlife cop. Justin Theroux and Monica Bellucci have also signed on for the sequel, which is currently set for a September 6th, 2024 release.

  • ‘Fast X’ Heading for a Soft $66M Opening Weekend with a B+ CinemaScore

    ‘Fast X’ Heading for a Soft $66M Opening Weekend with a B+ CinemaScore

    It’s looking more and more like blockbuster fatigue is showing its fangs, as even the latest entry of the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast X, is kicking off its domestic run softly. Louis Leterrier is directing the latest entry in the franchise that came in with a soft B+, which means the action hit is getting some mixed reviews from audiences. It’s the same grade that F9 got previously during the pandemic but it’ll be curious to keep an eye on what this means for its box office.

    The film took in $27.5M and is currently 8% behind F9. With a B+ score, it seems like the film is likely going to roll out around $66M over the weekend. That of course isn’t great with Vin Diesel recently trying to promote that he’s decided they’ll spin out a trilogy out of Fast X, which originally was setting up the final entry to the franchise. It’s hard to say if the two-year wait and the overall soft embrace of the previous entry may have played a key factor in its box office.

    Outside of Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, big releases have been struggling a bit this year. The latter is also showing another stronghold with a 46% drop even going up against this direct competition from Universal. Mid-budget investments have performed better than expected in April as people were preparing for the summer, but perhaps we’re about to face an average 100M opening moving forward with the franchise going above or below depending on the marketing push behind, as even former franchise giant, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is only projecting around a $40M opening weekend.

    Source: Twitter