Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Off to a Slow Start at the Box Office

    ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Off to a Slow Start at the Box Office

    The first box office numbers are in for Shazam: Fury of the Gods following the film’s Thursday night previews and they don’t bode well for a big weekend for the sequel. The new DC film, the first to hit theaters following the news that James Gunn and Peter Safran were essentially cleaning house and starting over with DC Studios, took in $3.4M yesterday afternoon and evening. That total represents a 43% drop from the first film’s Thursday take in 2019.

    Opening weekend predictions for the film have not been healthy for the sequel with the latest estimates coming in projecting a $35M domestic haul. The first film raked in $53.5M as an unknown quantity in 2019.

    The film has not been warmly received by critics, currently sitting at a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Online discourse around the film has mostly been centered around poor marketing and general lack of interest in the upcoming DC films knowing that the narrative threads begun within them are unlikely to carry over into the new DCU.

    Source: Deadline

  • Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Shortly after James Gunn announced part of the lineup of the DCU’s Chapter 1-Gods and Monsters, rumors began to swirl that while Ben Affleck‘s days of portraying Batman on screen were done, there was mutual interest in having Affleck direct a project. Before long, a rumor surfaced that had Affleck on a shortlist to direct DC Studios The Brave and The Bold, which would introduce a new Batman and his son, Damian, the new DCU. The rumor was believable enough: Affleck likes Batman and Gunn, who is always actively dispelling rumors on social media, didn’t address it. Now, Affleck has made his thoughts known on the rumor.

    “I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” said Affleck when asked by THR about the possibility of helming a DC Studios project. “I have nothing against James Gunn,” Aflleck clarified, “Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.“

    Affleck didn’t clarify what “the way they’re doing that meant” leaving plenty of room for interpretation for rabid fans who’ll want to read into his comments; however, the only real news here is that Affleck’s superhero days, which date back to 2003’s Daredevil, seem to be behind him and that Gunn’s search for a director for The Brave and the Bold will continue.

    Source: THR

  • Michael Waldron’s Overall Deal with Disney, Marvel Studios Renewed

    Michael Waldron’s Overall Deal with Disney, Marvel Studios Renewed

    It looks like Avengers: Secret War won’t be the last Marvel Studios project for writer Michael Waldron. The Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scribe has reupped with Disney and Marvel Studios on an overall deal that will keep him churning our projects for the foreseeable future.

    Waldron also launched a new production studio, Anomaly Pictures, with his production partner Adam Fasullo. The two first worked together on the Starz streaming series Heels, which will return for its second season sometime in 2023. According to a trade report, Anomaly Pictures will operate under the belief that “popcorn entertainment can also be prestige entertainment, and at the heart of every project lies the question: What if this was good?”

    Source: Deadline

  • James Gunn Confirms He’ll Direct ‘Superman: Legacy’; Synopsis Revealed

    James Gunn Confirms He’ll Direct ‘Superman: Legacy’; Synopsis Revealed

    From the moment he revealed he was writing the new DC Studios’Superman film, Superman: Legacy, it seemed all but a sure thing that James Gunn would also direct. Now, it has made it official. In a thread on Twitter, Gunn confirmer he’d be behind the camera for the film.

    Gunn’s Superman: Legacy isn’t scheduled to hit theaters until July 11, 2025 but Warner Bros. released the first synopsis of the project today to accompany the news.

    Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned

    The film will be, to some extent, an adaptation of All-Star Superman,a twelve-issue series by Grant Morrison that ran from 2005-08.

  • Guillermo del Toro Eyeing Top Talent for His ‘Frankenstein’

    Guillermo del Toro Eyeing Top Talent for His ‘Frankenstein’

    As Guillermo del Toro continues work on the script for his Netflix feature film Frankenstein, a new report indicates that the director has begun meeting with talent for the film. Deadline reports that while no deals have been finalized just yet, del Toro has met with Andrew Garfield, Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac for roles in the project.

    Del Toro has been very public about his long-standing desire to develop a film around Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. In 2008, the writer-director told Coming Soon that he’d “been dreaming of doing a ‘Frankenstein’ movie since I was a child.” Del Toro struck an overall deal with Netflix in 2020 and has been working toward getting Frankenstein off the ground since. Now, del Toro seems to be assembling a dream cast for his dream project which is expected to begin production in June.

    Source: Deadline, Coming Soon

  • Steven Yeun on What Drew Him to His Mysterious ‘Thunderbolts’ Role

    Steven Yeun on What Drew Him to His Mysterious ‘Thunderbolts’ Role

    Marvel Studios Thunderbolts is set to serve as a sequel of sorts to 2021’s Black Widow while also introducing one of Marvel Comics most powerful characters: Sentry. Though the details of the plot remain a tightly kept secret, director Jake Schreier‘s film will see Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine’s team of kinda-sorta heroes, led by Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova and, maybe, Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, take on some dangerous mission for the CIA director. Many fans believe that mission will involve having to take on Sentry and many fans believe Sentry will be played by Steven Yeun, who recently joined the project.

    While Yeun wasn’t giving any hints on who he would be playing in the Phase 5 film, he did have quite a bit to say about why he was joining the project. While an MCU role is “the dream” for many actors in the business, for Yeun, it was to reunite with his pal Schreier, with whom he worked on the upcoming Netflix series, Beef, that drew him to Thunderbolts.

    I don’t know if it was explicitly on my bucket list. It was more the story, getting to work with Jake Schreier again, who directed Beef, and what his intentions were. The intentions of the particular character that they wanted me to play were very clear, and that’s what drew me to the film.

    Steven Yeun

    It sounds as though Schreier may have been the one to pitch Yeun’s involvement in Thunderbolts and if he is indeed playing Sentry, that Schreier believes the actor was the right guy for what the MCU’s version of the character will be.

    Source: Empire Online

  • ‘John Wick 4’: The Sequel’s Rotten Tomatoes Score on Par with Other Films in the Franchise

    ‘John Wick 4’: The Sequel’s Rotten Tomatoes Score on Par with Other Films in the Franchise

    While March Madness is associated with the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments, this year it could also serve as an appropriate descriptor of the onslaught of major films coming out throughout the month. Creed III and Scream VI have already debuted in theaters and Shazam: Fury of the Gods and John Wick: Chapter 4 are set to roll out over the next two weeks. While the review embargo for the former hasn’t lifted yet, reviews for the latter started to roll in after 8:00 PM PST on March 13th and it looks like great news for fans of the franchise.

    The early reviews for John Wick: Chapter 4 seem to indicate it’s yet another solid installment in the ongoing saga of the Baba Yaga with 88% of the 26 reviews (23/26) giving the film a “fresh” bump. Though it’s still very early and that number could swing dramatically one way or the other, the film has been widely praised on social media as well. As it stands now, the 88% “fresh” rating puts it on par with the other Wick films.

    • John Wick (2014) 86%
    • John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) 89%
    • John Wick: Chapter 3–Parabellum (2019) 89%

    It sounds as though fans of the franchise will find exactly what they’re looking for in the 3-hour-long sequel: intense action, a high body count and all the Keanu Reeves they could ever want.

    John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in theaters on March 24th.

  • Marvel Studios Cracking Down on ‘Ant-Man 3’ Script Leaker

    Marvel Studios Cracking Down on ‘Ant-Man 3’ Script Leaker

    It’s not been easy for a studio like Marvel Studios which has been well-known for keeping secrets as of late. Almost every other day, it seems like some new leaker finds his way online with information on projects that haven’t even been announced yet or castings that should not see the light of day until the actual release. Yet, there have been some even bigger actions such as the recent leak of the entire Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania script before the film even hit theaters.

    It seems Marvel Studios is also no longer sitting idly by, as there have been rumblings of several actions to avoid the number of leaks collected throughout the pandemic. The longer it took for productions to hit theaters, the wilder the theories and rumors got creating a perfect storm dragging down some of the projects due to high expectations and a two-year vacancy. Now, it seems Marvel Studios has enacted a DMCA takedown notice on Reddit.

    As the script ended up getting shared in January, it landed on Google which led to a copyright infringement move by Marvel Studios to get it off the internet as fast as possible. Google did remove the content but their next target was Reddit. The post got taken down before even Reddit could react, but they are still actively looking to identify the culprit.

    The only issue is that it was enacted through the /u/MSSMods account, which was a shared moderator account for Marvel Studios Spoilers; a quite famous hot spot for the latest leaks and news. They are still actively looking for whoever and it seems that r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers has been shut down due to legal actions. It’s unclear what the future might have in store but one thing is for sure: Marvel Studios is not going to just let anyone get away with it moving forward.

    Source: Torrent Freak via The Direct

  • Ruth Carter Wins Oscar for Best Costume Desing for ‘Wakanda Forever’

    Ruth Carter Wins Oscar for Best Costume Desing for ‘Wakanda Forever’

    Wakanda Forever was nominated for five Oscars ahead of the 2023 Academy Award ceremony. While fans who held their breath and crossed their fingers that Angela Bassett would take home the first Oscar for an actress in a Marvel Studios film didn’t get their wish, the film did snap one shiny trophy as costume designer Ruth E. Carter won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Costume Design.

    The Oscar is the second for Carter’s work on the Black Panther franchise as she won the 2018 award in the same category. Carter and her team were faced with a huge challenge in Wakanda Forever as they created a distinct and unforgettable look for Namor and the people of Talokan. From the headpieces worn by Namor, Namora and Attuma to the Vibranium chest piece worn by Namor, Carter’s designs were beautifully realized and rendered practically. In addition to the costumes worn by the people of Talokan, costumes worn by Shuri and M’Baku also drew praise from audiences. The win is the second of Carter’s career out of four nominations.

  • ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Rumored to Setup a Major Young Avengers Storyline

    ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Rumored to Setup a Major Young Avengers Storyline

    Even though Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Agatha: Coven of Chaos has been filming in Atlanta for several weeks, little is known about the plot of the WandaVision follow-up. Kathryn Hahn is back as Agatha–or maybe Agnes–and Joe Locke’s Billy Kaplan has been seen on set but just what their connection is to one another remains a bit of a mystery. While MCU fans wait to find out more about the project, a new rumor is circulating that indicates where things might go next for the characters.

    According to My Time to Shine Hello, the events of Agatha: Coven of Chaos will act as a prelude to an adaptation of a nine-issue mini-series published by Marvel Comics between 2010 and 2012 titled Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. There was no indication if the project will be streaming series or a feature film.

    Featuring the Young Avengers, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade focuses on Billy’s search for his missing mother, Wanda Maximoff, as his enormous powers begin to grow beyond his control. While it’s unlikely that Marvel Studios will closely adapt the mini-series, which features Magneto and Doctor Doom in key roles, it is a fitting follow-up to the events of WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha: Coven of Chaos; it’s also a great indicator–for those who still doubt it–that Wanda is very much alive and (un)well in the MCU. As exciting as it sounds, fans shouldn’t get too worked up as the account indicates that the project won’t be ready until 2025 at the earliest.