Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movie News

  • RUMOR: Damon Lindelof’s Untitled Star Wars Project May Already Be Casting a POC Lead

    RUMOR: Damon Lindelof’s Untitled Star Wars Project May Already Be Casting a POC Lead

    Star Wars has continued to grow, but its cinematic ventures took quite the set p back throughout the last few years. Rogue Squadron was originally set to release this year. Yet, project ha to show any development or even start filming. So, we don’t know what the future might have in store for their cinematic ventures. Suprrisingly, it seems that an only recently announced project in the works by Damon Lindelof may have entered a casting phase.

    In the podcast The Hot Mic, it was hinted that the film may already be casting its lead. It’s currently looking for a person of color. No real details are known besides that the main lead is likely to be male and it may be the film to hit the December 19th, 2025 release date that is currently set without any specified project connected at the moment, but that’s only a theory. For now, we still have to take this rumor with a pinch of salt.

    We first heard the news that the Watchmen showrunner was working on the project back in March of 2022, but nothing besides that. As trust in Lucasfilm hasn’t been high on them ever meeting their goals with any cinematic franchises, it seems like if this rumor turns out true, the project moved forward at quite a fast pace. If this turns out to be true, we might get some more details in the coming months as they prepare to film later this year.

    Source: YouTube via The Direct

  • Hugh Jackman Teases a Wolverine He’s “Never Done Before” in ‘Deadpool 3’

    Hugh Jackman Teases a Wolverine He’s “Never Done Before” in ‘Deadpool 3’

    Deadpool is about to return with his third film entry, which will also mark his arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is still some uncertainty about how exactly they’ll accomplish it and if he might find his own insane way of traveling from the Fox universe.

    The announcement that he’ll be joined by Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine added a lot of speculation and excitement given his return since he hung up the claws back with Logan back in 2017. In an interview with People, he shared what inspired him to return to the role in Deadpool 3.

    When I keep thinking of me and Ryan, of Deadpool and Wolverine, which are classic comic-book rivals, there’s also a dynamic that I’ve never really got to do before as Wolverine. I just thought, ‘This is gonna be fun. Something I’ve never done before. I can’t wait.

    Hugh Jackman

    It seems to be able to do something new with the character was what mainly gave him the inspiration, but he also highlights getting a chance to “be punching the shit out of each other the whole time” may have also become a fun selling point.

    I think being on set with [Ryan] every day and those two on film in every city together everyday…I think it’s fair to say they’ll be punching the sh*t out of each other the whole time. All jokes aside, I’ll probably have more fun on this movie than any other I’ve ever done.

    Hugh Jackman

    There has been some outcry over his return after the finality of Logan, but considering that the first two Deadpool films built up their reality. The sequel even went out of its way to mock the film and we’ve all wanted these two to finally confront each other; a true Wolverine vs. Deadpool clash to get rid of the aftertaste of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

    Source: People via ComicBookMovie.com

  • Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Nicolas Cage Won’t Return as Spider-Man Noir in ‘Across the Spider-Verse’

    Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is finally about to get a sequel, which twists the concept of the original. Miles Morales finds himself chased through the multiverse by others of the Spider-Man creed, but the reasoning still remains a mystery. He still has the allies that he met in his first travel before Across the Spider-Verse, but it seems that one member is sadly not returning.

    In an interview with ScreenRant, Nicolas Cage reveals that he did not return to voice the character of Spider-Man Noir in the sequel. There is still a chance they may have animated a cameo for the character, he’ll not have any voice lines going by the statement shared by Cage.

    You’d have to ask Sony. I don’t know what’s going on with that. No one’s spoken to me about that. Ask them. I don’t know. I really don’t. I wish they would. I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that’s a great character. Spider-Man’s the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it’s a great character.

    Nicolas Cage

    It’s a shame that we won’t get his quirky take on the character, but there’s a third entry on the horizon that could see his return as well. For now, most of the work went into the first sequel and who knows how things might’ve changed in the production that sees his potential return. There’s also the question if others besides Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker will appear at all, as there haven’t been any hints at Kimiko or Spider-Ham returning, at least for now.

    Source: ScreenRant

  • ‘M3GAN’ Opens Strong, Unlikely to Dethrone ‘Avatar 2’

    ‘M3GAN’ Opens Strong, Unlikely to Dethrone ‘Avatar 2’

    The latest January horror release is upon us from Blumhouse Productions. The long-awaited M3GAN is finally in theaters, which showcases a modern take on Child’s Play with a PG-13 horror. The film has opened around 3,400 theaters in North America, and it’s opening to quite a strong start. The film was projected to make around $17M to $20M, an impressive start on a tiny $12M budget.

    As such, the film will likely make its money back internationally in the coming weeks and has a good chance of picking up the pace over the weekend if it ends up quite popular with audiences. The PG-13 rating could end up pushing the film further at the box office.

    As of now, the film has pulled in $2.75M in its Thursday previews, which sets it on the perfect path to reach its projects. Though it won’t beat Avatar: The Way of Water as the film has dominated theaters since its pre-Christmas release. The film is expected to have a soft 50% drop to around $30M, which would keep it at the top spot.

    M3GAN is playing the usual January counterprogramming strategy, as it’s generally a dead month for releases and has become quite popular for horror films. Most projects avoided Avatar‘s release in the Holidays, and this became quite profitable for the company, but M3GAN is hopefully going to start a strong 2023 release schedule that would push the box office to its usual legs from back in 2019. It seems unlikely it’ll revive that quickly, but each year the box office has been showing some growth.

    Source: Variety

  • Dwyane Johnson Pitched More ‘Black Adam’ to DC Before the Sequel Was Axed

    Dwyane Johnson Pitched More ‘Black Adam’ to DC Before the Sequel Was Axed

    DC Studios has entered into the early stages of setting up its cinematic universe for Warner Bros Discovery. This comes after the struggles the film studio has had in the world of superheroes, with Dwyane Johnson’s Black Adam being one of the last films from the old guard. Although the star actor was ambitious in his attempts to create a new hierarchy of the DC Universe for himself, it doesn’t seem everyone was on board. In a new report from Variety, studio insiders discussed the tumultuous making of Black Adam and the character’s corner of the cinematic universe.

    Following the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery, it has been reported from inside sources that Johnson met directly with new CEO David Zaslav to pitch a multi-year expansion for his character of Black Adam to be a cornerstone of DC films. This pitch has been said to have not been met well by others within Warner Bros. Discovery, and was instead viewed as a move to go around a number of other executives at the studio. In his plan, Johnson apparently laid out a plan of films involving Black Adam and Henry Cavill’s Superman interweaving before culminating in a film where the two heavyweights face-off against each other.

    As seen with Black Adam, Johnson was able to secure a return for Henry Cavill as Superman for the post-credit scene. However, this return for Cavill was short-lived with James Gunn and Peter Safran seeking a new direction for the Man of Steel at DC Studios. And Dwayne Johnson has officially met the same fate with his time with DC following the box office flop of Black Adam and the high budgets Johnson generally demands.

    In terms of the potential of a hypothetical Black Adam vs. Superman film or saga, the odds were not positive of it being a successful business plan. The concept of pitting two heroes against each other as the crux of a cinematic universe feels antiquated in today’s blockbuster landscape. Some could also make the viable argument that it’d be too close to Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

    It remains to be seen if the newly founded DC Studios will be able to overcome the challenges that have plagued Warner Bros. Discovery for years at this point. However, the odds are in the favor of James Gunn and Peter Safran to outperform the tumultuous foundation pitched by Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

    Source: Variety

  • RUMOR: J.J. Abrams Might Direct ‘Star Trek 4’

    RUMOR: J.J. Abrams Might Direct ‘Star Trek 4’

    In the age of major franchises seeing massive expansion in the cinematic landscape, Star Trek has generally been falling behind. The rebooted version of the classic television franchise hasn’t had a feature film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Since then, Star Trek has leaned much more heavily into various streaming series on Paramount+ to continue its legacy. 

    There have been attempts to get a new film off the ground for a while, but Paramount has struggled to find a director to stay attached to the project. After various directors had come and gone during early development of Star Trek 4, some ground was thought to have been made with the hiring of Matt Shakman to helm the project. However, his hiring to Fantastic Four in 2022 forced him to relinquish the position and placed Paramount back at square one. However, a new rumor seems to suggest a returning name may be coming back to recalibrate the film series.

    https://twitter.com/ViewerAnon/status/1610716063217643521?t=JEmkmvIGB3Zh_rvLKxtf_g&s=09

    Of course, this very much remains a rumor at this time and shouldn’t be taken as any sort of decision set in stone. However, the potential of J.J. Abrams returning to the director’s chair would be compelling. Abrams was a major name in the creation of this iteration of Star Trek by directing the first two films (Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness, respectively). A return from the famous director and producer would procure many questions about where he’d take the franchise. It would also mark J.J. Abrams‘ first foray back into directing following the generally maligned Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

    Another major factor that needs to be considered is the status of a script. It had been announced that Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet were working on a script when Matt Shakman was hired to direct in July 2021, but little has been heard since then. With nothing set in stone, it remains to be seen if a new writer – or writers – are brought on to assist the new director, whether it ends up being Abrams or not.

  • DC Executives Are Considering Keeping Ezra Miller as the Flash

    DC Executives Are Considering Keeping Ezra Miller as the Flash

    On Wednesday, Variety released an in-depth look at Black Adam, the Superman cameo, and Dwayne Johnson‘s bid to take over DC for Warner Bros. Discovery. While the article mainly focused on Black Adam and its box office fumble, it briefly touched on Henry Cavill‘s brief return as the Man of Steel before looking ahead to DC’s future. While little is known regarding what new DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned, it seems like some of DC’s past could live on.

    After various legal issues, many expected Ezra Miller to be let go as Barry Allen, aka the Flash, following the release of The Flash this Summer. However, per Variety, because Miller has stayed out of trouble since he issued an apology last year and sought mental health help, some executives are said to be on board with keeping the actor around.

    Given that Miller has stayed out of trouble since beginning mental health treatment in the summer, some executives are amenable to continuing with the actor as the world-saving speedster after “The Flash” bows on June 16.

    Should Miller be kept on board, he might be the only actor to be kept from the Snyderverse. As of now, Wonder Woman 3 isn’t happening, and it remains to be seen what Gal Gadot‘s future is as the hero. Cavill is, of course, out as the studio is looking to recast a younger Superman. Jason Momoa is expected to end his time as Aquaman, only to potentially be brought back as Lobo down the line.

    Source: Variety.

  • New Looks At ‘Quantumania’, ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ and More Released

    New Looks At ‘Quantumania’, ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ and More Released

    Marvel Studios’ release slate for 2023 is absolutely packed from February to December, with a project planned for almost every month. Meanwhile, Sony’s Marvel Universe also continues to thrive with Kraven The Hunter and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse set to release later this year.

    Alongside its release schedule, Marvel Studios’ marketing campaign is on a wild streak, with new promotional material coming out nearly every day. Continuing this trend, new stills from both Sony and Marvel Studios’ upcoming films have been released as part of USA Today’s exclusive sneak peek at 2023 in film.

    Marvel
    An official still from ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’. JESSICA MIGLIO/MARVEL STUDIOS

    In this still, members of the Guardians seem to be having a discussion at a cafeteria of sorts. The description for this still reads:

    Drax (Dave Bautista, from left), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) are on a new adventure to protect the universe in the concluding chapter to James Gunn’s Marvel cosmic trilogy.

    An official still from ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania’. JAY MAIDMENT

    The next still shows the Van Dyne family approaching a location in the Quantum Realm, possibly Kang’s homeworld. The description elaborates on this further:

    Hank Pym (Michael Douglas, from left), Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) explore the mysteries of the Quantum Realm in the Marvel superhero film.

    An official still from ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’. JESSICA MIGLIO/MARVEL STUDIOS

    In the very same place where Rio Morales gave Miles the inspirational “mom talk” in the official trailer for the movie, we see Miles introducing Gwen to his parents. The scene will likely take place right during the start of the movie, as we can see Gwen wearing the same sweater from the official trailer for the movie.

    Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore, left) reunites with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and introduces her to his parents (Luna Lauren Velez and Brian Tyree Henry) in the animated superhero sequel.

    Source: USA Today

  • Hugh Jackman May Have Revealed ‘Deadpool 3’s New Title

    Hugh Jackman May Have Revealed ‘Deadpool 3’s New Title

    For some time now, there have been many hints that the third entry in the Deadpool franchise may not get a numbered entry. It made sense given that this entry wills and out from the previous entries, as Ryan Reynolds‘ take on the Merc with a Mouth will make his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not just that, but it’ll also see the grand return of Hugh Jackman back in the role of Wolverine, who was teased to have a major role in the sequel.

    In a new video, Jackman seemingly hints at what might be the official title for the Deadpool threequel, as he explicitly references “Wolverine & Deadpool” while discussing his fear of Reynolds winning an award he’ll hold over his head throughout production. Reynolds has reacted to the video by jokingly questioning the fact that Wolverine is getting top billing.

    While the title makes sense given that it was something we’ve seen in the comics s well, it’s not definite. It was confirmed that this is the third Deadpool film, which would mean his getting top billing makes the most sense. Though, Wolverine pushing him out in his own film would make for a perfect jumping-off point in their marketing strategy to mock the fact that it even happened to him.

    We also shouldn’t forget that these projects go through quite a few changes once the camera starts rolling. So, who knows if they might adapt or change the title throughout its production. For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store and perhaps they’ll unveil a new logo once the camera start rolling.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Glass Onion’ Already Among Netflix’s Most-Watched Films

    ‘Glass Onion’ Already Among Netflix’s Most-Watched Films

    Perhaps the $450M investment was worth every penny after all, as Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery has already broken some records over on Netflix. As of now, the film has already entered the top 10 most popular films of all time for the streamer, as it has pulled in 209.4M hours watched since its release on December 23rd. It has edged out The Kissing Booth from its position to become the 10th most-viewed film of all time for the service, and that within such a short amount of time.

    2021’s Red Notice still remains the number one most-watched film at 364M, but there’s a chance that if Glass Onion keeps up its current pace, it could become the first competition for the throne. It should also be noted that Knives Out also entered the Top 10 with around 17 million hours watched; showcasing the draw this film has for many to revisit the previous entry and a smart way to keep people rewatching what came before by making them Netflix exclusives.

    At this rate, Glass Onion has confirmed Netflix’s suspicion that there’s a lot of interest in the whodunnit franchise. Hopefully, a third entry could keep up this momentum and also inspire director Rian Johnson to continue beyond just a simple trilogy. He has hinted that this franchise was meant more like a unique story with only Benoit Blanc truly connecting them which gives him many chances to establish an ever-growing franchise that doesn’t abide by any specific rules.

    Source: DigitalSpy