Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer Teases an Ancient, Evil Artifact

    ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Trailer Teases an Ancient, Evil Artifact

    As is often the case with Marvel Studios, the second trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever gave audiences a little more insight into the plot of the upcoming film. The new trailer featured quite a bit more dialogue, giving audiences an idea of what Wakanda is up against in the film as the hidden kingdom of Talocan, led by Namor, comes into conflict with them. One bit of dialogue spoken by M’Baku, however, stood out as particularly interesting as it opens the possibility of one of Marvel Comics’ most dangerous artifacts making its mark on the MCU.

    Speaking to a group of Wakandans, M’Baku explains that the people of Talocan don’t refer to Namor as either king or general, but rather “K’uk’ulkan, the feather serpent god.” While Ryan Coogler went to great lengths to create a new origin for Namor, one that strayed away from the comic books’ Atlantean heritage, Namor’s title calls to mind an artifact that has ties to an Elder god and has caused quite a bit of chaos over the years.

    Before the Great Cataclysm drove their kingdom below the sea, ancient Atlanteans created the Serpent Crown. The crown served as a vessel for the power of the Elder god, Set, who created an entire race of Serpent-Men to do his evil bidding in ancient times. The Serpent Crown has popped up in the comics on several occasions and, needless to say nothing good comes of it. It’s found its way back to Atlantis several times, including recently when Namor wore it in the event Atlantis Attacks.

    Could the helmet seen on the MCU’s Namor be the Serpent Crown? And if so, is it just an Easter egg or could it become the same type of cursed artifact it’s become in the comics? It’s an interesting thought but one that we’ll have to wait to flesh out as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever doesn’t hit theaters for another 5 weeks.

  • Anthony Mackie Comments on the Possibility of a Chris Evans Return in ‘Captain America 4’

    Anthony Mackie Comments on the Possibility of a Chris Evans Return in ‘Captain America 4’

    Upcoming Marvel Studios feature Captain America: New World Order will mark Anthony Mackie’s first time leading an MCU film as the Star-Spangled Avenger. Sam Wilson takes over the mantle from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers in the wake of their last team-up effort in Avengers: Endgame and the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. By all accounts, Evans, who also said goodbye to the MCU, has been unlikely to bring back his original Captain America character anytime soon.

    Following Marvel Studios’ recent D23 presentation, Mackie joked that Sebastian Stan gets Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent in the upcoming Thunderbolts and expressed his desire to see Evans return in some manner. However, in a recent interview, Mackie had a more sobering take on the potential return, expressing Evans’ own views on where his future with Captain America rests.

    Mackie discussed the possibility of Evans reprising his role as Steve Rogers in an interview with E! News, and he made a joke about how little Evans is focused on the MCU now:

    Chris is so far gone from Marvel. Like, Marvel is not even in his radius. He’s so far gone. He’s enjoying life. He’s like an old retired dude.

    Anthony Mackie

    While a return in New World Order seems unlikely, an eventual Evans return is still unknown, especially with major cross-over films like Avengers: Secret Wars in the works. But, for the time being, Sam Wilson will shine as Captain America in the post-Infinity Saga MCU.

    Captain America: New World Order will be released in theaters on May 3, 2024.

    Source: E! News

  • New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    New ‘Madame Web’ BTS Image Offer First Look at Crew Merch

    While all eyes are on Marvel Studios, there are still quite a few projects over at Sony hoping to capture that same light. Morbius couldn’t quite keep the same momentum that Venom and its sequel did; leading to some uncertainty if they might shift their plans to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Still, they have projects in some form of production like Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web.

    The latter actually is currently filming and has many rumors surrounding what direction it might potentially take. While nothing has been confirmed, it definitely has a lot of hopes to tell a unique tale within the Spider-Verse but there has been a lack of updates. While nothing major, it seems that a new photo from Madame Web’s crew has found its way online featuring them wearing some crew merch with a new logo. The image has been shared by u/Parking-Balance111 on Reddit.

    The Madame Web crew and their hats from the movie MadameWeb
    byu/Parking-Balance111 inMarvelStudiosSpoilers

    It should be noted that crew merchandise isn’t something officially licensed by the studio. Commonly, it’s used as a thank you gift using elements from the Internet highlighting elements from the project. There’s some likelihood that this new logo is based on something someone found online. It’s unclear though if this is something used for the production crew while they are filming, or if it’s already a present as they slowly wrap up.

    Still, it’s great to see that filming is coming along. We’ll hopefully get some kind of hint at what exactly Sony is going for with Madame Web, especially with them giving a minor supporting character their entire film. It still feels uncertain what Sony is going for, as they still never confirmed which Spider-Man is part of their universe and what they hope to accomplish besides a potential Sinister Six team-up, as hinted in Morbius‘ post-credit sequence.

    Source: Reddit

  • Latest ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merch Focuses Teases Namor’s Iconic Battle Cry

    Latest ‘Wakanda Forever’ Merch Focuses Teases Namor’s Iconic Battle Cry

    While a lot of discussions surrounding Marvel Studios’ upcoming Black panther sequel, Wakanda Forever, focused on how they’ll juggle whoever may take on the mantle, there’s one more big element they are making sure no one forgets. The sequel will act as the introduction of Namor the Submariner into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it seems he’s getting quite the spotlight in some of their latest merchandise reveals. Among them is the confirmation that he’ll also get to use his iconic battle cry “Imperius Rex.”

    As shared by @NamorNews, we get a bunch of new designs highlighting the three main members of the MCU’s take on Atlantis. We see some familiar artwork of Attuma, Namora, and Namor but the newest addition is the fact that his battle cry is added to some of the designs. It’s the first time we’ve seen it used and it may confirm that we’ll get the shout at least once during the upcoming film.

    It’s great to see the elements they are taking from the comics. Even while they changed the character’s cultural background, it opened up the concept to stand out while still pulling in elements from the character’s comic origin. Marvel and director Ryan Coogler managed to even get his iconic green pants as part of his design with the little feet wings hinted at in the first trailer. Here’s hoping that the next trailer potentially offers a bit more from the character and shows us how dangerous he’ll be when facing against the nation of Wakanda.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios Hoping to Start Production on ‘Blade’ in Early 2023

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios Hoping to Start Production on ‘Blade’ in Early 2023

    Just as many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans were on a high with the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it seemed like another production was facing some turbulent times. The long-awaited Blade film has been continuously pushed back and is now seemingly in limbo. The film lost its director Bassam Tariq and Moon knight writer Beau DeMayo is on board to rewrite the script. Still, it seems Marvel Studios is still hopeful about getting the project off the ground sooner than later.

    According to Big Screen Leaks, Marvel is hoping to start production in early 2023. Of course,e that depends strongly if they find a director by then and can also get the script together. Film productions start without a finished script, but they’ll likely try to finish an outline that will help solidify the project, especially with Mahershala Ali already attached to play the role.

    https://twitter.com/bigscreenleaks/status/1574973513743863808

    It’s not been an easy road for this project, but there’s also a lot of hope to give the character the right treatment. Early castings already hinted at the project moving away from the 1998 version as they try to embrace his comic roots. Early storyline teases hinted that the film might take a more Gothic direction and explore the character during the 1920s. Though, if they are rewriting the script it is unclear if they will still stick to this original pitch. Either way, it’s better they take their time until the project is ready rather than rush it out and we’ll see who they might find as the new director.

    Source: Twitter

  • Sony Obtains Movie Rights to ‘Tarzan’

    Sony Obtains Movie Rights to ‘Tarzan’

    It looks like Tarzan will swing his way back into theaters, as Sony Pictures has officially acquired the rights to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ iconic character. They seemingly seek a “total reinvention” of intellectual property and might bring the iconic character into the modern era, though details remain under warps. It should be noted that they have no writer, director, or even producer attached to any project, as they only have acquired the rights and have not yet set anything else into motion for the project.

    Tarzan is no stranger to the silver screen, as the most recent project featured Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie back in 2016. While the character is quite beloved, especially for the 1999 animated film by Disney and Phil Collins‘ iconic score, the book has been scrutinized for some of the ideas it places into the world. It hasn’t aged gracefully and there have been challenges in bringing it into the modern age.

    The interesting aspect about Sony acquiring the rights is that Tarzan technically is in both the private and public domain. It seems that what they mainly acquired was the trademark for the character of Tarzan, though the exact details of the deal are uncertain as of now. Still, it looks like Sony is trying to get its hands on more IPs to keep up with other studios and quite interesting to see how they might bring this character into he 21st century.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Avatar 2’ Eyeing $650M Domestic Run, Unlikely to Dehtrone ‘Top Gun Maverick’

    ‘Avatar 2’ Eyeing $650M Domestic Run, Unlikely to Dehtrone ‘Top Gun Maverick’

    While there have been many discussions surrounding the slow recovery of the box office since the pandemic started back in 2020, there have been some massive successes even through these unpredictable times. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick went on to break far past any expectations set on the projects, and there has been a lot of hope that Avatar: The Way of Water would do exactly the same later this year. It’s the first sequel to James Cameron‘s passion project from 2009. While the film is set to make a big splash in the box office, it may not surpass its predecessor.

    Variety’s early predictions based on Cinelytic believe that The Way of Water is likely to make around $650M but likely won’t come near the first Avatar‘s $772M. The reasonings are quite simple. A lot has happened since that film was released and we’ve seen quite a few CG-heavy worlds being created. So, it’s no longer as unique as it once was, as we’ve entered an era inspired by the technology that was established through that film’s release.

    If it does end up going below $700M, it’ll also remain in the second spot for 2022, as Top Gun: Maverick managed to pass the $700M mark not too long ago and still continues to have a strong staying power at the box office. Black Panther Wakanda Forever was predicted to not even make it past the $500M mark but early projections for the Top Gun sequel also had it set for a lower $300M box office run. At this rate, there are a lot of unpredictable elements at play and we’ll have to see how the rest of the year turns out with very little hitting the market moving forward.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    Dwayne Johnson is about to change the power dynamic in the DC Extended Universe as Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly dismantles itself from within. Still, there’s a lot riding on the upcoming Black Adam project, as it’s the last major release for the studio this year. As they are facing financial troubles and Don’t Worry Darling isn’t doing as hoped either, there’s a lot of money riding on their next superhero project set to release in late October. Yet, it seems that current predictions don’t see it making as big of a splash as the March release, The Batman.

    According to Variety and an analysis by Cinelytics, Black Adam is likely to pull in around $328M domestically. While Johnson is quite the box office draw, he still is playing a rather obscure character in the DC universe that is also hoping to bank on some familiarity with the legacy characters of the Justice Society of America. The property is untested and with the hope to build a bunch of spinoffs from this one film, there’s some concern on just how well it’ll perform. If these projection turns out to be true, the film is likely to make less than The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder.

    It should not be downplayed as it’s a strong turn-in for a new property to pass $300M domestically. Plus, it’s being compared to one of the most well-established characters in pop culture and the first fourth entry of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. If it makes its budget back and gains a profit, it’ll be a win for Warner Bros. either way but the question remains just how profitable do they expect this film to be. If it doesn’t make a “big enough” splash for the execs, they may also not be too happy with its results. Luckily, there’s still some time and who knows how things turn out once marketing starts pushing harder ahead of its release.

    Source: Variety

  • Early Projections Predict ‘Wakanda Forever’ to Outgross ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Domestically

    Early Projections Predict ‘Wakanda Forever’ to Outgross ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Domestically

    There’s still some time until Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases in theaters later in November. Yet, that isn’t stopping form early projections from hitting the web. The sequel has some heavy weight upon its back, as it not only has to compensate for the loss of its main star Chadwick Boseman but also faced quite a few production troubles along the way. After a powerful first trailer though, it definitely seemed safe to say that Wakanda Forever will still leave its mark in theaters while paying tribute to the actor that made T’Challa a household name.

    According to Variety’s early projections based on Cinelytics, the film is likely to make around $423M domestically. Many will look at these numbers and point out that it’s a far cry from the first entry’s massive $700M domestic release. It’s still very early to say how it will truly perform as the marketing has yet to kick into high gear but there is some concern about the passing of Boseman negatively affecting the film’s main draw. Plus, the first entry was quite the cultural release that went way past expectations.

    While many like to callback to Tom Cruise‘s star power for the box office success of Top Gun: Maverick, it’s just as much lightning in the bottle scenario that it had the staying power it did. It became Cruise’s highest-grossing film ever by a wide margin. Sometimes elements just come together at the right time to give films a massive boost, which we saw in the past with Avatar, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and The Force Awakens. The question is rather if people’s curiosity about the sequel and how it pays tribute to the actor.

    It could just as well end up surprising many. Plus, Marvel Studios’ main goal is for it to cover the production costs and pull in a profit. If it manages to accomplish that, it’s still a success in their eyes even if it wouldn’t really break any massive records or come near the first release. For now, it still looks like it could likely become 2022’s highest-grossing Marvel Studios release and that might be enough to push the project forward. Who knows if we have another No Way Home scenario on our hands and we won’t know until November.

    Source: Variety, The Numbers

  • Robert Egger’s ‘Nosferatu’ Picks Up Steam as it Finds New Cast

    Robert Egger’s ‘Nosferatu’ Picks Up Steam as it Finds New Cast

    There were a lot of theories hitting the web when Robert Eggers‘ Northman didn’t quite become the massive box office success that many expected it to be. It still went on to make its money back through its physical and digital releases, which also seemingly boosted the chances of the director to realize his passion project, a new take on the iconic 1922 film Nosferatu. Deadline has revealed that not only is it gaining momentum, it even found a brand new cast to take on the leading roles.

    It seems that Bill Skarsgard and Lily-Rose Depp are now set to star in the film for Focus Features. They are replacing original stars Harry Styles and Anya Taylor-Joy when it was set to film in 2019 for Studio 8. The project was originally going to be tackled before he took his turn at telling a Viking-based story but due to budget calculations, it was put on hold. It seems he wasn’t always going to return to the project as he looked at others but still wanted to explore the gothic tale.

    It seems that Focus joining was the reason he settled on bringing his passion project to life. It seems he started meeting with talent right after and Skarsgard would take on the role of the 19th-century monster even when his previous cast was already attached. It seems he swiftly ensured he’d get time to join the project but Taylor-Joy was too busy to find time in her schedule, which led to Depp getting the role.

    Source: Deadline