Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • ‘She-Hulk’: Mark Ruffalo Teases Tatiana Maslany’s Return in Next ‘Avengers’ Film

    ‘She-Hulk’: Mark Ruffalo Teases Tatiana Maslany’s Return in Next ‘Avengers’ Film

    We’re only a few days away from Tatiana Maslany premiering as She-Hulk on her new Disney+ series. She’ll be joined by Mark Ruffalo‘s return as Hulk, who has been a fixture throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s runtime. It seemed like a no-brainer that he’d continue to keep the role alive and maybe even appear in a future Avengers film, but he has now accidentally also confirmed that Tatiana Maslany is definitely going to appear in the one of the two upcoming Avenger movies.

    He doesn’t really give away which one it’ll be, but he goes on to highlight that “there’s not going to be another Avengers without her,” which would hint at a potential return to the role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty that will release in 2025. There’s also the already confirmed sequel of Secret Wars which is set to follow just a few months later; though things can always change until then.

    It’s fun how Mark Ruffalo continues to stay true to his leaking ways. Almost a shame Tom Holland wasn’t around to help him and add a few more casting confirmations. Still, it does make sense that they’d set her up to return in an upcoming project like Avengers. We might even see her in other shows, as introducing a heroic lawyer does open up many ways of bringing her into the fold. Whatever the case might be, the MCU is continuing to open up in interesting ways.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    ‘Hawkeye’ Directors to Tackle Big Thunder Mountain Movie for Disney

    The theme park adaptations continue as Disney has set their eyes on bringing the classic attraction of Big Thunder Mountain to life. Not only that, it seems they already have two directors attached, which are Bert and Bertie. They’ve both recently worked with the House of Mouse on the Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye series, where they offered some of the series’ best.

    They are also set to write the script with Scott Free and LuckyChap Entertainment in a producing role. It’ll create a story around the 1979 Disneyland ride, which is set to have a new version released. It features a mine cart ride through a mining town on the search for gold, it is probably one of their most iconic theme park rides to date.

    There isn’t a word exactly on how they will try to wrap a story around this simple premise, but the studio has done it before. Pirates of the Caribbean is definitely the standout franchise from this theme park adaptation wave, but they also recently had a hit with Jungle Cruise and are working on another attempt at The Haunted Mansion. It’ll be interesting to see how they’ll bring the project to life and what Bert & Bertie bring to the table of this adaptation.

    Source: Deadline

  • Mark Ruffalo Opens Up About ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    Mark Ruffalo Opens Up About ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’

    One of Marvel Studios’ biggest reveals at SDCC ’22 was that their ongoing Multiverse Saga was set to wrap up in 2025 with two Avengers films, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The studio’s plans should seem familiar to fans, as they wrapped up the previous multi-phase Infinity Saga with two Avengers films as well in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

    While not all of the MCU’s heroes had a large role to play in both Infinity War and Endgame, one who did was Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo. And while some of his longtime MCU co-stars have moved on from Marvel Studios’ projects-at least for the time being-Ruffalo is still going strong, set to appear next in the Disney + streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. At the green carpet premiere for the series, Ruffalo was asked about Avengers: Secret Wars by Entertainment Tonight and while uncharacteristically reserved did have something to say about the project.

    It’s gonna be hard to top Endgame, but if I know Kevin and I know Marvel, it’s gonna be pretty amazing. It’ll be a big bang. We’ll go out with a big bang.

    Mark Ruffalo

    With Secret Wars still over three years away, it’s not surprising to hear Marvel Studios’ talent, even the usually verbose Ruffalo, giving more measured responses to questions about the film. While it’s likely Ruffalo will appear in the film and that he has a vague sense of what the story might entail, it’s even more likely that he’s not seen so much as a first draft of the script. That all means fans will have to wait a while before Ruffalo, or Tom Holland, start letting some details spill out on press tours.

  • ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Digital, Physical Release Dates Revealed

    ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Digital, Physical Release Dates Revealed

    Audiences across the world will soon have the ability to view the continued adventures of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and company from the comfort of their homes. It is being reported that Top Gun: Maverick will release digitally on August 23, followed by a 4K and Blu-Ray release on November 1.

    The Tom Cruise-led sequel to the classic 1980’s action film has become the relative surprise hit at the box office in 2022. While anticipated to be a success, very few anticipated the roaring success Top Gun: Maverick enjoyed in being the only film of the year to cross the one billion dollar mark in box office gross globally. The film recently passed Titanic to officially become the seventh highest-grossing film domestically. Globally, Top Gun: Maverick currently sits as the 13th highest-grossing film of all time.

    With the arrival on all digital platforms, Top Gun: Maverick is seemingly nearing the end of its dominant run in movie theaters. This comes after still maintaining a top-three spot in weekend box office earnings as late as this past week, when it was re-released on larger screen, earning over seven million dollars. It certainly will be a major uphill battle for any upcoming film releases to match this level of box office success, especially moving away from the summer months.

    Top Gun: Maverick was directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars the likes of Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, and Val Kilmer.

    Source: Twitter

  • Mark Ruffalo Comments on a Potential ‘World War Hulk’ Film

    Mark Ruffalo Comments on a Potential ‘World War Hulk’ Film

    Over his years working as Bruce Banner in the MCU, actor Mark Ruffalo has proven to be a bit of a leaky faucet when it comes to top-secret Marvel Studios information. To that end, Marvel Studios One-Above-All, Kevin Feige, was probably sweating last night as Entertainment Tonight approached Ruffalo at the green carpet premiere of the studio’s upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

    To their credit, ET came out of the gate hard, asking Ruffalo about a potential World War Hulk film, a project that was first reported nearly a year ago by KC Walsh to be in development at the studio. To his credit, Ruffalo didn’t give anything away, this time, simply stating, “Any time they want to do it, I’m here.“

    While 2008’s The Incredible Hulk was the second MCU film, a sequel has never materialized due to a distribution deal between Marvel Studios and Universal. Interestingly enough, evidence recently surfaced that indicated the distribution deal may be nearing its end, information that lines up with a potential 2024 or later release for the World War Hulk film. Of course, until Marvel Studios provides official word, fans will continue to debate the possibility of such a project. Perhaps once a few episodes of She-Hulk have aired and the public becomes aware of what the ET reporter is referencing in the interview, Marvel Studios could announce such a project…maybe even at D23 this September.

  • Next ‘Saw’ Entry Eyeing 2023 Halloween Release

    Next ‘Saw’ Entry Eyeing 2023 Halloween Release

    Well, it seems that Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures are bringing back Saw, as it has been not only given an October 27th, 2023 release date but Kevin Greutert is also set to return in the director’s chair. He has previously worked on Saw VI and Saw. The Final Chapter, but also was responsible for editing the first five entries as well as its first spinoff, Jigsaw.

    It’s the first entry since the reboot spinoff, Spiral, which starred Chirs Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Bloody Disgusting’s John Squires was first to release the information and while it’s unclear how the film will tie into the franchise, it’ll be the tenth part. The only promise they can make is that we’ll get “all-new twisted, ingenious traps and a new mystery to solve” in the sequel.

    Saw has become quite the cornerstone for modern horror. With as many franchise entries as it had, it still managed to find a way to add something unique with each new entry. Love them or hate them, the iconography from the Saw franchise was everywhere after the success of the first film, which was shot on a shoestring budget.

    Source: Bloody Disgusting, Deadline

  • ‘Black-ish’ Creator to Direct Warner Bros.’ ‘Wizard of Oz’ Remake

    ‘Black-ish’ Creator to Direct Warner Bros.’ ‘Wizard of Oz’ Remake

    It looks like Black-ish creator Kenya Barris is set to travel to Kansas and beyond, as he is set to direct a remake of Wizard of Oz for Warner bros. Discovery. He’s currently set to write and direct the new adaptation, which should not get mixed up with New Line’s attempt at reviving the classic storyline as well for the silver screen.

    Nicole Kassell of Watchmen fame is set to take on that adaptation of Dorothy’s travel through Oz, but the version Barris is currently working on is kept in the dark and it’s unclear how far it may move from the original franchise. It’s always interesting when two production companies try to tackle the same franchise simultaneously, though it’s unclear if we have another Jungle Book situation where two very distinct versions release within a specific time window.

    Barris is currently busy on his Netflix film You People, which he co-wrote with Jonah Hil. So, it’s quite exciting to see the trajectory of his career and what it might mean for the Wizard of Oz adaptation moving forward. It’s hard to deny that the 1939 musical was an important milestone for cinema. So, it’ll be interesting to see just how they attempt another adaptation as there’s also a duo movie adaptation of Wicked in development.

    Source: Variety

  • Warner Bros. to Distribute MGM Films Internationally Except for the Next ‘James Bond’

    Warner Bros. to Distribute MGM Films Internationally Except for the Next ‘James Bond’

    It looks like MGM has found a new distribution partner in Warner Bros. Discover for its international releases. There is, however, one massive surprise in the form that James Bond‘s next film is not part of that very deal. This deal is a move away from their usual partnership with Universal, who was behind the releases of House of Gucci, Licorice Pizza, and the previous James Bond installment, No Time to Die.

    As of this deal, the upcoming releases of Bones and All as well as Creed III will be distributed through Warner Bros. International. Universal isn’t out of the deal completely, as they are still set to distribute MGM and Orion’s upcoming release of Till, as well as 2023’s Woman Talking. They also have the rights to distribute the next James Bond film,w which was part of their original agreement.

    This multi-year deal not only includes theatrical distribution of non-US countries (which will also include China) but also means they will collaborate on marketing, publicity, and exhibitor relations. It does open up the question of what it might also mean for their US distribution, especially with Amazon purchasing MGM for $8.5 billion earlier this year.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Turned Down a Role in ‘Deadpool 2’

    ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Star Turned Down a Role in ‘Deadpool 2’

    Aaron Taylor-Johnson has his fingerprints all over the comic book movie genre. The actor had his breakthrough playing the lead in 2010’s Kick-Ass, an adaptation of Mark Millar’s popular Image comic series, and it’s 2013 sequel, before quickly moving on to portray the speedster Pietro Maximoff in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. While Taylor-Johnson has yet to reprise that role, he is set to bring the title character to life in next year’s Kraven the Hunter, marking his fourth overall foray into the genre and putting him on a possible collision course with Spider-Man himself. If all that wasn’t enough, the actor recently revealed that he also had an opportunity to join Fox’s now-defunct X-Men universe in 2018.

    Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in support of his new film Bullet Train, Taylor-Johnson admitted he landed his new role partly because he was already familiar with director David Leitch. The filmmaker had previously helmed Deadpool 2, and supposedly, had once reached out to Taylor-Johnson in hopes he’d join the cast. THR got the surprising scoop while the action star was explaining why he wanted to work on Bullet Train:

    Well, I don’t think it’s autopilot by any means, so I do believe in a bit of fate and luck. I feel fortunate and lucky that we were able to make this movie during a pandemic. I’ve always wanted to work with Brad Pitt. I’ve always wanted to make a movie on a Los Angeles soundstage. This was yet another movie I fought for. This was one of those hot scripts around town, and David Leitch actually asked me to be in ‘Deadpool 2’ ages ago.

    While he never gave any indication of which character he might have been up for, he did state that it was ultimately his decision not to do the acclaimed sequel. Comically, Taylor-Johnson also adds that the meeting with Leitch wasn’t enough to book his Bullet Train role, but it did get him a spot in the line to audition. He explained:

    So I met him, but I didn’t do that. So when this came around, I was like, “Hey, do you remember me?” And he was like, “Of course. I like you as an actor.” So I was like, “Cool, what about this character?” And he was like, “Get in line, buddy. There’s like ten other actors who want this job and they’ve got a bigger name than you do.” (Laughs.) So I don’t expect these roles to be handed out, and I’m willing to fight for them, which is what I had to do for this. So I think I’m in the driver’s seat because I’m working hard. I also try to manifest what I feel, and sometimes, the universe brings it back my way. But you still have to actively go out and get it.

    Taylor-Johnson’s celebrity is on the rise, so expect to see a lot more of the former Godzilla star in the years to come. Bullet Train is now in theaters, while Kraven the Hunter is scheduled to release on January 13, 2023.

    Source: THR

  • RUMOR: Disney May Regain Theatrical Distribution Rights to Hulk Films in 2023

    RUMOR: Disney May Regain Theatrical Distribution Rights to Hulk Films in 2023

    The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s relationship with the Incredible Hulk has been relatively awkward since the film was released in 2008. The was film met with terrible reviews and remains at the very bottom of most fans’ MCU rankings. Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in the original film, but Mark Ruffalo was given the role in 2012’s The Avengers and all subsequent appearances of the character.

    Marvel Studios’ relationship with the Incredible Hulk and with the character of the Hulk generally is further complicated by the fact that Universal Studios retained the theatrical distribution rights of the original film and all sequels. This has made it difficult for Marvel Studios, and parent company Disney, to make Hulk-centered films. Disney and Marvel still hold the rights to develop movies starring the Hulk, but Universal has the first refusal opportunity to distribute the project and takes a significant chunk of the profits. This legal issue has led the MCU to limit Hulk to supporting roles and seemingly avoid solo projects altogether.

    Still, it was reported back in October 2021 that a World War Hulk was in development and eyeing a 2022 production start. That prospect raises a lot of questions about how the Marvel-Universal legal relationship will come into play. Now, unearthed legal documents filed with the Security and Exchange Commission by Marvel may indicate that Universal loses its rights in Hulk films in June 2023.

    As discovered by Reddit user u/vidoardes, a couple of SEC filings when read together suggest that the theatrical distribution rights to The Incredible Hulk and Hulk-centered films will revert to Disney next year. An official SEC filing by Marvel in December 2006 stated:

    Universal Studios has agreed to distribute Marvel’s film The Incredible Hulk and sequels on essentially the same terms as those on which Paramount has agreed to distribute the other films financed and produced under the film facility…

    Interestingly, the amended studio agreement, also available through the SEC, between Marvel and Paramount dictates a 15-year deal:

    6. Distribution Term: Paramount shall have the right to exercise its Paramount Distribution Rights with respect to each Picture for an initial period of 15 years commencing on the initial Theatrical Exhibition of such Picture (the “Initial Distribution Term”);…

    So while there is no apparent confirmation that Marvel’s deal with Universal also had the 15-year agreement, the fact that Marvel stated that the deal is on “essentially the same terms” as those with Paramount is some evidence pointing to the time limit of the Marvel-Universal agreement. If it also ends after 15 years, that would mean that Disney would regain the distribution rights 15 years after The Incredible Hulk in June 2008, which would be June 2023.

    While the June 2023 date is not confirmed, it would make sense given that the World War Hulk film reportedly in development is eyeing a late 2023 or early 2024 release.

    Source: SEC via Reddit