Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing a Decent $30M Domestic Opening Weekend

    ‘Bullet Train’ Eyeing a Decent $30M Domestic Opening Weekend

    It’s a soft opening for the new Bullet Train film that has received quite the mixed reception with a B+ AudienceScore and stands at a lower 41% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While expectations weren’t the biggest for its box office run, it does seem like the latest film is going to wrap up the weekend with $30M as it pulled in $12.6M from 4,357 theaters on Friday. While not going to break any records, it definitely is a strong performance as a non-franchise opener.

    the only challenge the film will have is that it’ll have a long road ahead to make up its $90M production budget and word-of-mouth will have to play in its favor. The B+ CinemaScore, as we’ve seen in the past with Thor: Love and Thunder, The Northman, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, does not equate to a “dead on arrival” release as even Lightyear couldn’t keep up at the box office even with an A- score.

    The B+ score could reflect a reactionary aspect with the violence and comedy at play in the film, but only future weekends will show if it has a surprising stronghold or not. Brad Pitt is spearheading the project that was directed by David Leitch, who has made quite a few promising entries and with its simple premise could offer something for those looking for a more grounded action flick as the summer box office slowly winds down.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘LEGO Movie’ Producer Teases “Different Art Form” for Upcoming Franchise Reboot

    ‘LEGO Movie’ Producer Teases “Different Art Form” for Upcoming Franchise Reboot

    Many have wondered what exactly the future has in store for the LEGO Movie franchise. In 2014, Warner Bros. surprised many when directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller offered a very different kind of animated film that was made with a lot of love to recreate some of our most nostalgic memories and even had a heart-felt storyline included.

    It was followed by a sequel five years later with The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and two spinoffs, The LEGO Batman and The LEGO Ninjago. Yet, Warner Bros.s swiftly lost the rates to the iconic franchise that was just getting ready to grow and we have seen a project since. There have been hints that a reboot of some kind is in development and luckily producer Dan Lin has given us our first tease in a podcast episode with The Ankler.

    We know we have to switch it up & take to a different art form that’s still true to LEGO, we should have some announcements soon… I think we’ve reinvented it in a cool way.

    Dan Lin

    The mention of a “different art form” is a rather surprising hint that we shouldn’t expect a franchise that is anywhere close to what the original was. We still have no details on whoever may be directing the project or even if a writer is attached. In a time where creative staff is announced a long time in advance, it’s the first time we’ve seen a new franchise reboot based on such a high IP keeping it really close to the chest. We’ll see just how soon the “soon” is from the interview.

    Source: The Ankler via Twitter

  • Kevin Feige, Edgar Wright, and James Gunn Reached Out to ‘Batgirl’ Directors Over Sudden Cancelation

    Kevin Feige, Edgar Wright, and James Gunn Reached Out to ‘Batgirl’ Directors Over Sudden Cancelation

    It’s been a tough week for Batgirl‘s creative team. Warner Bros. Discovery has pulled a bizarre move by writing the entire film off for taxes, which costs $90M to produce and was nearly finished. Given their work on Bad Boys For Life and Ms. Marvel, it seemed bizarre for many that a film directed by Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah wouldn’t be able to live up to any standards. Still, Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav saw the “right” decision to protect the DC brands.

    What wasn’t the right decision was that the team wasn’t even informed until the news first broke through the New York Post. Even Walter Hamada, the CEO of DC Films, only found out as the decision was already made during a screening of Black Adam without even being consulted. Now, director Adil El Arbi shared an e-mail they received from Marvel Studios director Kevin Feige on the matter painting a very big contrast between the way it’s being handled by executives of different corporations.

    Feige sending out this e-mail is definitely a showcase of a closer relationship with talent over at Marvel Studios, but also simply a showcase of kindness that anyone would need if their passion project is just pulled to save money. The film business has always found a balance between the two sides, but Warner Bros. Discovery current moves are certainly more business than artistic, adding pressure to future talent potentially joining any future project.

    He wasn’t the only one to reach out, as it seems that the Batgirl director’s were also given support by James Gunn and Edgar Wright, who famously lost their own passion projects. While for different reasons, there are always going to be moments where things just don’t come together creatively as intended. But, this case is less a creative difference but a bizarre move by a company to save as little money as possible.

    Source: Twitter, Variety

  • Michael Rosenbaum Confirms Return as Martinex in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    Michael Rosenbaum Confirms Return as Martinex in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

    It seems there may be a full-blown Ravager reunion in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It was confirmed in November that Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone would reprise his role as Stakar Ogord, a high-ranking member of the Ravagers and leader of Yondu Udonta’s former squad, from 2017’s Vol. 2, and now it looks like he won’t be alone. Michael Rosenbaum recently took to his Instagram to reveal he would be returning as Martinex, the sparkling Plutonian, in Marvel Studios’ intergalactic threequel.

    The actor shared the news by posting an image of his character from the unreleased trailer that played for fans at San Diego Comic-Con. He captioned the photo, “See a familiar face in the new GOTG trailer?”.

    Rosenbaum is a longtime friend and frequent collaborator of director James Gunn, so it’s not a big surprise that he would appear in the creative’s next project. However, his appearance combined with Stallone’s would indicate at least part of the movie will pay off the Vol. 2 post-credits scene that involved the original Ravagers. When last fans saw the group, they had reunited on Ogord’s ship after years apart, mourning the loss of Michael Rooker’s Yondu and gearing up to “steal some shit”.

    If the whole team is truly back, that would mean Vol. 3 could also see the return of Michelle Yeoh as Aleta Ogord, Ving Rhames as Charlie-27, and Miley Cyrus as Mainframe. This would put Yeoh in the unique position of playing two Marvel Cinematic Universe characters concurrently, after also appearing prominently in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 hits theaters on May 5th, 2023.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Shazam 2’, ‘Aquaman 2’ and ‘The Flash’ May Get Delayed Again

    ‘Shazam 2’, ‘Aquaman 2’ and ‘The Flash’ May Get Delayed Again

    In perhaps the most shocking film news of the year, Warner Bros. Discovery made the move to cancel HBO Max’s Batgirl after it had already completed filming. The project was axed alongside Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, an animated sequel to 2020’s Scoob!, which was also nearly finished with its production process. These decisions came as the result of a change in leadership at the company, with new CEO David Zaslav making drastic modifications to Warner Bros. Discovery’s project output in an attempt to save the business money. Other such changes include the removal of multiple previously released HBO Max Originals, such as The Witches and An American Pickle, from the streaming service for the sake of partial tax write-offs.

    A new article from The Hollywood Reporter indicates more release alterations may be coming, specifically to the company’s slate of upcoming DC films. While fans are mostly concerned about projects that have yet to begin marketing, like Angel Manuel Soto‘s Blue Beetle or Andy Muschietti‘s The Flash, THR reports that imminent entries on Warner Bros. Discovery’s schedule could be in motion as well. Shazam!: Fury of the Gods and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are both listed as projects that might see a change in release dates in the near future. Fury of the Gods, which just had a grand showing at San Diego Comic-Con and recently dropped its first trailer, is currently set for a December 21st release, while The Lost Kingdom is supposed to hit theaters on March 17th, 2023.

    No reason was given for any potential shift, but THR did note that Aquaman may be undergoing some changes in its Batman department. Michael Keaton was reportedly set to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne from the original Tim Burton films, The Flash, and Batgirl, replacing Ben Affleck from the Zack Snyder universe as the Caped Crusader going forward. However, a recent video posted to Jason Mamoa‘s Instagram seemed to hint that Affleck would indeed return. The cancellation of Batgirl and uncertainty surrounding The Flash could mean the switch to Keaton has been undone, with THR also noting that Keaton’s original scene as Batman in The Lost Kingdom caused confusion among early test audiences. Warner Bros. Discovery has an earnings call on Thursday, and all eyes are directed toward Zaslav for answers.

    Source: THR

  • Ryan Reynolds Seemingly Starts Getting in Shape for ‘Deadpool 3’

    Ryan Reynolds Seemingly Starts Getting in Shape for ‘Deadpool 3’

    It’s a Deadpool kind of day, as we’ve been getting some bits and pieces on the upcoming third entry, such as Zazie Beets playing coy on if we can expect her return as Domino. Now Don Saladino has shared a few photos of him getting Ryan Reynolds in shape for an upcoming project. In his comments, he includes a red and two katanas, which definitely continues to push the notion that Deadpool 3 is happening sooner rather than later. While it wasn’t included in any of the Phase announcements, it may still take on the blank positions in Phase 6.

    Reynolds starting to prepare for the upcoming project is definitely a good sign that something is on the horizon. Perhaps D23 is where we’ll get an official announcement and even some insight into what exactly Phase 6 will be all about. They seemingly surprised us with how much they revealed during San Diego Comic-con and who knows what else might be heading our way with Disney+ Day and a Disney-owned event on the horizon.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘John Wick’ Director Had Discussions With Marvel Studios to Tackle ‘Blade’

    ‘John Wick’ Director Had Discussions With Marvel Studios to Tackle ‘Blade’

    The John Wick franchise has been nothing but successful for Lionsgate and filmmaker Chad Stahelski. After spending years as a stunt coordinator and second unit director on various projects, Stahelski received his big break helming the Wick films, which launched him into stardom and helped rejuvenate Keanu Reeves’ career.

    Apparently, the series also earned Stahelski a meeting with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, whom he’d worked with before as the second unit on Captain America: Civil War, as stated by Stahelski during a recent interview with Comic Book. According to the director, Feige set up some time for a chat that meant a lot more than the producer might have realized:

    Marvel was very influential in my career. I owe them a great deal. Kevin [Feige] is an awesome guy and I’ve worked for him many times on second unit. After John Wick 3, he was nice enough to carve out a big chunk of time and have a nice talk. He’s been a…in a way…a very strong mentor, even though it was a short period of time. I’ve only talked to him a few times, but he has been very influential in mindset and how to do it.

    Chad Stahelski

    While the meeting seems to have been a general one, Stahelski revealed that Feige did inquire about signing him to a future project. Stahelski apparently only had one in mind:

    And he actually asked me, ‘What could we ever do?’ I was like, ‘Look, I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t know if I fit that kind of studio mold, but Blade would be the one interesting thing I’d like to do. I don’t know if I would’ve been the best choice for that in the direction they wanted to go. If you want to do the edgy rated R version, yeah, give me a call. If you want to be non-apologetic, yeah. That’s me. But I think they’re protecting their brand, they’re doing their thing. The individual they selected, I think is a very good director, and I think will do a great job in the direction that I think they want to take the property.

    Chad Stahelski

    Blade, which was announced in 2019 with Mahershala Ali attached to the starring role, is now set to be directed by Bassam Tariq and will release on November 3rd, 2023. The Mogul Mowgli creative will bring to life a script from Stacy Osei-Kuffour, with Delroy Lindo and Aaron Pierre having since joined the cast. Stahelski, on the other hand, is busy preparing for John Wick: Chapter 4 to drop on March 24th, 2023.

    He has yet to direct anything outside the John Wick franchise, but perhaps his meeting with Marvel Studios will open the door for something else down the line. After all, there is no shortage of opportunities in Marvel’s plans for the next decade.

    Source: Comic Book

  • Zazie Beetz Plays Coy on Possible ‘Deadpool 3’ Return

    Zazie Beetz Plays Coy on Possible ‘Deadpool 3’ Return

    Zazie Beetz left her mark on the Marvel franchise when she appeared in Deadpool 2. The Atlanta actress portrayed Domino, a mutant mercenary and longtime comic book affiliate of Wade Wilson, in the well-received sequel project. She was introduced to the franchise alongside Josh Brolin‘s Cable, and before the merger of 20th Century Fox and Disney, many fans expected Beetz to reprise her role in the trilogy’s third installment. Now, with Deadpool 3 being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pretty much everything aside from Ryan Reynolds‘ involvement is up in the air.

    Speaking with Variety at the premiere of her new film Bullet Train, Beetz was asked to comment on her potential future as Domino in Deadpool 3. Of course, the actress couldn’t really confirm anything, but her response felt far from an actual denial:

    It’s unknown how much of the Deadpool series’ storyline will carry over into the MCU, especially considering the concept of mutants is only just being realized in the franchise timeline. Luckily, Deadpool 3 could possibly fall within the ongoing “Multiverse Saga”, which would leave several doors open for performers like Beetz and Reynolds to enter the MCU from another dimension. After all, Domino does operate using the power to manipulate luck, so it’s entirely plausible that she has a hand in landing herself and the Merc with a Mouth in the multiverse’s most popular timeline.

    Deadpool 3 will be directed by Shawn Levy, from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and currently has no release date.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Deadpool 2’ Director Explains Why He Didn’t Return for the MCU Sequel

    ‘Deadpool 2’ Director Explains Why He Didn’t Return for the MCU Sequel

    David Leitch has made a name for himself in Hollywood. The former stunt man-turned-director is gearing up for his latest action film, Bullet Train, to hit theaters this weekend, and spoke to Uproxx about the many projects that have brought him to where he is today. After co-directing the first John Wick with Chad Stahelski, Leitch carved his own path and made more action hits with films like Atomic Blonde and the Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. Perhaps his most popular work, however, is 2018’s sequel Deadpool 2, which he boarded after the first film’s maestro, Tim Miller, departed over creative differences.

    Curiously, Leitch has never returned to a franchise after working on it once. This could change in the future, but for now, the director explained to Uproxx that it’s almost entirely circumstantial:

    It’s probably more of what I’m doing and some circumstance. I love all of those worlds, and they’re all precious to me. Starting with John Wick. Chad has taken over that franchise and executed it beautifully. And Deadpool is amazing. And Atomic Blonde, I would love to go back. When I look back, I would love to go back to those worlds, but I think the way it’s worked out for me, or fate has brought me to this place, is that I get new opportunities and they’re really awesome, interesting, as well. Now moving on and doing The Fall Guy with Gosling, we’re prepping right now.

    David Leitch

    When asked if his upcoming production of The Fall Guy played a role in his not coming back for Marvel Studios’ upcoming Deadpool 3, Leitch made it clear this was not the case. In fact, the creative revealed he had actually spoken to Marvel about another Deadpool adventure, but simply couldn’t find the right window to make it happen between the studio and himself:

    No. Look, we had conversations about Deadpool 3, but I just was … I had things in the pipeline, too. And it was never, “Hey, do you want to do it or not want to do it?” or whatever. I think it was more we knew our dance cards were kind of full on both sides. And we have a window. And Marvel has calendars.

    David Leitch

    Deadpool 3 will be helmed instead by Ryan Reynolds‘ frequent collaborative partner Shawn Levy. There is not currently a release date, but fans can check out Leitch‘s Brad Pitt-starring Bullet Train on August 5th.

    Source: Uproxx

  • HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    HBO Max Removes 6 Original Warner Bros. Films

    It would appear Warner Bros. Discovery is not done cutting movies yet. Variety is reporting that the company has been quietly removing content from its popular streaming service HBO Max, including at least six films that had been released on the platform as exclusive “HBO Max Originals”.

    The culled projects consist of Moonshot, a sci-fi rom-com starring Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse that dropped only a few months ago; Superintelligence, a dystopian rom-com from Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone; An American Pickle, a Seth Rogan comedy that stars the actor in a duel-role; The Witches, a 2020 remake of the Roald Dahl classic, directed by Robert Zemeckis with an all-star cast of Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock; Locked Down, a Doug Liman heist film with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Hathaway; and finally, Charm City Kings, a drama from Angel Manuel Soto.

    The removals appear to have been made in an effort to cut costs, and were first discovered by users of Reddit after Warner Bros.’ controversial cancellations of Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt on Tuesday. Also noted, the reboot of cult classic comedy House Party, which was set to be produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter‘s SpringHill, has been scrubbed from HBO Max’s release calendar. It was previously expected to drop on July 28th. As mentioned by Variety, it’s not an unusual practice for streaming services to take films on and off of their catalog.

    However, it is strange that the company would remove films produced specifically for distribution on HBO Max, including Moonshot, which has only been out in the wild for about three months, and that the changes would be made without any sort of announcement. It remains to be seen if these now-unwatchable projects ever see the light of day again.

    Source: Variety