Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • CinemaCon: Every ‘Avatar’ Sequel to Act as a Standalone Film

    CinemaCon: Every ‘Avatar’ Sequel to Act as a Standalone Film

    It looks like Disney is ending their CinemaCon panel with a grand showcase of the future of the Avatar franchise. Given that the film has clung to the top spot for a long-time, there’s a lot of hope for Disney to bank on that success. So, it seems that they are kick-starting the upcoming release of Avatar 2 with a re-release of the original in September. Yet, the big reveal during the event is that the three Avatar sequels being filmed back-to-back are currently planned as standalone films with some connections. There’s no detail on what that might look like, but they may try to simply explore the changes of Pandora throughout many generations.

    The first film is going to focus more the world beneath the waves of Pandora. So, it opens up many new opportunities to see just how vast the planet is and what it has to offer. We don’t know if we’ll continue to focus on humanoid characters or the local Na’vi, who are teased as part of concept art.

    Of course, they could also build upon the set-up of the first film yet with how long it took for this new film to hit theaters, they might want to use it as a time skip. Perhaps we get to see different Na’vi and their living arrangements that act as a contrast to what we saw in the 2009 original. For now, it’s just speculation until we actually get a tease of what the fil has to offer.

    Source: Twitter

  • CinemaCon: First ‘Lightyear’ Reactions Tease ‘Interstellar’ Vibes

    CinemaCon: First ‘Lightyear’ Reactions Tease ‘Interstellar’ Vibes

    CinemaCon has given us quite a few interesting teases of what’s to come with Marvel Studios, but they also used the opportunity to include quite a bit of footage for attendees. While e sadly won’t get to actually watch it ourselves, people luckily love sharing what they’re getting a chance to watch. Among the panels was also the first look at Lightyear, Pixar’s upcoming film that explores the story of Buzz Lightyear, which would inspire the toy.

    While the footage description isn’t detailed, it does seem like reactiosn towards the project are quite positive. Not only is the aspect of experiencing the film on a big silver screen again a nice touch, as most of Pixar films ended up on Disney+ throughout the pandemic, but it also is highilghted as an emotional yet dorky sci-fi film with Interstellar vibes.

    It’s great that the next Pixar film is finally making its way to theaters, and that, hopefully, remains this way moving forward. Lightyear is an interesting legacy title as it technically is a origin story for a character that inspired a toy. We already got an animated series that explored the story of Lightyear’s battle against Zurg, but the Pixar film is seemingly taking a very different route. The latest trailer revealed a unique story direction that may catch many off-guard that are actively avoiding any marketing for the film. Who knows if Woody will also get his own Western spinoff film if this turns out successful.

    Source: Twitter

  • Wong and Strange Fight Gargantos in New Footage Description of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ From CinemaCon

    Wong and Strange Fight Gargantos in New Footage Description of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ From CinemaCon

    While the Disney panel kicked off with a sizzle reel, it didn’t take long for Marvel Studios to take the stage and share some details. Yet, that isn’t all as they also had some footage of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ready for those attending CinemaCon. It seems that they include footage of America Chavez meeting a Strange, very likely Defender Strange, before heading out and accidentally dragging a monster into the mainline MCU, which leads to some great action sequences featuring Wong, as shared by ScreenRant.

    Erik Davis has also shared a description revealing they saw 20 minutes of the film, which includes a few multiversal battle sequences, confirming that the one they fight is probably Gargantos, the MCU’s Shuma-Gorath, and it even includes a Spider-Man reference.

    So, it seems that we might have a good grasp of how the film opens up. At some point in her travels through the multiverse, America Chavez is going to stumble upon a Variant of Strange before accidentally bringing it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we’ve grown accustomed to. Though, it does open up the question what exactly are the events that drag that version of Strange into the multiverse as a result of these events, and will Gargantos even have a bigger part in the story to begin with.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Already Made $42M in Pre-Sales

    ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Already Made $42M in Pre-Sales

    CinemaCon is the place to highlight the future of cinema, and it seems Disney is making a big splash with its even today. While we just got some footage showcased and even a tease for what the future has in store for fans. Yet, they also snuck in one major announcement as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has seemingly already made $42M in pre-sales to date according to the announcement made during the Disney panel.

    Our only comparison point for the presales is that Multiverse of Madness already outpaced The Batman, which was on its path to making around $800M. So, it seems almost like the film has a set path to manage a billion box office run. Yet, the film is also getting banned in some regions due to the inclusion of LGBTQ representation. Disney and Marvel Studios are staying true to their vision of the film.

    If there’s uncertainty, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to almost hit $2 billion without even releasing it in China. So, who knows if the international market is changing into a new generation as the pandemic is slowly calming down and things are returning to somewhat of normalcy for now. We’ll see just how big the film may end up being once it releases next week.

    Source: Twitter

  • Cinema Con: Marvel Studios Developing the Next Decade of the MCU

    Cinema Con: Marvel Studios Developing the Next Decade of the MCU

    For years, fans have heard about the legendary big board in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios office that lays out the future of the MCU. According to Feige, that board is about to get a little larger as he and the Marvel Studios Parliament have been working on the next 10 years of Marvel Studios projects.

    The news comes out of CinemaCon 2022 where Feige revealed that he had been attending a creative retreat where they have been hashing out the stories that will shape the shared cinematic universe over the next decade. Feige left the retreat to attend CinemaCon and was headed back after.

    The studio celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary in 2018 and the first decade and change was devoted to the Infinity Saga. COVID forced Marvel Studios’ 2020 slate into 2021 and has had quite a domino effect beyond that with films still feeling the full force of the delays. It is expected that the next 10 years of the MCU will consist of several streaming projects each year and as many as 4 films each year. It’s also believed the the Fantastic Four and X-Men, characters acquired by Disney in a merger with Fox, will have a huge impact on the stories told over the next decade.

  • Xochitl Gomez Teases the Opening Sequence of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez Teases the Opening Sequence of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains one of Marvel Studios’ most secretive films. With the release date for the sequel arriving soon, fans have been able to get a few more glimpses into the highly-anticipated MCU installment. In a recent interview with Marvel, America Chavez actress Xochitl Gomez seemed to tease the beginning of Multiverse of Madness:

    [The film opens with Chavez] literally running for her life in the gap junction space between universes with Doctor Strange.

    Xochitl Gomez

    While it is a short quote, it is interesting in its implications for the film. First, if the Doctor Strange sequel opens in this way, it seemingly sets the movie off to a quickly-paced start. Not much is known about the plot, but Gomez might have just allowed viewers to make more sense of the footage provided in trailers and other promotions.

    It makes sense for America Chavez’s character to be in this situation considering that her power set includes punching openings that create doorways between alternative universes. Her dimension-hopping abilities will certainly have a major and helpful role to play in Multiverse of Madness.

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Marvel

  • Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is Younger Than In the Comics in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez is Younger Than In the Comics in ‘Multiverse of Madness’

    With the secretive Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness swiftly approaching, marketing and press for the MCU film is ramping up. With fan expectations all over the place, still one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel is a known character. Actress Xochitl Gomez will be bringing comics superhero and Young Avenger America Chavez to life in the film. Chavez’s dimension-hopping powers will obviously come in handy in the multiversal adventure, and it looks like she will be teaching the stubborn Doctor Strange plenty of things.

    Virtualy no Marvel character makes it to live-action exactly how they were written in the comics and often for good reason. In a recent interview with Marvel, Gomez revealed a difference between her live-action Gomez and the source material that has clear implications for the future of the character. Gomez explained that Chavez is about 14-years-old in Multiverse of Madness, which is years younger than the comics Chavez who fell in with the Young Avengers around 17. The actress explained the implications of the character’s age on her future in the MCU:

    You can definitely see the beginning stages of what future America might become…I took stuff that was in the comics, and kind of lightened it up since she’s less experienced. She’s younger than any of her known appearances in the comics, and I think you can see that. It was a fun challenge exploring what a younger and less experienced America might be, but also hinting towards the serious leader she would soon become. I wanted to keep that kid energy and a little bit of that fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence.

    Xochitl Gomez

    Considering a potential Young Avengers project might still be years away, making Chavez younger in the Doctor Strange film would make it easier for her to be a more comics-accurate age when she appears in a related project. Because the character is appearing now, allowing an extra few years of development not only suits the long-term development of the character but also potentially the real-life aging of the young actress.

    Fans can meet America Chavez when Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness when movie hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

    Source: Marvel

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Now the Highest Grossing Video Game Adaptation

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Now the Highest Grossing Video Game Adaptation

    Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is on its way to passing $300M worldwide, but even before it has passed that landmark, it has already taken the top spot when it comes to live-action adaptations of video game franchises. To be fair, it only had to beat its own previous franchise installment, which had that spot at $146.1M. Uncharted was close on its tail, which currently stands at $145.9M. So, even with more competition on the horizon, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is still holding on strong with its second entry.

    Paramount is all-in with their new franchise, as they announced the third entry even before it was released as well as a Knuckles-focused spinoff for Paramount+. It is currently doing quite well in the United Kingdom and still hasn’t been released yet in the Middle East or Japan, the former being a big contender to push its box office numbers further. While it’s hard to say if it’ll pass the $400M mark, there’s still some potential.

    We also have to take into account that the film has only recently been released, which means it’ll continue to set a higher benchmark for future entries. It’s strange to think that Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, which also had an impressive $144M back in 2019, never received a sequel of any kind. Still, that franchise is moving to Netflix with no news of another film in any form of development currently.

    Source: VG247, Twitter

  • Warner Bros. Debuts ‘Black Adam’ Trailer at CinemaCon

    Warner Bros. Debuts ‘Black Adam’ Trailer at CinemaCon

    Having been cast in the role since 2007, Dwayne Johnson will finally make his long-awaited arrival as the man in black, and the hierarchy of power in the DC universe will never be the same. At least that’s what we’ve been told as Black Adam has still yet to release after multiple delays. Luckily, CinemaCon has come and brought with it the Warner Brothers panel, giving us some updates on the upcoming film. 

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a showman and show he did put on for those in attendance at Warner Bros. Big Picture showcase. Johnson first appeared via screen, saying he couldn’t make it, but he ended up surprising everyone as he took the stage, saying it just “didn’t feel right” to not be there in person to show off everything he’s been working on.

    Those in attendance were treated to the very first trailer for Black Adam, featuring the man himself in his days as a slave and seeing him be reborn as with the powers of the Wizard Shazam. There are scenes with Doctor Fate telling Adam he can be the worlds destroyer or be its savior, as well as another scene where he is told that heroes do not kill, responding that he does. The trailer doesn’t give away much plot wise, but is gives a brief look into what you can expect from the movie. 

    Johnson had the audience scream quite loud, revealing that the recorded audio would actually be used in the film during a “big battle scene.”

    The film was initially set to release on July 27th, 2022, but it was pushed back a few months and is now set to hit theaters on Oct. 21st, 2022.

    Source: Twitter

  • Warner Bros. Teases ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ at CinemaCon

    Warner Bros. Teases ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ at CinemaCon

    CinemaCon is the place for studios to showcase their tentpole releases and plans for the future. Even if a project isn’t far into production, they sometimes share some footage or tease what they are working on, such as Sony showing Kraven the Hunter footage. So, it’s not entirely surprising then that Warner Bros. Discovery teased some footage from the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

    The footage Warner Bros. debuted at CinemaCon showed Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman/Arthur working with Orm to try and take down Black Manta. In the sequel, Black Manta is said to be leading an army of sorts and is far more powerful. The two brothers will need to work together to try and defeat Manta, so we’ll see more of their relationship explored. This being an Aquaman film, though, there are plenty of new ships and robots, too, for fans to enjoy.

    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit theaters on March 17, 2023.

    Source: Twitter.