Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Breaks Digital Sales Record as it Passes $800M Domestically

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Breaks Digital Sales Record as it Passes $800M Domestically

    Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to be quite the powerhouse at the box office, and now it looks like even in digital sales. While the film is the only one of three to pass the $800M landmark, the film has also broken an industry record in digital sales within its first week. No Way Home has been made available on 88 platforms and has seemingly made more than 2.1M in its first week alone in the US. So, it’s not only still proving it has legs at the box office after releasing back in December, but people have been anxiously awaiting to watch this film at home.

    In regards to the box office success, the film has now joined Avengers: Endgame ($858.3M) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.6M). It’s crazy to think that Sony almost called off their dealings with Marvel Studios before this film was released. The film was already on its way to passing $1.9M worldwide and it’s unclear if they’ll keep the film in theaters so that it can scratch the $2 billion mark as closely as possible. The numbers are quite impressive if you take into account that the pandemic is still an issue and affecting other releases in specific markets. Yet, it seems that Marvel Studios and Sony’s latest isn’t being held back.

    They already have more in the pipeline. So, this film’s success may have definitely solidified their partnership moving forward. It’s unclear if the appearance and tease for Doctor Strange in the film may also boost the numbers for their next major tentpole release in May. Morbius is also on the horizon as Sony tries to build a separate franchise but is still struggling. Just recently, the director spoiled most of the film’s major plot points ahead of its release and it’ll be interesting to see if that negatively affects its box office.

    Source: Deadline, The Numbers

  • Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Merch Offers New Look at Thor’s New Helmet

    Latest ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Merch Offers New Look at Thor’s New Helmet

    It looks like the new ornament collection shared by Hallmark isn’t just leaking the costume for Black Adam, as another one has found its way online offering a look at Thor’s new updated design for the upcoming fourth entry in the franchise, Thor: Love and Thunder. We’ve gotten some glimpses in the past, most notably with the LEGO set, but this new one offers a good look at the overall design and on his new helmet he’ll be wearing at some point in the film. The image comes courtesy of @common_writer on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/common_writer/status/1507463718472409091?t=CCjPz8zeW6JwE7pTSr5Vqg&s=19

    The new design is embracing more gold elements, and it’ll be interesting to see if this might have some connection to him potentially taking back the throne as the king of Asgard. We don’t know what the future has in store for Chris Hemsworth‘s character and just how his story will pan out after joining the Guardians after the events of Avengers: Endgame. We saw him rock a sleeveless shirt and jacket on some set photos, but it’s uncertain if he might summon this new design through his hammer or have a new armor forged.

    It would be great to see his armor actually forged, as most of the time he manages to use his electricity to gather the armor around him. Taika Waititi also is continuing his trend of adding more colorful elements to his design, as Ragnarok also introduced a very different depiction of the character. Instead of just focusing on the blue, black, and grey design elements from the originals, they’re adding details to make it stand out better, which fits his usual colorful visual style. It’ll be interesting to see if they include it in the first trailer.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Better Nate Than Ever’s Tim Federle on Directing an Adaptation of His Own Book

    ‘Better Nate Than Ever’s Tim Federle on Directing an Adaptation of His Own Book

    Tim Federle wrote the book Better Nate Than Ever back in 2013, but now got the chance to not only write the script for the Disney+ adaptation but even get to sit in the director’s chair. So, the director got a chance to share his enthusiasm for taking on this new role during the press junket, and especially how where he is now also strongly echoes the message of his film.

    It’s a dream come true. I mean, my background was as a theater kid from Pittsburgh, who dreamed of getting out of my hometown and dancing on Broadway. I never really dreamed of turning it into a movie, and I think the amazing thing about […] growing up is it never stops happening if you surround yourself with people who allow you to dream.

    Tim Federle

    Federle has been busy and is no stranger to working with Disney+, as he also was an executive producer and writer on the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which has a third season on the horizon. He also co-wrote the Blue Sky Studios’ film Ferdinand back in 2017. So, the author has been quite busy, and with the chance to sit in the director’s chair and the potential success of Better Nate Than Ever, he hopefully gets a chance to also the sequel Five, Six, Seven Nate! life.

  • The Witch’s Road: What’s Next for Wanda Maximoff

    The Witch’s Road: What’s Next for Wanda Maximoff

    One could argue that few characters have had a more difficult and emotionally scaring tale told in the MCU than Wanda Maximoff. To date, Wanda’s story has been heavily shaped by loss: her brother, her love and, most recently, her twin sons. Despite the loss, Wanda has perseverated, however, and after 4 major film appearances and the Disney Plus series WandaVision, she’s only just starting to truly understand who she is.

    First introduced in a post-credit scene to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Wanda’s origins were explained briefly in Avengers: Age of Ultron where it was explained that she, and her twin brother, Pietro, were given powers as a result of experimentation with the Mind Stone at the hands of Baron Strucker. In true comic book fashion, that origin was heavily retconned in WandaVision when it was revealed to Wanda that she had always possessed the ability to wield Chaos Magic-an ability that was simply enhanced by the Mind Stone-as she was the embodiment of the mythological Scarlet Witch, a being capable of spontaneous creation. Already incredibly powerful, Wanda began her studies of the Darkhold, a book which not only prophesied her ascension to a level of power great than that of the Sorcerer Supreme, but also her destruction of the world. This is the Wanda fans will next see in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and she’s a far cry from the orphan first introduced in 2015.

    Unsurprisingly, her path in the MCU is deeply-rooted in Marvel Comics. While she was once the mutant daughter of one of Marvel’s most powerful villains, modern day Wanda’s comic book story, like her MCU counterpart, has been heavily retconned. No longer a mutant, Wanda is a born witch whose powers were amplified by scientific experimentation, though in the comics it was the High Evolutionary who did the work. Her powers were inherited from her mother, the previous holder of the title “Scarlet Witch” and her maternal grandfather, the “Scarlet Warlock.” This “new” family history was explored in James Robinson’s Scarlet Witch solo series, which ran for 15 issues from December 2015 through February 2017, a series which fans of the character may wish to explore, or reexplore, as they prepare for the character’s post-MOM chapter.

    While we haven’t seen her character arc in Multiverse of Madness unfold just yet, the trailers and plot rumors have given us a good sense of what to expect in the film: Wanda’s continuous studies of the Darkhold, where she seeks for an answer of how to get her sons back, have corrupted her and, in combination with her incredible powers, made her a threat to anyone who might stand in her way. Without delving too deeply into spoilers, it’s safe to say from the trailers that she’s not necessarily there to support Stephen Strange. Skipping through that heavy spoiler territory, recent rumors have her surviving the film and appearing in a pair of projects over the next several years. The firsts of those projects, a solo Scarlet Witch project, is rumored to go into production at some point in 2023 and could well be an adaptation of Robinson’s Marvel Comics’ series.

    Such a story would certainly further into her past, only briefly glimpsed in flashbacks in WandaVision, and potentially involve the return of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness, a witch whose long life-span would make her perfectly suited to lead Wanda through further explanation of her true nature: after all, fans only know that Wanda IS the Scarlet Witch, but not what the really means about her outside of being extraordinarily powerful. In the comics, Wanda’s journey lead her to the Witches’ Road, an alternate plane of existence accessible only to powerful mages, where she faced numerous dangers and discovered the true nature of Chaos magic and witchcraft.

    Robinson’s solo series is a wonderful character study that is ripe for adaptation in the MCU. It would allow for all sorts of interesting characters to be introduced and all sorts of wild visuals and explorations. It could also, if done correctly, lead Wanda down one very specific road that leads to another incredibly powerful magic user…but that’s a story for another day, or for the adaptation of The Children’s Crusade.

  • New ‘Black Adam’ Merch Offers First Look at a New Costume

    New ‘Black Adam’ Merch Offers First Look at a New Costume

    Just a few weeks ago, the state of the DC Extended Universe saw quite another shake-up with multiple films on the slate being delayed and moved up. Black Adam was one of those films, with its July debut getting hit with a three-month delay so that VFX could be properly completed. We’ve seen very little from the film so far, but it looks like some merchandise for the film has begun to trickle out.

    Every year Hallmark releases a catalog of all upcoming holiday ornaments with tentative release dates, usually featuring decorative items from the year’s biggest movies and shows. Some pages from this year seem to have made their way online, featuring a brand new look at Black Adam in what seems to be an updated suit from what we have previously seen. The suit, while similar to the one featured a few weeks back, is updated with golden boots, bracers, and a belt, a much more vibrant and even closer to accurate look for the character. The ornament will hit shelves in November, just a few weeks after the film’s release.

    The suit previously seen was much dirtier and looked to have wear and tear over the years Adam presumably spent imprisoned. It’ll be interesting to see how the suit changes over the course of the film, from ancient Kahndaq to the modern-day. Fans are gonna have to wait just a little longer to witness the hierarchy of power within the DC Universe change as Black Adam is now set to hit theaters on October 21st, 2022.

    Source: Hallmark via Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    ‘Morbius’ Will Set Up [SPOILERS] for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

    If you want to remain spoiler-free for Morbius then only continue at your own risk.

    We’ve all been questioning why director Daniel Espinosa is spoiling most of the film’s major plot points a week ahead of Morbius‘ release. In an interview with CinemaBlend, he has pretty much confirmed that the trailer’s teased appearance of Michael Keaton‘s Vulture is indeed the same version we saw in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not only that, but he also pretty much confirmed that the character is recruiting people to join a team. CinemaBlend instantly made the Sinister Six connection, but while he won’t name them directly he does hint that this is what Sony is setting up.

    It’s a bit head-scratching that Vulture is the one recruiting people. We don’t know if he still has the memory that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, or even why he’s in a different universe. Plus, he seemed to have no ill will towards the kid when he was confronted if he knows his identity. So, why would he gather a team of villains to take on Spider-Man, especially if he’s in a different universe where it isn’t even the version that he met.

    The director teased that they have a different Spider-Man already roaming in this universe, and the logo of Daily Bugle does seemingly hint at it potentially being Tobey Maguire. But the trailer also included references to the Oscorp we saw in Andrew Garfield, which also seems like a possible option. We’ll have to see if Sony might reveal it at some point, but with their current strategy they might just flat-out announce it.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    ‘Morbius’ Director Talks Michael Keaton’s Return as Vulture

    The director of Morbius talks about major spoilers ahead of the film’s release. If you want to remain spoiler-free, only continue at your own risk.

    We just published the piece that the director of Morbius, Daniel Espinosa, confirmed that the film isn’t part of the MCU and is part of the same Venomverse we were introduced to in the 2018 film. Yet, it seems that that doesn’t mean we’ll get a crossover between the two franchises, as the director seems to imply that Michael Keaton‘s return as Vulture in the trailers is indeed the version we were introduced to in the MCU. He goes out of his way to confirm that it is indeed the one from Spider-Man: Homecoming and even gives away how he ends up in the film.

    So, it seems that No Way Home sent various heroes to other dimensions and accidentally also teleported Vulture in the process. Yet, that makes no real sense as the film was all about sending people back to their respective universes based on the fact that they knew Spider-Man is Peter Parker. It almost would imply that Vulture was already from a different dimension from the get-go, but that was never part of his story when we first meet him.

    In a way, it seems like Sony wanted an excuse to have the character return and used the loophole surrounding the spell to explain why he’s part of Sony’s universe. We might expect them to pick and choose whoever landed in whatever universe so they can build whatever they are trying to attempt, but the fact they reveal it ahead of the release makes no real sense. Perhaps they have a trick up their sleeve once the film hits theaters, or they are banking on that connection selling the film.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    ‘Morbius’ Director Confirms Movie is Not Part of the MCU, Teases Its Own Spider-Man

    While there’s still sometime before Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff film Morbius releases in theaters, it seems the director is quite open to spoiling quite a few elements from the film. CinemaBlend has shared a Twitter thread with some curious details about the film from director Daniel Espinosa. With the many discussions surrounding the film’s continuity, most notably due to how many Easter eggs were added into the initial trailers from across all of Spidey’s multiverse, the director has confirmed that it is part of Venom’s universe and not the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Sony has been quite actively teasing that all their projects take place in the MCU, but with Marvel Studios actively talking around the topic it never got confirmed. That was until Spider-Man: No Way Home confirmed that Venom is part of the greater multiverse. He also confirmed that the universe they inhabit has its own Spider-Man, but would not give away which one that is. He only highlighted that “It is my understanding that audiences will discover the answer soon.” So, we might find out once the film either hits theaters or get an announcement from Sony as they try to build their own universe.

    The bizarre part is that we did see Michael Keaton‘s Vulture make an appearance in the trailers, which makes you wonder if he is just a Variant that’s exactly the same. If they have their own Spider-Man, there’s likely a chance that they’d want to either nab Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield, as their return has been welcomed with quite a lot of fanfare. Just introducing another new actor in the role may be a bit chaotic.

    Source: Twitter

  • Oscar Isaac Offers Update on ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie

    Oscar Isaac Offers Update on ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie

    Oscar Isaac has been busy promoting his upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight, but that didn’t stop IGN from asking him for an update on the long-awaited cinematic adaptation of the popular gaming series Metal Gear Solid. He was cast back in December but we haven’t heard anything since and luckily the actor offered a small update on the project.

    We’re searching, we’re searching like Solid Snake. We’re climbing through air ducts, we’re looking for the story.

    Oscar Isaac

    It looks like the film is still in its early stages, as director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is getting the script together. He has hinted that the series’ creator Hideo Kojima has also been involved in some capacity, but it’s unclear if he’ll also have a say in the film’s overalls story and script. We also don’t know if they will directly adapt Snake’s infiltration of Shadow Moses, or take a more unique approach to make the adaptation stand out from the original. Still, it’s good to hear that they are still actively working on the project and it seems Isaac is having fun with some callbacks to the game.

    Source: IGN

  • RUMOR: ‘Blue Beetle’ Will Feature Carapax and an Original Foe

    RUMOR: ‘Blue Beetle’ Will Feature Carapax and an Original Foe

    The DC Extended Universe is about to get a little bit bigger with the arrival of Jaime Reyes, aka the Blue Beetle. Fans are eager to see the third and most popular iteration of the character make his big-screen debut next year. Sadly, we still don’t know a ton regarding the plot of the project. Details on just who Jaime will face in the film are still scarce, but a new rumor may hint at a rather unknown foe.

    The Cosmic Circus is reporting that the DC villain Carapax will be making his live-action debut in the film alongside what seems to be an original character named Victoria Kord. Of course, that name would seem familiar as that is the last name of Ted Kord, mentor to Jaime Reyes, and the second person to don the mantle of Blue Beetle. Victora Kord reportedly also has connections to Bruna Marquezine’s character, who is only known as Jenny.

    Conrad Carapax was an archeologist and rival of Daniel Garret, the first Blue Beetle. He traveled to Pago Island where he found the remains of a lab that once belonged to Jarvis Kord, the uncle of Ted Kord. He was killed when trying to activate a robot but ended up fusing his mind with it. Victoria could possibly have some sort of link to Jarvis, or maybe be a gender-bent version of the character. Jarvis spent his time on the island-building robot he intended to use to take over the world. Victoria being in an antagonist role alongside Carapax could hint at this change.

    Blue Beetle is set to hit theaters on August 18th, 2023.

    Source: Cosmic Circus