Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • New Rumors Place The Scarlet Witch at the Center of Two Upcoming MCU Projects

    New Rumors Place The Scarlet Witch at the Center of Two Upcoming MCU Projects

    Elizabeth Olsen spent most of 2020 and much of 2021 inhabiting the role of Wanda Maximoff as the actress moved directly from production of WandaVision into production on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After having some time off from Marvel Studios, new rumors point to Olsen’s schedule getting pretty full again in the near future.

    According to a scooper MyTimetoShineHello, Marvel Studios is keen to get Olsen back in action in a big way following her next appearance in the Strange sequel. The scooper claims that Wanda stans will get to see the Scarlet Witch in not only an adaptation of Alan Heinberg’s limited series, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, but also in a solo Scarlet Witch project. Though the scoops indicated both projects are in development, no additional information was given about the order in which they might appear or whether they are intended to end up as streaming series or theatrical releases.

    Given the rumors about Wanda’s character arc in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, an adaptation of The Children’s Crusade seems like the perfect handoff for the character. The 9-issue event sees one of Wanda’s sons, Billy, go in search of his missing mother as he starts to realize the full potential of his own, potentially dangerous powers. Billy teams up with his brother, Tommy, and other members of the Young Avengers to track down Wanda who is spending time with one of Marvel’s most wonderful characters: Victor Von Doom. As with most things, MCU, it’s highly unlikely that Marvel Studios The Children’s Crusade would be a direct adaptation of the event.

    The Scarlet Witch solo project, should it come after The Children’s Crusade, could take inspiration from James Robinson’s 2016 Marvel Comic’s series, The Scarlet Witch, and take Wanda on a journey of discovery of just what being her generation’s Scarlet Witch entails.

  • BREAKING: Florence Pugh in Talks for Major Role in ‘Dune’ Sequel

    BREAKING: Florence Pugh in Talks for Major Role in ‘Dune’ Sequel

    Florence Pugh continues to make big moves across the film industry and now, she’s said to be in negotiations to join one of 2023’s most anticipated films. According to Deadline, Pugh’s agents have begun negotiations for her to appear in supermega-visionary-auteur Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part Two.

    According to the trade, should she sign on for the film, Pugh would portray Princess Irulan Corrino, the Bene Gesserit wife of Paul Atreides. The two shared a loveless marriage, as Paul’s heart belonged to Chani Kynes, with whom he would have two children. Following Chani’s death and Paul’s peace out into the desert, Irulan became the guardian of the Atriedes twins.

    Pugh’s ascendancy to stardom has been on a steep trajectory since 2019’s Midsommmar. The actress quickly became a favorite of MCU fans following her debut as Yelena Belova in Black Widow, and her return in the role in the streaming series Hawkeye has only pushed her further into the spotlight.

    Production on the Dune sequel is expected to get underway in full this summer ahead of an October 20, 2023 release. The film, helmed by the epically revered ubermegatronisionay Villeneuve, will see Timothy Chalamet and Zendaya return to the roles of Paul and Chani, respectively, with the expectation that it will cover the other 1/3 of the book left out of the original.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    ‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Star Harvey Guillén in talks to Join ‘Blue Beetle’

    Not too long ago, we reported that Blue Beetle is set to begin production soon, as it seemingly was eyeing to potentially kick-off early 2022. We have not heard much on the rest of the casting outside of its titular star Xolo Mariduena. Luckily, the wait has come to an end, as Deadline is now reporting that What We Do In The Shadows star Harvey Guillén is currently in talks to join the upcoming DCEU film in a key role. Sadly, they won’t give away who he is playing as the story remains under wraps.

    Jaime Reyes is the third and most popular character to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle. This iteration started fighting crime after a Blue Scarab of alien origin attached itself to his back. It allows him to manifest exoskeleton armor and multiple types of weapons, which includes sonic emitters and energy cannons. It remains unknown if the mentor and previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord will make an appearance in the film, but DC Fandome concept art may have hinted at his involvement.

    The film was previously set to be one of the first exclusive DC films for HBO Max but a while back had its release strategy switched up. The studio instead decided the film would better fit a theatrical release instead of direct to streaming. Blue Beetle is set to be directed by Angel Manuel Soto, best known for his work on the HBO film Charm City Kings with a script from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. The film is currently set to hit theaters on August 18th, 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • New ‘Shang-Chi’ Concept Art Includes Deadpool Fighting Proxima Night

    New ‘Shang-Chi’ Concept Art Includes Deadpool Fighting Proxima Night

    We know that Marvel Studios invests a lot of time in creating concept art for various versions of the scripts to help its writers get a feeling for how these projects come together. Sometimes it offers a look behind-the-scenes on what ideas were pitched throughout the development, and it seems that a new piece of concept art from Andrew Kim reveals a different battle in the fighting cage sequence of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While we got Wong fighting Abomination in the film, it seems that at one point it included a battle between Avengers: Infinity War‘s Proxima Midnight and Deadpool.

    Env_SiFanNightClub_v007_WIP_NewFightArenaPOV_190904_AK.jpg

    It’s unclear if this was just drawn for fun, as Proxima Midnight not only died in Infinity War but even got snapped again in Avengers: Endgame. So, her inclusion in Golden Daggers Club makes less sense than the fourth-wall-breaking merch with a mouth. While it may have been jarring to see him included, especially with the character’s connection to the Fox universe. So, even if this isn’t just a joke by the artist, it may have been a bit jarring to suddenly see him show up out of nowhere for some fans.

    Sadly, it seems very unlikely that this was ever planned, and the inclusion of Abomination was a great move, especially with his confirmed appearance in She-Hulk. Plus, we got some fun with Wong that opened up a lot of questions about what the future has in store for these characters. A sudden return of Proxima Midnight might have many scratching their head, though Deadpool could’ve dragged her from the multiverse for fun. It might’ve been too distracting in the middle of a new solo film that would have distracted viewers. Still, it’s a great looking concept art and hopefully we get to revisit this cage fight at a later point.

    Source: Andrew Kim

  • ‘The Batman’s HBO Max Release Confirmed for April

    ‘The Batman’s HBO Max Release Confirmed for April

    We’ve entered a new age where film release windows will be quite a bit shorter than they were in the past. While Warner Bros. is moving away from the day-and-date simultaneous release model, they still are working with a new 45-day release window moving forward. One of the first affected by it is The Batman, which had many wonders when they might expect it to release on HBO Max exactly. Luckily, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has outright confirmed its exact release date on Vox’s Recode podcast. In it, he confirmed that it will release on April 19th on the service.

    Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere. The Batman is going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max.

    Jason Kilar

    It’s not going to be the only film to release within this schedule, as Kilar further highlighted that it’ll affect other big DC tentpole releases, such as Black Adam, and The Flash.

    I feel really, really good knowing that The Batman, and Black Adam, and The Flash, and Elvis, and a whole host of other movies, are literally going to be showing up on day 46 on HBO Max in a variety of territories all over the world. That is a very, very big change that I don’t think people appreciate, and I feel really good about it.

    Jason Kilar

    It’s uncertain how this might affect the film’s box office, as quite a few releases tend to make a lot during their runtime. Yet, the pandemic has shown that the latest release doesn’t truly impact the films too strongly, but it also depends on whatever the release is. It still seems like a possible $1 billion might be in its future, but we’ll see what happens once it releases digitally.

    Source: Vox’s Recode via IGN

  • ‘The Batman’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Gotham City

    ‘The Batman’ Concept Art Offers Closer Look at Gotham City

    The Batman has finally been released in theaters, and it may have given us the most atmospheric take of Batman and Gotham City on the silver screen. Luckily, it seems that artist Jaime Jones has shared some of his work that helped set the design for Matt Reeves‘ take on the iconic city alongside designer James Chinlund. The designs are great, and you can see a lot of the influences that would find their way into the final product. I do wish we got a shot of Batman hanging above a misty Gotham like the first image, but there’s always the potential sequel to further explore different corners of the city.

    This new take on the iconic Caped Crusader has opened up many new avenues to explore, especially with its unique take on the character and its world. Here’s hoping that we get many more atmospheric shots as we explore more of Gotham City in potential sequels and the spinoffs. While we got a good look at the city, it does feel like we’ve only scratched the surface, especially with the tease of an Arkham Asylum spinoff in development.

    Source: Twitter

  • Barry Jenkins Teases His Upcoming ‘The Lion King’ Prequel

    Barry Jenkins Teases His Upcoming ‘The Lion King’ Prequel

    It’s still strange to think just how popular the live-action remake of the original Disney classic, The Lion King, ended up being. It was quite the box office success, and they quickly fast-tracked a prequel series focusing on Mufasa’s upbringing into becoming the iconic king that we see in the film. We haven’t heard much since Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre joined the cast of Barry Jenkins‘ film. Luckily, Variety got a chance to interview the director, who gave a few teases on the film.

    There were hints that Nicholas Britell has joined the production back in December, but luckily Jenkins not only confirmed his involvement but also that they are trying to build upon what Hans Zimmer established with the previous entry. While they are big shoes to fill, Jenkins is quite confident they can do so.

    Nicholas Britell’s gonna do his thing. He always does it well. There’s a whole legacy of music that Hans [Zimmer] created that we’re gonna live up to

    Barry Jenkins

    That is not all, as he does continue to tease the film’s place as a prequel and offers a glimpse of what the direction will be for the upcoming film. It looks like we’re definitely going to explore the early days of Mufasa and what made him the king we remember.

    Kings aren’t just born, they aren’t just made. They have to become who they are.

    Barry Jenkins

    It’s not a lot to go by, but it does further hint that we’re definitely in for more of what we saw from Jon Favreau‘s film. Jenkins seems quite excited about the project and how it’ll push him as a filmmaker. The effects were groundbreaking for when the last film was released, and we’ll see how this sequel might try to push it even further.

    Source: Twitter

  • Robert Pattinson Interested in Joining Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ Sequel

    Robert Pattinson Interested in Joining Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ Sequel

    Robert Pattinson has been vocally interested in his excitement to expand The Batman as a franchise. While he mainly talked about turning it into a trilogy, it seems that he’s gotten a taste for blockbuster releases with his recent work in them. In an interview with Variety, the actor has revealed that he’s also actively interested in appearing in a sequel for Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune.

    I love those “Apes” movies so much. There’s only been two movies — well, three now — where I wanted to do a sequel: the “Apes” movies, “Sicario” and “Dune.” I saw both of the “Apes” movies in the cinema and I just thought what he could do with mo-cap was just so unbelievable. If he could do that with a monkey’s face, then he can get a performance out of me as well.

    Robert Pattinson

    After the success of the first entry, Villeneuve‘s space opera and desert planet epic were fast-tracked for a sequel, as the director already mapped out the trilogy he wants to tell. After an interview with the director hit the web that he may already be eyeing to add Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen into the sequel. As such, he may be a potential role for Pattinson if they are already busy casting. We only have the confirmation that the original cast will return. So, we might get some hints later this year as they prepare for production.

    Source: Variety

  • Rudy Pankow on a Potential Return for an ‘Uncharted’ Sequel 

    Rudy Pankow on a Potential Return for an ‘Uncharted’ Sequel 

    Sony’s recently released Uncharted movie was full of twists and turns, but perhaps the biggest surprise for fans was the inclusion of Rudy Pankow as Nathan Drake’s brother Sam. Trailers for the film had already revealed the elder Drake would have an impact on the story, but Pankow’s casting and Sam’s actual appearance were kept a secret until the project hit theaters. The movie’s post-credits scene strongly hinted that the character would be back in a potential sequel, though whether or not the Outer Banks star will return to play him seems up in the air.

    After all, Sam would have aged quite a bit in the film series’ timeline, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the studio cast an older actor when the time comes. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, however, Pankow voiced his desire to come back for another round. Despite the fact that, apparently, it wasn’t even him we saw in the film’s stinger:


    That [second-to-last] scene with the bearded guy, that was not me. I don’t know if I should have said that or not, but I will stay true to the fact that it was not me. I don’t think I should have expectations, but at the same time, my fingers are crossed. So I hope it goes in that direction, and I hope that they just throw a couple of scruffies on my chin so I can play a late-20s to 30-year-old Sam. I would also get a little bigger for the role, so I think I can pull it off. So if there is a sequel, the fates will decide what will happen, but it would be a blast to hunt treasure alongside Tom Holland.

    Rudy Pankow


    An Uncharted sequel has not yet been given the go-ahead, but the first film’s success would indicate it will happen eventually. If Sam does play a big role, it will be a departure from the game series, which doesn’t see the brother reunite in person until much further down the line.


    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • UPDATE: ‘The Batman’ Eyeing a $120M+ Domestic Opening Weekend

    UPDATE: ‘The Batman’ Eyeing a $120M+ Domestic Opening Weekend

    UPDATE: It looks like there’s been an update on the numbers, as the final cume for Friday has arrived with $57M. While it’s only $2M higher than the previously reported number, it does bump The Batman to a potential $120M.

    Source: THR

    Just yesterday, we learned that The Batman took in around $21.6M in its Thursday previews. In total, the film has now made $55M if you include Friday’s box office numbers in the domestic market. As such, it’s definitely on its way to passing $110M over the weekend, but it’s still possible that it could go higher. As such, the film is now the sixth highest opener for March, just behind Alice in Wonderland‘s $116.1M. It’s a strong start for the 2022 box office and is now on its way to becoming the biggest performer for Warner Bros. with a theatrical release since 2019’s Joker, which opened with $96.2M.

    In the pandemic, the film will still fall short of Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s $121.9M but it’ll still take the second-best spot. As pointed out by Deadline, even with non-pandemic times it’s an incredible opening and worthy of praise especially given that the film is also one of the longest releases during these times. At this rate, it’s safe to say that Matt Reeves‘ first foray into Batman may already be on its way to join the $1 billion club by the end of its runtime. It’s only unclear how the 45-day theatrical window might hurt it in the long run.

    Source: Deadline