Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • James Gunn Provides ‘Superman: Legacy’ Casting Update

    James Gunn Provides ‘Superman: Legacy’ Casting Update

    With the script for Superman: Legacy complete, the DC Studios reboot–slated for 2025–is a rarity right now in that it’s not felt the impact of the ongoing WGA strike and is continuing to make pre-production progress. While the potential SAG strike might change things up a bit for James Gunn’s new project, those are still tomorrow’s concerns and so, for now, Gunn is pushing ahead in the search for not only the next Man of Steel but the entire supporting cast.

    According to Deadline, that search has been narrowed down considerably, and, over the weekend, Gunn conducted screen tests with some of the reported favorites for the roles of Kal-El and Lois Lane. Though Gunn has refrained from confirming or denying who might be on his list, it’s been widely reported thay Tom Brittney, David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are among the top contenders for Superman while Rachel Brosnahan, Pheobe Dynevor and Emma Mackey top his list of talent for Lois Lane. And while Gunn is not budging on revealing who he has in his sights for the roles, he did take to Bluesky to update the process.

    “Amazing amazing weekend of auditions for Superman: Legacy,” said Gunn. “I’m blown away by some of these actors, among the best I’ve ever seen or worked with.” Given the array of talented actors Gunn has aligned himself with in the past and the loyalty he has to them, that’s no small compliment coming from the director. With principal photography not set to begin until January 2024, Gunn still has plenty of time to find the right fit for each role and to make sure the actors have the right chemistry with one another.

    Superman: Legacy is slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

  • ‘Blue Beetle’ Director Angel Manuel Soto Explains Plans for a “Saga” & Where the Film Fits in the New DCU

    ‘Blue Beetle’ Director Angel Manuel Soto Explains Plans for a “Saga” & Where the Film Fits in the New DCU

    DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn recently clarified that the upcoming film Blue Beetle will be the first project in the all-new, all-different DCU. The film, which hits theaters on August 18, 2023 stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes and was directed by Angel Miguel Soto, was originally slated to release on HBO Max Warner Bros. changed gears and pushed it into theaters, providing a bigger platform for the film. Now that its place in the new DCU is settled, it seems like it might just be the beginning for the character.

    “Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least,” Soto told Total Film. “And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga,” the director explained, indicating big plans for Maridueña‘s Reyes.

    Soto went on to explain that Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran have been putting in some work behind the scenes to make sure Blue Beetle can not only stand on its own but also be fully integrated into the future of the DCU. “We are part of the universe, we are part of the world,” explained Soto. “We are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future installments of the DCU but we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn’t mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going,” indicating that perhaps Reyes will soon have the chance to interact with some of the other heavy hitters that will populate the new shared universe.

    As for what those plans are, it may be a while before we all find out. The ongoing WGA strike and the looming SAG strike will certainly go a long way in determining when Jamie Reyes pops up next in the DCU.

    Source: Total Film via Games Radar

  • ‘The Flash’s Sasha Calle Met With DC Studios Heads to Return as Supergirl

    ‘The Flash’s Sasha Calle Met With DC Studios Heads to Return as Supergirl

    The Flash may have had a rocky weekend at the box office, but many seem to agree that the biggest part is Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. While we’re entering a new DC Cinematic Universe under the new leadership of Peter Safran and James Gunn, the future for many existing characters is uncertain.

    Luckily, it seems that Calle is not going to just accept she won’t return and is seemingly already in talks. In an interview with USA Today, she revealed that she’s already in talks with Peter Safran to potentially return. Sbe also goes on to highlight her love for portraying Supergirl.

    I hope to continue playing Supergirl. I love her so deeply and I feel so connected to her.

    Sasha Calle

    It’s always great to see such a talent love the character they portray and the determination to return as much as they could to keep playing them. While her future remains a mystery given the multiversal storyline of The Flash, there’s always a way for them to bring her back. They have a Supergirl film planned later down the line and it would be a shame not to bring her back.

    Source: USA Today

  • ‘The Flash’ Stumbles to $55M in its Opening 3-Day Weekend

    ‘The Flash’ Stumbles to $55M in its Opening 3-Day Weekend

    It’s not looking good for releases this Juneteenth holiday weekend, as some of the biggest releases of the summer are not performing as one would hope. While most expected Elemental to have a softer opening due to Pixar’s unique situation with the Disney+ releases throughout the last few years, The Flash is a very different story. Yes, it was a troubled production due to its star but with a B CinemaScore, expectations still had it hitting around $70M throughout the three-day weekend.

    Early estimates after a softer-than-expected Friday did retract that to them reaching that high throughout a four-day weekend with at least $60M in the bank. Mixed word-of-mouth might not carry it throughout the upcoming weeks. However, it still had the potential that people pick it up afterward due to long-time fans wanting to relive the DCEU before it is closed completely. Though that B CinemaScore has been quite detrimental to recent films as it stands for an “I’ll get it on streaming later” kind of tepid reaction.

    Now, the film has hit a snag and is likely to open around $55.1M over three days. Four-day predictions range from a low $62M to $64M which doesn’t look good for the film to make up its ballooning budget. It would place the film even behind Black Adam’s $67M that it made in just three days. Though, that film had the star power of Dwayne Johnson to push it forward a bit even with a C-list character. Yet, one could argue that The Flash is one of the biggest members of the Justice League and should be a crowd-pleaser.

    Elemental continues to show a different side of the streaming issue due to it being set to open around $29.5M over a three-day weekend. That would make it the lowest opening weekend for any Pixar title since the original Toy Story almost 30 years ago. Also, it only pulled in $17M in its first 17 markets. Even an A CinemaScore will have to go a long way to build up that loss in box office revenue.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • CONFIRMED: ‘The Flash’ Director to Tackle DCU’s New Batman

    CONFIRMED: ‘The Flash’ Director to Tackle DCU’s New Batman

    The Flash has had a rough development cycle throughout the last few years, but it still managed to put Andy Muschietti on Warner Bros. Discovery’s radar as someone that can tackle a good slew of projects. As first reported by One Take News, he has seemingly also nabbed the job to direct the new DC Cinematic Universe’s Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold inspired by the iconic comic storyline of the same name.

    DC Studios presidents James Gunn and Peter Safran shared the following statement on adding him to their new slew of directors.

    We saw The Flash even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director but a massive DC fan. It’s a magnificent film – funny, emotional, thrilling – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through every frame. So, when it came time to find a director for The Brave and the Bold, there was really only one choice. Luckily, Andy said yes. Barbara signed on to produce with us and we were on our way. They’re an extraordinary team, and we couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU .

    James Gunn and Peter Safran

    There currently is no writer attached, but that isn’t too surprising given that the WGA strike is still going on. Interestingly enough, Christina Hodson was at one point attached but decided to tackle the eleventh Fast and Furious film. For now, they may have attached a director but it seems unlikely that they’ll get the project moving until the writer’s strike wraps up.

    Source: One Take News, The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Flash’ Losing Momentum as ‘Elemental’ Fizzles Out on Opening Weekend

    ‘The Flash’ Losing Momentum as ‘Elemental’ Fizzles Out on Opening Weekend

    It’s not looking too good for Warner Bros. Discovery’s ambitious direction with The Flash. They were all-in by not even promoting most of their DC line-up ahead of the DC Cinematic Universe revival. all their chips were set in the film that was mired with controversies due to its leading star, Ezra Miller, being caught in a slew of criminal acts. Now, the film has finally been released after a nine-year-long production hell and sadly, it’s not keeping up with what CEO David Zaslav may have hoped for.

    After a decent take of $9.7M in previews, the film opened to around $24.5M on Friday, which includes those previews. While the film is very likely still take the top spot, it doesn’t seem like the film might hit the hoped $85M over the weekend. It’s heading towards a similar opening to 2022’s Black Adam and 2018’s Aquaman. Though the latter had the holiday season to rack up more at the box office than the former.

    The film went all-in with a multiverse storyline, nostalgia bait with Michael Keaton back as Batman after 31 years, and Snyderverse callbacks like the return of Michael Shannon’s Zod. Most of the promotion mostly ignored Miller and primarily used the rest of its cast to promote the team. Yet, the big issue is the B CinemaScore, which puts it lower than Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

    Audiences have become quite a bit pickier in their cinematic flair. So, just doing the usual won’t keep you strong at the box office. Even Marvel isn’t safe as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania pulled in a similar CinemaScore but seems to have a bigger life once it hit streaming. After training audiences that release windows are quite a bit shorter, they are willing (especially families) to wait it out if there’s not something that keeps them coming back.

    Deadline believes the film is heading to a likely $60M 3-day opening, which is even further away from the lower expectations the films had. It could use the Juneteenth holiday to grow to $70M over 4 days but that is even lower than what an Ant-Man film managed in its opening weekend earlier this year. Perhaps billing this film as “the greatest superhero movie ever made” has greatly backfired with the film having a low PostTrak exit of only 59% recommendation.

    That isn’t the only depressing news, as Elemental isn’t looking much better either. It’s likely not going to open above $30M, as it currently is projected to hit $28.5M over three days. It likely not even outpace Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse going into its third weekend. Estimates did, however, expect an opening around that size. It did get an A CinemaScore and people seem to love it. So, perhaps it can make up for it in upcoming weekends similar to some of Pixar’s earliest releases.

    Surprisingly, it seems that this weekend is generally not a good one for cinemas. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has dropped considerably in its third weekend, as it currently stands to drop 68%, which could rival any of the biggest superhero drops throughout the last few years. It is ahead of Transformers: The Last Knight slightly, but it’s unclear if it might even break $130M in cinemas.

    Source: Variety, Deadline, The Wrap

  • ‘The Flash’ Director on How He Approached DC Film’s VFX

    ‘The Flash’ Director on How He Approached DC Film’s VFX

    The Flash has just hit theaters this week after a long wait. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed it as the best superhero film he’s ever seen. They had a variety of big names like Tom Cruise and Stephen King openly sharing their love for the film. Yet, it still has hit a rather surprising mixed reception from the internet with the VFX becoming a hot topic online.

    In an interview with Gizmodo, director Andy Muschietti had a chance to discuss his approach to establishing a unique view from someone that is moving at a speed that would distort light and texture. While one can discuss if he managed to do what he was aiming for, it definitely stirred some discussions online.

    The idea, of course, is…we are in the perspective of the Flash. Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures.

    Andy Muschietti

    There’s been a big discussion point surrounding VFX for quite some time, especially when it came to some of the latest Marvel Studios releases. People have nitpicked quite a few films based on one or two sequences as a standard of quality for an entire production. So, some may have very different experiences with these projects and there are some VFXs that may be perceived as “bad” as a result of how one can perceive effects. Either way, it seems this discussion point isn’t going away anytime soon.

    Source: Gizmodo

  • ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Finds its Shao Kahn as Many Familiar Faces Return

    ‘Mortal Kombat 2’ Finds its Shao Kahn as Many Familiar Faces Return

    It looks like the sequel to 2021’s Mortal Kombat has been quite busy casting throughout the last few months, as they are unveiling a slew of new characters joining the upcoming sequel. Surprisingly, we also finally have some news on who is set to return from the first film, which was surprisingly kept quiet up until this point even with the massive cast that the film had. Let’s kick it off with the big additions with some familiar names.

    We already know that Karl Urban, Tati Gabrielle, and Adeline Rudolph have joined the cast. Now, we’ve also learned that Martyn Ford will play the one and only Shao Kahn. Desmond Chiam will take on the role of Kiong Jerrod. while Ana Thu Nguyen and Damon Herriman are playing Sindel and Quan Chi respectively. It looks like we’re about to see many more faces from beyond the Earthrealm in the upcoming sequel.

    They are joining an already massive cast with Lewis Tan’s Cole Young, Jessica McNamee’s Sonya Balde, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin’s Liu Kang, Chin Han’s Shang Tsung, Max Huang as Kung Lao, and Tadanobu Asano’s Lord Raiden. Surprisingly, there’s mention that Joe Taslim is also going to return as Bi-Han in the sequel, but there’s no mention if we might see Kuai Liang in the sequel.

    They also mention Josh Lawson’s Kano as part of the cast, as the character also faced an untimely end in that film. There’s no mention of Mileena or Kabal appearing in the sequel, but there’s still a chance they could appear if they introduce Revenants. Hiroyuki Sanada is also going to once again play Scorpion, who was the highlight in the 2021 release.

    Source: The Hollywood reporter

  • Illumination Head Denies Recent ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Rumors

    Illumination Head Denies Recent ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Rumors

    Not too long ago, there was a rumor circulating that Illumination and Nintendo were already setting their eyes on the next franchise to adapt. While most assumed we’d be seeing more from Super Mario Bros., the rumor hinted that Nintendo might be hoping to also work with the animation company to adapt one of their other iconic franchises, The Legend of Zelda.

    Studio head Chris Meledandri got a chance to denounce the rumors in an interview with The Wrap and offers some insight into why he believes the rumor made the rounds. Mostly his close ties with Nintendo and the success of working on The Super Mario Bros. Movie that people naturally make the assumption that they’d jump into any project they might want to animate.

    I don’t know where that came from. I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together. My relationship with Nintendo now includes being on their board of directors, so I understand how people can surmise these things. But in terms of the specifics, that was just something that I’ve been hearing lots of reports. This is just about what’s next between Nintendo and Illumination.

    Chris Meledandri

    There was some concern that the rumor ended up true. Illumination’s animation style meshed quite well with a character like Mario, whose variety of projects offers them to establish their own take on the character while staying true to the source material. The Legend of Zelda simply wouldn’t mesh well with the way they tackle their projects, even if they’d go with a take inspired by the character’s more chibi designs from the earliest days.

    Source: The Wrap

  • ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff Starring Bad Bunny’s Seemingly Still Happening

    ‘Spider-Man’ Spinoff Starring Bad Bunny’s Seemingly Still Happening

    You might remember some time ago that the studio behind Morbius announced that they are adapting another iconic Marvel character for the silver screen. While many might have gone through a slew of Spider-Man characters, no one very likely didn’t think it would end up being El Muerto. The character had only a tiny role in the comics and seemed like the last character anyone would expect to get their own film.

    Overall, it seems a big push is from singer and actor Bad Bunny, who wants to portray the character in the Sony film. Most expected that the film may lose steam quite a bit and with the WGA strike, they may have just postponed the production indefinitely. Surprisingly though, Collider is reporting that the film may very likely start production in August.

    We don’t know if this film might be more of a standalone project and just hint at the wider universe. It would seem rather bizarre to include this character as part of a Sinister Six that was teased during Morbius. We don’t know if Venom might also tie into this universe given that a third film is on the horizon, which may potentially even be a final entry for Tom Hardy’s time with the franchise.

    Source: Collider