Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • More Additional Photogrpahy Planned for ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    More Additional Photogrpahy Planned for ‘Doctor Strange’ Sequel

    Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the first of many dominoes in Marvel Studios recent shift of of their upcoming release slate, moving off of its March 25th, 2022 date to May 6th, 2022. Marvel Entertainment CCO Kevin Feige attributed the shifting slate to production shifts and changes and now we might have a little clearer idea of what he meant thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch.

    In an interview with the Today Show, Cumberbatch indicated that the sequel, which began filming last November, is scheduled to undergo additional photography over the next two months.

    Additional photography is something that Marvel Studios has scheduled into its productions, but in an interview earlier this year, Cumberbatch indicated the planned reshoots were supposed to wrap in September. Whether those reshoots were delayed or these reshoots are in addition to those is unclear; however, in any case, it certainly seems it’s best practice to have the creative team complete the film they want to put in theaters rather than having a new “Release the (insert director here) cut)” movement on social media every 6 months. The Strange sequel has been entirely reinvented since Scott Derrickson left and Michael Waldron and Sam Raimi took over, so letting those two continue to shape the film until they feel its ready to go is in everyone’s best interest.

  • The Fourth Host: ‘Eternals’ Proves Divisive in First Wave of Reviews

    The Fourth Host: ‘Eternals’ Proves Divisive in First Wave of Reviews

    Marvel Studios Eternals will open up for Thursday night previews in just 10 days and the first wave of reviews from the New York and Los Angeles press screenings and premiers are now online. You can read our review right here, but it is safe to say that the reviews to Marvel Studios 26th film are as divided as any film since 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

    Too Much Talk

    A common criticism of the film is that large portions of it serve as actionless exposition. While that might be expected of a film that attempts to explain the origins of an entire universe, it didn’t land with everyone:

    Peri Nemiroff (YouTube): “The weight of complicated exposition weakens the energy of Eternals a little too often.“

    Rodrigo Perez (Inverse): “Eternals is a chore to explain too, and even comes with an opening “Star Wars”-like crawl—it is by far the Marvel movie with the most mumbo jumbo backstory explaining the setup of things.“

    Different is Good

    Some critics believed that director Chloe Zhao accomplished something truly unlike anything the MCU put to screen before:

    Don Kaye (Den of Geek): “… Marvel Studios’ Eternals doesn’t feel much like the “typical” Marvel movie, whatever that may be.“

    Robert Abele (The Wrap): “But what makes “Eternals” feel special is that, for once, the director genuinely cares as much about the character within that spectacle, as the spectacle itself.“

    Different is Bad

    Other critics believe that Eternals fell short, in part, by moving away from the Marvel formula.

    Steve Rose (The Guardian): “It’s not exactly boring – there’s always something new to behold – but nor it is particularly exciting, and it lacks the breezy wit of Marvel’s best movies.“

    David Ehrlich (Polygon): “By making such an unadventurous movie about how crisis breeds creativity, Marvel effectively illustrates why even the most independent-minded of filmmakers are powerless to evolve an apex predator franchise that doesn’t have any Darwinian impetus to adapt.“

    Reading through a dozen or so reviews, you’ll see some critics praise the use of locations over CGI backdrops and see others cite it as a fault; you’ll see some praise the plot, while others say it’s too dense and complicated. On the whole, the reviews are just as divided on Eternals as the team of Eternals within the movie have become over 7,000 years. As always, the best way to determine how you feel about a film is to see it yourself.

  • Tom Holland Hints at a Mystery Character in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Tom Holland Hints at a Mystery Character in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

    Empire Magazine’s coverage of Spider-Man: No Way Home has been full of interesting quotes but none to date are going to cause as much of a conversation as this one. While discussing his time on the Spider threequel, Tom Holland described “one of the coolest scenes” he’s ever shot and noted that he shared the scene with Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau and an unnamed actor.

    The scene, as described by Holland, includes his Peter Parker sitting at a table with his Aunt May, Happy Hogan and the unrevealed character discussing what it’s like to be a superhero. Given Holland’s hesitancy to reveal anymore info about the scene, it’s pretty clear he’s not talking about Doctor Strange, meaning Holland is confirming that there are some “surprises” still in store for the audience.

    For close to a year now, the worst kept secret in Hollywood has been that the film would see characters from the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-films enter the MCU, including those versions of Peter/Spidey. The first trailer showed us Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and hinted at Willem Dafoe’s Goblin and Emprire’s coverage has mentioned the multiversal nature of the new film, so it’s easy to imagine the scene Holland described being one in which an older Parker (Maguire or Garfield) sits down to discuss the superhero business. Such a conversation would be a fantastic time to have a philosophical discussion about the interpretation of the Uncle Ben’s advice and provide an opportunity for one of the other Spideys to shine.

    With a new trailer expected sometime soon, maybe we’ll get answers to some of these questions…then again, maybe Sony will just keep us guessing until Spider-Man: No Way Home hits theaters on December 17th.

    Source: Empire Magazine

  • First Look at a New, Out-of-this-World Logo for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    First Look at a New, Out-of-this-World Logo for ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’

    Production on Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has been ongoing for several months now and very little has been revealed from the set…until now. Last night, we got our first look at an all-new, all-different logo for the film. As you can see below, the new logo includes some very stylized, alien-like text for the subtitle.

    We know that a Variant of Jonathan Majors He Who Remains will be in the film, so the text could be a reference to his 31st century origins; on the other hand, we also have plenty of reason to believe a portion of the film will take place in the Quantum Realm, a dimension that’s to date only been explored by Janet van Dyne, so it’s possible that the text could be a reference to some of its residents. Of course, it’s also entirely possible that it was just a pretty cool looking logo. Regardless, we might have to wait quite some time before we find out as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania isn’t set to hit theaters until July 28, 2023.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Dune’ Becomes Denis Villeneuve’s Best Domestic Opening with $40.1M

    ‘Dune’ Becomes Denis Villeneuve’s Best Domestic Opening with $40.1M

    As we were going into the weekend, early Thursday numbers were hinting at Dune managing a $30M+ opening in the domestic office. All eyes were on Denis Villeneuve‘s next epic to see if the space opera could make a big splash at the box office. Especially if you consider that it’s also available on HBO Max. Well, the weekend is coming to a close and it garnered around $40M. As such, the film is Warner Bros.’s best box office performer with an HBO release. Not just that, Dune marks Villeneuve‘s best opening ever in the domestic market.

    https://twitter.com/frankpallotta/status/1452288582048178192

    These numbers are a great showcase for its potential staying power at the box office, especially as it’s the biggest debut for Warner Bros. all year. So, it’s definitely a safe bet to think that they would be interested in exploring a sequel entry in the franchise, as it’s also what this film openly sets up at the end. Recently, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff pretty much confirmed that they’re banking on a sequel. So, these numbers might be that extra push to fast-track the project.

    Villeneuve has shared that it’s a passion project. So, it’s always great to see it pay off for him to further explore Arrakis and more of Frank Herbert‘s iconic novels. The film also might’ve given IMAX cinemas an extra push, as it’s the biggest opening for the cinema format since the pandemic started with $9M. It’ll be interesting to see if it holds steady over Halloween and then against Eternals in November.

    Source: Twitter, Variety, Twitter (BO), Twitter (IMAX)

  • Steven Caple Jr. Shares New Look at Optimus Prime As Production Wraps on ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’

    Steven Caple Jr. Shares New Look at Optimus Prime As Production Wraps on ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’

    All eyes have been on the new entry in the Transformers franchise. The subtitle Rise of the Beasts promises a very different take on the characters we’ve seen in cinemas so far. We’ll get to explore many different factions of the famous alien robots and director Steven Caple Jr. has been actively giving us a good look at their production. He shared a look at the Autobots and Decepticons earlier this month but remains coy on the Predacons and Terrorcons who are rumored to appear in the series. Now, as production wraps up, he shared a new look at Optimus Prime’s truck design in the film.

    It feels like production started just recently. So, it’s always a surprise when they share the announcement that production has wrapped up. Caple Jr. has been great at actively sharing from the production, as it offers some insight into what we can expect. The designs seem closer to that what we saw in the Bumblebee film, which was one of the standout aspects of that film. In the film’s opening, we see the blocker designs from the classic cartoons and toy lines. Of course, it still had some elements from Michael Bay‘s run to keep the complexity of what is beneath their exterior.

    Source: Twitter

  • Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Upcoming Marvel Studios Animation Projects to Explore 2D Art Styles

    Ever since we’ve heard that Marvel Studios might expand its animation department, it opened up the floodgates of how they might tackle future projects. What If…? was our gateway into that very mission with its 3D style that brought iconic actors from previous projects to life. Of course, as they expand it opened up the question of how Marvel Studios may approach future animation projects. Would they stick to the one established in the Disney+ series, or might they take a unique take with each project? Well, a new job listing might give us a better hint at an upcoming project.

    What If...? | Disney+ Originals

    Disney and Marvel Studios are actively seeking a 2D/3D FX Designer. What makes this listing interesting is that there’s a strong emphasis on 2D FX work throughout, such as asking to showcase hand-drawn 2D FX abilities, general design work, and general familiarity with 2D animation principles as well as high-end anime 2DFX style. It’s great to see that Marvel Studios isn’t being restrictive to a specific type of animation. It’s one of the advantages of this new venture, as every artist can add their own distinctive style. So far, the only other animation style we heard of was for the upcoming I Am Groot Disney+ series, which supposedly is going for a photo-real 3D style.

    Of course, the implication of familiarity with anime animation is noteworthy but doesn’t mean we’ll get a One Piece or Naruto-styled series. Series like the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles utilized specific animation queues popularized in Japan to bring its action to life. It’s also generally become a trend to make use of its stylized approach to animation in the West. Some classic examples would be Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Samurai Jack, and even Marvel’s own Ultimate Spider-Man. So, it’s not uncommon for the popular genre to be part of 2D artists portfolio in the West nowadays.

    The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2 Ep. 8 - Clip 1 - YouTube

    This isn’t comparable to Star Wars: Visions, which included actual Japanese anime studios to develop its episodes. Yet, there’s always a chance that kind of cooperation is in the cards eventually for other Disney projects. They most likely simply are trying to find talented artists in the industry that have intimate knowledge of the different genres of 2D animation that are currently popular.

    Source: Disney Careers

  • Kevin Feige Calls Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus “Perfect Casting”

    Kevin Feige Calls Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus “Perfect Casting”

    It was in April when Alfred Molina simply confirmed his involvement with Spider-Man: No Way Home. There were countless rumors and theories regarding the return and the actor seemed quite happy to share the information. It was a surprising turn of events, as Marvel studios might be one of the most secretive companies in the industry with strict NDAs. Yet, his open confirmation may have also led to his inclusion in the first trailer, as he signals the beginning of the multiverse.

    In the latest issue by Empire, we’ll finally get some coverage on No Way Home, as we inch closer to his December release. In it, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige briefly teased the upcoming film and how Alfred Molina was “perfect casting” that they never could replicate. As such, entering the multiverse was the perfect way to avoid that issue and bring the actor back in to tackle the role one last time. As he put it:

    I remember having discussions with Amy Pascal years ago. Do we want to revisit villains we’ve seen before?’ No, let’s do Vulture, and Mysterio, and characters we haven’t brought to the screen before. But I remember thinking, ‘How would you even do Doc Ock again?’, because Alfred Molina is perfect casting. If you ever brought him back, it would have to be him somehow.

    Of course, Molina’s take on the character has become an important icon in cinematic villainy. Still, we’ve seen countless versions of the character since that added their own spin. A personal favorite is Scott David Menville‘s interpretation in 2018’s Spider-Man game. There’s also Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s reinterpretation of the character Olivia Octavius, who was brought to life by the always incredible Kathryn Hahn. So, there are opportunities to expand the character from a live-action perspective, but Molina‘s return feels like a perfect final send-off for the character and the franchises that came before.

    Source: Empire

  • ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ To Be the Franchise’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’

    It’s crazy to think that the current version of Spider-Man on the silver screen came from a conversation between Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and Sony’s Amy Pascal. A discussion that ended with a sandwich being flung his way led to a brand new trilogy that’s about to break open the cinematic multiverse as we know it. The return of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock and potentially more iconic faces from the franchise’s long history to appear. So, it’s not a surprise for director Jon Watts to compare it to the recent franchise juggernaut of the MCU, Avengers: Endgame.

    We’re definitely trying to be ambitious. It’s ‘Spider-Man: Endgame’,” he says, laughing, but seemingly not joking. Part of that ambition?

    Jon Watts

    In the same interview, Tom Holland also shared his excitement when he initially made the pitch for the upcoming third entry to include actors from former Spider-Man films. In a way, he believed it was only a joke reference and that it would never happen or get pulled off.

    When I was first pitched the idea, I was like, ‘Wow, that would be awesome if we could pull it off’. But there’s just no way it’s going to work. You’re just not going to be able to get everyone to do what they need to do. It’s just not going to happen.’ But it did happen. And it’s crazy.

    Tom Holland

    It’s certainly insane to think we’re about to enter the multiverse in a big way. With Sony announcing two new Marvel films for 2023, it makes you wonder if they’ll build upon whatever No Way Home sets up. Venom: Let There Be Carnage did tease a potential connection and it might just be the beginning for Holland‘s Spider-Man into the vast multiverse.

    Source: Empire

  • New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    New ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Image Teases Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock

    Ever since the rumors started, it seemed like a crazy idea that Spider-Man would face off against villains from past film franchises. Yet, once the trailer dropped, it all changed. We got various teases throughout the trailer until the final confirmation that Alfred Molina will indeed return as Doctor Octopus. We only briefly saw him at the tail end of the trailer, as he greets Peter. Sadly, the trailer ends there as Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker equips the Iron Spider. Our wait for more has finally come to an end, as Empire shared new exclusive images with one featuring Spidey running away from his new nemesis, who is about to throw a car at him.

    The chosen image is certainly a curious one given how blurry it is. It certainly looks like Spidey knows that he might not have a chance against Doc Ock, but there’s a fun idea of both using their expendable limbs against each other. Yet, he’s using the most advanced version of his suit and is seemingly running away from his new enemy. Perhaps he realizes what he has unleashed and is trying to figure out a way to take him down. To his dismay, this version of Doc Ock already faced off against a Spider-Man and might know his tricks.

    We luckily also got a second image teasing Parker’s suit from Far From Home, which might become a stable design throughout the film. The Empire cover did tease a combination of both designs that he’ll wear at some point in the story. There’s also the black-gold suit that was teased through merchandise and briefly in the first trailer. It’s going to be interesting to see how he’ll juggle all these villains and different costumes throughout the potentially 150-minute long film.

    Source: Empire