Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • Vin Diesel Reveals When Fans Can Expect ‘Fast X: Part 2’

    Vin Diesel Reveals When Fans Can Expect ‘Fast X: Part 2’

    Though it hasn’t set the world on fire critically or financially, Fast X will have not one but two sequels released theatrically to wrap up the central series of the Fast franchise. Prior to the mid-May release of Fast X, it was believed that the series would wrap with whatever nonsensical title the studio could come up with for the eleventh entry; however, the big rawry engine behind the series, one Vincent Diesel, revealed a 12th film would be needed to complete the story of THE family. Now, as Fast X hits the downslope of its theatrical run,Vin has decided to reveal the release date of the next “effort” in the franchise.

    Via his Instagram, Diesel let it slip that Fast 11 will hit theaters on April 4th, 2025. According to the Pacifier’s math, that date is “less than 22 months away.” The Knockaround Guy promised fans that much like the entirety of the franchise, the eleventh entry will be an event “like you have never seen.” Given the mediocre box office of Fast X, it’s possible that the eleventh film could just be a rerelease of that film which most of the world has “never seen.”

  • RUMOR: Illumination May Tackle a ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Film Next

    RUMOR: Illumination May Tackle a ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Film Next

    Nintendo might be quite happy with what Illumination and Universal Studios managed to accomplish with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It was a nostalgia-filled romp through the Mushroom Kingdom that brought together the many stories and elements from the franchise’s history. Going by online videos of kids singing Peaches from Jack Black, it definitely was a hit for a new generation as well and it wouldn’t be surprising if they are mapping out a sequel.

    Yet, a new rumor from The Hot Mic might be hinting at them focusing on another project moving forward. Nintendo might be set to once again tackle another one of their iconic franchises with Illumination and it’s none other than their other biggest franchise, The Legend of Zelda. For now, it’s still a rumor but it wouldn’t be too surprising if they are interested in sticking to an animated form and it’s still in a deal closing phase.

    It would be a shame if they are going to restrict themselves to just doing Illumination-style projects, especially with a franchise that has a more clearly defined storyline and high-fantasy concept to work off of. The Legend of Zelda would work quite well in live-action and it would be great to have Nintendo expand its ventures beyond just a single partner that only allows them to put out a restricted amount of projects.

    Plus, if they just stick to Illumination’s style of animation, it would not allow other franchisees to stand out from each other. Metroid would be an amazing science-fiction franchise but they might lean a bit too much into the usual comedy style one sees with Minions, The Secret Lifes of Pets, and more. Of course, it only is a rumor for now but we’ll have to see if they make an announcement at some point in the future.

    Source: YouTube

  • James Gunn and DC Studios Closing in On New Superman & Lois

    James Gunn and DC Studios Closing in On New Superman & Lois

    Superman Legacy is James Gunn’s biggest project yet. Not only is it him tackling a new superhero but it’s also his proof of concept that the DC Cinematic Universe with his leadership will prosper in this new era. So, there’s a lot riding on finding the right person to play the iconic superhero that was previously played by Henry Cavill in the Snyderverse. According to Deadline, it seems that the first in-person meetings are set to take place, interestingly enough, on Father’s Day.

    DC Studios’ CEOs Peter Safran and James Gunn are spearheading the auditionings. So far, it seems Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, and David Corenswet are going to audition for the role. They are also testing for Lois Lane; likely to ensure they can test out the tension between the acting duos as well given how integral their relationships are. Currently, Phoebe Dynevor, Emma Mackey, and Rachel Brosnahan are set to test for the role.

    It’ll be interesting to see what they are looking for, as many still wonder what exactly a Superman film will be by Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn. He definitely has proven his love for the comics and understanding of these universes, but there’s always the question of if he’ll use his iconic style of humor or might try to be a bit more subdued to focus on the messaging he has teased.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Eyeing Soft $70M Opening Weekend

    ‘Indiana Jones 5’ Eyeing Soft $70M Opening Weekend

    It’s looking like the opening weekends are continuing to average at around $70M, as another film is joining that club in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. After The Flash was initially projected with that box office opening, the recent boost for Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse may be a hopeful sign that there’s a bit more momentum building up for bigger releases that have been surprisingly mellow throughout the year. Though, the amount of competition in a post-pandemic world might be doing more harm than good for individual releases.

    Still, the return of Indiana Jones is set to be a big move forward as the final entry for Harrison Ford as the iconic character. So, perhaps a $60M to $70M opening isn’t quite what Disney was looking for given the nostalgia factor was a big driver throughout the last few major releases. It’s on par with the pandemic release of No Time to Die and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, but those had to compete in a very different market.

    The big question mark is that without a bigger marketing push, this film will open below 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That was around $100M across three days but even with conservative predictions, it’s a bit of a headscratcher given how off some have been as of late. The big problem is that Indiana Jones‘ latest entry is expensive at a staggering $295M, which means the film needs to at least make $600M just to cover its production costs. Even with good legs, it might look like it’s a loss for Lucasfilm.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter, The Direct

  • Chris Hemsworth Reflects on the “Too Silly” ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Addresses the Future of the Franchise

    Chris Hemsworth Reflects on the “Too Silly” ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Addresses the Future of the Franchise

    Following the critical and financial success of Thor: Ragnarok, a film that saw Taika Waititi deconstruct Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor only to build him back up into something bombastic and new, the green light was quickly given to a fourth installment in the Thor series. That film, Thor: Love and Thunder, seemed to indicate that Waititi learned all the wrong lessons from his time on Ragnarok and while it did just fine at the box office, critics and fans alike found it far less pleasing than its predecessor.

    Though the film leaves plenty of room for Hemsworth to return for another classic Thor adventure and the actor has said he’d be up for it if the script is right, savvy audience members who have read between the lines of Hemsworth’s interviews have oft noted something is rotten in the state of Asgard. Simply put, it doesn’t seem likely that Hemsworth and Waititi will be teaming up for Thor 5 unless the director comes up with a major course correction.

    In a lengthy interview with GQ, Hemsworth shed some on his past as the God of Thunder and what it would take for him to have a future in the role. “I love the experience,” said Hemsworth of playing Thor. “I love the fact that I’ve been able to do something fairly different throughout the process. Thor 1 and 2 were their own thing, Thor 3 and 4 were a very different feel… and then even Avengers, the Lebowski Thor, the Infinity War Thor, due to different directors and I think mostly my own need to do something different.”

    That “different” seems to be central to Hemsworth’s willingness to return to the character. “You know, I got sick of the character pretty quick every couple of years,” joked Hemsworth. “If I was going to do something again it would have to be tonally different. And we’d have to do something very drastic to keep people on their toes. Otherwise, it’s just the fatigue of those characters and those films, where people are like, ‘I’ve seen it.’“

    Part of Hemsworth’s concern comes from a more mature perspective. After being constantly busy for over a decade, he’s begun to slow down to spend more time with his family and, in that time, become a bit more contemplative about how he’d like his career to be shaped in the future and what legacy he’ll leave behind. “I’ve had my next job booked two or three years ahead of me for the last 12 years,” he says, noting that he doesn’t quite know what he’ll do next. Whatever it is “has to be more than a career move,” explained Hemsworth, an a project “worthy of my time.” As he ponders whether or not there’s more Thor in his future, there’s noteworthy irony in that statement.

    “Everything has more importance now,” he explains in continuing to discuss how he’ll choose future projects. “Because of the realisation that this isn’t going to last forever. I don’t want to leave a pile of rubbish behind,” Hemsworth says. “And I’m aware that there’s a few misses there.” Was one of those misses Thor: Love and Thunder?

    “‘We thought this one had too much humour, the action was cool but the VFX weren’t as good,’” Hemsworth say, recalling “a bunch of eight-year-olds critiquing” Love and Thunder. As for his own thoughts on the film, it’s safe to say it doesn’t stand among his favorites. “I cringe and laugh equally at it. I think we just had too much fun. It just became too silly,” Hemsworth explained. “It’s always hard being in the centre of it and having any real perspective… I love the process, it’s always a ride. But you just don’t know how people are going to respond.”

    Fortunately for Hemsworth, should he desire to return to the role of Thor, Marvel Comics offer plenty of inspiration for new routes to take with the character. Over more than six decades after first appearing in Journey to Mystery #83, Thor has remained one of the publisher’s most consistently popular characters and his status as a nigh-immortal Asgardian could allow for MCU stories to be told in any era. Perhaps an Old Man Thor story might do the trick as Hemsworth looks to the future of the character.

    Source: GQ

  • Andy Muschetti Responds to Reports He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    Andy Muschetti Responds to Reports He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    When it comes to rumors about talent signing on for superhero projects, fans are conditioned to read between the lines of the lies and denials that always follow when said talent is asked to address said rumors. The disingenuous disinformation and dissembling have, unfortunately, become part of an already aggravated culture around the genre that further complicates the navigation of an increasingly polluted pool of information. So conditioned are fans to this routine that when someone associated with a project, like Agatha: Coven of Chaos actress Patti Lupone willingly shares truthful information about a project, it becomes breaking news. And, on that note, The Flash director Andy Muschietti has created some breaking news.

    Shortly after a new report backed up old rumors about Muschietti signing on to helm DC Studios’ undated The Brave and the Bold, Fandango’s Erik Davis asked the director if all the hubbub had any merit…and Muschietti did not lie. When asked by Davis if he would like to direct another project in James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new DCU, Muschietti responded with uncommon honesty. “We would love to,” said Muschietti before adding, “We can’t speak about those things yet but it feels like a very exciting possibility.“

    One has to wonder if Muschietti’s response might offer a glimpse into a way of doing business that has long been modeled online by Gunn. Though Gunn isn’t quick to dish out spoilers, he’s quite consistently been honest and forthcoming and, when neither of those is possible for whatever reason, he typically notes that he can’t talk about the topic at the moment. In the cast of The Brave and the Bold, it’s a very real possibility that while Muschietti is in line to helm the project, he hasn’t closed a deal just yet. Even if he has, nobody could argue that stating he can’t talk about the project just yet is a worse choice than denying it outright only to be revealed as the director down the road. Let’s hope this newfangled trend of telling the truth catches on in superhero circles.

    Source: Twitter

  • Anthony Mackie Confirms New Title for ‘Captain America 4’

    Anthony Mackie Confirms New Title for ‘Captain America 4’

    For some time now, rumors have swirled that the fourth installment of the Captain America franchise would not release under the title Captain America: New World Order. Now, a new subtitle for the film has been revealed via Anthony Mackie‘s Instagram.

    As seen on the chairs of Mackie and co-star Harrison Ford, the film will now be released as Captain America: Brave New World. The previous subtitle certainly carried with it some problematic sociopolitical connotations that are absent in the new, if not somewhat underwhelming and unexciting, subtitle. Of course, if the film is good, nobody will really care what the subtitle was. For example, recall all the hype and buildup around what the fourth Avengers film would be subtitled and the online hysteria when it was revealed to be Endgame. 4 years hence, nobody seems to care much that Endgame was the subtitle.

    Brave New World is rumored to center around the governments of the world–and some non-governmental entities–working to win the race to harvest Adamantium from the corpse of Tiamut the Celestial. The film will also feature the debut of the Serpent Society and see the return of a pair of characters who haven’t been seen in the MCU since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk: Tim Blake Nelson‘s Samuel Sterns and Liv Tyler‘s Betty Ross.

    Directed by Julius Onah, Captain America: Brave New World is still scheduled to land in theaters on May 3, 2024.

  • Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Becky G Joins ‘Blue Beetle’ as the Scarab’s AI

    Blue Beetle is the only HBO Max original DC film that managed to survive Warner Bros. Discovery’s purge. While Batgirl might sadly never see the light of day, we’ll get to explore the story of Jaime Reyes who ends up having an extraterrestrial bug attached to his back. While we still have some time before the film releases as all eyes are on The Flash, it seems a major casting has been revealed.

    Ángel Manuel Soto’s film will seemingly integrate some familiar elements from other tech-based superheroes as the alien Scarab will have a voice. And it seems the one to voice the being is nonother than Rebbeca Marie Gomez, better known as the singer Becky G. She’ll be joining Xolo Mariduena, who played Jaime, in his unlikely adventure of becoming a new hero.

    The entity she voices will be named Khaji-Da and we already got a tease of her voice in a teaser that has found its way online, as shared by @bluebeetlenews on Twitter. It seems they are adding some more distortions to her voice but it’s definitely strongly inspired by the AI voices we’ve seen with Iron Man and Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’ll be interesting to see how they try to make this dynamic stand out.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Boogeyman’ Grades Out with a Terrifying Cinemascore

    ‘The Boogeyman’ Grades Out with a Terrifying Cinemascore

    Based on a short story by Stephen King, The Boogeyman was initially intended to release on Hulu before getting upgraded to a full theatrical release. While the film has not been a huge hit with critics, it is holding on to a Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes with a 60%. After opening night, however, its Cinemascore indicates it may have been better off heading straight to streaming.

    Opening night audiences have chimed in and given director Rob Savage‘s adaptation of King’s 1973 short a B-. That score puts it on par with recent horror and horror-ish films The Pope’s Exorcist and Renfield and combined with the projected $15M opening weekend box office take (it’s up against Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, for Pete’s or Miles’ sake) does not bode well for a long and successful theatrical run.

    Regarded as one of King’s more terrifying works of fiction, The Boogeyman tells the tale of a man named Lester Billings and his horrific history with the titular monster. While critics have praised the atmosphere of the film adaptation, they’ve been less bullish on the creative choices made jumping from page to screen, insisting something was lost in translation.

    You can read our review here and check The Boogeyman out for yourself in theaters.

    Source: Cinemascore

  • ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Headed for a Huge Opening Weekend Box Office Take

    ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Headed for a Huge Opening Weekend Box Office Take

    Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been one of the most anticipated films of 2023 and it looks like that’s going to translate into a monster opening weekend at the box office. With the film’s preview night generating a huge take, it’s now on track to have one of 2023’s best first weekends.

    The sequel to the 2018 hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse took in a massive $17.3M which is nearly five times more than its predecessor. It also ranks as the second-highest preview night take for an animated film, falling in line behind the $18.5M Incredibles 2 earned. So far in 2023, only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has had a better first Thursday but not by much as the James Gunn sendoff took in $17.5M.

    The huge preview night plus the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the film now have it on pace for an opening weekend in the range of $115-$125M, up significantly from the earlier predictions of $75-$90M. For comparison’s sake, Into the Spider-Verse opened to just north of $35M in 2018. With the new film grossing nearly half that much on its first Thursday, this will be a fun film to track!

    Source: Deadline