Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Movies

  • Letita Wright Teases ‘Black Panther 3’ Being “In the Works”

    Letita Wright Teases ‘Black Panther 3’ Being “In the Works”

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has released last year in theaters and wrapped up Marvel Studios’ 2022 in style. Disney generally ended the year strong with its latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release and the return of Avatar. During the Golden Globes Pre-Show, Variety got a chance to ask Letitia Wright if she might have a hint at what’s in the future. In it, she may have revealed that Black Panther 3 may already be planned.

    I think it’s already in the works. You know we just had a terrific two years of bringing it out and just everyone coming together to support it. We just need a little bit of a break. We need to regroup and Ryan needs to get back into the lab. It’s gonna take a while, but really excited for you guys to see that.

    Letitia Wright

    It definitely sounds like a Black Panther threequel is in the cards, especially after the film had an impressive gross at the box office last year even with some massive challenges; most notably losing its primary headliner Chadwick Boseman. Letitia Wright took over as its titular hero and opens up new avenues for the franchise to grow.

    There are also Wakandan-focused spinoff series in development that may flesh out the aftermath of the events in Wakanda Forever while they try not to rush out a new entry in Ryan Cooglers‘ franchise. He’s also involved with the upcoming Ironheart series, which means he may have enough work to keep him busy before he sits down to write a third Black Panther film.

    Source: Twitter

  • 6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    6 Heroes Who Should Make Up MCU’s New Avengers in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

    While there are plenty of heroes doing good deeds all over the planet, the MCU is currently without a full team of Avengers. Wong and Banner and Carol seem to at least chat from time to time, but there’s no Avengers Mansion and no discernable lineup. Iron Man and Black Widow are dead. Steve Rogers got a life. Smart Hulk and Hawkeye are semi-retired but willing to mix in the occasional mentoring cycle. Vision doesn’t know who he is. Thor’s off-planet being a Dad. Wanda went all Darkholdy. It’s easy enough to keep going to see that the many of those on the roster of heroes who have served on the team, even for a day, are going to be occupied one way or another when a day unlike any other comes around again. So who might be around to assemble when Kang comes to town in 2025? Here are 6 characters who we think should form the MCU’s New Avengers.

    Captain America

    Sam Wilson will have his hands full in Captain America: New World Order, to be sure, but nothing he faces in that movie will be on par with Kang the Conqueror coming to add present-day Earth to his dynasty. The world will need a new team of Avengers and Sam Wilson should be the well-tested, well-respected and perfect choice to bring them together. There’s no talking Kang down, so Sam will have to put together a powerful team to take down the warlord.

    She-Hulk

    Sam and Jen Walters may meet up in Captain America: New World Order, which would make for a perfect segue to her inclusion on the team in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. Jen didn’t want to be a hero but her series taught audiences that she is just about as strong as Bruce’s Hulk and is probably only just growing into her powers. A nearly indestructible Hulk is essentially a must for an Avengers squad and it’s Jen’s time to join the ranks.

    Moon Knight

    As much fun as Oscar Isaac had exploring the multiple personalities of Moon Knight, the safe bet is that Marvel Studios didn’t bring a star like him on board just to do a series. An Avengers film is going to rake in big bucks at the box office no matter what, but having Isaac’s name in the credits certainly isn’t going to drive people away. Adding Moon Knight to the team also provides opportunity for more levity to be written into the script, something Marvel Studios loves to help balance out the tense moments. It also puts Loony Moony shoulder-to-shoulder with Sam Wilson which is the buddy team-up we all need to see.

    Shang-Chi

    Shang-Chi’s rings make him one of the most powerful characters on Earth. They also seem to have some sort of connection to Kang, as does Kamala’s bangle. It’s possible Shang-Chi’s sequel comes before The Kang Dynasty, changing the blueprint a little, but if not, it’s likely that Shang-Chi and his ten rings are right at the center of the plot of the fifth Avengers film.

    Black Panther

    Every Avengers team needs a tech genius and when that genius comes with the added bonus of being powered up and coated in Vibranium, it’s a perfect match. Expect Shuri to play a key role in understanding Shang-Chi’s rings, Kang’s future tech and maybe even helping to arm some of the heroes in the fight against the time-traveling conqueror.

    Spider-Man

    A lot of things could be said about why Spidey belongs on the team but here are the two best reasons (and the only ones you need): Tom Holland isn’t signing back on to a new deal without a couple of appearances in Avengers films and Marvel Studios isn’t going to make Avengers films without their most popular character now that they can use him. I’m not sure how they calculate service time for the Avengers, but Spidey has to be among the most senior members of the team. Wherever he stands, he definitely logged some major experience during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, making him a key member even if nobody remembers who he is.

    Given the number of heroes out there, it’s tough to imagine going 6-for-6. When it’s all said and done, it would be great if even 50% of our list ended up being on the team. Who would you like to see on the new team? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!

  • Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Marvel Exec Confirms ‘Eternals’ Follow-Up in the Plans

    Eternals stands as one of the most divisive (and worst-reviewed) projects Marvel Studios has rolled out to date. Nearly 18 months after its release, no official word about a sequel has emerged from the executive offices and only rumors of a potential spinoff, featuring a character only seen for seconds in a stinger, have made their way around the internet. That character, Starfox, was played, however, by one of the world’s biggest stars in Harry Styles and it sounds like those rumors of a Starfox spinoff project may have some legs to them.

    In an interview with Deadline, Marvel Studios Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore confirmed that there are plans for “more stories to be told” with Styles’ character. “We certainly didn’t cast Harry for a tag,” said Moore, who called Styles’ Starfox “a character maybe I have too much affection for because he’s had some problematic runs in publishing.“

    Of course, those issues the character has had in print don’t need to be translated to the screen and Starfox’s ties to Thanos provide the foundations for the type of legacy stories Marvel Studios could easily turn into interesting stories, especially with Styles at the center of them. In fact, to hear Moore tell it, Starfox may just be Marvel’s “next big thing.”

    But there are more stories to be told with that character. He’s fascinating and he has a really interesting connection with Thanos-they’re half-brothers; they share the same father. He has an interesting power set…he’s a complicated character but a really fun character…and I think there’s no limit to how popular that character’s going to be once we get to bring him back.

    Nate Moore

    When and where those stories fit on Marvel Studios ever-changing upcoming slate remains to be seen, but what can hardly be questioned is the studio’s uncanny ability to match actors and roles. To that end, while they might like to avoid some of the atrocious decisions made by Marvel Publishing over the years, there’s no denying the appeal of the Styles!

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Marvel Studios Exec Names Two X-Men Who Could be Key to the MCU Reboot

    Executive Producer and Parliament member Nate Moore has had an incredible run at Marvel Studios. Moore has worked on four of the studio’s most successful and well-received films (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Eternals, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and is currently prepping Captain America: New World Order, which begins production this spring. While nothing has been announced officially, it’s likely that Moore will have a big role in shaping what’s sure to be the studio’s next big thing after the Multiverse Saga: the X-Men! Disney acquired the live-action rights to the X-Men and related characters in 2019 and while they’ve mixed in some of the characters here and there, they’ve yet to dive in other than announcing that “mutants are coming.” But that’s going to change soon…

    In an interview with Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro, Moore was asked what stories he’d like to see told in the MCU’s future involving Black superheroes and he didn’t hesitate to name to of the X-Men’s most powerful members. “There’s no secret the X-Men are coming home,” said Moore, “and boy, if you talk about Storm and Bishop, those are two of the great characters in that franchise that I certainly ould pitch you ideas all day.“

    Both characters appeared, in name, over the course of Fox’s reign of terror as the right’s holder and sole producer of the X-Men films. While neither character was given proper treatment, the fact that they sit in the front of Moore’s mind when discussing the future of the MCU gives hope. However, fans shouldn’t get too excited to see them any time soon as Moore reminded Alessandro that Marvel Studios is “early, early, early days” in terms of preparing the X-Men to ascend to their rightful place atop the comic book movie hierarchy.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Producer Makes a Bold Comparison to One of Marvel’s Best Films

    Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a game-changer for Marvel Studios. More than just a significant tonal shift from Captain America: The First Avenger, it was a significant tonal shift from pretty much every film that Marvel Studios had released before it and set the path for one of the main plot threads of the Infinity Saga. It’s fair to say that its impact is still being felt as Marvel Studios moves through the Multiverse Saga which will continue when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 on February 17th. There’s been plenty of big talk about the big plans for Quantumania, especially by director Peyton Reed, but according to producer Stephan Broussard, it’s set to be a Winter Soldier-level game-changer.

    Having served as a producer on Captain America: The First Avenger and Ant-Man and The Wasp, Broussard is uniquely positioned to see the similarities between the major shift in directions for both franchises. In describing the impact Quantumania will have on the future of the MCU, Broussard pulled no punches.

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a stand-alone movie with a storyline that will have a significant impact on the future of the MCU. We talk about movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, in which you saw the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it felt like the entirety of the MCU turned on that. Captain America: Civil War was another film where you saw heroes divided and in camps and battle lines being drawn—it really felt like the future of the MCU was going to be defined by the action of that film. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward.

    Stephan Broussard
    Jonathan Majors as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.

    The events of the film will set the stage for multiple upcoming MCU films, something Reed described as “extremely exciting” and not something MCU fans probably expected out of the Ant-Man franchise. Fans of the previous two Ant-Man films should not despair, however, that the third installment will lose focus on the core of what the franchise has always been about: the relationship between Scott and Cassie.

    One of our philosophies that we’ve always applied at the studio is to just go back to character and to root it in character, and the science-fiction and the world-building is fun but ultimately it’s window dressing to the characters who are on this journey. I think as
    long as we never forget that this is a story about a father and his daughter reconnecting, which essentially is what this film is, then the headiness of the multiverse, the headiness of the Quantum Realm sorts itself out because you only need to understand that it’s a father-and-daughter story.

    Stephan Broussard

    Cassie, now played by Kathryn Newton, has always been the apple of Scott’s eye and now that his life has calmed down after the events of Avengers: Endgame, he’s hoping to make up for lost time with his little girl…who is no longer so little. “I really wanted to explore that relationship between Scott and Cassie“, said Reed. “How does Scott relate to her now that she’s an adult?“, he continued. “Cassie is an idealist—she wants to do good in the world, but she’s still trying to figure out what that means for her. She’s trying to find her voice as a young woman. She can be quite critical of her dad, so we had fun with some of the generational divide between father and daughter in this movie.”

    Big action and big heart should make for a big success, giving fans more of what they’ve enjoyed in the first two films while giving others more of what they have been asking for when the film hits theaters next month.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    ‘Quantumania’ Will Explore the Social Politics of a War-Torn Quantum Realm

    Jonathan Majors isn’t playing Kang the newly-elected President of the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Rather, the talented actor is playing Kang the Conqueror, who director Peyton Reed calls “the most powerful being in the multiverse”, and the Quantum Realm will have spent a considerable amount of time learning that lesson when the Ant-Family arrives there in Quantumania.

    As much as the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise will tell the story of Scott, Hope, Cassie, Janet and Hank, it will also tell the story of the Quantum Realm and its inhabitants who it would seem are among the first to fall under Kang’s rule. Though it played a major role in the events of Avengers: Endgame, fans have only briefly glmipsed the Quantum Realm so far. Part of that glimpse teased there was more to the subatomic world than handsome tardigrades and Quantumania is set to explore the cities and civilizations of the Quantum Realm. That meant some serious world building had to take place and producer Stephan Broussard said that meant asking a lot of questions.

    What does technology look like down here? What does society look like down here? What does religion and politics look like down here? I think one of the reasons why the MCU has been successful and had the longevity that it has had so far is that we view new characters and new stories as a chance to kick down the door on whole new worlds.

    Stephan Broussard

    The latest trailer for Quantumania gives fans a look around the Quantum Realm, including some parts of it that look like they’ve been through hell and according to Katy O’Brian, who plays a Quantum Realm native, there’s a good reason for that. O’Brian plays Jentorra, the leader of a group of beings whose life in the Quantum Realm was “turned upside down by Kang.”

    (L-R): Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Kathryn Newton as Cassandra “Cassie” Lang in Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

    Jentorra’s band of creatures, known as the Freedom Fighters, were glimpsed in the initial teaser for Quantumania and will serve as the audience’s window to reality of Kang’s rule over the Quantum Realm, one of which O’Brian paints a grim picuture.

    We’re constantly on the move, constantly running, hiding and trying to fight back and reclaim our homeland. We’re fighting a losing battle—he’s got way more people, we’re outmanned, outgunned. But there’s a little bit of hope we have to hold onto.

    Katy O’Brian

    Though the interests of Jentorra and the Ant-Family may not seem aligned at first as Kang and Scott seem to be intent on working together, the trailer teases a betrayal “by Kang leading to the film evolving into what Broussard calls “an epic sci-fi war movie.” That’s not a description MCU fans ever thought they’d hear associated with the Ant-Man franchise, but Reed’s determination to go bigger and bolder in Quantumania steered the film in that direction. Wars, however, mean casualties and when up against an opponent like Kang, there’s no telling how far he’ll go to get what he wants and who he’ll kill to get it.

    Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th.

  • ‘Quantumania’ Director Peyton Reed on How Jonathan Majors Disrupted the Comedy Franchise

    ‘Quantumania’ Director Peyton Reed on How Jonathan Majors Disrupted the Comedy Franchise

    While Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp might not be categorized as divisive films, the action comedies haven’t been every fan’s cup of tea. Criticized for being too silly and not featuring enough action, the first two films in the franchise have been small-scale films serving as palate cleansers after big Avengers events. Returning director Peyton Reed set out to make Quantumania something much larger and much different and the latest trailer for the film looks like he may have succeeded. No director can do it alone, however, and Reed had quite a bit of help in the form of franchise newcomer Jonathan Majors, who plays one of Marvel Comics great villains, Kang the Conqueror, and who Reed credits with bringing “an entirely different energy to the set” and disrupting the comfortable tone of the franchise.

    Majors wields an incredible amount of talent and charisma and, according to Reed, his presence as the film’s villain on the set of Quantumania was “intimidating.”

    Jonathan brought an entirely different energy to the set. The Ant-Man movies have always been comedies. I like to have a really relaxed, fun set so that the actors can go in front of the camera and feel comfortable trying weird stuff. It’s a safe space. And Jonathan came in as this disruptor—this very intimidating force.

    Peyton Reed

    Reed’s words call to mind impactful performances such as those by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Bill Skarsgård in It where the actors inhabited to roles so fully that their co-stars were put aback. Reed believes that Majors intensity served as the perfect foil to co-star Paul Rudd‘s trademark goofiness, highlighting the significant gap between the two characters.

    It was so great to put that energy up against Paul Rudd’s energy, and it mirrored what we were doing in the movie itself. A lot of people might consider Ant-Man the ‘weakest’ Avenger: ‘What can that guy do? He shrinks and talks to ants. That’s ridiculous.’ Putting that guy up against Kang the Conqueror, who’s the most powerful being in the multiverse—that seemed really exciting to us.

    Peyton Reed

    From the looks of things in the latest trailer, Rudd’s Scott Lang is in for a world of hurt as he goes up against a Kang, who Reed calls “one of the great antagonists in the comics.” The brutal beating Lang took has fans thinking Quantumania might be the end of the road for the character. With the movie’s premiere just over 5 weeks away, fans won’t have to wait long to find out.

  • Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ in Peril, Production is “Absolute Madness”

    Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ in Peril, Production is “Absolute Madness”

    It isn’t looking good for Francis Ford Coppola‘s venture into science fiction with Megalopolis. According to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter, the production currently halfway through filming in Atlanta is not looking good. The biggest loss was that they lost their production designer and supervising art director, which followed losing the entire visual effects team back in December.

    Coppola has self-financed the production and broken the Hollywood rule of “never spend your own money” even if it is a passion project. Megalopolis was a long-time project the filmmaker wanted to bring to life and was going to be produced with an impressive $120M budget, which he financed by selling his wineries in California. Yet, it seems that the budget has started to balloon.

    Now, the big question remains if he can even finish his film, which is being teased as “absolute madness” behind-the-scenes. It seems one of the issues was they initially wanted to use The Mandalorian’s Volume technology which ended up being more costly than expected and are trying to go back to a green-screen approach.

    It seems that Coppola was the one that fired most of the visual effects team with the department following shortly after. The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Mark Russell was leading as the production supervisor and it somewhat feels like a retread of what Coppola did in Dracula 30 years ago. Though generally his greatest hits have seemingly led to some questionable behind-the-scenes developments.

    Production designer Beth Mickle and supervising art director David Scott have also left the project behind, which leaves the project with no art department at all. Yet, Coppola is still hiring new staff for the project. The only question remains if he can continue pushing forward or if he has to resign from his passion project after all.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: Marvel Studios Might Be Fast-Tracking ‘Doctor Strange 3’

    RUMOR: Marvel Studios Might Be Fast-Tracking ‘Doctor Strange 3’

    It looks like the rumor mill is ablaze today, as one story after another has been hitting the web on what exactly the future looks like for Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe. We’ve had to cast rumors for Fantastic Four, hints at various Disney+ shows, and many more, but it seems we have one more story making the rounds. Now, a new rumor from multiple sources has surfaced that Marvel Studios might be fast-tracking a third Doctor Strange film.

    @GGeneralHolt8 better known as Greatphase has seemingly shared online what might be a major shift in the future plans of the MCU. Among them is that Marvel Studios hopes to release a new Doctor Strange film ahead of their next major Avengers film, The Kang Dynasty.

    While it seems that rumors also picked up on Scott Derrickson, who directed the first entry, potentially returning for the third entry after leaving Multiverse of Madness over creative differences, there seems to be some uncertainty surrounding that detail. @BigScreenLeaks adds to hearing something similar about the third Strange film but not so sure about the Derrickson part.

    For now, this remains another rumor but one that does make quite a bit of sense. The post-credit sequence and a major part of the film explore the multiverse, a major aspect of the upcoming Avengers film. Not only that, but we also meet someone who seemingly has knowledge about Incursions, which are very likely a big part of how the movies will tie the various multiverses together.

    The only question is who they might get to bring this film to life and if Derrickson would return. While they didn’t come to a consensus on the second entry, he was still on board as an executive producer and fully supported Sam Raimi as the film’s new director. Not just that, but he has also openly stated he’s interested in working with Marvel again. So, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct, Twitter

  • RUMOR: Adam Driver May Be Marvel Studios’ Top Choice for Stretchy ‘Fantastic Four’ Lead

    RUMOR: Adam Driver May Be Marvel Studios’ Top Choice for Stretchy ‘Fantastic Four’ Lead

    There have been a lot of discussions on who exactly might take on one of the leading roles of Marvel Studios’ take on the Fantastic Four. The film has long been in development and even lost its initial director, Jon Watts before the almost Star Trek director Matt Shakman took over the production. Casting rumors have been one of the most popular discussions online, especially while building up toward San Diego Comic-Con and D23.

    Now, the rumors have once again surfaced teasing who exactly might be taking on the role of Mr. Fantastic. According to some new rumors alongside a hint by The Direct, they believe that the former Kylo Ren, Adam Driver, might be the top choice for the role of Reed Richards in the MCU’s Fantastic Four. For now, we’ll have to take it with a grain of salt, but he’d make a rather curious choice in the role.

    Driver is certainly a strong actor, which he proved with his work in projects like Marriage Story and BlaKkKlansman. He’s come a long way since his time in the Star Wars franchise as the moody Kylo Ren. Of course, we’ve seen top choices by Marvel Studios pass on the role and who knows if Driver is even interested in investing a lot of time into a new franchise once again. For now, it’s definitely a curious direction to take Reeds, and given his acting ability, perhaps we’ll see a lot more versions of Driver from across the Multiverse.

    Source: The Direct