Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Ms. Marvel

  • Bollywood Star Farhan Akhtar Cast in MS(terious) Marvel Role

    Bollywood Star Farhan Akhtar Cast in MS(terious) Marvel Role

    It is being reported by The Times of India and India Today that top Indian Actor Farhan Akhtar has been cast in a Marvel project and is currently in Bangkok, Thailand to film. Ms. Marvel, being the only Marvel project currently filming in the country, seems to be the obvious choice for this cast addition.

    Confirming the news, a source close to the development said, “Farhan is currently stationed in Bangkok, along with an international cast and crew, for the shoot of a project with Marvel Studios. All other details of the project are strictly under wraps.”

    From India Today and Times of India

    Farhan Akhtar on his career's top moments and Priyanka Chopra | Bollywood – Gulf News

    No word yet on the role that Akhtar is playing but given his popularity and talent it is likely to be a significant one in the series. He recently appeared in The Sky is Pink with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Akhtar has a starring role in the upcoming sports drama Toofaan directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

    Ms. Marvel is currently filming and expected to release in late 2021.

     

    Source: Times of India, India Today

  • How Marvel Studios Plans to Take the Fight to Superhero Fatigue

    How Marvel Studios Plans to Take the Fight to Superhero Fatigue

    It probably feels like a lifetime ago but it was only in 2017 that the MCU started releasing three feature films every year. By that time the franchise was approaching its 10th year with 17 movies under its belt and many started wondering just how long could Marvel Studios’ dominance at the box office truly last until audiences’ superhero fatigue managed to creep up on it. The following couple of years presented everyone with a resounding answer to that question as five out of the six movies released in that period surpassed the 1 billion dollar mark at the box-office, with two of those going over the 2 billion dollar mark while making Avengers: Endgame the highest-grossing movie of all time.

    By that point, and besides being the final chapter of a story being told since 2008 through 23 interconnected movies, the end of the Infinity Saga had audiences saying goodbye to arguably its two most important characters, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, that had been at the forefront of the MCU since its inception. So being, Marvel Studios had a few problems on their plate as 2019 came to a close: How to reintroduce surviving characters making them a bigger presence within the franchise filling the void of the ones lost, how to make fans care for the new characters being introduced as they did the legacy ones, and most importantly how to maintain global audience interested in the MCU avoiding the aforementioned superhero fatigue to finally become a real thing, in what the MCU is concerned.

    A few of the issues mentioned above had already started being addressed head-on by taking a chance on characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, allowing for a larger and more diverse audience to feel embraced by the superhero cinematic universe Marvel created, all while keeping longtime fans engaged by diversifying the type of stories being told, the angles in which they were told, and the voices that told them. Phase 4 would be doubling-down on this idea of bringing into the franchise a much more diverse group of filmmakers (Cate Shortland, Destin Daniel Cretton, Chloé Zhao, Nia DaCosta) and introducing characters like Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, Ironheart, and the incredibly diverse cast of Eternals that are further living proof that the MCU is trying to evolve and become a much richer and relevant franchise by allowing so much different voices to shine through.

    But today, exactly one week after the WandaVision finale and one week before The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premiere, it’s becoming increasingly clear that, as contradictory as it may sound, another way Marvel Studios is trying to avoid superhero fatigue is by going all out and delivering ten projects in a single year. One would think that that would be against their interests as this means that there’ll be hardly a week throughout the year without some sort of new MCU content, but Marvel Studios is managing to circumvent that by turning inwards and redefining what the superhero genre can aspire to become. This way, instead of only releasing properties that could be described as being the generic superhero production and thus paving the way for audiences to quickly lose interest by the lack of novelty, they are expanding into sub-genres that are already a reality across the industry.

    As WandaVision played with sitcom tropes while combining romance, mystery, and drama, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to be more of an action-thriller experience. Ms. Marvel could be categorized as a teen drama while Hawkeye (mystery-thriller), Eternals (action epic), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (martial arts action film), and Loki (sci-fi adventure) will each have their particular characteristics, making each project fresh in its own right. Going beyond 2021 we’ll find the same being applied to shows like She-Hulk (courtroom drama) or movies such as Thor: Love and Thunder (space opera rock show). All of this seems to mean that Marvel Studios is thinking that, by diversifying, audiences won’t grow tired of what they have to offer in the same way they don’t get tired of movies and tv in general. Even if all properties are a part of a larger franchise, their particulars will allow all of them to be experienced without the added weight of being presented with the same formulaic concepts and narratives.

    Marvel Studios broke the mold for what franchises of this magnitude could become, and by keeping themselves in the public eye year-round but also understanding that a gimmick can only keep itself relevant for so much time, so much so that it’s not afraid to reinvent itself on the go (as we were able to see with WandaVision), is likely doing it again, before our very eyes.

     

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’: Red Dagger Actor Aramis Knight Sighted in Bangkok

    ‘Ms. Marvel’: Red Dagger Actor Aramis Knight Sighted in Bangkok

    Even as WandaVision airs its final episode, we have a lot more Disney+ goodness heading our way from Marvel Studios. It is only the first of potentially six shows that will premiere this year. Among them is the introduction of the young teenager Kamala Khan, who will don the title Ms. Marvel. Idolizing Carol Danvers, she tries to grow into her own as a hero, especially after a Terrigenisis bomb hits New Jersey. She gains the latent Inhuman ability to control her mass. Newcomer Iman Vellani has taken on the titular role and is busy filming the project.

    Around two weeks ago, we found out that the production would be heading to Bangkok to continue filming. It is quite a surprise to see them choosing Thailand as their next filming location. As such, we theorized it could get utilized as a backdrop for Badin, the hometown for Kareem, a.k.a. Red Dagger. Well, it seems that this theory might have panned out, as Aramis Knight, who will play the young vigilante, has revealed he is in the city. It confirms that the production is heading to the Thailand capital. The short video confirming his arrival was shared by @cosmic_marvel on Twitter.

     

    Knight‘s arrival in this filming location does strongly help the theory that the famous Thailand capital will serve as a backdrop. The actor is of Pakistani descent and the character’s introduction in the comics was of him protecting his neighborhood. He also builds up a romantic connection with Kamala, which may build up as he teaches her his ways of keeping his home safe. Very little is still known about the project, which might introduce the world to the Inhumans once again after they made their live-action debut in Agents of SHIELD.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Production Heading to Bangkok Next

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Production Heading to Bangkok Next

    Marvel Studios has been busy working on the various Disney+ shows that are eyeing a release this year. So far, we only know that Falcon and the Winter Soldier will start next month before Loki takes over in May. Right now, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel are currently filming as they prepare to release in late 2021. Especially Ms. Marvel has been filming for some time, they even had enough to showcase a small sizzle reel during Disney’s Investors Day last year. It gave us our first look at newcomer Iman Vellani in the titular role. Now that an additional casting has been revealed, it looks like their current plans will see the production head to Bangkok. In a recent Instagram posting, atlanta_filming mentioned in the comments that the series is going to be heading to the iconic city of Thailand next.

    Our own sources back up the next shooting location, as they aim to wrap up its production in Atlanta next month. They would be heading to Bangkok shortly after, but it is unsure how it might be affected by the pandemic. Thailand may serve as the backdrop for a famous storyline from comics that took place in Badin, Pakistan. It is the hometown of Kareem, or better known as the hero Red Dagger. We know that Aramis Knight has joined the series in the role, so it could be how they introduce him. We have no details, so it is uncertain what they plan on shooting in the city, but it would be interesting to see the character explore her roots. It could also serve as a backdrop for some creative interior shots, so we’ll see once the show airs sometime later this year.

    Source: Instagram

  • Laurel Marsden Joins Disney+’s ‘Ms. Marvel’

    Laurel Marsden Joins Disney+’s ‘Ms. Marvel’

    We are in the new era of Marvel Studios storytelling. WandaVision has redefined our understanding of what makes a Marvel story. It will also be the first of many that are heading our way. Among them is the story of the Inhuman Ms. Marvel. It will bring the character of Kamala Khan into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. We got a brief snippet of the series during Disney’s Investors Day, but it has gone quiet since while production continues. Luckily, it seems that The Hollywood Reporter got their hands on some info, as Laurel Marsden is joining the series.

    The actress has recently appeared in Survive. It aired on the now shut down service Quibi service. It kickstarted her career to get a larger role, such as the upcoming Marvel Studios show. She will play Zoe Zimmer, who got introduced in 2014’s Ms. Marvel No. 3. She is a bully character but also ends up bonding with Kamala. As THR points out, she is the first character to get saved by Kamala in the comic, so she also pushed the young hero to embrace her role.

    The show has no release date but most likely will get released later in the year. We are only a month away from the release of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Loki is set to arrive in May. Hopefully, we might get a few new trailers once we near the release of the Gods of Mischief’s show. We will certainly keep an eye out for any potential set photos that may give us a small glimpse of where they are going with this story.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Theory Thursday: Let’s Talk Terrigen

    Theory Thursday: Let’s Talk Terrigen

    Good Day Class! Today, we’re going to talk about the substance known as Terrigen.

     

    Long ago, the alien race of the Kree created the rare mineral and gave it to another race known as the Inhumans for safekeeping on Earth’s Moon. An interesting aspect of the mineral is that when the crystals are exposed to water at the correct temperature, the crystals can react with the water to produce another substance known as Terrigen Mist. Exposure to this Terrigen Mist can have varying effects amongst Humans, Inhumans, and Mutants, based on the genetic information we each carry.

    In regular humans, the Terrigen Mists can actually be very lethal and even kill them. In mutants, the effect can also be similar as it is highly toxic for mutants and can lead to the development of a disease known as M-Pox. For Inhumans, on the other hand, it produce a different effect. Let’s remember that Inhumans are essentially human beings whose genetic composition was altered via experimentation by extraterrestrial beings. On the surface, they look like the average human. But when exposed to the Terrigen Mists, the dormant Inhuman gene activates, and the Inhuman undergoes a process known as Terrigenesis. The process allows the Inhuman to essentially gain abilities, making them meta-humans. An example of an Inhuman whose ability was unlocked by the Terrigen Mist was none other than Kamala Khan. Kamala is an Inhuman whose powers manifested following exposure to the Terrigen Mists. Kamala’s Inhuman powers have been present in her DNA her whole life, it just took the Mists to unlock them.

     

    How does this backstory translate to the MCU when Ms. Marvel finally arrives?

    In the comics, Kamala had gone to a party the night the Terrigen Mist was released when the floating Inhuman city of Attilan was destroyed. While it is unlikely that we’ll actually see the city of Attilan appear during the Ms. Marvel series, it is highly probable that the circumstances leading to her exposure to the Terrigen Mist might be similar. A few weeks ago, we got out first look at Kamala wearing a Captain Marvel inspired outfit, presumably for a Halloween party. It seems that Marvel Studios is adapting the events of Ms. Marvel Vol 3 #1 for Kamala’s origin and her powers, Kamala sneaking out to go attend a party, the partygoers might make fun of her for dressing as Captain Marvel, she leaves and we know how the rest of the story plays out. Perhaps it can all go down during the first episode of the series and it could end with Kamala being wrapped up in Terragenesis cocoon, her emerging with her new powers and ending in a similar fashion to that comic.

     

     

    Ms. Marvel will premiere exclusively on Disney+.

     

     

  • Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2021 Release Calendar

    Deep Thoughts: One Hypothetical Marvel Studios 2021 Release Calendar

    Marvel Studios sat out 2020 much to the despair of MCU fans; however, one possible timeline for the studio’s release pattern in 2021 could mean we’d only have just a few content-less Friday’s in the next year!

    Last night, Edward Rose noticed that the official Disney Latino page listed WandaVision, Marvel Studios’ first Disney Plus streaming series, as having an 8-week run. That news got the wheels spinning and resulted in a hypothetical release schedule that would leave fans hanging on only 2 weekends. The underlying idea of this hypothetical scenario is putting new Marvel Studios content on as many Fridays as possible.

    2021 will kick off with the first episode of Marvel Studios Legends on January 8th, catching fans up on the adventures of Wanda, Vision and maybe the rest of the returning cast members. The following week, WandaVision would begin its 8-week run (which does not necessarily mean 8 episodes and that really shouldn’t be that controversial of a statement) which would conclude on March 5th. Additionally, we’ll almost certainly get our first look at Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings during this time, with the February 7th Super Bowl being on likely opportunity.

    While we have no confirmation of a Marvel Studios Legends episode for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, it seems like a safe bet and if we bet on it happening, March 12th, pinned between the end of WandaVision and the beginning of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, seems like a pretty safe date. So March 12th recaps the zany adventures of Sam, Bucky, Zemo, Sharon and crew and then The Falcon and The Winter Solider would follow, beginning on March 19th and running for six weeks (this was CONFIRMED in the Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet), concluding its run on April 23rd.

    Apri 30th would be a great time to tell the story of Natasha Romanoff with a Marvel Studios Legends episode dedicated to the Black Widow. While this is a Disney Plus series, there’s been no indication that the series will only tell the tales of the characters appearing in the Disney Plus series and in Nat’s case, there’s plenty to tell. This would give old fans and new viewers alike the opportunity to be prepped and ready for Black Widow when it FINALLY hits theaters on May 7th. Black Widow also provides Marvel Studios the opportunity to push out the first look at Eternals. Expect a trailer for the project a week or two before Black Widow’s May 7th release.   ***NOTE*** Should Marvel Studios films open overseas earlier than in the U.S. date, this part of the hypothetical schedule hits a bit of a speed bump.

    The Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series, Loki, is next up. Loki is set to release in May, meaning Marvel Studios will have two projects out at the same time and as long as Black Widow remains a theatrical release, they’ll want as many butts in seats as possible. To that end, they’ll definitely give Black Widow a little room to breathe. Theatrical releases often make 50% or more of their total box office on the first weekend and rarely do “big money” after the second weekend. With this in mind, they might look to release a Loki-centric episode of Marvel Studios Legends on May 14th (there’s certainly a LOT to tell) and debut the first episode of Loki Season One the following Friday, May 21st. All indications at this point are that the Hiddleston-led streamer will run for 6 episodes, meaning it’ll wrap up on June 25th.

    At this point, it looks like Marvel Studios could realistically release new content EVERY Friday for the first six months of the year save New Year’s Day…and then comes July 2nd, which will launch the 4th of July holiday weekend in the United States. It’s possible that the studio takes the weekend off, has something special in the works for the Fourth (it is Steve Rogers birthday, after all) or, I suppose they could release an episode of Marvel Studios Legends dedicated to the MCU’s brief and confusing history of the Mandarin and the Ten Rings. The last one makes a bit of sense because, on July 9th, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is going to rewrite that history when it debuts in theaters.

    The further down the road and into 2021 this hypothetical schedule goes, the harder it is to predict, but why stop now? Next up for Marvel Studios is What If…?, their first animated project. The only available info on the project is that it’s set to be released next Summer and, according to several reports, is expected to consist of 10 episodes. Placing it on the schedule under the assumptions that they’ll give a theatrical film at least one weekend all to itself and that they’ll release What If…? one episode at a time as well, the animated series could debut on July 16th and conclude on September 17th.

    In thinking ahead, that long gap serves a fairly important purpose if the goal is to provide new content every Friday: it allows Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye to “catch up.” The starts of both of those series were severely delayed by the pandemic and are currently scheduled for “late Fall.” If production continues without delays and the calendar fills out as predicted above, the two series could stream on either side of Eternals. 

    According to the Disney Investor Day Fact Sheet, Ms. Marvel comes first and could start its six-episode run on September 24th. It’s possible that the studio could push out a Marvel Studios Legends episode about Captain Marvel given the connection between Kamala Khan and her, but it’s also possible they just start right up. If they do, the Season One finale of Ms. Marvel would stream on October 29th.

    One week later, on November 5th, Eternals would make its LONG awaited degut in theaters. By introducing an entirely new group of characters, Eternals seems unlikely to be preceded by an episode of Marvel Studios Legends, though anything and anyone could show up in the film.

    ***NOTE*** after finding some new evidence, this paragraph was changed to reflect Hawkeye as a 6-episode series, so it would end on Christmas Eve.

    Following the pattern previously laid out around theatrical releases, November 12th could be a nice Friday for the Clint Barton episode of Marvel Studios Legends. Set photos have indicated that Hawkeye, the studio’s final 2021 project, takes place during the holidays so kicking it off on November 19th would give fans episodes on the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Ever. All signs point to this one being a 6-episode season, meaning we’d wrap up before the calendar turns over to 2022. Assuming no production delays, Marvel Studios would have the opportunity to jump right into She-Hulk and continue taking over the world of entertainment.

    Currently set to release on December 17th, 2021, Spider-Man 3 (which is scheduled by Sony and NOT Marvel Studios) throws a monkey wrench into the thought process of not having a film premier compete with an episode of a streaming series, but there are so many workarounds for that issue (Hawkeye taking a week off, the release date for the film being moved since production got off to a late start, Hawkeye not even starting until after Spider-Man 3) that it really becomes a non-issue.

    While the chances of this hypothetical release calendar coming to fruition are approximately 3,720 to 1, the point of this wasn’t to plant a flag so we can do some chest-pounding later, but to extrapolate one possible release schedule based on the idea of having new Marvel Studios content on as many 2021 Fridays as possible. Right or wrong (and let’s be honest, this is almost certainly wrong), an exercise like this makes visible the scale of the studio’s plans and the role that Disney Plus plays in them: Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios will own at least a portion of the news cycle nearly every weekend for the foreseeable future.

  • Aramis Knight Joins Cast of ‘MS. MARVEL’ as Red Dagger

    Aramis Knight Joins Cast of ‘MS. MARVEL’ as Red Dagger

    21-year old Aramis Knight has joined the cast of the upcoming Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Ms. Marvel. Knight, who is best known for his role as MK in AMC’s Into the Badlands, will reportedly portray Kareem, aka Red Dagger, an unpowered, costumed vigilante Ms. Marvel meets when she visits her family in Pakistan.

    With Knight, whose father is of Pakistani descent, taking on the role of Kareem, and a slew of other announcements this week, the cast of the show seems to be nearly complete. Ms. Marvel is filming now in Atlanta.

    Source: Marvel.com

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’: Rish Shah Playing the Inhuman Kamran

    ‘Ms. Marvel’: Rish Shah Playing the Inhuman Kamran

    Ms. Marvel has only just entered production early on, but we still got a sneak preview during Disney’s Investor Day. We don’t have too many official details on the Disney+ series’ casting. A while back, the Illuminerdi broke the news that Inhumans Red Dagger and Kamran would be joining the project. The latter is a rather interesting addition, as he was a key player in the original comic series as Kamala’s love interest. He also turned out to be Inhuman. Kamran can charge his body with bioluminescence that he transfers into inanimate objects. The moment he does this, these objects become miniature bombs. Well, it looks like the actor Rish Shah has confirmed his involvement via Instagram with the upcoming Disney+ series and that he will be playing Kamran. @cosmic_marvel was able to get a snapshot of his story where he confirmed it.

    There hasn’t been any information on how large a role he has currently. His involvement with the project would hint at them following the iconic storyline from the comics. Now, it was an essential moment in Kamala’s road to becoming a hero so I won’t spoil it here. Still, the inclusion of other Inhumans may be confirming that this series is building up an entire section of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has yet to be explored through Marvel Studios. We still do not know if the Royal Family might make an appearance at some point, but Charles was able to find some clues to Maximus’ potentially appearing, which you can find here. Hopefully, we get some tease of what the Inhuman future within the MCU might look like once the show airs next year.

    Source: Twitter, Illuminderdi

  • ‘MS. MARVEL’ Sizzle Reel May Confirm Inhumans Rumor

    ‘MS. MARVEL’ Sizzle Reel May Confirm Inhumans Rumor

    The Disney Investor Day presentation held absolutely nothing back! As someone who always holds his expectations low, I was blown away by the number of reveals made by The-One-Above-All. Over the last couple of hours, as I’ve reviewed the footage, I think it’s possible Marvel Studios may have revealed a bit more than we all saw on our first look, including something hidden in the Ms. Marvel sizzle reel.

    At the 1:07 mark of the reel, Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan walks away from a chalkboard that seems to illustrate her transformation from normal teenager to someone with some pretty cool embiggening powers. At the bottom left of the chalkboard, there is an illustration of a figure who looks a whole hell of a lot like none other than Maxiums the Mad of the Inhuman Royal Family.

    The Inhumans played an integral role in Kamala’s transformation into a hero in the comics and late last year, GWW reported that they heard the Inhuman Royal family may make an appearance in the series and mentioned Maximus specifically. Since that original report, nothing has been heard on the matter but the chalk drawing certainly does resemble an amalgamation of the character from past to present.

    The character in the chalk is wearing on overcoat similar to the one the more modern representations of Maximus has worn and bears a symbol on his chest like that worn by the earlier representations of the brother of Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans. Could this chalk drawing be an indication that we will see the Inhumans properly introduced into the MCU via Ms. Marvel? As a huge fan of the characters, I certainly hope so and hope that Feige is willing to give them the treatment they deserve. What do you think?