Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Netflix

  • Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ Sequel ‘Glass Onion’ Gets Thanksgiving Limited Release

    Rian Johnson’s ‘Knives Out’ Sequel ‘Glass Onion’ Gets Thanksgiving Limited Release

    Many have lamented on the shame that the upcoming Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion, was a Netflix exclusive. while it’s a great win for the streaming service, it does seem like a shame that we won’t get the iconic franchise’s return in theaters. Luckily, it seems that we’re still going to get our hands on the film in theaters, as the film is going to head to theaters for a theatrical sneak preview event for a week.

    What does make this stand out is that the film will be released in AMC Theaters, Regal Movies, Cinemark, and many more, which makes it the most chains one of their films have been released in. As of now, the film is set to be available in 600 theaters over Thanksgiving week. So, this might mark the biggest move from the streaming service to embrace theatrical releases.

    Rian Johnson has shared his excitement on Twitter:

    That’s not all, as the Netflix Film head, Scott Stuber, also had the following to say on the release.

    We’re excited to offer fans an exclusive sneak preview of Rian’s incredible film. Given the excitement surrounding the premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, we hope fans will enjoy this special theatrical event in celebration of the film’s global debut on Netflix in December.

    Scott Stuber

    So, for those hoping to see the return of Daniel Craig‘s Benoit Blanc in theaters luckily won’t have to wait too long and will get a chance to check out the film from November 23rd until the 29th. So, it’s a month early look at the film which has a December 23rd release date.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter

  • Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Adds 2 More to Cast

    Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Adds 2 More to Cast

    There was a lot of hope and excitement for Tudum to potentially offer our next glimpse at the live-action adaptation of One Piece. Netflix has seemingly been all-in with the project and highlighted it during their big event of the year. Yet, it somehow only got a brief mention in Japan’s Tudum section without any news update hitting the web. While we might have to wait a bit longer for any real insight into how the production is going, especially with it having wrapped production not too long ago, it seems we can at least add two more to the series cast.

    According to their CVs, actor Nathan Castle has joined the production as the character of Koushirou while Brett Williams will play Merry. For those not familiar with the story and remembering the boat being named Going Merry, Williams is not playing the Straw Hats iconic boat that they secured in the East Blue. He’s actually taking on the role of Kaya’s butler, who we meet in Syrup Village alongside Jacob Romero Gibson‘s Usopp.

    In the case of Castle, he is set to play Koushirou who plays an important role in the backstory for Mackenyu‘s Zoro. He is nonother than Roronoa’s swordmaster and the father of Kuina. We would later also find out more about his family’s lineage but in the East Blue Saga, which the upcoming Netflix series will adapt, he’s mainly featured in the flashback exploring what inspires Zoro’s goal. It’ll be interesting to see if they might allude to some elements that didn’t get revealed in the manga until almost 25 years later.

    Source: ERM Stars, ERM Stars

  • Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Amazon has been making quite the splash with its work on Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While there has been the usual online backlash for any changes or adaptations from the original source material, they have offered something that feels like a blend of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work and Peter Jackson’s iconic film trilogy. As it turns out, it seems that other pitches would’ve taken the franchise in very different directions.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix and HBO have also pitched their takes on how to push the franchise forward. While the Tolkien estate famously has its problems with Jackson‘s adaptations, it seems that Netflix wanted to take a franchise-based approach by building various spinoff series focused on Gandalf and Aragorn.

    While the concept works for comic book-based stories, it unsurprisingly “freaked out the estate” and may have been one of the reasons it was pushed towards Amazon’s pitch of just telling a unique story. Amazon Studios TV co-head believes that they won through their “collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien” but it wasn’t an easy win. HBO also was part of the bidding process and seemingly wanted to just retell the original trilogy with a focus on the Third Age once again.

    The $250M reported budget was seemingly something Netflix initially put out to get their hands on the intellectual property. While they have moved on with other adaptations and their hope to build a Power Rangers-focused franchise, it definitely seems like the bidding process wasn’t an easy one for everyone involved.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Keanu Reeves Considering Directing Netflix’s ‘BRZRKR’

    Keanu Reeves Considering Directing Netflix’s ‘BRZRKR’

    In October of 2021, BOOM! Studios launched BRZRKR, a comic book series about an immortal half man/half god named B. who bears a striking resemblance to a real-world immortal: Keanu Reeves. Written by Reeves and Matt Kindt with art from Ron Garney, BRZRKR was quickly picked up by Netflix who is developing an animated series and a live-action film that Reeves will star in and produce. Now, as development on the project continues, it turns out Reeves may decide to wear another hat.

    In an interview with Collider, Reeves revealed that there’s a 33% chance that he will choose to direct the adaptation. While Reeves is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and busiest talents, he has only one credit to his name as a director in the 2013 film Man of Tai Chi. Interestingly enough, according to Reeves, his involvement as writer led him down the path to eventually direct.

    I know how it’s a lot of work, but the film that I directed, Man of Tai Chi, was born, I became the director because I was part of the writing process, and I didn’t want to hand it over. I was like, oh, okay. I have to direct this. I’m not quite there yet on ‘BRZRKR’. I have to read the script, but I’m also interested in having a collaborator and what they could bring to it.

    Keanu Reeves

    Even as Reeves did not write the script for BRZRKR and admits he has not yet read it, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll feel a similar ownership over the project given that he’s the co-author of the source material. Certainly something to keep an eye on as things progress.

    Source: Collider

  • ‘Dahmer’ Becomes One of Netflix’s Most Watched Original Projects Ever

    ‘Dahmer’ Becomes One of Netflix’s Most Watched Original Projects Ever

    A new massive success story for Netflix is Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. In its second week on the streaming service, it has been viewed a total of 299.84 million hours. This follows the 196.2 million hours viewed in the debut week for the limited series. This puts Dahmer: Monster only behind Stranger Things 4 as the second most watched English-language series in a week. For reference, the two separate batches of Stranger Things 4 episodes released were initially viewed for 301 million and 335 million hours, respectively.

    Based on the momentum the series currently has, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Dahmer: Monster to be viewed more than the likes of Lucifer and Bridgerton and end up being a top five all-time viewed series for the streaming stalwart. It has already surpassed the ninth place ranking based on its statistics and has passed the likes of Ozark and 13 Reasons Why. All in all, Dahmer: Monster has the potential to join Stranger Things and Squid Games as one of the largest success stories for Netflix.

    The series was created by Ryan Murphy, best known for his work on American Horror Story and American Crime Story, alongside Ian Brennan. It stars Evan Peters as the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and follows a dramatized account of ten separate murders conducted by him and how the ineptitude of police establishments allowed Dahmer to get away with them for so long.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Iron Fist’ Star Open to Return in a ‘Heroes for Hire’ Series

    ‘Iron Fist’ Star Open to Return in a ‘Heroes for Hire’ Series

    There have been many theories on what the future has in store for the Netflix Marvel characters. Not only did Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio returned to play their iconic characters from Daredevil, but they also got their very own series heading to Disney+ in 2024. With theories abound about others returning, it seems former Danny Rand, Finn Jones, is also down to return.

    In an interview with ComicBook.com, the actor revealed that he’s definitely down to play the character from Iron Fist again. He even has an idea how he’d like to see him return and that would be in a TV series based around the Heroes for Hire, especially to get another chance to work alongside Mike Colter.

    I would love to continue playing that character. I think there’s a lot of room for growth. Personally, where I would like to see the reintroduction of the character would be something like a Heroes for Hire TV series. I think that would be the most dynamic and fun way to reintroduce those characters. I loved working with Mike and I loved the on-screen chemistry between Danny and Luke. I think it’s a really interesting creative place that show can be taken in. I’d love to pick up that mantle again and keep moving this character forward and make the best possible Iron Fist there could be.

    Finn Jones

    Of all the Netflix series, it’s easy to say that Iron Fist was definitely the most controversial. Outside of the initial reactions to the casting, there were also a lot of discussions surrounding its quality, at least in its first season. Scott Buck infamously has a bad track record and concerns grew when he was set to showrun the first season; which he’d continue to prove with Inhumans.

    It wasn’t until Raven Metzner took over in its second season that the project was given any momentum. It wasn’t able to give us a shot at more due to Netflix ending its deal with Marvel but it did leave the character in an interesting direction.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer Series Takes ‘Cobra Kai’s Top Spot with 196M Hours Viewed

    Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer Series Takes ‘Cobra Kai’s Top Spot with 196M Hours Viewed

    There’s been quite a few controversies surrounding Ryan Murphy‘s adaptaiton of the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Yet, it seemingly didn’t stop the series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story from reaching a rather impressive top spot with 196.2M hours of viewing after its September 21st premiere on Netflix. The series even managed to push Cobrai Kai‘s latest season off of the top spot and dominated the week.

    It actually ended up in the third spot as the September 16th premiere series Fate: The Winx Club took the second spot with 61M hours viewed in its first week. Still, the Karate Kid spinoff series managed to pull in 38.1MM hours viewed, which is still a substantial drop. The Crown still remained in the Top 10 listing and has been gaining quite a momentum since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. It seems that the next season’s promotion was perfectly timed.

    Dahmer‘s growth in popularity has been a curious one even if crime dramas are always big pulls for any broadcaster or streamer. Still, some that had this lived experience actually shared their voices on the Netflix show recreating these moments. Also highlighting the fact that they weren’t involved and are living through some hardships with these dramatic depictions of lived experiences from the 1992 sentencing of Jeffrey Dahmer.

    Source: Variety, Insider

  • ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Netflix Series Rounds Out Ensemble Cast

    ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Netflix Series Rounds Out Ensemble Cast

    As Netflix continues its search for its next breakout hit to follow up the successes of Stranger Things and Squid Game, one project anticipated to do the trick is the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. With principal photography having wrapped for the series in early June, the waiting game for new information is well underway. Now, fans of the hit Nickelodeon series have been treated to a large swath of new castings for the Netflix adaptation. Below are the 20 casting additions officially announced.

    • Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue
    • A Martinez as Pakku
    • Irene Bedard as Yagoda
    • Joel Oulette as Hahn
    • Nathaniel Arcand as Chief Arnook
    • Meegwun Fairbrother as Avatar Kuruk
    • Arden Cho as June
    • Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi
    • Daniel Pudi as The Mechanist
    • Lucian-River Chauhan as Teo
    • James Sie as The Cabbage Merchant
    • Momona Tamada as Ty Lee
    • Thalia Tran as Mai
    • Ruy Iskandar as Lieutenant Jee
    • Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin
    • C.S. Lee as Avatar Roku
    • François Chau as the Great Sage
    • Ryan Mah as Lieutenant Dang
    • George Takei as Koh
    • Randall Duk Kim as Wan Shi Tong

    For fans of The Last Airbender, these are certainly some exciting revelations as many of these are quite memorable characters to the lore of the franchise. Some specific castings of note include James Sie reprising his role as the unfortunate Cabbage Merchant, a character deeply ensconced in the online zeitgeist of the cartoon. Also of note, the casting of Ghosts’ Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi may surprise some due to him being significantly younger than the character’s previous depiction, though it makes sense with the high physicality of the role. What might be most interesting, though, is the apparent inclusion of Mai and Ty Lee in the first season despite originating in season two of the animated series. With that in mind, it seems likely that Princess Azula and her team will have more of a built-up presence early on in this incarnation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

    It’s not currently announced as to when the series will release on Netflix. Though with production having wrapped earlier this year, a 2023 release feels quite logical.

    Source: Variety

  • Netflix Not Moving Forward with ‘Grendel,’ Show Being Shopped

    Netflix Not Moving Forward with ‘Grendel,’ Show Being Shopped

    A little over a year ago, it was announced that Netflix had given a series order to Grendel with Katy Keene‘s Abubakr Ali set to take on the titular role. The show’s first season would have consisted of 8-episodes and hailed from Resident Evil and Supernatural‘s Andrew Dabb, who was to serve as the showrunner. Unfortunately, Deadline has confirmed that Grendel is no longer happening.

    Per Deadline, despite being given a series order, Netflix is not moving forward with the project, although a specific reason for the cancellation has not been revealed. The outlet only notes that the decision was made in the midst of production, so there’s only a “partial eight-episode season filmed.” With Netflix passing on the project, the series is set to be shopped to other networks and streaming services.

    Along with Ali, Grendel was set to star Jaime Ray Newman, Julian Black Antelope, Madeline Zima, Kevin Corrigan, Emma Ho, Erik Palladino, Brittany Allen and Andy Mientus. The series would have centered on Hunter Rose (Ali) as he seeks vengeance in New York’s criminal underworld. Ali would have been the first Arab Muslim male actor to portray a series lead in a comic book adaptation with Grendel.

    Source: Deadline.

  • TUDUM: ‘One Piece’ Segment May Have Teased a First Glimpse at the Series’ Score

    TUDUM: ‘One Piece’ Segment May Have Teased a First Glimpse at the Series’ Score

    TUDUM was quite the event for everything that Netflix has planned to release throughout the following months. Sadly, there was a noticeable absence of One Piece during the Global event as it seems they aren’t ready yet to release more information. Yet, there was at least a small tease during the TUDUM Japan segment that highlighted the series is still in production.

    Given how big One Piece is in Japan, it makes sense it would still get a reveal during that segment but it didn’t include any real news outside of highlighting its main cast once more. There is however a rather interesting score being used while showcasing some segments from the manga alongside the cast video that was released when they were initially confirmed to be playing the East Blue crew, as shared by @newworldartur.

    There’s something quite cheerful about this music and it would definitely seem like a fitting score for an adventure that Monkey D. Luffy would set out on. There hasn’t been an official confirmation of who exactly is involved with the score, but speculation online has hinted towards it being The Witcher‘s Sonya Belousova. The talented researchers from @OPLAfandom released their theory early in August and the composer has released a piece that almost sounds like it would perfectly fit into the franchise.

    It would’ve been great to get some details out of TUDUM but it was a project mostly focused on current projects that have at least a set release date with only a few teases of what’s to come. So, we can only speculate if the music piece used is from the actual work from this project or is simply something they’ve chosen cause it seemed fitting. Still, if it even is just a tease of the style of the theme we can expect, it definitely feels like a perfect choice for this pirate adventure.

    Source: Twitter