Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Netflix

  • Zoro Has Been Found as Mackenyu Joins ‘One Piece’ Production

    Zoro Has Been Found as Mackenyu Joins ‘One Piece’ Production

    Ever since the cast arrived in South Africa to film Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece, there was an ongoing joke that Zoro actor Mackenyu was seemingly absent. The actor is mostly quiet on his Social Media, and it led to a funny running gag with the cast that he was just in character, as Zoro is famous for getting lost. Future Luffy actor Inaki Godoy even shared images of him going on the hunt to find the actor which led to a viral joke under the hashtag #FindingZoro. After a long bout of silence, it seems that Mackenyu has finally joined the production as he joins the rest with an image of his seat.

    In the comments, you can see the rest of the cast having their fun, such as Emily Rudd stating “oh so u found your way” to poke fun at his absence. She was the first of the core cast to share a photo from the set, as it started last week. Mackenyu only joining this week is curious as it opens up the question if they are starting production on his part in the Romance Dawn arc.

    There have been theories he’s been avoiding any photos due to having dyed his hair green to bring Zoro to life, but there was one image of him training the three-sword style. We’re still waiting for any announcements of the supporting cast, especially for big-name characters like Gol D. Roger, Shanks, or Mihawk that have small yet essential roles in the East Blue Arc. They might have not started work with them and their announcements might follow once they start work involving the characters.

    Source: Instagram

  • Den Den Murphy Episode 11 – ‘One Piece’ Arc Ranking, Chapter 1038, and Latest Netflix News

    Den Den Murphy Episode 11 – ‘One Piece’ Arc Ranking, Chapter 1038, and Latest Netflix News

    In a special live stream of the latest Den Den Murphy episode, Suki and Joe had an extra-long recording all about the latest One Piece chapter, 1038, discussing the long-awaited production start of Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation, and ended it with a complete rank of their favorite arcs from the entire series.

  • ‘All of Us Are Dead’ Hits #1 on Netflix

    ‘All of Us Are Dead’ Hits #1 on Netflix

    A week after its release, All of Us Are Dead has hit a new milestone on Netflix.

    The Korean zombie drama has hit the top spot on Netflix’s Top 10 list. This marks the second Korean drama to do so as Squid Game took over the streamer’s Top 10 for weeks after its release, quickly becoming its most-watched original series ever. With Squid Game and All of Us Are Dead, Korea is now the first country to place multiple non-English language series atop Netflix’s U.S. daily Top 10.

    All of Us Are Dead tells the story of a zombie outbreak at a Korean high school. As the virus overtakes the city — and the school — the students find themselves desperately trying to survive the chaos. The series debuted on Netflix on Jan. 28th, taking exactly seven days to hit the top spot on Netflix’s Top 10. For comparison, that is three days behind Squid Game, which remains one of the streaming giant’s biggest titles to date.

    As it stands, a second season has not yet been ordered, although the ending of Season 1 does suggest a second season will follow.

    All of Us Are Dead is now streaming on Netflix. You can read our review here if you’re still unsure whether or not this zombie drama is worth a watch!

    Source: Deadline.

  • Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Slowly Start to Join Production

    Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Cast Slowly Start to Join Production

    At the beginning of the week, we finally got the confirmation that Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece is starting production. The team shared their excitement on Twitter and Instagram, but there was surprisingly nothing from the cast at the time. Luckily, throughout the week, the cast has been sharing their excitement with teases that they started work on the project.

    First off, Emily Rudd, who was cast as the cat burglar Nami, shared a photo of herself in a One Piece t-shirt seemingly on the way to the production alongside a first look at the seat that has her character’s name on it. The previous announcement that productions tarted from Matt Owens and Steve Maeda was in a similar style with their on-set seating.

    The future King of the Pirates, Iñaki Godoy, also followed the trend with him sharing a first look at his chair. So far, this is the only tease we got from the set, and it’s still uncertain if we might get an official look at their designs once production starts. I am a little sad that the seat doesn’t also include his signature straw hat that he’ll wear during filming.

    What about the rest? Well, it seems that these two were the only ones to share that they have joined the set which is a rather curious surprise. Mackenyu hasn’t shared much from his time in South Africa – which led to a hilarious “Finding Zoro” campaign of Godoy looking for the actor – but it seems likely he might join at a later time. Productions aren’t forced to follow the story exactly, and they may be focusing on the Orange Town storyline first which mostly featured Nami and Luffy on their own before Zoro joined later on.

    In regards to Jacob Romero Gibson and Taz Skylar, it seems they are still training and preparing for their time. Skylar recently shared an Instagram story of him getting ready to jump into an ice bath, which is commonly used to avoid muscle soreness. So, they might also follow suit with the chair image

    Source: Twitter, Instagram, Twitter

  • REVIEW: ‘Raising Dion’ Season 2 Ups the Ante

    REVIEW: ‘Raising Dion’ Season 2 Ups the Ante

    Note: This review is spoiler-free. Any bits hinted at were introduced at the tail-end of Season 1, or teased in the trailer for Season 2.

    The first season of Raising Dion focused on the relationship between Nicole and Dion, and the struggles both characters endured due to Dion’s unexpected abilities. It was a deep dive into the mystery surrounding her husband’s death, and how the events leading to his death ultimately led to Dion’s powers. At the heart, though, it was very much a family drama full of self-discovery, humor and loss. The second season takes the series in a brand new direction, though.

    A two-year time jump allows the series to move forward, while also allowing for leading actor, Ja’Siah Young, to grow into the role. This time around, he’s in control of his powers and trying to use them to do some good around his neighborhood. Along with Esperanza and Jonathan, the former bully of Season 1, the trio form the Triangle of Justice. Rather than focus on the pain of growing up and being accepted by their peers, we get to see the students grow into their characters this go-round. They’re more confident, a heck of a lot more daring and all the more compelling. Seeing them work against the new big-bad? It’s exciting because there’s such a huge change in these characters we met in 2019.

    Season 2 picks up two years after the events on the school football field, where the battle between Dion and the Crooked Man took place. The world has, for the most part, moved on from the event, however, it soon becomes clear wherever the Crooked Man appeared, the land was impacted — left to decay, rot away without answer. Rather than being an imposing threat this season, BIONA is quickly proven to be the safety net for Dion and others like him. However, just as things seem to be going well, an old friend returns to upheave everything.

    There’s very little to complain about when it comes to Season 2 of Raising Dion. It’s a more cohesive storyline that allows its characters to thrive; it’s action-packed, having already established this unique spin on our world, and there are plenty of thrills to keep viewers guessing. One of the downfalls, though, is the decision to bring in Griffin Robert Faulkner‘s Brayden full-time this season. While Brayden does capture the creepiness aspect that Season 1 teases at the end, he often comes across as cruel more so than terrifying. This isn’t at the fault of the young actor, of course, but rather the way the character was handled. It’s all the more evident at the end when everything erupts into chaos.

    One thing Raising Dion does perfectly is build upon what it has already established. The series doesn’t dwell on what’s done. Season 1 was focused on the Iceland Event, the mystery surrounding Mark’s death and the Crooked Man. All were vital to Dion’s story, however, the second season moves beyond the Iceland Event and Mark’s death. The writers know viewers are not looking to rehash the same plotlines. Yes, they may be occasionally mentioned, but this is something entirely new. It’s an exciting story that is easy to binge in a single setting.

    While a third season has yet to be officially announced, fans will quickly find themselves awaiting said announcement. The ending of Raising Dion Season 2 will surely leave fans with more questions than answers and, in this instance, that’s far from a bad thing. It just proves there’s plenty of power left in this series, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to familiarize yourself with Mind Mover because Dion is the type of superhero we need on our screens.

  • Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series Finally Starts Production

    Netflix’s Live-Action ‘One Piece’ Series Finally Starts Production

    Spring has seemingly come early, as it looks like Netflix’s live-action adaptation has started production. At least that is what a tweet by showrunner Steven Maeda as well as the series writer and executive producer Matt Owens revealed. It’s a different approach from previous entries, as the official Netflix Geeked account usually shared the initial announcement, such as was the case with the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. Yet, as the account is from the States, they may follow up as filming is taking place in Cape Town and that is why the production announcement is directly through their account.

    While Maeda shared an elusive message of “The Day of the Beginning” with a straw hat keychain, Matt Owens‘ reveal came through his Instagram account that is a bit more direct in revealing that they’ve started production on One Piece.

    This moment is big for anyone following the production that was hit with delays due to COVID. The series was first announced back in 2017 by Eiichiro Oda, who was quite excited about finally finding the team that would bring his series to live-action. At the time, it seemingly was still known as Project Roger before moving on to become Project Panda at a later date. Set photos teased the construction of the Going Merry but it wasn’t until we got the official logo in September of 2021 followed by the cast announcement in November that it felt real. So, the fact it’s finally started production just adds quite a bit of excitement and hopefully, it means we’ll get the cast in their official outfits soon.

    Source: Twitter, Instagram

  • Netflix’s ‘All of Us Are Dead’ Proves the Zombies Are Not the Monsters

    Netflix’s ‘All of Us Are Dead’ Proves the Zombies Are Not the Monsters

    Spoiler Warning: The below piece contains spoilers for the first season of All of Us Are Dead.

    What would happen if we created a monster and then, unknowingly, nearly killed the rest of the world? That’s essentially the question at hand in Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead. After seeing his son be bullied for so long, Lee Byeong Chan decides to do something about it. However, while most parents would seek more traditional routes — talking to the principal or teaching the child to fight defensively — Byeong-cheol Kim‘s Chan takes things to a new extreme. He opts, instead, to create a new type of monster by injecting his son with a new virus he’s been working on. Little does he know, that very virus will nearly destroy Korea, all while killing the one person he so desperately tried to save.

    It’s a horrifying concept that shows how far humans are willing to go in order to get what they want; essentially showcasing that families — namely children — are disposable. While the zombies are the focus of the series, it’s the humans that are truly the monsters of All of Us Are Dead. It is because of one man’s inability to be there for his son that a high school has become ground zero in a zombie attack. It is because of his choice that he has lost both his wife and son. More importantly, though, the choices throughout the series showcase how willing people are to kill those around them for the sake of safety.

    We see this first among the students with bullying and sexual harassment/assault in the first couple of episodes. Then, as the outbreak continues to reach more of their fellow classmates, the students waste no time casually throw their classmates to the hordes in hopes of escaping. It becomes fight or flight and the strongest are the ones that’ll survive. Morality goes out the door the moment the undead take over. When it comes down to it, the staff seems to all but abandon the students in favor of surviving — with one or two exceptions along the way. Even the students soon find themselves warring, eager to stay alive and away from those that’ll do harm to them. In some instances, this may mean aiding another student in becoming a zombie, abandoning a friend for the sake of getting away or pretending not to hear cries for help in order to save yourself. There are plenty of screwed-up scenarios in All of Us Are Dead in which the humans are the true monsters, however, the worst comes closer to the midway point of the series.

    After being trapped in the high school, unable to reach the outside world due to phones and internet being cut off, the students that have survived become desperate to find some sort of help. They’re tired of running from room to room, trying to barricade themselves from the dead. It only becomes harder when a new form of zombie is introduced — one that still retains its humanity. So, they take to the roof for safety, believing if they make an S.O.S sign, a helicopter will come save them. And it works, or at least, it seems like it’s working.

    What the students don’t realize, however, is that the last student rescued by the soldiers — and the one who left them for dead — has just been attacked by one of the human-like zombies at the basecamp. This leads the people in charge to order a halt to the rescue mission. The safety that was so close within reach for the teens is immediately ripped from their grasps. They are left to die at the school as the helicopter flies off without them, despite promising to recuse them initially. It’s a screwed-up situation, one that is later made worse when the same people decide to bomb the high school after a short warning, barely allowing the kids to escape.

    As terrifying as the zombies are in All of Us Are Dead, the series also shows how cruel humans can be as a whole. The zombies might’ve been created by one naïve and selfish man, but they ultimately helped to unveil the monsters in those still living.

  • Netflix is Making a Live-Action ‘Masters of the Universe’ Film Starring Kyle Allen

    Netflix is Making a Live-Action ‘Masters of the Universe’ Film Starring Kyle Allen

    Netflix has acquired a brand new live-action Masters of the Universe film. The past few years have seen Netflix develop multiple shows based on the ’80s line of toys and cartoons with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Masters of The Universe: Revelations, and He-Man and The Masters of The Universe, making this live-action reboot the fourth one under the company.

    Kyle Allen, known for his work in West Side Story, has been chosen to play He-Man in the upcoming film. The project will be directed by the Nee Brothers who co-wrote the script alongside David Callaham, whose recent work includes Wonder Woman 1984 and Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.

    The project was previously in development at Sony with Noah Centineo attached to play He-Man. The executive producer of Mattel Films had this to say about the partnership between Mattel and Netflix.

    “Masters of the Universe is an iconic property that shaped the imaginations of an entire generation of kids with the message of becoming the best version of yourself. With our partners at Netflix, we look forward to showing audiences that anything can happen in Eternia. We are continuin to unlock this global franchise in new ways, and we can’t wait to see Kyle battle it out with Skeletor in this epic-live action saga.”

    SOURCE: The Wrap

  • REVIEW: Netflix’s “All of Us Are Dead” Breathes New Life into the Zombie Genre

    REVIEW: Netflix’s “All of Us Are Dead” Breathes New Life into the Zombie Genre

    When it comes to zombie shows, The Walking Dead has clearly dominated the small screen for the past twelve years. Even now, as it readies for its final season, the series has launched multiple spinoffs and will soon have a series of films to go along with it. Yet, as the zombie genre appears to be dying, Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead looks ready to change the conversation.

    All of Us Are Dead is a series that focuses on a high school in Hyosan, Korea, Hyosan High School. After a mysterious virus is unleashed on the High School, the students — and the staff — must fight for survival. It’s easy to write a zombie story. It’s hard, however, to write one that manages to be exciting and retain a sense of humanity along the way. Netflix’s All of Us Are Dead proves there are still risks to be taken with the zombie genre. This isn’t merely a series of teens fighting the undead, it’s a series that ultimately focuses on the struggles of high school and growing up set against the backdrop of zombies. It tackles some of the most uncomfortable topics and doesn’t try to make viewers feel empathy for the terrible characters that inhabit the series.

    The series begins with an unsettling occurrence between a few students on a rainy night. What takes place between the students will kick off a series of events that’ll change the world forever. It’s a strong way to kickstart the series, one that will leave viewers curious as to where it is going and how it’ll become the zombie-infested series the trailer promises. The series isn’t looking to hold viewers’ hands going into the chaos. The ugly truths of the world – bullying, parental abuse, sexual harassment/assault and depression – are all tackled hands-on; there is no sugarcoating any of it. This is what kids of the world endure, so All of Us Are Dead isn’t going to make it easier to watch – what these kids go through before the outbreak becomes vital to who they become when the world falls to the dead.

    One of the most impressive bits of All of Us Are Dead is that it manages to balance a rather large ensemble cast successfully. Not only does the series have to establish this world for viewers, but it also needs to develop these characters for viewers. The fact that it manages to craft such rich stories for each character is fascinating. Yi-Hyun Cho as Nam-ra, Park Solomon as Lee Soo-hyuk, Ji-hu Park as On-jo and Chan-Young Yoon as Chung-san have some of the best character development. Among the impressive young cast, the four actors stand out, delivering some of the strongest performances within the series — especially Cho, whose Nam-ra becomes a favorite as the show progresses.

    One of the minor setbacks for All of Us Are Dead is that each episode ends on a massive cliffhanger. If you’re looking for a show to slow binge, perhaps this isn’t the series for you. If you’re looking for a title to devour over the weekend, however, All of Us Are Dead is ripe for the picking. It’s well-crafted, with each episode immediately leading into the other, ensuring the story remains tight and avoids having to craft filler stories between. This allows the writers to tell what is essentially a twelve-hour film of the human’s desire to survive at all costs. There are sacrifices, there are brutal deaths and there are careless mistakes, all of which will elicit strong reactions from viewers. It’s just entertaining television that’ll entrance its viewers with ease.

    Overall, All of Us Are Dead is a breath of fresh life in the zombie genre. It’s beautifully shot and features a stellar ensemble cast and a fantastic new take on zombies. It’s dark, it’s screwed-up, but it’s also a realistic approach to a fictional subject. For viewers looking for something new to binge, give this exciting zombie series a go. By the end, they’ll be desperate for a second season.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Ritual’ Makes You Never Want to Enter a Forest Again

    REVIEW: ‘The Ritual’ Makes You Never Want to Enter a Forest Again

    I have the problem of being late to the party on many things. With only so many hours in a day, you end up losing out on some projects during their peak. After quite a few years, I’ve finally decided to check out the horror film The Ritual. The 2017 David Bruckner project brought the 2011 novel by Adam Nevill to life and follows a group of friends traveling into the unknown forests of Sweden with some dark consequences. What turns out as a mourning trip through the mountains ends up as probably one of the best horror films I’ve seen in some time, and why I wanted to write up a review on it.

    As the film was released back in 2017, I will be tackling spoilers in this review. If you haven’t yet seen it, I highly recommend you check it out before continuing.

    The opening is quite different from what I initially expected. The story doesn’t send you directly into the thick of it all, but rather we spend some time with our main cast. While we only get small inclinations of their characters, the story takes a dark turn very early on. A robbery goes wrong and ends up with one of our main cast getting killed in a convenience store. I’ve somehow managed to stay away from spoilers, and it catches you off-guard. We watch Rafe Spall‘s Luke, as he is forced to witness when his friend Rob (Paul Reid) is brutally killed over his wedding ring. He is too scared to help him and ends up living with that regret.

    In his honor, he and the rest of their friend group take a trip to Sweden to go hike in the mountains. Kungsleden – also known as the King’s Trail – was their original goal but they end up taking a shortcut through a forest after Dom (Sam Troughton) hurts his knee. This moment is when the actual story of the film kicks off as the forest is where the true horror is lurking, regret. Yes, there is a monster in this story, but what they did to flesh out our characters is by having that opening shock become a narrative throughline for Luke.

    It also lends itself for some amazing visuals as the threat they face blends their regret into the first. While at first there are separate areas, seeing elements from the convenience store appear into the forest made for great surreal imagery. We have an actual main threat, which I’ll get to in a bit, but the character arc of standing up to things makes the character interesting to follow, as it also becomes a point of conflict with his friends. They sadly end up mostly as lambs to the slaughter, we still feel for them. There is some well-done character development at play that is subtle but effective for the little time we spend with them.

    The film’s length works to its advantage, as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. As soon as we enter the forest, there’s a lot of build-up to the reveal of the creature lurking in the endless forest. One of my favorite moments was as they wander off, you can see it standing in the background before it moves along. Even if they still rely on some classic Western horror tropes with jump scares and red herrings – which still are used for a build-up. Once the shock factor of “something is lurking in the dark” is over, we get a lot of tension building as it tarts playing with their minds. As pointed out, those moments when the real world blends into the past to screw with our protagonist’s head were some of the best.

    So, let’s talk about the monster. It might be one of the most effective yet simplest design choices. The body is that of an exaggerated moose or dear, but its head is a human body twisted abnormally. We don’t get that many close-ups of his design, especially not until further into the film, but the use of shadows and the forest make it truly memorable. The fact it is teased as a god and the son of Loki makes it such a curious take on Norse folklore that I wish they expanded upon. We mostly get hints and teases throughout, which is very likely a better choice to keep it vague, but my love for mythology just made me wish they explored it even more.

    The way they hinted at the people that lived in this forest was well-done, as they used the buildings and road marks as a way to hint at their existence. They were effective and creepy, but part of me thinks they might’ve been better left out of the story. Yet, it’s also called The Ritual for a reason and you can’t include a god-like entity without any people willing to worship it.

    I will say, the ending has some strange moments that take you out of the “horror” aspect of the film. After a heartbreaking yet creepy sequence with Dom, Luke has this strange calm reaction to everything happening. He walks into this creepy room filled with mummies and after they all start coming to life, he just calmly sets them on fire. Creepy old lady creeps up on you? He takes barely a second to just punch her square in the face. I was laughing way louder than I probably should’ve been because it was supposed to be scary.

    Surprisingly, those moments didn’t take away from the film’s overall experience, and the film might’ve become one of my new favorite horror films. The atmosphere throughout was really well handled and even with most of the film taking place in a dark forest, everything was lit appropriately and built up a tense atmosphere. The monster design and the build-up to its arrival were some of the best parts of the film. Its use of grief and trauma was also a smart character throughline that adds personal conflict and a resolution beyond just “survival.” It certainly has found a way into the top of my horror list.