Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Netflix

  • Patrick Hughes Directing ‘The Raid’ Remake for Netflix, Michael Bay Producing

    Patrick Hughes Directing ‘The Raid’ Remake for Netflix, Michael Bay Producing

    Hollywood is no stranger to remaking international films or TV shows to bank on their success. While Netflix has become quite famous for their new focus on projects from any market, they still dabble with Western reimaginations as well. They just recently brought the Anime classic Cowboy Bebop into live-action and have more already in some form of development. It looks like they found their next project, as the streaming service will work with Patrick Hughes, who will direct a remake of The Raid.

    XYZ Films is on board to help produce the project with Michael Bay also taking a producer role. Gareth Evans also takes on the role of executive producer with Range Media Partners. The script is written by Hughes, who co-wrote it with James Beaufort. The upcoming film will take place in the Philadelphia “Badlands,” where an undercover DEA task force has to catch a kingpin. It’ll be curious how they approach the project, as The Raid is famous for its visceral and memorable action.

    Source: Deadline

  • REPORT: New Casting Breakdowns for Mai and Ty Lee in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Revealed

    REPORT: New Casting Breakdowns for Mai and Ty Lee in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Revealed

    Production on the upcoming live-action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently in motion, as they continue to add new cast members. Just a few weeks ago the project added Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi, Maria Zhang as Suki, Casey Camp-Horinek as Gran-Gran, and Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula. With Azula set to make an early appearance, it seems she won’t be alone, as Mai and Ty Lee may also appear in the world of Avatar a bit earlier than expected.

    The Illuminerdi is reporting that the two will appear in the first season and has even shared the first character descriptions for both of them. The production is looking to cast an East Asian actress, who is 15 years old to play Mai. She is described as a “courteous daughter of a politician” who was sent to a private school for children of her political standing. Yet, she is also described as a “brooding teenager who finds her guarded and affluent life tedious.” Mai doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve and can often be seen as “quite deadpan.”

    Netflix’s looking for the same age and heritage for the actress to play Ty Lee, who attends the same school as Mai. She is described as “cheerful, bubbly, and athletic.” Ty Lee is “an adept acrobat and gymnast” and we may see her actively move around while holding conversations with people, as she can never sit still. As such, she does her utmost to be liked by the people around her. She and Mai are both described as “recurring guest performers,” which hints that we’ll get more of them than initially expected.

    No talent has yet to be announced for either role as the series continues production. They may get announced by the studio in a similar fashion to the three previous cast members. For now, we can only wait, as Avatar: The Last Airbender also doesn’t have a release date just yet.

    Source: Illuminerdi, Avatar News

  • Netflix Developing a ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Anime Adaptation

    Netflix Developing a ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Anime Adaptation

    The cult phenomenon that is Scott Pilgrim is once again being primed for an adaptation, only this time it will look a little bit different. Netflix, along with Universal Content Productions, is developing a new take on the fan-favorite franchise in the form of an anime adaptation. The show, which has yet to receive a full series order, is currently being written by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the original artist, and creator of the comic book that started it all. He will also serve as an executive producer on the anime with BenDavid Grabinski, who previously worked as the showrunner on Nickelodeon’s revival of Are You Afraid of the Dark?.

    This will be the second major adaptation of the graphic novel series that ran from 2004 to 2010. It follows the life of the titular character, a part-time musician and full-time slacker, as he falls in love with the highly mysterious Ramona Flowers and goes to war with her powerful “seven evil exes”. Acclaimed director Edgar Wright adapted the concept into a 2010 live-action film titled Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, a project which has since become a staple in the genre.

    Audiences hold the movie, which starred Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, to a high standard. The bar for a new adaptation will be understandably high, but fans should feel good about the inclusion of O’Malley in the creative process. It’s also worth noting that the pages of the Scott Pilgrim comics feel incredibly well suited to the anime style and should help to deliver a truly unique series for viewers.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: ‘The Witcher’ Season 3 To Begin Production in March

    RUMOR: ‘The Witcher’ Season 3 To Begin Production in March

    The Witcher has become quite the hit for Netflix, with the streamer building a universe around the popular franchise for fans to enjoy outside of the books and video games. The second season of the mothership series just hit Netflix, while The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel set hundreds of years before the events of Geralt’s story, is set to debut on the service sometime in 2022. And now, thanks to a new report, it seems the third season could be kicking into action a little sooner than some thought, in what could be just a couple of months from now. 

    Redanian Intelligence, a news source for all things Witcher, reports the third season of The Witcher is set to begin production sometime in March. The third season of the series has reportedly already been written, with writing on the third season beginning before the second season had even begun. Production was initially reported to begin in February with the series set to wrap sometime in July, however, with that pushed back a month, it now seems the production could wrap sometime in August. 

    With the next installment already in development and looking to kick off quite soon, it seems plausible that fans could see the third season debut sometime in early-mid 2023, with a possible Spring release date. No official word has been issued yet on Season 3 outside of its renewal, and no casting has been announced either, but that could change in the next few months as production ramps up.

    All eight episodes of The Witcher Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.

    SOURCE: Redanian Intelligence

  • REVIEW: ‘The Witcher’ 2×2, ‘Kaer Morhen’

    REVIEW: ‘The Witcher’ 2×2, ‘Kaer Morhen’

    The first episode of The Witcher Season 2 set the story off to a bit of a slower start, picking up right where Season 1 ended. Before making their way to Kaer Morhen, Geralt and Ciri head towards an old friend of Geralt’s to wait out a violent blizzard. The two meet a now cursed Nivellen, who appears as a hybrid of a bear and a pig, Geralt is instantly on edge at what stands before him. The episode ends with Geralt freeing Nivellen of his curse, but learning about what bound him to it in the first place.

    The episode begins with Geralt and Ciri arriving at Kaer Morhen, something that’s been built up since Season 1. This is where Ciri can finally begin her training, learn to hone her abilities, the ones that would randomly pop up throughout the first season. This episode, while it’s a bit fast, feels a whole lot like the first episode, which is really just a lot of sitting around until the end when the monster reveals itself and Geralt springs into action and leaves Ciri behind to “protect her.”

    Arriving at Kaer Morhen, the series introduces many characters that should be familiar to fans of both The Witcher games and books like Vesemir, Eskel, Lambert, and Coën. and while the series gets most of these characters right or at least pretty accurate, Eskel is only the character in the name, an absolutely massive departure from who the character truly is.

    First of all, these are people Geralt grew up with and trained alongside on the path to becoming Witchers. While, for the most part, you can feel those years together in Geralt’s interactions with them, Eskel is the weakest link. Eskel is supposed to be like Geralt, calm and collected, as well as one of Geralt’s closest friends and basically a brother. Eskel is stripped of all that and made to be the black sheep of the family who acts as the rebellious teen, a complete douche essentially. This is furthered by him hiding his Leshy infection that’s slowly turning him into a tree monster, quickly succumbing to it and attacking the castle.

    Perhaps the best part of the episode is when we’re able to see Geralt and Vesemir work together as protege and master, father and son. The fight scene that ensues is quite well done, but the series tries to make you feel sympathy for Geralt in this situation in which he’s pitted against Eskel. This is someone whose supposed to be quite close with Geralt, and when he’s eventually forced to kill Eskel, there’s just no emotional weight attached to that moment.

    The absolute weakest part of this episode, and so far this season, is whatever path they’ve set Yennefer on because it honestly feels like they’ve got no idea what to do with her. This is probably because, in the story they are attempting to adapt, Yennefer really does not play a part. She is still presumed dead by Geralt, who moved on to watch over and train Ciri, but her entire arc feels like it has no end goal right now, she spends a majority of this episode caught in a dream-like state with a forest witch. It again feels like it has sent her nowhere, especially as she finishes out this episode screaming in the woods.

    The Witcher Season 2 seems to have finally found a bit of its footing with Geralt and Ciri arriving at Kar Morhen and I hope to see some solid development for the two of them. The season still teeters on the edge with it not knowing what to do with Yennefer, though. After a fantastic first season arc for the character, she deserves more than what she’s being given.

  • New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Leak Online With First Look at Alvida’s Ship

    New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Leak Online With First Look at Alvida’s Ship

    We’re still waiting patiently for any new update for the production start of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series. While there was a video teasing production during Jump Festa, most o the cast returned home over the holidays making us wonder if they are still in the pre-production process. They’ve seemingly worked on the film for some time, as pictures surfaced of the Going Merry for some time. Well, it seems the next iconic ship has found its way online from the series, as shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan with images provided by @Risebito.

    It’s quite far away and is seemingly missing color for now, but the swan-inspired figurehead definitely matches the original design. The ship looks quite large and makes you wonder how they’ll tackle each one of the various pirates, especially as Alvida has a minor role in the series. We’ll still get quite a few others that might pop up in the future, such as Krieg’s broken ship after his time on the Grand Line and the floating restaurant Baratie. We’ll see if these also find their way online as production truly kicks off.

    Source: Twitter

  • Zack Snyder Shares First ‘Rebel Moon’ Concept Art, Eyeing Production Start in Few Months

    Zack Snyder Shares First ‘Rebel Moon’ Concept Art, Eyeing Production Start in Few Months

    It looks like direct Zack Snyder is already preparing for his next project, as the director has taken to Vero to share the first look at concept art for his next film project, Rebel Moon. What was once a Star Wars pitch will become a unique tale that’ll premiere on Netflix at some point in the future. The first look at the upcoming film teases a moody space epic that certainly seems like it is up to Snyder‘s wheelhouse. He also teased that they are “heading to principal photography in a few months,” which hints at an early 2022 production start.

    Of course, we still know very little about the project outside of a brief synopsis and that Sofia Boutella was cast in the leading role. With Man of Steel on his belt, Snyder is no stranger to sci-fi epics and it’s always promising to see him tackle a new world he was able to build from scratch. There’s no word yet if this might also connect to his new zombie franchise that started with Army of the Dead, but he seems like the type that plays around with loosely connected worlds. Here’s hoping we get more details as they start production.

    Source: Vero via Twitter

  • ‘Squid Game’ Creator Already in Talks With Netflix for a Season 3

    ‘Squid Game’ Creator Already in Talks With Netflix for a Season 3

    It looks like the creator of Netflix’s international smash hit Squid Game is in it for the long game, as Hwang Gon-hyuk has revealed he is currently in negotiations on a potential third season. There were already hints that they have started development on a second season to continue the story of Lee Jung-jae‘s Seong Gi-hun, who has made quite the declaration at the end of the first season after the revelations behind the titular Squid Game. Korean Times was kind enough to translate Gon-hyuk‘s statement on their current discussions:

    I’m in talks with Netflix over season 2 as well as season 3. We will come to a conclusion any time soon.

    Hwang Gon-hyuk

    It’s uncertain how they’ll continue the storyline, but there are quite a few open questions left behind with Lee Byung-hun‘s Front Man revelation. They seemingly left a few talking points open on purpose to further explore the history of these games. We met one of its founders, but that won’t stop the games from continuing even as he moved on. We’ll see what the future has in store for Gi-hun, who is about to face an entire corporation down on his own.

    Source: Korean Times

  • REVIEW: ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4 is the Best Season Yet

    REVIEW: ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 4 is the Best Season Yet

    The hit follow-up series to the Karate Kid film franchise is thriving in its newfound home on Netflix following the streamer’s acquisition of the series with Season 3. Now, Season 4 is here and the show looks ready to kick some more butt. With the return of a few familiar faces and the future of karate in the valley on the line, Cobra Kai is back and it might be better than ever with an absolutely enthralling fourth season that will have you on the edge of your set the entire time. 

    The season picks up right where Season 3 left off, with Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang Karate coming together to defeat Cobra Kai at the All Valley and shutdown Cobra Kai for good. This is one of the season’s most interesting dynamics as both sides have their very obvious and glaring differences, it leads to some intriguing conflicts and interactions that you would never think would happen.

    The latest season of Cobra Kai does an excellent job of tackling character relationships. Developing new and old relationships is something Season 4 does quite well. It’s Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry that sticks out the most this season, while both men try to hold onto the father/son relationship they’ve developed over the past few seasons with Miguel and Johnny. We also get to delve deeper into the relationship between John Kreese and Terry Silver, and seeing how their relationship fluctuates over the course of the ten episodes is thrilling; it’s well-written with plenty of moments that’ll keep you guessing. For the first time on the series, these two men feel like more than merely “villains,” which makes their “big, bad” moments all the more terrifying.

    But the absolute for-sure highlight of this season is the return of Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver. When we first meet him, he wants absolutely nothing to do with Cobra Kai or Karate, as the season progresses, however, he slowly begins to become obsessed with it once more. Griffith becomes an absolute menace the second he steps back into the dojo and becomes a serious threat, and not just in the world of Karate. Terry Silver is even more ruthless than John Kreese and doesn’t have the same soft spot for Johnny as Kreese does, as he looks to right many mistakes they made in the past and will not stop at anything to get things done. 

    The extent of Silver’s influence and antagonist development can be seen in the introduction of a new character named Kenny, played by Dallas Dupree. Robby was actively trying to help Kenny stand up to his bullies through karate as the series looks to redeem Robby and eventually bring him and his father together. Unfortunately, though, the introduction of Silver to Cobra Kai turns Kenny into a product of Silver’s malicious and violent nature, pivoting a once kind and promising student into a killing machine. 

    While the character development is a strong point this season, the show looks to have kicked it up a notch on the nature of the show, with what seems to be some of its most violent and mature fights yet. The excellent fight choreography is on full display during the All Valley tournament, with each of the kids truly getting a chance to shine.

    Overall, Season 4 of Cobra Kai may just be the best installment yet of the beloved series. It’s smart, well-written with plenty of stunning fight choreography. At a time when many shows are lucky to tell a cohesive story over multiple seasons that doesn’t falter, Cobra Kai proves it still has plenty of moves left to unleash as it readies for a fifth season. A tight, cohesive season that manages to successfully take the series in a new direction for Season 5? It’s hard not to enjoy this latest return to the Karate Kid franchise.

    The fourth season of Cobra Kai is set to premiere on December 31st, only on Netflix. The show’s fifth season has already wrapped production, but a release date has yet to be revealed.

  • ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down ‘Shang-Chi’ To Keep Hope Alive for the Return of Colleen Wing

    ‘Iron Fist’ Star Jessica Henwick Turned Down ‘Shang-Chi’ To Keep Hope Alive for the Return of Colleen Wing

    Netflix’s Iron Fist seemed to finally be finding its identity when it was canceled following its second season. A big part of that identity was giving then budding star Jessica Henwick more to do. By season’s end, Henwick’s character, Colleen Wing, wielded the power of the Iron Fist of K’un Lun and, presumably, would have had a major arc in a third season.

    Henwick is now starring in the recently released Matrix Resurrections and revealed that, in order to land that role, she passed on one in Marvel Studios Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. After that report, fans speculated, wildly as always, that Henwick was set to reprise the role of Wing in Shang-Chi. Thankfully, in an interview with a trade,Henwick clarified that not only was she NOT going to be playing Wing in Shang-Chi, but also that she passed on the role in order to keep hope alive that she might reprise the role sometime down the road.

    If I did [Shang-Chi], I would effectively be putting Colleen to bed. It wasn’t the main factor, but it definitely came up in conversation. I love Colleen. She changed my life. Of course, if I was given the opportunity to revisit her, I would, but I just don’t know how likely that is. Charlie [Cox] knew about that opportunity years ago. He already knew it was happening. I think I would have heard by now if there were any plans with Colleen.

    As Henwick noted, plans for Daredevil star Charlie Cox to return were in place for some time ahead of his work on Spider-Man: No Way Home and the fact that she hasn’t heard anything about a potential future for Wing could easily be construed as the end for the character; however, as Spider-Man: No Way Home and Hawkeye have proven, there can be life after Netflix death for these characters.