While the old DCEU begins to flame out, James Gunn and Peter Safran look to be grabbing one of its hottest embers to start the fire of their new DCU. One Take News is reporting that The Flash director Andy Muschetti has agreed to direct DC Studios’ upcoming film, The Brave and the Bold.
The report comes on the heels of earlier rumors that Gunn would look to find a way to retain Muschetti as the transition from the Snyderverse era continues. Described by Gunn as a “a very strange sort of father-son story,” The Brave and the Bold will introduce the DCU’s new Batman alongside his son, Damian, and will also “feature other members of the extended Bat-Family just because we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.”
Muschetti, who recently refused to comment on the rumors saying only “I don’t think I can talk to that yet,” became a hot commodity after turning in two stellar films as an adaptation of Stephen King‘s It. As a follow up, he is currently filming the Max streaming project and It prequel, Welcome to Derry. According to OTN, The Brave and the Bold is currently without a script or release date.
Season 1 of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, which fascinatingly served as a sequel to and a reboot of the 1994 film, was overwhelmingly well-received by critics, notching a 99% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore of 81 on Metacritic. The first season focused on the love-hate relationship between Jacob Anderson‘s Louis de Pointe du Lac and Sam Reid‘s Lestat de Lioncourt and the discord sewn into it by Louis decision to give Bailey Bass‘s Claudia the Dark Gift to save her life. The season finale saw Louis and Claudia hatch a plot to kill Lestat and ended with the revelation that Louis’s sometimes servant/feeding trough, Rashid, was actually the vampire Armand. Armand’s appearance had fans speculating about the premise of Season 2 and now a new interview with the series’ producer Adam O’Byrne and writer Hannah Moscovitch has confirmed fans’ suspicions and given an idea of when they can expect the second season to stream.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Moscovitch confirmed that Season 2 of Interview with the Vampire will adapt the second half of Anne Rice‘s novel of the same name, picking up in 1940 and following Louis and Claudia as they head to Paris. Fans of the novel know what’s waiting for them there and how Armand’s story is tied to it. As Moscovitch says, “The first half of the book is all setup. And then the second half is all payoff.”
That payoff comes in the form of Louis and Claudia meeting with just the type of vampires Lestat warned them about over the course of the first season: a coven of Parisian vampires who operate the Théâtre des Vampires who live under a very different set of rules and guidelines than the ones Louis and Claudia know. According to O’Byrne, production on Season 2 will predominantly take place in Prague, which will double as Paris.
O’Byrne has some unfortunate news for fans, however. Production for the second season won’t get underway until April 2023 and is expected to last around four months which means it almost certainly won’t follow in the footsteps of Season 1 and release in October. “My guess is we won’t make that window,” said O’Byrne, while adding, “that is an AMC call.” It looks like fans will have to wait until late 2023 or early 2024 to see where the show takes the vampires next.
In a shocking turn, Gal Gadot’s third Wonder Woman film is no longer a part of the future slate at DC Studios. According to a report by THR, director Patty Jenkins recently turned in a script treatment for the third film, co-written by longtime DC Comics guru Geoff Johns, and it was determined that the script did not fit with the new vision at DC Studios.
The newly formed DC Studios is being co-piloted by James Gunn and Peter Safran who are said to be meeting with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Walter Zaslav soon to pitch their plan for the direction of the studio. Wonder Woman 3, as it exists, does not fall in line with whatever that vision is. There is currently no word on what the future might hold for Gadot or Wonder Woman.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now the next Marvel Studios film up to continue the franchise. Accordingly, we are seeing plenty of news bits here and there about the upcoming film which will feature potential Multiverse Saga Big Bad Kang the Conquerer.
Disney is giving Andor a nearly unprecedented cross-platform push. The critically acclaimed Star Wars series, which is now most of the way through its 12-episode first season, will reportedly be available to stream on Hulu over Thanksgiving weekend. The service will only carry the show’s first two episodes, which will also air on ABC, FX, and Freeform throughout the holiday week. The special broadcasts will occur on back-to-back-to-back nights, with each channel taking a turn in the spotlight. ABC will air the premiere episodes on Wednesday, FX on Thursday, and Freeform on Friday.
Item: Disney is giving ANDOR, it's critically acclaimed but less-splashy-than-the-others STAR WARS show (you know who we mean), a cross company push. First 2 episodes to air over Thanksgiving holidays on ABC (Wed), FX (Thur), Freeform (Fri), and Hulu.
While Andor, created by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story writer Tony Gilroy, has been the most critically well-received series from Lucasfilm since it began putting projects on Disney+, it’s struggled to find a sizable audience in the same way Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian have before it. Starring Diego Luna in the title role, the series acts as a prequel to Rogue One, telling the story of Cassian Andor in the years before his fateful Rebel mission to steal the Death Star plans. It has thus far been praised for its character work and storytelling, with many fans labeling it as the best Star Wars has been in a long time. Hopefully, the decision to temporarily make the series available elsewhere, other than exclusively on Disney+, helps garner the project a larger audience before its second season arrives in the coming years.
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene! Or in this case, a full-blown graphic novel. TOKYOPOP, publisher of Western manga-style works, has officially announced a new installment in their line of comics based on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Subtitled The Battle For Pumpkin King, the series will act as a prequel to the critically-acclaimed film, exploring a time before Jack Skellington was the undisputed Pumpkin King of Halloween Town.
The story, set years prior to the events of the movie, will see Jack and his future rival – Oogie Boogie – as close friends. Eager to prove themselves, the pals pour all their passion into spooky projects so they might be known as the scariest duo in town. However, only one can earn their rightful place as the titular Pumpkin King. The Battle For Pumpkin King will reveal what happens between the two that turns them into bitter enemies, and leads to Jack’s eventual crowning.
Written by Dan Conner, based on a story by Shaun McLaughlin and D.J. Milky, the full-color project features art from Deborah Allo and Roberto Scalia in another deep-dive into the holiday-themed world crafted by TimBurton. The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle For Pumpkin King will be released as five single issue comics beginning in March of 2023, before dropping as a collected graphic novel in time for next Halloween. The novel follows two others previously produced by TOKYOPOP – Zero’s Journey, also written by Conner, and Mirror Moon, written by Mallory Reaves. Both are currently available.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is closer than ever, but it’s not the only Black Panther project on the horizon. In collaboration with Marvel Studios and Marvel Entertainment, Proximity Media has announced an official podcast dedicated to the iconic character with a premiere date of November 3rd. Titled Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast, the six-episode limited series will be written and hosted by acclaimed creative Ta-Nehisi Coates. The goal of the project will be to explore the making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the next major chapter in the Black Panther saga, while honoring the remarkable legacy of star Chadwick Boseman.
Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast will be executive produced by Ryan Coogler, the co-founder of Proximity Media and the director behind both live-action Black Panther films. Also producing are Paola Mardo, Proximity’s Head of Audio, as well as Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. Mardo released the following statement regarding the creation of the podcast:
Ever since Ryan, Zinzi, and Sev entrusted Proximity’s Audio division with this project, our goal has been to tell the story of the making of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ with as much heart and authenticity as the film itself. With our premiere episode, we’ve accomplished this goal while breaking new ground in the process, thanks to the awesome collaboration between our incredible host Ta-Nehisi Coates, our talented podcast production team, and our collaborators at Marvel and Disney.
Paola Mardo
The debut episode will feature a conversation between Ryan Coogler and Coates, in which the two friends reflect on the cultural impact of 2017’s Black Panther and the late Boseman. After the series’ November 3rd premiere, subsequent episodes will release weekly beginning in January of 2023. Scheduled guests include actors Dominique Thorne and Angela Bassett, composer Ludwig Göransson, production designer Hannah Beachler, writer Joe Robert Cole, producer Kevin Feige, and many more. Each episode will weave scripted host narration with an original score from Göransson, film clips, and field recordings. Fans will be able to experience the making of Wakanda Forever like never before.
The first episode of the podcast drops on November 3rd. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives in theaters on November 11th.
Welcome to the first edition of the Murphy’s Multiverse Sunday Paper, where the biggest news of the past week is brought to you all in one place. Sit back, relax, and catch up before you have to deal with whatever the upcoming week has to offer. This past week had some pretty big news across the board, so let’s break it down by subject.
Marvel Studios
The Marvel Cinematic Universe had an active news week with multiple trailer drops and marketing for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in full swing. First, plenty of new footage and promos for Wakanda Forever have been released (check some out here and here), and critic reactions came out after press premieres this week (check out MM’s Hunter Radesi’s reaction here.) While the film does not hit theaters for another couple of weeks, you can listen to Rihanna’s first song in six years made for the film.
Marvel Studios
The first teaser trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also dropped this week, and William Jackson Harper has joined the cast. (Read more here). Marvel also released the film’s official synopsis:
“In the film, which officially kicks off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Director Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.”
Marvel Studios
That didn’t stop Marvel Studios from releasing a trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, set to hit Disney+ on November 25, 2022. It looks like Kevin Bacon will appear as himself, Cosmo the Space Dog will make her first appearance since the original Guardians of the Galaxy, and Michael Rooker will even likely make an appearance of some sort.
Marvel Studios
It was also confirmed this week that Marvel Studios is developing a WandaVision spinoff titled Vision Quest, in which we will follow Vision on his path to regaining his memories and humanity, and it’s possible the Scarlet Witch makes an appearance. (Read more here.) Speaking of WandaVision spinoffs, Agatha: Coven of Chaos has a bit of news of its own. WandaVision staff writer Megan McDonnell is among the team of writers working on the upcoming Disney+ streaming series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, (read more here) and a recent rumor suggests that the series may be adapting the Scarlet Witch-related Children’s Crusade comic book arc. (Read more here.)
We’ve also gotten a better look at Ironheart this week as set photos offer a look at Anthony Ramos’ villain the Hood (see it here), and a wrap gift teases Ironheart’s new armor’s faceplate (see it here). After not appearing in the Thunderboltspromotion at D23, Baron Zemo actor Daniel Brühl teased the return of his character (read more here), and Charlize Theron also teased Clea’s return to the MCU. (Read more here). Speaking of teases, Hugh Jackman discussed his return as Wolverine and a likely title change for Deadpool 3. (Read more here.)
Lastly, there are a few more rumors making the rounds. Blade may have found its new director in Elegance Bratton, a relatively new director. (Read more here.) Believe it or not (it is a rumor after all), Dr. Doom may not be the main villain of the upcoming Fantastic Four film (read it here), and an official Disney site listed Emilia Clarke’s character in Secret Invasion as Abigail Brand, though the Skrull possibilities are endless. (Read more here.)
Star Wars
If a new rumor proves true, Ezra Bridger, the beloved protagonist of Disney XD’s animated Star Wars: Rebels, may receive a solo live-action series after the character’s appearance in the upcoming Disney+ series Ashoka. It is unclear clear if the rumored solo series, led by actor Eman Esfandi will be a direct sequel to Rebels or not. (Read more here.)
Oscar Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who recently directed a couple of episodes of Ms. Marvel, has been chosen to direct what’s being described as a “secret” Star Wars film based on a script from Damon Lindelof and an as yet unnamed co-writer. Though the film is still in the early stages of development, the report indicates that it has gained steam at Lucasfilm and is among its top priorities on its theatrical slate (Read more here.) The Star Wars film is also apparently set to take place after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and could possibly bring back some of the sequel trilogy’s characters. (Read more here.)
Last but not least, a teaser trailer for Tales of the Jedi dropped. (Watch it here.)
DC
While Black Adam flew through its first full week in theaters with strong box office numbers, DC has a much bigger week in the news than anyone would have predicted. Of course, the Superman cameo in the film was turning heads before it was even released. However, Henry Cavill himself on Monday took to social media to confirm his return as Superman. He posted a video for his fans along with the caption, “A very small taste of what’s to come, my friends. The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded. #Superman.” (Read more and check out his full Instagram post here).
In fact, this week seemed to signal a new era for DC Entertainment on an even bigger scale, as it looks like Warner Bros. has finally found its Kevin Feige(s). In a surprising announcement, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been tapped to lead the DC’s future film, TV, and animation slates. They will act as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, which was recently led by Walter Hamada under the title of DC Films. (Read more here.)
DC also left bits and pieces of news floating around throughout the week, though perhaps less exciting than the big hitters above. Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to 2019’s Joker, is reportedly set to start production soon. According to cinematographer Lawrence Sher, the film will begin filming “in five- or six-weeks’ time.” Additionally, the film will “largely be shot in sound stages in Los Angeles, as well as on location in New York, where the project is set.” (Read more here.) On the other hand, The Batman 2 won’t be headed to theaters until 2025 at the earliest. (Read more here.) However, it looks like the film will not be associated with the new DC Studios, and it is unclear if The Batman franchise will be either. (Read more here.) In other words, DC’s universe will still remain, to some extent, in its oddly organized, splintered form we all know and love.
Speaking of the Wild West of DC, there is more. The Batman universe untitled Arkham Asylum spin-off series is finally moving forward. Variety has shared that the creator of The Staircase, Antonio Campos, has joined the production as its showrunner. (Read more here.) Set photos from the filming of The Flash’s ninth and final season have seemingly confirmed that actress Javicia Leslie—who previously played an original character on Batwoman–will return to The CW as the multiversal villain Red Death, (read more here), and actor Elijah Rashad is set to join Doom Patrol’s fourth season. (Read more here.)
HBO Max is looking to redevelop its previously announced Green Lantern series. The show, which hailed from producer Greg Berlanti and writer Seth Grahame-Smith, was originally set to star Finn Wittrock (Ratched) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) as the respective Green Lanterns. Reportedly, the new series will instead turn the focus over to John Stewart, one of DC’s first black superheroes. (Read more here.)
In Other News
Some other news worth noting—Henry Cavill is departing The Witcher, with Liam Hemsworth to take on the role. (Read more here.) Andy Serkis apparently will not be back to direct Venom 3 and writer Kelly Marcel will helm the film instead. (Read more here.) Avatar: The Way of the Water might have a whopping 3 hours and 10 minutes run time, and House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condol discussed the season finale and about the direction the series will take in the future. (Read more here.)
There’s only one thing that fans of the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe love more than the half-dozen or more projects that Marvel Studios puts out each year: rumors. The online dialogue about which characters might cameo in Marvel’s next project has grown to the point where fans often find themselves more excited about a character cameo than they are about the project’s lead character. Unfortunately, due to bogus rumors, changes during production and just plain poor theorizing, fans often find themselves frustrated when the thing they’ve imagined in their head doesn’t materialize in said project.
One such project that seems to have been the focus of just that type of speculation for quite some time now is the upcoming Marvel Studios Halloween Special, Werewolf By Night. It seems like every character from the horror corner of Marvel Comics from Blade, to Ghost Rider to Vampire By Night, has been discussed as possibly appearing in the project all while overlooking the titular character and the rest of the crew.
Following his voice-only cameo in Eternals, fans have been particularly eager to pin down Mahershala Ali’s next appearance as the aforementioned Daywalker and Werewolf By Night certainly became a sensible focal point of speculation for that appearance. Over the past several months, rumors first swirled that Ali’s character would indeed show up in the project; then, more recently, that due to scheduling conflicts, he would not. In an interview with One Take News, director Michael Giacchino was asked about those rumors and it turns out he’s been paying attention to the online discourse.
You know what, rumors are insanely inaccurate I would say…99.9% of the time. The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is everyone thinks that every single thing is going to be connected. EVERY single thing. And it doesn’t mean that we’re not connected. But, I didn’t feel the need to blatantly say we were.
Michael Giacchino
We’ve run the numbers and it turns out Giacchino’s percentage is actually a little on the low side of things. And while the director didn’t ACTUALLY address whether or not Blade was on track to appear, he did go on to explain that part of what drew him to developing Werewolf By Night was the the character could exist in isolation in the comics and didn’t need to be a part of every event.
You know, every other show has done that and they’ve done it brilliantly and I thought “you know what?”, when I was a kid, I would pull a comic off the shelf and this particular Werewolf By Night issue had nothing to do with anything else in the Marvel Universe. What’s wrong with that? That’s okay! You know, they can all live together but we don’t need to always show them together. You know, let’s have a moment where we’re dealing with this. One of the shows that was a huge influence for me growing up was The Twilight Zone and what I loved about it was each one was its own thing and each story was something that you had to think about for days afterwards and I said “Let’s do that! Let’s just worry about this”. You know, in the future, who knows? We’ll see where the characters go, we’ll see where we take them but for now, let’s just worry about this one thing right here.
Michael Giacchino
Was Blade supposed to be in it? We don’t know. But we do know that he is not and that according to all the first reactions to the project, Giacchino seems to have made exactly the type of project he set out to: one that stands among the crowd of “Marvel formula” projects and that exists within its own little pocket of a much larger universe.
Werewolf By Night debuts on Disney Plus on Octobrer 7th.
After nearly a year of rumors, Disney let the cat out of the bag about Daredevil’s appearance in She-Hulk, using the character in a promo for the show and removing all doubt about the veracity of said rumors. What is still in doubt, however, is whether or not the character, last seen briefly in Spider-Man: No Way Home, is the same character who lead 3 seasons of his own show on Netflix. Some fans are sure he is; others are sure he is not. All the while, Marvel Studios has remained silent on the matter. However, in an interview with Comic Book, She-Hulk head writer Jessica Gao and director Kat Coiro gave some insight into their understanding of the scenario.
Unfortunately, neither Gao nor Coiro confirmed or denied whether or not Charlie Cox‘s character’s story is a direct continuation of the Netflix series. According to Gao, the creatives behind She-Hulk looked at the opportunity to include Daredevil as a chance to put their own spin on the character, one that ended up very different from the dark, gritty Netflix series.
We were like, ‘This is our version,’ and it’s true for any character. Like every character that we’ve used that existed in the MCU, it gets to be a little bit different on our show because you see them in very dramatic roles like these big high pressure, high stakes kind of situations but on our show because our show is more of a slice of life, they can kinda take a break from that.
Jessica Gao
Gao further explained that with She-Hulk’s lighter tone, characters who join the show in smaller roles were stepping into that comedic world and were reshaped by it, though not permanently:
They get to take a little bit of a comedy vacation. Of course, after our show, they get to go back to save the world, saving the universe, very serious, intense story but on our show, they get to just take a little break and when the universe is not at stake like, ‘What’s going on with you?’ They get a chance to really explore like a different part of their character because not everyone can be at a 10 saving the world every minute of every day.
Jessia Gao
Coiro was much less forthcoming about what to expect from Cox’s character in the upcoming series. When asked if his appearance in She-Hulk would continue his story from the Netflix series, Coiro played…coy…saying, “I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it, but it’s very conscious and it’s very much planned. That’s all I can say.“
It’s easy enough to say, “fans will just have to wait and see” whether or not Cox’s Daredevil and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin are picking up in the MCU where they left off, but there’s also an opportunity for Marvel Studios to stay quiet on the matter, allowing the speculation and conversation to continue. One of those things serves them better than the other.
She-Hulk: Attorney At Law debuts this Thursday on Disney Plus.
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