Tag: Sunday Paper

SPECIAL: The Sunday Paper— Greatest Hits of 2022

Murphy’s Multiverse’s Extremely Talented João Roque Pinto

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

This should come as no surprise. Of course, fans flock to MCU news. Splitting it into films and Disney+ series, the biggest movie news seems predictable. But our readers’ interest in the series is perhaps a bit unique. Of course, in general, the most interesting MCU news this year came from San Diego Comic Con’s debut of Marvel Studios’ slate for Phases 5 and 6, culminating in Avengers: Secret Wars.

MCU Movies

With the news that Phase 6 will include Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, the speculation of multiversal proportions has begun. Our readers, though, have been most interested in a rumor about who the first Avengers to potentially bite the dust in The Kang Dynasty will be.

New Rumor Reveals the First Avengers to Fall in ‘The Kang Dynasty’

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a big moment in 2022 for countless reasons. The MCU's newest anti-hero, Namor, finally made his live-action debut. While many want to see the return of the character, it may not be in the form of a solo film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever producer Nate Moore confirmed that the character can definitely return in a future project, but Disney is not able to produce a standalone project based around the character. It seems the rights are still with Universal, who also holds the rights to Hulk and was the reason that character never got a sequel since the Edward Norton film back in 2008.

Other major MCU movie news includes, of course, Deadpool 3. While fans have been clamoring for any information on the character's MCU debut, we were treated this year with the knowledge that Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine, and a new working title (that includes "Wolverine") for the film seems to make it clear how important and big his role will be.

New Working Title for ‘Deadpool 3’ Reveals the Size of Hugh Jackman’s Role

While not directly about any particular MCU film, once again this year legendary director Quentin Tarantino made negative remarks about Marvel and/or superhero films which gave film Twitter fuel to rave for days. One of the things that peaked our readers' attention was learning that Tarantino actually has or had an idea for an MCU film based on the Howling Commandos.

As a side note, MM readers apparently got a kick out of our Ultimate Lists of What to Watch Before Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. If you thought the Multiverse of Madness list was chaos, just imagine what the Ultimate List for Secret Wars will look like (hint: the entire MCU and then some). Rest assured, an Ultimate List for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit the internet soon.

The Ultimate List of What To Watch Before ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’

MCU Disney+ Series

If you were to guess what our readers clicked on most in 2022, would you guess Moon Knight? If so, you're a winner. Not only was our most-read article about how Moon Knight beat out Hawkeye's viewership on Disney+, but fans were all in on Moon Knight costumes. Theorizing alter ego Jake Lockley's costume (which did not come to fruition) was a fun pastime, and others were extremely interested in some of the unused suit designs for the series. Clearly, fans seem interested in more of the series. Will we get it? We still don't know, but we have a general guess we could see it in 2025.

‘Moon Knight’ Beats Out ‘Hawkeye’s Overall Viewership on Disney+

Readers also flocked to news about the upcoming Secret Invasion. Perhaps fitting for the show, some of the most-read articles involved leaked set photos or rumors about the identity of characters—specifically Emilia Clarke's character—whose identity will further be questioned throughout the series.

Emilia Clarke’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Skrull Identity Rumored to be Revealed

What would the past few years have been without the constant Daredevil dialogue? Of course, fans jumped on all news Charlie Cox-related. It ultimately paid off when fans learned he would return in his own MCU show, Daredevil: Born Again as well as cameo in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Still, the thing that got fans stirred up the most was when Cox finally broke his silence about his wild appearance in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home and re-ignited the renew Daredevil campaign.

DC

To be honest, DC has been a mess for quite some time. Whether you love(d) the DCEU (and/or all of the things that were in the DC multiverse but not the DC Extended Universe, which makes no sense), hated it, or (most likely) were indifferent to it, it existed. However, late this year all of it was thrown into complete additional chaos when it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be taking over as co-leaders of the newly-formed DC Studios. There is plenty to try and unpack so far—for example, Henry Cavill is no longer Superman. Who else will be recast? What will they do with their current 2023 slate that includes The Flash, Aquaman 2, Blue Beetle, and Shazam 2?

We do not know. But to be honest, MM readers have not spent too much time tracking the fire tornado that is DC. But Gunn has reassured fans that more will be known early this year.

Hot Take

It’s Time for Marvel Studios to End Their Most Well-Known Tradition

We also generated plenty of discourse around the MCU's post-credits scenes. One unknown member of the site, Charles Murphy, wrote a piece on why Marvel should end its post-credits scene tradition:

Given they distract from the movies, aren’t always followed through on and the disturbing trend in their quality, it really is time for the Marvel post-credit scene to be retired. We’ll always have that kiss between Jane and Thor…before Jane disappeared for a decade.
Charles Murphy

If you still have too many opinions about it, feel free to hop right back into that conversation. But screaming into the Twitter void about movies feels so 2022. 2023 is better...right?

Honorable Mentions

It's not all about superheroes, though MM readers certainly love them. But in 2022 we had some major interest in several other things. Check out some of the most noteworthy ones below.

Chris Hemsworth Shares First Set Photo from ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Prequel ‘Furiosa’ as Production Starts

EXCLUSIVE: Live-Action ‘One Piece’s First Season No Longer Ten Episodes

Leaked ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 Set Photos Tease Sith-Themed Mandalorians

Jason Blum Offers Update on ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s Film

January 1, 2023
The Sunday Paper—December 11, 2022

This week the news fell into an alternate reality where DC is making all of the headlines. A huge report pointed to several shakeups in the newly-formed DC Studios. The report indicated that not only did they pass on Patty Jenkins‘ third Wonder Woman film, but also won’t move forward with a Black Adam sequel; even as Dwayne Johnsondesperately crunches the numbers to prove it’s a success. The biggest shock was also the fact that Henry Cavill may have returned briefly as Superman but is unlikely to do so once again. The upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may be the last we see Jason Momoa in the role, though news coming out of that film’s test screening will disappoint both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton Batman fans apparently.

For his part, co-CEO James Gunn took to Twitter to vaguely half-confirm the report. Though it is probably safe to say that even the top of the totem pole does not have all the answers. While the studio’s“lack of communication to talent reps and content creators” is reportedly “creating a riot”, Gunn did take the time to confirm to fans on Twitter that the character of Superman is a big priority for DC Studios going forward.

In Marvel Studios news, we’ve gotten a couple of potentially big rumors about Avengers: The Kang Dynasty this week, including who the first Avengers to fall to Kang might be and a very interesting potential ally in the fight against the Big Bad. In the spirit of the first-parters to major MCU crossover events, we also saw some interesting concept art of a character mash-up between Iron Man and Doctor Strange that was cut from Avengers: Infinity War.

This week, we learned that actresses Margarita Levieva and Sandrine Holt have joined Daredevil: Born Again in major roles. While the roles are not confirmed, there is a chance Holt could be portraying Tyger Tiger, a character with more links to Madripoor than Hell’s Kitchen, but could tie together some criminal enterprises.

As Black Panther: Wakanda Forever remains in theaters, we keep learning interesting tidbits. Michael B. Jordan opened up about what it took to keep Killmonger’s return in the film a surprise, and new concept art reveals alternative Namor designs. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the near-ish horizon, we speculate which characters might meet their untimely fate in the film which is promised to be an emotional last outing for the team. Whether or not there will be more adventures for a new iteration of the team is a decision that Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, and his trusted Parliament have to make but in-universe, Guardians or not, the galaxy still needs heroes—and we have just the suggestion.

In the gaming world, it appears Marvel’s Avengers video game experiment is coming to an end. Developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix, Marvel’s Avengers was an ambitious attempt at launching Marvel’s biggest superhero brand in the digital marketplace. Marvel’s Avengers will reportedly “sunset” in 2023 with support for the game and new content slowly ceasing to exist.

December 11, 2022
The Sunday Paper — November 13, 2022

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever debuted this weekend to high acclaim and box office success. Fans are now finally able to witness the ambitious, emotional, and impressive cinematic feat for themselves after years of real-world grief and production difficulties. Despite the success, earlier this week director Ryan Coogler revealed that a Black Panther 3 might not be such a sure thing—at least with him at the helm. And for those tracking potential Avengers: Secret Wars directors, Coogler says he has had no conversations about the job.

Fans of Black Panther and its sequel should be happy to hear that Marvel Studios has confirmed that there are multiple Disney+ projects in the works based on Wakanda. According to Marvel Studios EP Nate Moore, some of the series in mind would involve existing characters, such as the Okoye-centric project that’s been in development for some time, while others would focus on characters “that would be completely new.”

Some of the week’s biggest news involved everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Though it hasn’t been officially announced, the buzz around Sony and Marvel Studios reaching a new deal to continue their collaborative efforts to co-produce Spider-Man films has been at an all-time high this week. The deal, should it be reached, would allow Marvel Studios to get to work on developing new Spidey films with Sony and for them to negotiate a deal with star Tom Holland that would allow him to appear in non-Spidey films.

But other Spider-Man projects have been in the news as well. Daniel Kaluuya was revealed to be voicing Spider-Punk in the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and there are rumors that the animated film will feature Spider-Men from major franchises, such as Tom Holland’s, Tobey Maguire’s, and Andrew Garfield’s heroes. For those interested in the never-made Maguire universe Spider-Man 4, we learned this week that Angelina Jolie almost played a villain in the film, and new details emerged about the origin and death of the Vulture in it.

In Deadpool 3 news: in an interview with Sirius XM’s Stars, Ryan Reynolds explained that he, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy are “up to our necks in prep,” that the film is still being written, and that he will be wrapped up in production on it for the next two years. The actor then added that shooting on the film, which he called “the easy part”, is expected to take place “just before Summer.” Interestingly, new rumors suggest that Owen Wilson’s Mobius will appear in the film as well as the 2005 Fantastic Four team. Perhaps Chris Evans’ return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe will not be as Steve Rogers after all. The Marvel Studios Fantastic Four film in development is rumored to be eyeing a January 2024 production start. Shawn Levy fans will be excited that the director will direct a Star Wars film after he’s done with Deadpool 3.

Agatha: Coven of Chaos casting and character news continues to be the gift that keeps on giving. While the debate on the subject seemed a bit silly, Joe Locke’s role in the upcoming Disney+ series is seeming confirmed as Wiccan at this point. The show added Sasheer Zamata and Eric André to its cast, and a new report may have revealed that Morgan Le Fay will be the main villain of Coven of Chaos.

Daredevil: Born Again is one of three Disney Plus streaming series set to film in the first half of 2023, joining Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Wonder Man. Early word had the Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio-led Daredevil series headed to New York City for production, returning to the familiar locations fans grew accustomed to over 3 seasons of the Netflix series. Production is expected to last nearly all of 2023, beginning in February and wrapping in December.

Indiana Jones is set to make a big comeback with the upcoming fifth film starring Harrison Ford in the iconic role once again. Yet, it seems that Disney is not interested in leaving it with just that single project. According to a new report by Variety, it seems they are also hoping to develop a Disney+ series based on the iconic archaeologist’s globe-trotting adventures. They don’t have a writer or showrunner in place. So, it’s not a definite project at the moment but definitely something they are looking into.

The John Wick franchise is continuing to grow, as not only are we getting a TV spinoff that explores the early days of the iconic hotel chain but also a female-led spinoff only known as Ballerina as of now. It’s unclear if this new cinematic franchise will receive an original naming to tie it all together, but it does seem like the franchise’s iconic star, Keanu Reeves, is set to join the production of the upcoming spinoff.

Lastly, a very heartbreaking exclusive about the upcoming live-action Lilo & Stitch movie revealed that the iconic character Cobra Bubbles will be replaced. Of course, news that one of the greatest Disney animated films of all time would be receiving the latest live-action treatment was distressing enough. Still, the fact that Agent Bubbles was not deemed worthy of making the cut is absolutely absurd and a crushing blow to any reasonable-minded person. Perhaps the only post-1990s 2D Disney animated films to actually become a classic, Lilo & Stitch is a journey that spans space, friendship, and family. The film boasts an amazing soundtrack as well, and it is unclear how a live-action film could ever do it justice. Bubbles was a pillar of the original film, serving as the social worker constantly threatening to separate Lilo and her sister, Nani, as Nani does her best as a teenage older sister and pseudo-single-parent after the two’s parents die tragically as per Disney tradition. It is near impossible to see how a remake that forsakes Bubbles could be the Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride that the beloved Lilo & Stitch embodies. Disney apparently forgot the film’s most famous quote: “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

November 13, 2022
The Sunday Paper — October 30, 2022

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.)

October 30, 2022