Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: The Batman

  • Colin Farrell’s Penguin Spinoff Deals With the Aftermath of ‘The Batman’

    Colin Farrell’s Penguin Spinoff Deals With the Aftermath of ‘The Batman’

    Colin Farrell has been quite busy lately and will soon return to The Batman franchise with his very own spinoff. After a long bout of silence, the project has quickly picked up the pace with Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Lauren LeFranc set as its showrunner and slowly adding directors. In an interview with Variety, Farrell surprisingly lets a few topics loose and reveals that the series takes place right after The Batman‘s ending.

    It starts about a week after ‘The Batman’ ends. So, Gotham is still, somewhat, underwater. I read the first script of the first episode and it opens up on my feet splashing through the water in Falcone’s office. Even that alone, when I read it, I was like, ‘Oh, Jesus!’

    Colin Farrell

    We still haven’t heard much about what we can expect in the sequel from Matt Reeves, but it’s interesting that the spinoff series might be the one to focus on a flooded Gotham. Perhaps the return of Robert Pattinson‘s Batman might take place at the same time, but we won’t know until they start working on the project. Still, Farrell is quite excited bout the project and praises showrunner LeFranc‘s work.

    It’s lovely. It’s so well-written. Lauren LeFranc has done such an extraordinary job, and she’s writing the whole thing and show-running. She is formidable. It’s just an exciting prospect. I love that character. I was greedy with it. I felt like I didn’t have enough. I wanted to do it more and more and more.

    Colin Farrell

    We’re definitely excited to see what the project might explore, but a power vacuum left in the wake of Falcone’s death and a flooded Gotham is definitely the perfect direction for this project. Here’s hoping we get to see some other iconic mobsters from this universe. Perhaps we’ll get a few set-ups of future confrontations with Black Mask, White Shark, The Hammer, Cosa Nostra, and many more.

    Source: Variety

  • UPDATED: ‘The Batman’s Penguin Spinoff May Have Found its Director

    UPDATED: ‘The Batman’s Penguin Spinoff May Have Found its Director

    UPDATED: Craig Zobel has been confirmed as the director for the still-untitled The Batman spinoff focused on Penguin. It seems the director has a deal with HBO after his acclaimed work on The Mare of Easttown. He won#t be filming the entire series but rather is responsible for the first two episodes. So, we might get more director confirmations in the coming months.

    Source: THR

    We’ve long waited for an update for the upcoming The Batman spinoff series focused on Colin Farrell‘s Penguin. The HBO Max series is reportedly in discussions with Mare of Easttown‘s Craig Zobel to not only direct but also executive produce the series. His work on the HBO series has put him in the spotlight and makes him a perfect choice for this further exploration of Gotham.

    Supposedly the series is also eyeing to start production in early 2023, but no exact date or time window is given at the moment. The director is set to join the production, which is currently being showrun by Lauren LeFranc, best known for her work as a writer and producer on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Chuck.

    Zobel has also worked on The Hunt, which was surrounded by quite a bit of controversy. It’s been a long journey for the director to make a name and leave the shadow behind from the controversies but with quite a few awards under his belt, it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the upcoming The Batman spinoff.

    Source: Discussing Film

  • Barry Keoghan’s ‘The Batman’ Audition Tape Is Now Public

    Barry Keoghan’s ‘The Batman’ Audition Tape Is Now Public

    When Matt Reeves’ The Batman was released earlier this year, one of its most hotly debated features was the surprise casting of Barry Keoghan as yet another live-action Joker. As it turns out, however, the iconic arch-nemesis was not the member of Bruce Wayne’s rogues’ gallery Keoghan originally auditioned for. According to an audition tape, which has just been made public, the Irish actor had actually been trying out for the role of Edward Nashton, better known as the film’s main baddie – The Riddler.

    The footage shows Keoghan waltzing around an empty hallway with a cane and an outfit inspired by the character’s comic book appearance. According to the Eternals star, via a report by GQ UK, he sent his tape unsolicited to Reeves’ team before being told that the production had already filled the role. Of course, Paul Dano eventually landed the part after Jonah Hill passed, playing a version of the Riddler that felt far more original than most fans were expecting. Luckily for Keoghan, the film wasn’t done casting, and he received news from his agent four months later that The Batman wanted him for The Joker instead.

    The tease that Joker does exist in Reeves’ universe seemed like a set-up for the sequel, but the director has gone on record to say that isn’t exactly the case. Whether or not the villain appears in The Batman 2 is still up in the air, but Keoghan says he’ll be ready if the call does come in:

    As soon as that call comes I’m there, man, I’m there.

    Barry Keoghan

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    ‘Black Adam’ May Not Make as Much as ‘The Batman’ at the Domestic Box Office

    Dwayne Johnson is about to change the power dynamic in the DC Extended Universe as Warner Bros. Discovery seemingly dismantles itself from within. Still, there’s a lot riding on the upcoming Black Adam project, as it’s the last major release for the studio this year. As they are facing financial troubles and Don’t Worry Darling isn’t doing as hoped either, there’s a lot of money riding on their next superhero project set to release in late October. Yet, it seems that current predictions don’t see it making as big of a splash as the March release, The Batman.

    According to Variety and an analysis by Cinelytics, Black Adam is likely to pull in around $328M domestically. While Johnson is quite the box office draw, he still is playing a rather obscure character in the DC universe that is also hoping to bank on some familiarity with the legacy characters of the Justice Society of America. The property is untested and with the hope to build a bunch of spinoffs from this one film, there’s some concern on just how well it’ll perform. If these projection turns out to be true, the film is likely to make less than The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder.

    It should not be downplayed as it’s a strong turn-in for a new property to pass $300M domestically. Plus, it’s being compared to one of the most well-established characters in pop culture and the first fourth entry of a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. If it makes its budget back and gains a profit, it’ll be a win for Warner Bros. either way but the question remains just how profitable do they expect this film to be. If it doesn’t make a “big enough” splash for the execs, they may also not be too happy with its results. Luckily, there’s still some time and who knows how things turn out once marketing starts pushing harder ahead of its release.

    Source: Variety

  • Matt Reeves Signs Multi-Year First Look Film Deal with Warner Bros Discovery

    Matt Reeves Signs Multi-Year First Look Film Deal with Warner Bros Discovery

    Warner Bros Discovery looks to have made a statement in its future and trust towards what Matt Reeves is creatively bringing to the table with The Batman and beyond. Deadline has announced that the director has signed a first-look film deal with Warner Bros. Discovery and has re-upped with the Warner Bros. television division. This is the first deal of its kind under the new regime at the long-stalwart Hollywood studio. Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs/CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, alongside Warner Bros Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey, were the notable pieces that negotiated this deal with Reeves. In a statement, the director spoke about his excitement to continue working with Warner Bros. and this more pronounced capacity.

    Making this legendary studio my home is a dream. I am so excited to be working with Mike, Pam, and Channing and our teams to bring captivating stories I am truly passionate about to the big and small screen.

    Matt Reeves

    Alongside Reeves, Michael De Luca provided a statement giving high praise to the director and the deal made.

    Pam and I gratefully inherited the relationship with Matt from The Batman, and through the beginning stages of planning The Penguin series for HBO Max. We were excited to nail down his overall deal because it’s a cornerstone of what we want to do with the filmmakers that are working at the studio. We want to create an atmosphere where all of these filmmakers can excel and do their work and stay with us once they are inside the Warner’s family. Keeping Matt and creating a home for him to do more projects in the Batman universe but also originals, was very important to us.

    Michael De Luca

    This type of first-look deal suggests that Warner Bros. views Matt Reeves in high regard and intends for his vision of creative projects to be a cornerstone for the future of their projects. This should certainly be promising news for fans of The Batman. While the sequel has yet to be officially green-lit, there shouldn’t have been any doubt that it will be moving forward (even with the brouhaha transpiring at the studio in the past few weeks). The question now will be how deep into the lore of this new Batman-based universe will be explored with Reeves at the helm, and what other franchises audiences may expect to see the writer and director oversee in the future.

    Source: Deadline 

  • Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel Still in Development But is “Years Away”

    Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ Sequel Still in Development But is “Years Away”

    We’ve all been excited when we got the announcement that Matt Reeves‘ The Batman was getting a sequel. Not only was the first film quite the global hit during the pandemic with $770M, but it also set up a new trilogy with an expansive franchise being built around it. HBO Max would feature a Penguin-focused series with Colin Farrell set to return in the role. That was not all, as there was also an Arkham Asylum project in some form of development. Yet, Warner Bros. Discovery’s recent shake-ups have made their future quite unknown for many.

    In a new piece by Variety, they offer some insight into what the future looks like even if it remains quite the mess. According to them, The Batman is still in development but doesn’t have a greenlight yet. As such, the project isn’t likely to see the light of day for a few years. This does add some uncertainty if whoever takes over DC Studios in the future has the patience to let Matt Reeves do his thing while he works on the sequel for an extended period of time. Plus, who knows if the spinoff series is as safe as some reports seemingly hinted at.

    It’s bizarre they aren’t trying to fast-track this project, especially if they are keeping up with the multiverse angle as Joker’s sequel is in active development. Plus, Reeves’ own little pocket universe offered something that made it stand out in the blockbuster landscape, and yet Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to create a unified universe. So, who knows if this might become an issue down the line with many visions colliding at some point.

    Source: Variety

  • James Gunn’s DC Projects and ‘The Batman’ Spinoff Still in Development

    James Gunn’s DC Projects and ‘The Batman’ Spinoff Still in Development

    There’s been a lot of discussions about what exactly the future has in store for Warner Bros. Discovery’s various DC Comics adaptations. The sudden cancelation of Batgirl raised the question of whether other projects might face a similar sudden cancelation. There’s still no word on what exactly the future looks like–besides a tease of a ten-year plan–but luckily it seems that some projects are definitely safe moving forward. James Gunn took to Twitter to confirm that Peacemaker‘s upcoming second season will be safe.

    The director has also gone on record to confirm that his other secret projects are still in development at this point. While they haven’t been announced outside of one that’ll focus on Viola Davis‘ Amanda Waller, it’s good to know that Warner Bros. isn’t shooting everything to the curve at this point.

    That is not all, as The Wrap‘s Brandon Katz has also taken to Twitter to hear that the upcoming The Batman spinoff series focused on Colin Farrell‘s Penguin is also safe. So, luckily those excited to further explore that new corner of the DC adaptation’s multiverse won’t have to worry much longer.

    It’s definitely a relief that these projects are safe, especially with the potential surrounding them. Peacemaker was a sleeper hit for HBO Max and there’s quite a bit of excitement surrounding the other projects he’s working on. While he’s still busy on the third entry of the Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s got a slate of projects in some form of development over at Warner Bros. and DC. Plus, Matt Reeves is also spearheading his own mini-universe that might offer something very grounded in contrast. So, it seems they aren’t just throwing everything out just yet.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Batman’s Director Won’t Direct Episodes of the HBO Max Penguin Spinoff

    ‘The Batman’s Director Won’t Direct Episodes of the HBO Max Penguin Spinoff

    It wasn’t long around the time that The Batman sequel was announced that we got the confirmation we’ll also be getting an HBO Max spinoff based on Colin Farrell‘s Penguin. While we still don’t know where it’ll take place in the story or if it’ll fill the blank between sequels, but in an interview with Entertainment Today, Farrell offered some insight into how involved Matt Reeves is with the project.

    In the interview, the actor reveals that while Reeves is heavily involved with the upcoming spinoff, he is not going to direct any of its episodes. Farrell does say that he’s “all over” the upcoming Penguin spinoff, which he hints may be simply titled The Penguin but it’s great to know that Matt Reeves still is supervising the franchise even with the current shifts over at Warner Bros. Discovery.

    He’s so obsessive about what he does, but he’s all over [HBO Max’s] The Penguin [series] as well. I mean, he’s not gonna direct it but he’s all over the structure of the scripts and who’s gonna direct them. And so, it’s exciting.

    Colin Farrell

    It’s definitely interesting that he won#t take any directing duties, but if he’s eyeing starting production on the sequel in the near future, he’ll be quite busy sooner rather than later anyway. Plus, there’s also the other HBO Max spinoff he hinted at that’ll focus on Arkham Asylum that hasn’t had an update in a while. So, we’ll see if perhaps he plans to direct some episodes of that project.

    Source: Entertainment Today

  • Taking a Look Back at How ‘The Batman’ Reinvented The Riddler

    Taking a Look Back at How ‘The Batman’ Reinvented The Riddler

    Batman has possibly one of the best rogues galleries in comic book history, featuring characters like the Joker, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and, of course, the Riddler. Many of these villains have been adapted to live-action, and some even got the special treatment on multiple occasions; especially the Joker. There often has been a criticism that the redundancy is dragging down the potential of

    Matt Reeves may have taken that to heart when he began developing his take on the Batman mythos. Riddler is a character that has seen a few adaptions, which include the 1966 Batman series with Frank Gorshin, Batman Forever with Jim Carrey, and Gotham with Cory Michael Smith. The Batman, however, features a Riddler that is a vast departure from those who came before with Paul Dano playing a sadistic and ominous version that at times felt like he was an actor on a horror movie who showed up on the wrong set.

    One of the very first things you learn to understand about this Riddler is the horror film angle of the reinvention. We first see the character when the light from the television illuminates the figure in the shadows, reminiscent of Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise. After that Riddler devolves into a Saw-inspired agent of chaos, who uses intricate devices like a rat maze mask and a bomb collar to torture his victims.

    The most notable inspiration here is that this Riddler seems to be inspired by the Zodiac Killer, the notorious serial killer that terrorized the United States in the late 60s. He is sporting an extreme cold weather mask as well as a German military parka with simple question mark symbols painted onto it. At the scenes of his crimes leaving behind ciphers for the police and Batman to communicate with them. Along with the greeting cards left behind, the real-life Zodiac was known to have done something similar with ciphers that were sent to the press so they’d print his messages for the country to read.

    This Riddler believes in Batman’s crusade of vengeance and is, ironically, inspired by him. Riddler doesn’t see him and Batman as foes, he sees them as partners. They are two sides of the same coin that Batman doesn’t realize until it’s too late. He thinks he’s doing the hard part of the job, the line Batman won’t cross to truly cleanse the city of its corruption and bring vengeance onto those who’d taken part in the city’s criminal underworld. The little cards left behind at the scenes of the riddled murder were not meant to be hints, but progress updates that Edward Nashton leaves behind so that he can fill Batman in on how the plan is going. Riddler believes this Batman would be able to catch on quicker and be safe within Arkham as the city is cleansed of its sins.

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Overtakes ‘The Batman’ as 2022’s Highest Domestic Earner

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Overtakes ‘The Batman’ as 2022’s Highest Domestic Earner

    While all eyes are on Top Gun: Maverick‘s dominance over theaters, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness still held on tight to the second spot as it has pulled in $16.4M over the weekend. As such, the film has now managed to reach $370M at the domestic box office, which puts it at the top spot as the highest-grossing domestic release of 2022 so far. It has just barely passed The Batman‘s $369M and is currently on its way to passing $400M domestically.

    It has now reached $868.7M worldwide after pulling in another 22.9M overseas. It’ll continue to inch its way towards a potential $900M but some predict it could still pull in around $950M. Though with new arrivals like Top Gun and Jurassic World Dominion around the corner, we might see it slow down. Still, its’s 48% drop is actually lower than that of Captain America: Civil War and has shown some surprising legs after the initial harsh drop. It further hints at this film legging out like a horror film.

    It’s a considerable development that it legged out as it did, as earlier it seemed like it wasn’t going to hit $900M after that initial drop. While it’s not really possible for it to pass a billion, it’s not a measure of its success if you consider that it’s not even released in some key markets like Russia (for obvious reasons), China, Saudi Arabia, and more. So, it did perform quite well and is pulling through after some made theories on the MCU’s box office draw.

    Source: Twitter