Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: The Flash

  • Summer Box Office May Be Slowing Down With ‘The Flash’ and ‘Elemental’s Soft Forecasts

    Summer Box Office May Be Slowing Down With ‘The Flash’ and ‘Elemental’s Soft Forecasts

    Here’s a surprise but it seems the summer tentpoles are showing quite a bit of a slowdown. The Little Mermaid is heading to a strong $120M+ opening weekend over Memorial Day, which puts it at $100M over three days. That is slightly behind the other Disney releases Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantmania but still a strong opening if the film has legs like the previous Guardians film.

    Yet, the rest of the box office is looking a little lukewarm so far. Fast X made a huge splash internationally but is slowing down quite a bit domestically at $67.5M. Even the return of the former box office champion isn’t really lighting up the box office’s engine with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts tracking for a soft $40M in early projection. Yet, it seems some other hopefuls aren’t showing that momentum many hoped for this year.

    The Flash is currently heading for $70M. It’s quite a bit lower than what Warner Bros. Discovery is banking on given that they used all of Shazam: Fury of the Gods‘ marketing budget on this film that they are pushing as “the best superhero film of all time.” The question remains if it’ll have strong word-of-mouth and legs afterward. If it offers what is promised, it does have a good chance but it’s still far from where you’d want your $250M+ film to open.

    There’s also the depressing development of Pixar’s box office due to the Disney+ releases throughout the last few years. Elemental is looking at a $40M similar to Transformers, which would put it on track with Onward and The Good Dinosaur but even Ratatouille managed to become a success with a soft $47M. They just need to hope that old momentum carries over.

    Source: Variety, Hollywood Reporter

  • Live-Action ‘Powerpuff Girls’ & Arrowverse ‘Justice U’ Spinoff No Longer in Development

    Live-Action ‘Powerpuff Girls’ & Arrowverse ‘Justice U’ Spinoff No Longer in Development

    It’s not too surprising, but the CW’s new leadership Nexstar is moving the company away from what made it popular. The broadcaster often created shows on a cheaper budget but also was the home for a wide variety of great classics like Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill, and many more. It was the last battlefront for traditional writer rooms and talent getting the opportunity to grow through the ranks while streaming made it quite a bit of a harsher environment.

    Now, we have the confirmation that Powerpuff, the live-action adaptation of Cartoon Network’s Powerpuff Girls, will no longer be reworked. After a failed pilot, one of its stars, Agents of SHIELD actress Chloe Bennet, did not reprise her role as an older Blossom. So, they tried to rework and start casting someone else in the leading role but nothing came of it for quite some time. Now, it has officially been laid to reset.

    The female-led Zorro series is no longer removing forward and they also canceled an Archie Comics spinoff focusing on Jake Chang. The bigger surprise is that the last battlefront for the Arrowverse to continue beyond The Flash’s final episode, John Diggle-focused spinoff Justice U, is also disbanding. An era is truly coming to an end alongside the last remnants of former CW president Mark Pedowitz’s. They might sell these projects to other studios, but it does seem unlikely as of now.

    Source: TVLine

  • Zack Snyder Gave His Blessing for Michael Shannon to Return as Zod in ‘The Flash’

    Zack Snyder Gave His Blessing for Michael Shannon to Return as Zod in ‘The Flash’

    Zack Snyder is always a big discussion point online, as his very specific group of fans continues to try to keep the “legacy” alive as much as possible. Even as the DC franchise is starting to move away from what he initially started with Man of Steel. It seems Michael Shannon wasn’t sure either when Andy Muschietti asked him to reprise the role of Zod from the film in the next DCEU entry, The Flash.

    I was hesitant [to come back] because I wasn’t really happy about what happened to Zack Snyder in that whole deal … And I really love Zack. The fact that Zack asked me to play that part to begin with – that’s probably the biggest surprise of my career. It almost felt like a practical joke. I was like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?’

    Michael Shannon

    He goes on to share what it was like when Muschietti offered him the role and it seems he even had some drawings prepared to showcase his vision of what The Flash would look like if he returned to the role and how it would shape the story. Shannon even still owns a drawing from that pitch.

    But I talked to Andy [Muschietti] about it, and I liked Andy, and I said, ‘Andy, look – I just want to get Zack’s blessing on this because it just doesn’t feel right without that.’ And Zack, to his credit, was very understanding. He gave me his blessing, and I went to do it. I loved Andy, too. I loved working with Andy. They’re both super creative guys. Andy’s an amazing artist. He would just make these drawings when I was sitting there talking to him. I’d look over and say, ‘Hey, can I keep that?’ and he’d go, ‘Sure!’ and sign it and give it to me.

    Michael Shannon

    He does, however, highlight that we shouldn’t expect much depth from his version of Zod in The Flash, as they may have seemingly used him as a way to set up an antagonist that blocks our heroes’ way as teased by the trailers.

    But, you know, it’s just really different – these kind of multiverse situations … The story is a lot more all over the place, you know? And I feel like I mainly exist in ‘The Flash’ as, like, an obstacle or a problem. Whereas, in ‘Man of Steel,’ it was more of a story. Like, ‘The Flash’ is definitely about The Flash – as it should be. So, it’s not as in-depth.

    Michael Shannon

    It’s great to know that Zack Snyder gave his blessing to the project and that he was able to return. This film almost feels like a final swan song for that era of DCEU that was built upon Man of Steel’s release. So, we’ll see if it pays tribute to the past while setting the stage for the future.

    Source: The Playlist

  • Tom Cruise Loved DC’s ‘The Flash’

    Tom Cruise Loved DC’s ‘The Flash’

    Here’s a piece of news you don’t expect every day. It seems that Tom Cruise, the star of the recent monolith release Top Gun Maverick and the upcoming next Mission Impossible film, has gotten an early screening of The Flash, Warner Bros. biggest bet for the year on making their mark in theaters. The film is still set to release in June and it looks like they are all in to make this film get as hyped up as it can.

    While the controversies surrounding its star Ezra Miller might still overshadow most positive news, new DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn did call it “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” Now, it seems that Cruise loved the film so much that he just called director Andy Muschietti to rave about it according to sources close to The Hollywood reporter.

    Seems it all started with a meeting between Cruise and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav that led to him being curious about just how good the film was. Quotes like “everything you want in a movie” and “the movie we need now” according to the sources. It’s not too dissimilar from what they tried to do with Christopher Nolan‘s Tenet back in the day when they made a whole show of him visiting a theater in London to watch it.

    While that didn’t really boost that film’s box office, it’s great to see the actor’s enthusiasm for the latest DC film. There’s always an ongoing “feud” online about if these films have value in being as dominant in theaters as they are but this might probably worsen the discussion rather than help it.

    Cruise has become a “spokesperson” for the theatrical experience with even Steven Spielberg being heard quoting him as saving theaters. While one could argue it takes more than one film release, the film did bring an older audience back into theaters even if that didn’t hold as many had hoped after its release.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • DC’s ‘The Flash’ First Screening to Take Place at CinemaCon

    DC’s ‘The Flash’ First Screening to Take Place at CinemaCon

    We’ve known for a while that DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery have put a lot of hope into the new multiverse-based film The Flash. It’ll see the return of Michael Keaton in the role of Batman and offer a unique take on the original Flashpoint comic storyline. It seems that Warner Bros. believes they have a gem at their hands as they will give the first debut screening at the upcoming CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

    What makes this worth its own announcement is the fact that it’ll premiere on April 25th, quite some time ahead of its actual premiere in theaters. That commonly is a sign that they believe in the film similar to what we saw last year with Top Gun: Maverick; though it might not have the same box office performance as that film. Still, Warner Bros. is putting a lot of hope into this film even with the controversies surrounding its main star, Ezra Miller.

    So far, they managed to keep the actor out of any new headlines that could hinder the film’s release and they also have two additional stars they are putting a lot of focus on. The early advertising has a strong focus on Keaton’s return as Batman and it’s almost a bit too much given that it’s supposed to be a film about the Flash. There’s also the premiere appearance of Sasha Calle as Supergirl, but her own future is in doubt given James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new vision. Here’s hoping positive buzz can overshadow any real confusion moving forward.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Reaches Pre-Pandemic Super Bowl Records

    ‘Guardians of the Galaxy 3’ Reaches Pre-Pandemic Super Bowl Records

    The Super Bowl has once again arrived and did its usual thing by squeezing a lot of money out of advertisers for the chance of getting the most views they possibly could for their product. Of course, it’s also a big opportunity for studios to showcase some of their upcoming big releases. This year had some of the biggest films of 2023 included such as The Flash, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, and more.

    In a big and exciting development, it seems that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally broke a pre-pandemic record of pulling in more than 100M views within 24 hours after premiering at the Super Bowl. It’s even beaten Marvel Studios’ own Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which pulled a still impressive 93.1M views last year. And that is quite a move considering its also their second released trailer. It’s impressive and a good sign of the summer blockbuster push.

    The Flash wasn’t too far behind, as it managed to pull in an impressive 97.4M, which is also major considering Warner Bros. was more of a sideline during these events. So, they returned with quite a bang but were also closely followed by Fast X’s 94.1M views within 24 hours on Social Media. The latter does also have the added effect that they where the only one of the top three to drop the trailer in advance.

    13 trailers were dropped during the Super Bowl with the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Heineken collaboration also pulling in the fourth highest viewing with 87.9M. It may be facing some critical backlash but interest is definitely there for the film and the collab may have been a clever way to sneak in a second preview for Marvel Studios. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was a bit further behind with 43.3M, a surprisingly soft starter considering how big its initial trailer drop was.

    Disney’s other major release, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also were on the smaller side at 34.2M, but it also didn’t really include much new footage in its release outside of a few lines. It’s still some time away and the buzz may not be as big, but it’s still curious to think that the return of Harrison Ford wouldn’t have brought more buzz with it. It’s also not first-party data from studios but measured through RelishMix, which also can vary depending on its data basis. Still, it seems superheroes are still quite attractive going by public viewings.

    Source: Deadline

  • Andy Muschietti to Remain with DC Studios After ‘The Flash’

    Andy Muschietti to Remain with DC Studios After ‘The Flash’

    With the first batch of DC Studios’ Chapter One slate officially confirmed, fans of the superheroic universe can now anticipate the new direction the studio is taking. However, before James Gunn and Peter Safran take complete control of DC Studios, four films from the old regime remain scheduled to release this year. Arguably the most anticipated of them is The Flash, which serves as the ultimate reset point for the DC Universe between the old guard and the new. 

    The film has been having a tumultuous road to its release thanks to the controversial nature of lead Ezra Miller, which almost led to the cancellation of the project. Despite the troubles behind the scenes, the film remains scheduled, and those in the know have gone as far as to say that The Flash has the potential to be one of the strongest superhero films ever made. This high praise seemingly has come from the hard work of director Andy Muschietti, and it appears he will remain working with the studio despite the turnover of regimes. James Gunn has confirmed this to be the case.

    We’re very close with Andy and Barbara (Muschietti), the director and producer. And he’s one of the guys that he’s going to be doing some more stuff for us. And he’s just done something really spectacular with that movie.

    James Gunn

    It’s an assuring sign for potential fans of The Flash to see the high praise for Muschietti and the film he directed. If the film is as successful as it’s been teased to be, it will be interesting to follow which pieces will be folded into James Gunn’s long-term plan. This includes the controversial Ezra Miller, whose future involvement in the DC Universe remains coy per Gunn and Safran’s quotes from yesterday (as with several other original actors from the DCEU).

    The Flash is to release in theaters on June 16, 2023. You can also read about the newly announced DC Studios projects here.

    Source: Comicbook.com 

  • James Gunn Speaks Out on the Next 4 DC Projects and the Big DC Reset

    James Gunn Speaks Out on the Next 4 DC Projects and the Big DC Reset

    Peter Safran and James Gunn‘s vision for the new DCU will kick off with the animated series Creature Commandoes, continue in the streaming series Waller and begin in earnest in 2025’s Superman: Legacy. However, there are four projects left over from the old regime that are set to debut before DC Studios projects begin rolling out. At a press event in Los Angeles, Gunn explained how those projects were viewed and what potential futures they might have.

    “We will say that we’ve gotten very lucky with the next four projects,” said Gunn. “Shazam 2’ is coming out. ‘Shazam’ is kind of off to itself. But then ‘Shazam’ leads into ‘Flash’ and ‘The Flash’ resets everything. I will say here that ‘The Flash’ is probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” he added. “It’s an amazing film and then it goes into ‘Blue Beetle,’ which is awesome. That has its own world and that fits directly into our DCU which goes into ‘Aquaman’ which will then lead into ‘Superman’ and the other projects that we’ll talk about in a moment.“

    Co-chair Peter Safran then chimed in with some interesting thoughts.

    These four movies are terrific. There’s no reason why any of the characters and the actors playing those characters are not part of the DCU. There’s nothing that prohibits that from happening. There is no reason why all the people you mentioned couldn’t be part of the DC. We just haven’t decided what the story that we want to tell that incorporates Shazam or Aquaman.

    Peter Safran

    So while the new vision for the DCU takes shape, there’s still room for some of the old guard, including Aquaman star Jason Momoa. Now whether or not those potential stories would be part of the main continuity or fall under the newly revealed DC Elseworlds designation remains to be seen, but the opportunity exists for more stories which is something that recently seemed unlikely.

    Source: The Wrap

  • RUMOR: ‘The Flash’ Reshoots Scheduled for This Month

    RUMOR: ‘The Flash’ Reshoots Scheduled for This Month

    The Flash has had one of the most out-there productions we may have witnessed for any comic book property or even film. Not only was the film in development hell for many years, it got passed on from one director to the next. At one point, it seemed inevitable that they’d skip the project altogether but surprisingly It director Andrés Muschietti ended up taking the helm.

    Finally, with a director in place and filming underway, its main star, Ezra Miller, started to gather one troubling headline after another. His actions had many wondering if they could even release the project considering his actions, but even after its merger, Warner Bros. Discovery was keen on getting the project out.

    In a new tweet from Big Screen Leaks, it seems like the film may be planning some reshoots later this month. They do point out that this isn’t to change the ending, something some expected might be done to recast Miller with another actor to avoid further drama. It seems like these are some minor pickup shots, which we’ve also seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania do recently.

    The long-awaited film is set to release on June 16th this year and it does seem like we shouldn’t expect another sudden delay in the production; at least as long as no sudden new headlines make the rounds. Here’s hoping we’ll finally get to sit down and see what DC’s approach to the multiverse is going to look like when it finally releases.

    Source: Twitter

  • DC Executives Are Considering Keeping Ezra Miller as the Flash

    DC Executives Are Considering Keeping Ezra Miller as the Flash

    On Wednesday, Variety released an in-depth look at Black Adam, the Superman cameo, and Dwayne Johnson‘s bid to take over DC for Warner Bros. Discovery. While the article mainly focused on Black Adam and its box office fumble, it briefly touched on Henry Cavill‘s brief return as the Man of Steel before looking ahead to DC’s future. While little is known regarding what new DC Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned, it seems like some of DC’s past could live on.

    After various legal issues, many expected Ezra Miller to be let go as Barry Allen, aka the Flash, following the release of The Flash this Summer. However, per Variety, because Miller has stayed out of trouble since he issued an apology last year and sought mental health help, some executives are said to be on board with keeping the actor around.

    Given that Miller has stayed out of trouble since beginning mental health treatment in the summer, some executives are amenable to continuing with the actor as the world-saving speedster after “The Flash” bows on June 16.

    Should Miller be kept on board, he might be the only actor to be kept from the Snyderverse. As of now, Wonder Woman 3 isn’t happening, and it remains to be seen what Gal Gadot‘s future is as the hero. Cavill is, of course, out as the studio is looking to recast a younger Superman. Jason Momoa is expected to end his time as Aquaman, only to potentially be brought back as Lobo down the line.

    Source: Variety.