Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Netflix’s ‘Resident Evil’ Won’t Return for Season 2

    Netflix’s ‘Resident Evil’ Won’t Return for Season 2

    Netflix has decided not to move forward with its Resident Evil series, which will end with only one season that was made available back on July 14th. The series hasn’t had a strong following as the streamer hoped for, as it wasn’t dominating its Top 10 category and it seems that the viewing numbers just weren’t there either. To be fair, the idea of releasing anything after the monolith that is Stranger Things also didn’t help and undercut the project’s release which hit a decent 72.7M hours viewed at the #2 spot. It didn’t quite get the word-of-mouth they may have hoped as it dropped in its second weekend and was no longer in the Top 10 after three weeks.

    Netflix’s model isn’t very friendly to new projects starting out, as their expectations are extremely high for any project, and the higher the budget, the more retention it needs to show. Even The Sandman which has had one of the slowest drops for any series may not get a renewal simply for how high the expectations are for this project. There is still quite a bit out there for those looking for their fill, but keep that in mind that binging the show and keeping it high is important to keep it going. Wednesday, One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and more are good contenders for more IP-based offerings with growing potential.

    Resident Evil was created by Andrew Dabb and takes place 14 years after the virus hit. We explore Jade’s story, the daughter of Albert Wesker, as she uncovers the connections between her father and the Umbrella Corporation. While the series had some creative elements, it didn’t quite go viral as The Sandman did with most people pointing out the random dancing sequence, which ended up getting shared on social media platforms like Tik Tok. It also shows that an IP name doesn’t ensure success for these projects.

    Source: Deadline

  • Amanda Fix & Avan Jogia Board AMC’s ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’

    Amanda Fix & Avan Jogia Board AMC’s ‘Orphan Black: Echoes’

    Amanda Fix and Avan Jogia have been cast in lead roles opposite Krysten Ritter for AMC’s Orphan Black sequel series, Orphan Black: Echoes. The news comes courtesy of Deadline with the outlet reporting that Fix will play Jules, a salty teen trying to find herself. She’s a newly adopted daughter of a wealthy couple and is described as being both reckless and brutally smart. While Jogia will portray Lucy’s (Ritter) boyfriend Jack; the character has devoted his life to his daughter, and soon finds the woman he loves is withholding a life-changing secret.

    Like in the original Orphan Black, the series will tackle cloning as it focuses on a near future where science has allowed for the manipulation of human existence. Echoes will see a group of women – two of which are played by Ritter and Fix – as they “weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.” The 10-episode series is being produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker and is slated for a 2023 release on AMC Networks’ digital platform AMC+.

    Orphan Black: Echoes hails from creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer Anna Fishko. She’ll co-showun the series with Orphan Black‘s co-creator, John Fawcett, who will also serve as a director and executive producer on Echoes. David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, who executive produced Orphan Black, will also produce Echoes for Boat Rocker.

    Fix is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, having appeared in the CW’s Kung Fu and Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six. While Jogia is best known for Twisted and Victorious. He also starred in the film reboot of Resident Evil, titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘House of the Dragon’ Lands Early Season 2 Renewal

    ‘House of the Dragon’ Lands Early Season 2 Renewal

    It would seem the dragons will reign over Westeros for a little while longer. House of the Dragon, HBO’s first spinoff in the Game of Thrones franchise, has officially been renewed for a second season. The series debuted earlier this week to staggering viewership, drawing in nearly 10 million viewers across all platforms. It quickly became the biggest premiere in HBO’s entire history, with numbers already nearing the impressive 19.3 million viewers who tuned in for Game of Thrones’ series finale in 2019.

    House of the Dragon is a prequel series based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood. Set over a century before the events of its predecessor, the show chronicles the lives of the Targaryan family as they rule over Westeros with a fiery fist. It stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, and Eve Best among many others in an ensemble cast.

    The fact it gets renewed after just one episode already showcases just how much they believe in this project. Fantasy has reached a whole new level with viewers, but there is something special about the Game of Thrones franchise. Not only did it become the first true “blockbuster” television show when it premiered but its build-up was quite a bit something special. Though the last few seasons had people scratching their heads and may have also brought in a whole new audience curious about where House of the Dragon would land. Going by its critical and fan reception, it’s definitely a show to keep an eye on.

    Source: Twitter

  • WB Targeting Dan Lin to Oversee DC Films and TV’s “10-Year Plan”

    WB Targeting Dan Lin to Oversee DC Films and TV’s “10-Year Plan”

    David Zaslav has been on the lookout for “DC’s Kevin Feige” and according to a trade report, he may have found his man. THR reports that producer Dan Lin, who backed hits such as The Lego Movie and the It films, is negotiating for the job.

    Zaslav’s tenure as Warner Bros. Discovery CEO has resulted in a veritable blood bath for DC’s film and TV projects. Several projects at varying places in production have been canceled as Zaslav looks to model the future of DC’s film and TV adaptations on the success Kevin Feige has had a Marvel Studios.

    According to the trade report, Lin’s success as a film executive and producer and on the TV side helped WB identify him as a prime candidate to lead the 10-year plan described by Zaslav. Lin would seemingly look to put forth a more unified slate of projects after putting the brakes on the previous leadership’s Crisis plans.

  • ‘One Piece’ Director Promises “Great Fights” Alongside “Tears and Laughter”

    ‘One Piece’ Director Promises “Great Fights” Alongside “Tears and Laughter”

    While it’s unclear just how long the wait might be until the series finally releases on Netflix, One Piece director Marc Jobst has taken to his Twitter account to hype up what the show has to offer Many long-time One Piece fans will know that while the action is a big part of the franchise, the love that many have for the project comes down to the emotional moments. Jobst made sure to highlight that we’ll definitely get all three in the upcoming series.

    It certainly sounds promising if they can truly bring these elements together the way they intend. A while ago, now-showrunner Matt Owens joined the online One Piece community to highlight that these elements are definite when adapting Eiichiro Oda‘s original work that’s been running for 25 years.

    The Netflix series has been slowly wrapping up production, as most of the main cast have seemingly already made their way home. Just earlier today, Sanji actor Taz Skylar shared a heartfelt post on Instagram thanking everyone he had a chance to work with on the production, highlighting just how close the team has grown throughout the production of Netflix’s One Piece.

    There’s no definite release date or even window for the series; which Netflix commonly only confirms just a few months before it is set to release. Though they started promoting it even before they showed anything from their other big IP adaptation, Avatar: The Last Airbender. With a cast and crew that came together like a family echoing how Oda approaches his stories, it seems it is in good hands.

    Source: Instagram, Twitter

  • ‘She-Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo Teases Hulk’s Future in the MCU

    ‘She-Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo Teases Hulk’s Future in the MCU

    Mark Ruffalo makes his return in She-Hulk, Attorney at Law, which further explores his time as Smart Hulk and living with the consequences of his own actions. We get the perfect juxtaposition with Tatiana Maslany‘s Jennifer Walters just trying to live a normal life as much as possible. Still, her life is flipped upside down when a Sakaaran ship appears out of nowhere.

    While it’s the main catalyst for her transformation into She-Hulk, the second episode of the Disney+ series also revealed that there might be some unfinished business for our favorite former Gladiator. Many have their theories, especially with rumors of a World War Hulks project in development, but Variety got the chance to ask Ruffalo directly, who shared his thoughts on returning to Sakaar.

    I don’t know. It certainly does suggest that. There has been some conversations about what happened in the two years where Hulk abandoned Banner and the Avengers [on Sakaar], and the emergence of Smart Hulk, which hasn’t ever fully been answered. I think maybe we’ve given four sentences to that time period since then. It’s really an interesting, exciting part of the Hulk story and Banner story.

    Mark Ruffalo

    he also highlights that he could imagine exploring the idea of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk at one point in the storyline, and the ship sighting may be setting that very future up.

    I do think that the trip to Sakaar is a good place to start and what that means to the idea of what the fans have been asking for — this idea of Planet Hulk or World War Hulk or just the journey that Banner and Hulk have to make to come to peace with each other. That’s really interesting to me, and I do feel like there is some interest in exploring that down the line.

    Mark Ruffalo

    Whatever the future may have in store for Hulk, it definitely looks like he’s here to stay. Alongside Thor and Hawkeye, they make up the rest of the original Avengers, and with two films confirmed in the future, we’ll see if they might be the ones to unite the team against its newest threat.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Drawn Together’ Writers to Adapt IDW’s Upcoming Comic ‘Family Time’

    ‘Drawn Together’ Writers to Adapt IDW’s Upcoming Comic ‘Family Time’

    It looks like the writing duo Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, known for their work on Drawn Together, Accidental Love, and Solar Opposites, are going to adapt the IDW comic Family Time. The writer James Asmus (Quantum and Woody) is also attached alongside artist Edison Neo (Snake Claws). The sci-fi comedy will be a co-development deal as they’re working on a television series and original comic book property, as the series is set to get released next summer. IDW publisher Nachie Marsham has the following to say on the project:

    At IDW, we are perfectly poised to develop properties that live in the same universe, across various platforms. We’re thrilled that our first Entertainment and Publishing co-development project is with Matt and Dave; their comedic talent is off-the-charts. We know their vast background, combined with IDW’s robust expertise, will produce great content, both in print and on-screen.

    Nachie Marsham

    Executive Vice President of IDW Entertainment, Paul Davison, also had the following to say on the project:

    Working in tandem with our colleagues at every level within our Entertainment and Publishing divisions brings a wealth of opportunities for writers, producers, and other creatives to develop projects across various verticals simultaneously. It’s an ideal landscape for a creator’s vision to be realized.

    Paul Davison

    It sounds like an exciting project and it’ll be interesting to see how it comes together, especially how they’ll have the tie-in comic play into how they adapt this project.

    Source: Deadline

  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan Joins ‘The Boys’ Season 4

    Jeffrey Dean Morgan Joins ‘The Boys’ Season 4

    WithThe Walking Dead coming to an end, Negan actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan has found his latest project.

    It’s no secret that The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has wanted Jeffrey Dean Morgan to join the show. While schedule conflicts seemingly kept him from joining last season, they finally were able to finalize a deal as The Hollywood Reporter confirms he’ll be part of The Boys‘ upcoming fourth season.

    Exact details are not known about his role but he does seem like another Supe in the making from Vought Enterprises. He’s no stranger to the superhero world as he famously played The Comedian in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen and even took on the role of Thomas Wayne in Snyder’s Batman v Superman.

    The interesting aspect about his casting is how big his role might be. The Walking Dead star has a new spinoff on the horizon. Perhaps this will tie him over until he starts work on that project. Whatever his schedule looks like, he’s definitely an exciting addition.

    The first three seasons of The Boys are now streaming on Prime Video.

    Source: THR.

  • Steve Blackman Boards Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’

    Steve Blackman Boards Netflix’s Adaptation of ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’

    Following the news that Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth and final season, Deadline has revealed Steve Blackman has boarded the streamer’s adaptation of Horizon Zero Dawn. The news comes as the showrunner has re-upped his big, eight-figure overall deal with the streaming service.

    Under the deal, Blackman will write and produce various series for Netflix through his newly launched Irish Cowboy production banner. Two projects that will be developed through this deal will be the ISS drama Orbital, and Horizon Zero Dawn, the adaptation of the popular PlayStation game of the same name. News that Netflix was looking to adapt Zero Dawn was first announced in May, at the time it was believed the project was still very much in early development. With Blackman now involved, that looks like it’ll change within the coming months.

    Expressing excitement over both projects, Blackman noted both series are “hallmarks” of what Irish Cowboy Productions looks for in projects. “Horizon Zero Dawn and Orbital are elevated, event-level projects grounded in characters that fans will love and relate to, which are hallmarks of Irish Cowboy productions. We’re thrilled to be working with Netflix and all of our partners on developing these ground-breaking stories.”

    Horizon Zero Dawn is based on the popular video game of the same name. It is set a thousand years in the future and follows an outcast named Aloy. The world around her is “strange and beautiful” featuring a mix of primitive lifestyles and high-tech machines. When the high-tech machines, which include Tallnecks, Snapmaws, and Sawtooths, begin to turn into dangerous hunters, Aloy will seek to discover a way to save her world while figuring out the truth of what happened in the past. The series proved to be a best-seller for PlayStation, having sold over 20 million global copies as of last year. The sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, was released earlier this year.

    Executive Producers for Horizon Zero Dawn will be Blackman, Michelle Lovretta and Abbey Morris, as well as Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions. They’ll be joined by Jan-Bart van Beek and Ben McCaw of Guerrilla and Roy Lee and Matthew Ball of Vertigo.

    Source: Steve Blackman

  • ‘The Umbrella Academy’ to End With Season 4 on Netflix

    ‘The Umbrella Academy’ to End With Season 4 on Netflix

    Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth and final season. The news was announced by the streaming service early Thursday morning. The Netflix Geeked account tweeted, “gather ’round, Brellies. we’re going to embark on our fourth and final adventure.”

    The renewal comes a little over a month after Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy premiered. Season 3 reportedly opened at #1 in Netflix’s English-language TV weekly rankings having pulled in 124.5 million hours viewed. It also spent five weeks in the Top 10 on Netflix. While the official renewal wasn’t announced until today, Deadline reports that the season has already “largely been written.”

    Steve Blackman, who helped launch the series, will remain on board as the showrunner for the final season. Confirmed to reprise their roles for Season 4 are Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore.

    In a statement to the press, Blackman noted his excitement over being able to get the Hargreeves siblings a proper send-off. “I’m so excited that the incredibly loyal fans of The Umbrella Academy will be able to experience the fitting end to the Hargreeves siblings’ journey we began five years ago,” he said. “But before we get to that conclusion, we’ve got an amazing story ahead for season four, one that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the final minutes.”

    Executive producing the hit Netflix series alongside Blackman are Jesse McKeown, who also serves as co-showrunner, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Scott Stuber and Beau Bauman. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá who created the comic book series on which the Netflix show is based serve as co-executive producers.

    Source: Deadline.