Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • DC Studios Eyeing Primetime Emmy Award-Winning Director for ‘Lanterns’

    DC Studios Eyeing Primetime Emmy Award-Winning Director for ‘Lanterns’

    Co-chair James Gunn described DC Studios’ streaming series Lanterns as playing a “really big role leading us into the main story” of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. And Gunn and Peter Safran have assembled an incredibly talented group of creators to put the project together. In May, Gunn announced the “crack team of writers” behind Lanterns: DC Comics writer Tom King, Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy and Lost and HBO’s Watchmen creator, Damon Lindelof. Having already put together a team of heavy hitters to create the show, the studio next set out to land some big talent to put in front of the camera, offering the role of Hal Jordan to Josh Brolin. Now, as they wait on Brolin’s decision and continue to prepare for production to kick off, they’ve also begun searching for directors for the series and, once again, have shot for the stars.

    This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan.
    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial-based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn on Lanterns
    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, DC Studios has contacted Prime Time Emmy Award-winning director Stephen Williams about directing the pilot episode of Lanterns.

    Williams checks all the boxes as an excellent choice for Lanterns having directed two episodes each of HBO’s Watchmen and Westworld as well as multiple episodes of Ray Donovan, The Walking Dead, and, of course, twenty-six episodes of Lost. A frequent collaborator with Lindelof, Williams would be working from what Gunn described as “a wonderful pilot script and bible” from the creative team. At this time, no other directors have been mentioned for Lanterns, which was ordered straight to series at HBO earlier this year.

  • ‘Lanterns’: New Report Reveals More Stars on DC Studios’ Short List for Hal Jordan

    ‘Lanterns’: New Report Reveals More Stars on DC Studios’ Short List for Hal Jordan

    DC Studios’ Lanterns is shaping up as a major HBO prestige series. With a series “bible” created by a writers’ room loaded with talent, the studio is now targeting Prime Time Emmy Award-winning director Stephen Williams to helm the pilot and star Josh Brolin to fill the role of Hal Jordan, one of the series’ two leads. However, should he pass, it sounds as though DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran have more big-time talent in mind to bring Jordan to the all-new, all-different DCU.

    Alright, Alright, Alright…

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, should Brolin turn down the role of Jordan, Matthew McConaughey is one of at least two big names DC Studios has interest in approaching. Though he has only recently dabbled in superhero fare as the voice of Cowboypool in Deadpool & Wolverine, McConaughey is no stranger to working with HBO on a prestige series. McConaughey’s role as Detective Rust Cohle in the first season of True Detective landed him ten award nominations, making him one of the series’ most recognized talents. McConaughey would be a bold choice for the role of Jordan and would certainly bring with him the requisite charisma and brashness of the former test pilot turned space cop.

    Hello There!

    If McConaughey‘s name appearing on a short list of actors for the role of Hal Jordan surprised you, Ewan McGregor would certainly do the same and then some. Alas, Sneider shared the news that Obi-Wan Kenobi is on DC Studios’ radar for the role of Jordan. McGregor most recently starred in the Hulu series A Gentleman in Moscow and also received rave reviews for his work on Fargo and won a Primetime Emmy for his role in the Netflix limited series Halston.

    While there’s been no official timeline provided by Gunn or Safran, with a casting search underway for the series’ leads, it would seem reasonable to assume that production on Lanterns could begin in early 2025.

  • Marvel Studios TV Head Confirms Which Nova Will Lead Disney Plus Streaming Series

    Marvel Studios TV Head Confirms Which Nova Will Lead Disney Plus Streaming Series

    It’s been over six years since Kevin Feige called Nova a character with “immediate potential” to make his way into the MCU and yet, somehow, the Human Rocket remains grounded. Hope that the character might finally be ready to take off briefly flickered in 2022 when Moon Knight writer Sabir Pirzada agreed to begin development on a Nova project; however, following Bob Iger‘s return to Disney–which came with a mandate to slow things down on the Marvel Studios production line–development on Nova was paused as Marvel’s TV division underwent some restructuring. And then, just as the project seemed destined for the scrap heap, news came that the studio was looking to begin production on it–as a Disney Plus streaming series–in 2025.

    Though there’s been no official word from Marvel Studios that they intend to begin work on the project, Marvel Television head man Brad Winderbaum has been willing to at least confirm that they are working on a Nova series. Now, in a new interview with Phase Zero, Winderbaum revealed which of the two characters who have gone by the name of Nova in the pages of Marvel Comics will lead the show.

    After once again confirming to Phase Zero’s Brandon Davis that Nova remains in development, Winderbaum went on to tease what fans can expect from the streaming series. While addressing how Marvel Television might go about bringing a character with such a large collection of Cosmic stories in his background to Disney Plus, Winderbaum revealed that Nova is being developed as “an amazing ensemble piece” before explaining that fans of the comics will know “how heated that Richard Rider kind of world can get.“

    And it doesn’t really get any clearer than that, folks…

    While the inclusion of Rider as the series’ presumed lead does not preclude the inclusion of Sam Alexander, it would be in the best interest of the studio’s pursuit of longform storytelling to be patient. The studio has previously shown no compunction in choosing to skip over OG comic book heroes in order to put legacy characters front and center in different projects. Winderbaum’s comments seem to indicate that in the case of Nova, the studio will put its greatest Cosmic hero in the spotlight first while likely still leaving room for an understudy to fill the helmet down the road.

  • DC Studios’ ‘Lanterns’ Series Targeting a Major MCU Star for the Role of Hal Jordan

    DC Studios’ ‘Lanterns’ Series Targeting a Major MCU Star for the Role of Hal Jordan

    After years of being remembered as one of the most maligned comic book movies of all time, DC’s Green Lantern IP is getting another shot at stardom…and so far it’s shaping up to be one hell of a comeback.

    First announced by DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran in 2023, the HBO streaming series Lanterns will be the vehicle to bring the Green Lantern Corps to the DCU. Created by Ozark writer Chris Mundy, DC Comics ace Tom King and TV legend Damon Lindelof, Lanterns will focus on two of the corps‘ most well-known members, John Stewart and Hal Jordan. Having recently been ordered straight to series, Lanterns began casting for the two lead roles this summer and now a new report indicates that they have made an offer to a major Hollywood star to portray Jordan.

    According to Nexus Point News, DC Studios’ has extended an offer to Josh Brolin to fill the role of DC’s most well-known Lantern, Hal Jordan.

    Brolin, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2009 film Milk, is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars and would bring even more credibility to Lanterns already impressive roster of talent. No stranger to superhero fare, having portrayed Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool 2, Brolin also has a successful streaming series under his belt in Prime’s Outer Range.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.

    -James Gunn and Peter Safran on Lanterns

    Previously described as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” that “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” in the DCU’s first chapter of stories, Lanterns will revolve around the central characters finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Word is that Jordan will be a grizzled vet–which makes Brolin a great choice–and that Stewart will be a new member of the Corps working with him as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”

    Source: Nexus Point News

  • ‘Agatha All Along’ Runtimes Reveal Length of Two-Episode Premier, More Magical Goodness Than ‘WandaVision’

    ‘Agatha All Along’ Runtimes Reveal Length of Two-Episode Premier, More Magical Goodness Than ‘WandaVision’

    When Marvel Studios WandaVision debuted on Disney Plus in January 2021, fans bemoaned the short runtime of the series episodes. While the early episodes were intentionally short to mimic the runtimes of the classic sitcoms to which the series paid homage, only the fifth episode and final two episodes stretched beyond thirty minutes, credits not included. While it made for easily digestible content, WandaVision’s episode length kicked off the great MCU runtime fiasco that has yet to abate. However, it turns out the studio may have learned something from WandaVision…

    In Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…

    -Official synopsis for Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along

    Whether it was always the plan or not, WandaVision spawned a pair of spinoffs in Agatha All Along and the as-yet-untitled Vision series. The first of those series, the nine-episode Kathryn Hahn-led Agatha Harkness series, will debut on Disney Plus in mid-September and has already been screened by some members of the press. And while plot spoilers have remained sealed away, some information on the series has escaped Marvel Studios’ protective hex.

    (L-R): Teen (Joe Locke), The Green Witch/Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and Jennifer Kale (Sasheer Zamata) in Marvel Television’s AGATHA ALL ALONG, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. © 2024 MARVEL.
    Via Scarlet Witch Updates, the runtimes for the first four episodes of Agatha All Along have made their way online. While none of the episodes will approach an hour, the runtimes all exceed thirty minutes and each is significantly longer than any of the first four episodes of WandaVision.

    With Agatha All Along continuing the pattern of Disney Plus series debuting with two episodes, fans will be treated to over an hour of witchy content when the show premieres on September 18th.

  • Marvel Studios May Be Cooking Up an Avengers Reunion on Disney Plus

    Marvel Studios May Be Cooking Up an Avengers Reunion on Disney Plus

    Despite having 85 years’ worth of successful source material from which to draw, Marvel Studios has certainly felt the need to blaze its own trail in weaving the ongoing shared narrative tapestry that is the MCU. Whether it be through tiny alterations here or major alterations there, many of the characters and stories that have filled up screens big and small since 2008’s Iron Man have their own unique spin to them that makes them different from their comic book counterparts. However, in some cases, the creatives at Marvel Studios have stayed surprisingly within the lines, delivering a more comic-accurate interpretation of the stories of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and the legions of talented writers and artists who followed them.

    In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War–which is itself an example of the studio’s tendency to borrow names but not directly adapt the stories or ideas that go with them–directors Anthony and Joe Russo set the stage for one of Marvel Comics’ weirdest romances to develop. Paul Bettany‘s synthezoid Avenger, Vision, and Elizabeth Olsen‘s Wanda Maximoff’s wonderfully awkward flirtations in Civil War blossomed into full-grown love by the time Avengers: Infinity War–another example of the studio’s tendency to borrow names but not directly adapt the stories or ideas that go with them–came to be. Exploring the relationship between Vision and Wanda on screen allowed the directors to render one of the MCU’s most heartbreaking scenes as Wanda destroyed her love in a failed attempt to save the universe. As the Infinity Saga came to a close, it seemed as though the love story of Wanda and Vision had come to an end but instead, the studio decided to take a turn for the even weirder.

    Mixing Kevin Feige‘s love of sitcoms with the main premise of the 1985 12-issue limited Marvel Comics series The Vision and The Scarlet Witch, Marvel Studios kicked off its post-Endgame era with WandaVision. The 9-episode series saw the traumatized Wanda cast a spell that allowed her to recreate the Vision, allowing the lovers to explore a life of what Feige called “suburban bliss” along with their twin sons, Billy and Tommy. We know how it ended and what happened next but as the studio prepares to roll out the first WandaVision spinoff, Agatha All Along, news about the second spinoff, a Paul Bettany-led Vision series, has begun to make its way online and the latest bit indicates that the studio hasn’t closed the book on Vision and Wanda just yet.

    Just as word came that James Spader had inked a deal to return to the Vision series as Ultron, Deadline shared the news that Olsen’s Wanda, who was last seen being buried under rubble in the final act of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, may be on board for an appearance in the series as well.

    Though this isn’t the first time Olsen’s name has been associated with the series, much has changed since the first reports that a Vision Quest series was in the works nearly two years ago. Originally developed by WandaVision and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, the series was recently handed off to Star Trek: Picard creator Terry Matalas. With a change of creators can come a change of creative decisions so while the series was originally expected to adapt Tom King‘s 2015 12-issue Vision series, it’s unclear what direction Matalas might take; however, the return of Ultron might indicate it will be quite different than the original plan.

    Olsen’s return, should it happen, would seem to indicate a reunion is in the cards for Wanda and Vision and their twin sons. Joe Locke is widely accepted to be playing the reborn Billy in Agatha All Along and a recent report that the studio is looking to cast Javon Walton as, potentially, the reborn Tommy in Vision. The untitled Vision series is expected to begin production in the UK in early 2025.

    Source: Deadline

  • Major Infinity Saga Villain Set to Return for Marvel Studios’ ‘Vision’ Streaming Series

    Major Infinity Saga Villain Set to Return for Marvel Studios’ ‘Vision’ Streaming Series

    Though Marvel Studios is, presumably, more than halfway through the second saga of MCU stories, it has shown no apprehension at continuing to pull from the Infinity Saga. While the return of Robert Downey Jr.–who is boarding the Multiverse Saga to bring Victor Von Doom to life–is the starkest example of the studio’s willingness to dip into the Infinity Saga well, many of the streaming series have in particular been deeply rooted in the events of the Infinity Saga. And now as the studio begins preparations for production on their next D+ project, a new report indicates they’re dipping back into the well again.

    According to THR, Marvel Studios has struck a deal with James Spader to reprise the role of Ultron in the upcoming Vision streaming series.

    An artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner as a peacekeeping program, Ultron went rogue and sought to wipe out humanity. Using stolen Vibranium obtained from the stores of Ulysses Klaue, Ultron created a synthetic body that he intended to inhabit himself; however, after a battle with the Avengers interrupted the process, Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S. program was uploaded into the body, which became Vision. Though Vision destroyed the final Ultron drone that hosted his programming, fans of the comics will know that the villain has been notoriously impossible to keep down.

    Originally one of two WandaVision spinoffs developed by Jac Schaeffer, the upcoming Vision series is now in the hands of Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas. In development since 2022, it seems as though the show has taken a new direction under Matalas‘ watch after originally being believed to be an adaptation of Tom King‘s Marvel Comics 2015 limited series, Vision. While it’s unclear what role Spader’s Ultron will have in the series, the appearance of Vision’s “father” in a series that will likely explore the synthezoid’s pursuit of putting together the pieces of who he truly is has the potential for some very heavy material.

    Marvel Studios’ untitled Vision series is expected to stream on Disney Plus in 2026.

    Source: THR

  • Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering a Second Season for One of Its Strangest Streaming Series

    Marvel Studios Reportedly Considering a Second Season for One of Its Strangest Streaming Series

    Once upon a time, Marvel Studios had grand plans to expand the MCU by exploring some of its more obscure corners and characters through streaming series on Disney Plus. As recently as 2022, the studio hoped to push out 3 or 4 live-action streaming series each year in addition to animated content, providing nearly non-stop Marvel to its fans. That all changed with the return of Bob Iger to the Disney throne and now development has slowed to what Marvel’s head of streaming, television and animation, Brad Winderbaum called “a more considered approach” that involved significant rebranding.

    That more considered approach, according to Winderbaum, will see the studio pare down its streaming slate to two series each year while continuing to develop an unquantified number of projects. In Winderbaum’s words, the studio will be “developing more than we make.” And those words are incredibly relevant to some interesting news about a potential second season to one of Marvel’s strangest and most well-reviewed streaming series.

     I really like the idea of two shows a year, especially because we are developing more than we make. We used to treat the shows like the features where we’re gonna make a show and that’s it, we’re going to hit a release date, hell or high water. Well, it’s hard to do for a two hour feature, it’s even harder to do for, six, seven, eight, nine hours. So now we have a more traditional approach.

    -Brad Winderbaum on Marvel Studios’ new apporach to developing streaming projects

    According to trusted MCU insider Daniel RPK, Winderbaum and the fine folks behind the D+ streaming series are developing a second season of Moon Knight.

    In 2022, Moon Knight introduced Oscar Isaac‘s multi-personalitied Marc Spector to the MCU and proved to be a rare case of a streaming series gaining viewers over time. As the series concluded, there were signs and speculation that a second season might be in the works though nobody, including Isaac and director Mohamed Diab, knew of any plans on Disney’s part to continue the story of Moon Knight. “I’m kept in the dark, just like the fans…Marvel doesn’t go with a conventional way, so even if they like the character and want to extend the world, it could be Season 2, it could be a standalone film, or he can join another superhero’s journey,” said Diab in 2022. “We never discussed it being a Season 2, but one day there’s going to be an expansion, but I don’t know how it’s going to look like.“

    And let’s just put everything out on the table on this story. There’s definitely no official plans to continue it. I think it would depend on what the story is. That being said, I love being Steven. I just love it. It’s just like, physically, it’s so much fun to be him. So, you know, if there was a story that really made sense, I’d be happy to be part of it.

    –Oscar Isaac on the potential of a second season of Moon Knight, May, 2022

    Season 1 of Moon Knight was a hit with critics (86% at Rotten Tomatoes) and introduced a whole new brand of weirdness into the MCU. Complete with a talking hippo goddess and twists and turns that left fans wondering what was real and what was not, Moon Knight also provided a wonderful exploration of the fractured psyche of Spector, whose dissociative identity disorder created several interesting personalities who manifested themselves throughout the series and even into its post-credit scene.

    Despite the lack of concrete plans for the future of the character, Isaac promised fans that the character had a future, saying “This isn’t the last we’ve heard of the system that is Moon Knight,” during an appearance at NYCC ’22. As time has passed and moved further and further away from the series’ release, news and even rumors about a second season of Moon Knight have slowly ground to a halt. While at this point another season of the series would seem unlikely to make its way to Disney Plus before 2027, should it make it through development, it’s good to know there’s hope for more of the wonderful weirdness that made the first season of Moon Knight such a fun ride.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Will Reportedly Feature the Return of a Marvel Comics Avenger

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Will Reportedly Feature the Return of a Marvel Comics Avenger

    The first season of Daredevil: Born Again won’t hit Disney Plus until March of 2025 but there’s a significant amount of hype for the series already, especially following the leaked trailer that was shown at D23. Featuring the first look at White Tiger and the returns of Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson and Wilson Bethel as their respective characters from Netflix’s Daredevil, the now-taken-down trailer provided a glimpse at what to expect from the revival. However, even though it gave away a few surprises–including an appearance by Mohan Kapur as Yusuf Khan–Marvel Studios held plenty back.

    Taking place in New York City, Daredevil: Born Again provides an opportunity to further explore a corner of the MCU that was more well-defined by the Netflix Defenders-verse series than it has been by Marvel Studios. However, the Big Apple was heavily featured as a setting in the Infinity Saga and streaming projects such as Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and Echo all helped flesh out the finer details of the folks who populate it. And it seems that one of NYC’s finest socialites is returning for an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again.

    According to reliable MCU insider Daniel RPK, Tony Dalton is set to return in Daredevil: Born Again as the wonderfully witless buffoon Jack Duquesne.

    Though he spent the first five episodes of Hawkeye bumbling and stumbling along, Duquesne helped save the day in the finale by using his skills with a blade to help fight off the Tracksuit Mafia. As the episode drew to a close, creators Rhys Thomas, Bert and Bertie positioned the character to return as some version of his comic book counterpart’s alter ego, the Swordsman. Proudly never having worked a day in his life and always in pursuit of new leisure activities, Duquesne met First Responder Adetinpo Thomas’ Wendy who brought up LARPing to the doofus. Should the Daredevil: Born Again creative crew be so bold, the perfect opportunity to introduce Duquesne in a comic-accurate Swordsman costume while LARPing in NYC is there for the taking. Once a member of the Avengers in the comics, Swordsman has straddled the line between hero and villain over the course of the last 50 years but it would be a wonderful move by showrunner Dario Scardapane and directors Justin Benson and Andy Moorehead to have Jack suit up to celebrate his Golden Jubilee.

    Daredevil: Born Again will stream on Disney Plus beginning in March 2025.

  • Disney Pulls the Plug on Lucasfilm’s High Republic Era Series, ‘The Acolyte’

    Disney Pulls the Plug on Lucasfilm’s High Republic Era Series, ‘The Acolyte’

    For the past few years, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has remained steadfast in her belief that for Star Wars to thrive, the franchise needs to move away from Skywalker-centric projects. Though she’s called that mission “vital” and eschewed an adherence to George Lucas‘ original outline for the franchise, it’s proven difficult to cut the cord. Indeed recent streaming efforts such as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka have both featured appearances by Skywalkers despite also attempting to blaze their own paths in the New Republic era. However, the franchise’s latest streaming offering, The Acolyte, set out to provide a brand new entry point for fans by telling a story with no connectivity to the Skywalker Saga despite being steeped in the familiar mythology and themes of the Star Wars franchise.

    I think it is vital. Just staying within the construct of George’s storytelling, to keep chipping away at that, I think would be wrong. It’s our job to step away now, but still have a connection to the mythology that George created. That won’t stop. But we are moving on from the Skywalker saga. That’s what’s taking a lot of time, discussion, and thought right now.

    -Kathleen Kennedy, Vanity Fair 2022

    Series creator Leslye Headland–a lifelong Star Wars fan who described her love for the franchise as “existing on a cellular level”–put together what I called the” boldest storytelling effort to date within the franchise as it looks to redefine itself” in The Acolyte. The series came out of the gate strong but interest waned greatly down the stretch and, to no one’s surprise, became the target of online ridicule. Despite the social media buzz, Headland’s series showed promise late and she remained optimistic that more opportunity to continue the story of the series’ main characters would present itself. And now we know how that worked out.

    According to Deadline, Disney has pulled the plug on the High Republic-era series, choosing not to move forward with a second season of The Acolyte.
    (L-R): Mae Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) and Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    With that, the stories of sisters Mae and Osha Aniseya, Darth Teeth, Darth Plagueis and, of course, the intrepid tracker, Bazil, will be lost to time.

    Source: Deadline, Vanity Fair