Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Taron Egerton in Talks with Marvel Studios, Interested in Playing MCU’s Wolverine

    Taron Egerton in Talks with Marvel Studios, Interested in Playing MCU’s Wolverine

    Kingsman: The Secret Service and Rocketman‘s Taron Egerton has actively talked about his hope of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe one day. Amid fans casting him as the MCU’s new Wolverine, Egerton expressed excitement in taking up the reigns from Hugh Jackman. Luckily, The New York Times had the chance to sit down with the actor during his press tour for the Apple TV+ series Black Bird, where he revealed that he has indeed met with Marvel Studio executives, including Kevin Feige himself. Egerton also explicitly mentions Jackman, adding to the rumors that the talks might’ve been for the role of Wolverine.

    I don’t think it would be wrong to say that. I’d be excited but I’d be apprehensive as well, because Hugh is so associated with the role that I’d wonder if it’d be very difficult for someone else to do it. But hopefully if it does come around, they’ll give me a shot.”

    Egerton has been a popular pick to take on the role of Wolverine, but it’s not 100% confirmed if these talks were for the role, or a different character in the MCU. However, with a film career as eclectic as his, Egerton has proven that he has the range to succeed Jackman as Wolverine. Not to mention that Egerton stands at a not-all-that-tall 5 feet 9 inches; a perfectly acceptable height for an actor playing Wolverine. Here’s hoping the conversations between Egerton and Marvel Studios come to fruition sooner rather than later.

    Source: New York Times

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Insight on Episode 4’s Surprise Ending

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Insight on Episode 4’s Surprise Ending

    Ms. Marvel ended episode 4 on quite a cliffhanger. After being attacked by the Clandestine, Kamala Khan finds herself in another time. Not just at any time, but during the Partition when her great-grandmother was separated from her family like many others. It left us with many questions, such as if this was just another vision or if Kamala actually traveling through time. Well, director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy offered some insight into how they brought the sequence to life and talk about that twist ending.

    You know, telling the story of The Partition comes with great responsibility. And I, in Episode 4 at the end, when she walks on the platform, I took hundreds of photographs from 1947. And I worked with the crew and the cast to recreate frames from real photographs. So when she walks onto that train, walks onto the platform, the conversation she’s hearing and the way people are being carried and the props, everything comes out of a real photograph.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    It definitely sounds like they put a lot of work into bringing this sequence faithfully to life, which makes sense given its historical importance for the generations that lived through it. Obaid-Chinoy also gave some insight into what Kamala’s role is in this sequence.

    So that Kamala Khan is bearing witness to history. She’s not a superhero at that moment. She’s literally catching these frenetic conversations. And I think that when you make it personal when you make it about people leaving their homes, then anyone watching anywhere in the world would find a connection to it.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    There’s definitely something interesting about the fact that she’s not only hearing the stories but also witnessing their events. Once again, the Disney+ Marvel series is promising an emotional rollercoaster of a fifth episode though it’ll be interesting how it leads into the final episode and what the future has in store for the Clandestine. Ms. Marvel is shaping to be one of Marvel Studios’ strongest showings and it’ll be exciting to see how they wrap up the project.

    Source: The Direct

  • Earlier ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Drafts Included Commander Cody

    Earlier ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Drafts Included Commander Cody

    Obi-Wan Kenobi has undergone quite a few iterations before it found its way to Disney+. Not too long ago we learned that the project was initially pitched as a film trilogy before the first entry eventually turned into what we recently got to watch across six episodes. Turns out, there was one other significant element that got scrapped in the form of Commander Cody. Writer Stuart Beattie revealed that his role was cut in an interview with The Direct.

    Yeah, yeah. Cody was the big one. I love the idea of Obi-Wan having a buddy on Tatooine. Like a secret buddy. So like the first time he goes into town, you see, Cody, and he’s following him through the streets and attacks him, takes him into an alley with a knife to his throat and says, ‘You’re dead.’ And then you realize, ‘Oh, no… Cody’s making a point.’ Like, ‘Come on. You got to be more careful.

    Stuart Beattie

    He also highlights how his approach was to have them both reflect this aspect of redemption, especially as Cody had to live with the guilt of his own actions under the control of Order 66.

    And you realize, ‘Oh, Cody has now morphed from someone who was trying to kill him when we last saw them to someone who is now devoting his life to protect him.’ Because by now he’s had the biochip taken out of his head, and now he realizes, ‘Oh my god, what I did was wrong.’ And he has driven by guilt, as much as Obi Wan is driven by guilt. So you got these two kind of old warriors bickering like this old married couple, bitching about, ‘God, it was so much better when we had an army at our backs,’ you know

    Stuart Beattie

    The idea wasn’t to have the character to appear out of nowhere, but rather that he was an active part of the plot. Best part, he was even going to be the one to look over young Luke Skywalker while Kenobi traveled the galaxy.

    And the idea of mine was that when Obi-Wan had to leave Tatooine, he left Cody in charge of Luke. And that gave us a fun little B-story to keep cutting away to. And yeah, he’s a really fun character and a guy racing against the clock obviously, because he’s aging twice as fast. He’s trying to atone for the worst thing he’s ever done in his life. So tragic in a way, but just fun… The way they bickered in my stuff, it was just, you know, put a smile on your face and, you know, (laughs) just arguing all the time.

    Stuart Beattie

    Beattie even went on to highlight one of the moments that he was most looking forward to getting adapted, which sadly was no longer included in the Disney+ show as Commander Cody was completely scrapped from the script. He did confirm that Temuera Morrison was planned to take on the role, who would have a brief cameo as a Clone Trooper.

    The fun one that I missed the most was actually a scene back on Tatooine with Cody. My Cody was so fun. Cody was with Owen and there were some bounty hunters that had discovered Obi-Wan… And they gotta get rid of the bodies. And so there was just this really fun scene where, you know, what do you do with bodies on Tatooine and you need to get rid of them? Well, you go out to the local Sarlacc, right? They kind of park and they’re having this whole discussion about, you know, Cody shooting… Obi-Wan and all this kind of stuff.

    Stuart Beattie

    It’s a shame they didn’t include the character, as it does sound like they would’ve made for a great duo. Perhaps a sequel season or even spinoff series focused on Cody could bring the two together, as they try to navigate their own grief together. There’s a lot of potentials and it would be a shame not to capitalize on it.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Some Details on Disney+ Series Reshoots

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Director Offers Some Details on Disney+ Series Reshoots

    Ms. Marvel was a surprising project, as it was seemingly going to release last year. It was hinted at arriving before Hawkeye and we even got a first glimpse at the project during Disney’s Investors Day. Suddenly, the project was postponed and there were hints at quite a few reshoots were ordered for the project. The Direct got a chance to sit down with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who offered a little insight into why they needed the reshoots.

    At first, she seemingly hints that only “a few pickups” were necessary, especially when it came to tying together the story for the season. Ms. Marvel feels the most “episodic” of all of Marvel Studios’ six-hour drama series and it definitely has one of its most interesting over-arching arcs on her heritage and how it connects with her newly gained powers.

    I think that we went back and did some pickup shoots in which we were tying the story in together, and making sure that there was a sort of cohesive storyline that ran through. And I think that each, you know, sort of, with each one of the episodes, when you sort of complete the series, you go back and you just think about all of the other things that you could have brought in and done that. So we did a few pickups here and that

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    She also highlights that a big part that influenced its developments was the fact that they had quite a few crowd shots planned, which were affected by the pandemic. As such, they couldn’t shoot on locations, especially as they had to travel from country to country, which took up a bit more time.

    I think it was the pandemic. To be honest, I think that the pandemic was so cyclical, that every time we thought it was coming to an end, it would re-emerge its sort of ugly head. And I think that there are some very big scenes in Ms. Marvel and that require, you know, hundreds and hundreds of extras and that are shot on location, and they’re outdoors. And, you know, there is international travel and, and I think that putting a six-part series that is shot in multiple countries with diverse crews and multiple characters in a pandemic requires time.

    Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

    The Direct theorizes on why exactly this project was delayed as far back as it was, but we’ve seen the restrictions international travel had on Falcon and The Winter Soldier earlier on that may have acted as a lesson for them while tackling a series that is directly tied to its cultural heritage. So, they may have decided to prioritize the reshoots rather than rush it out. Something we may see with many more projects moving forward.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Eyeing Production Start Soon

    ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Eyeing Production Start Soon

    The Boys latest season has been quite the hit with viewers, as the newly introduced Jensen Ackles‘ Soldier Boy has become quite the fan favorite. The group is once again falling apart due to their own egos while trying to avoid the superpowered heroes taking them down. While we still have two episodes left in this season, it seems that plans are already made to start work on Season 4 according to Karl Urban.

    Yeah, we’re starting I think August the 22nd, we’re going to be starting season four. So I’m getting back, getting my Butcher back on, and I can’t wait. It’s a fun gang to play with, we work hard and play hard, and I can’t wait to see where they take the characters from where we leave them at the end of this season.

    Karl Urban

    He highlights that he hasn’t seen the scripts yet. Urban is just as excited as we are about how they’ll continue to surprise audiences with some clever commentary.

    We’re about two months away from filming, and I have no idea. So that’ll tell you something, but yeah, not too far away. I mean, I expect that we’ll… I’m actually going to be seeing Kripke next week and I expect conversations will start to happen about what he’s got in store. I like to give them the respect of being able to do their writing process and not be harassed by actors going, “What are we doing?” But I can’t wait. They always come up with insane stuff, so yeah, it’s going to be fun.

    Karl Urban

    It’ll also be interesting to see how the third season wraps up, especially if some of the newly introduced characters are here to stay or who might not make it beyond the latest season. Homelander is seemingly about to meet his breaking point, which opens up a very dangerous future for our boys and everyone involved in the takedown of Vought Industries.

    Source: Collider

  • Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    Nexstar Nearing Deal to Take Over Majority of CW Network Alongside Its $100M+ Losses

    It’s not been too long ago since the first news arrived that Warner Bros. Discovery was continuing its dismantling of the original structure, such as selling the CW Network. Now, it seems that Nextar Media Group who owns a slew of local television stations, is eyeing to take over the majority of the program. Accoridng to the Wall Street Journal, they aren’t even going to pay cash for it but rather will cover a significant part of its losses, which supposedly are above $100M currently.

    WSJ does point out that the deal isn’t final and could fall apart but we would know within the next few weeks. Surprisingly, Warner Bros. Discovery will still remain a shareholder with a 12.5% stake, the same amount that Paramount is going to keep. CBS and WB are still planning on creating content for CW, but Nexstar is eyeing to expand with other producers while the minority owners keep the content-licensing revenue from pre-existing deals such as their very lucrative Netflix dealings.

    It should be noted that Nexstar is already the largest owner, but this would give them almost full control over future ventures. The big focus will be to expand its target audience, as the CW broadcaster generally built its dynamic around teen-focused dramas such as Riverdale, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and many more. CW was never truly seen as profitable, but the Netflix deal became one of its biggest sellers that it managed to carry a network even with direct income losses from ad revenue. the broadcaster was famous for renewing series that seemingly had no audience, while their dramas entered the top 10 in the U.S. on Netflix. So, we’ll have to see if the deal comes together in the coming weeks.

    Source: WSJ

  • ‘Godzilla’ Spinoff Series Adds 5 to its Cast

    ‘Godzilla’ Spinoff Series Adds 5 to its Cast

    Apple TV+ and Legendary Television’s untitled Godzilla and the Titans series is adding to its cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski have all joined the cast of the monster series. The series is set in the aftermath of the battle between Godzilla and the Titans in San Francisco and follows a family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets that link them to the organization, Monarch. It is also directly connected to Legendary’s Monterverse.

    Sawai is playing Cate, a teacher and G-Day survivor who travels to Japan to settle family affairs. During her trip, however, she ends up uncovering a secret. Watabe is playing Kentaro, an intelligent, creative, and curious young man eager to learn more about his father. Clemons is playing May, an American expatriate who uses a roguish exterior to protect herself and others. Tippet is set to play Tim, an office worker who dreams of going on a secret agent adventure, while Laswoski plays Duvall, an expert agent with unwavering confidence in herself and what she can do.

    Matt Shakman, who was behind Marvel Studios’ WandaVision, is set to direct the first two episodes of Godzilla and the Titans and also serve as an executive producer on the series. The still-untitled series hails from Chris Black (Outcast) and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye), who co-created the series; Black will also serve as the showrunner on the series.

    Source: THR

  • EXCLUSIVE: Scott Adsit on Bringing Baymax to Live-Action in the MCU

    EXCLUSIVE: Scott Adsit on Bringing Baymax to Live-Action in the MCU

    MCU fans may remember a rumor that Marvel Studios was looking to incorporate characters from Big Hero 6, specifically Hiro and Baymax, into their shared universe in a live-action appearance. As exciting as that rumor was, it was eventually debunked by a trade report, which indicated that Big Hero 6 and the characters associated with it were staying with the creatives at Disney and any new projects involving them would be done at that studio.

    One such new project involving the property is now available on Disney Plus in the form of BAYMAX!, a six-episode collection of shorts with a ton of heart (read our full review here) that takes the character back to his roots as a healthcare companion. Ahead of the premiere of the series, Charles Murphy had the opportunity to talk to actor Scott Adsit, who has voiced Baymax since Big Hero 6 debuted in 2014 and asked him if he’d be willing to get back in studio to bring him to life.

    I’d get in the costume for that. I’d get in the big rubber suit and inflate it and walk around. Absolutely! Because I’m a big Marvel nerd and I think all those movies are fantastic, so to step into one of them would be incredible.

    Scott Adsit

    Unfortunately for Adsit, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll get the chance to fill out that rubber suit anytime soon. But as the voice of Baymax for the better part of a decade, it’s good to know he’s willing to take up the part anytime. Maybe there’s hope for the future!

  • AMC’s ‘Alan Wake’ Series Searching for a New Showrunner

    AMC’s ‘Alan Wake’ Series Searching for a New Showrunner

    AMC’s adaptation of the beloved video game Alan Wake is in search of a new showrunner. Variety has announced that Peter Calloway, who worked on Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, has exited as the series showrunner due to conflicting project timelines. With Calloway out, the search is on for a new showrunner.

    Following Calloway’s exit, two producers have signed on to the project. Jon Jashni, who is the former president of Legendary Entertainment, and Jeff Ludwig, former vice president of scripted film and television production for Ritchie/Wigram Productions have joined as executive producer and producer, respectively. They’ll be joined by Tim Carter and Tomas Harlan of Contradiction Films, who will help produce the series alongside Sam Lake, the creator of the Alan Wake video game.

    The series focuses on Alan Wake, who is a best-selling thriller novelist. He’s on a mission to solve the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington. However, as he tries to unravel the mystery, he soon finds himself experiencing events from his latest novel that he doesn’t remember writing.

    The series is still in the very early stages of development at AMC, so no premiere date has been announced as of yet.

    Source: Variety.

  • Amazon’s ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ Adds Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano 

    Amazon’s ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ Adds Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano 

    It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Smith will have some company. Variety has exclusively revealed that Michaela Coel, John Turturro, and Paul Dano will all appear in the upcoming Amazon series from co-creators Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane. The star-studded trio join a cast that also includes Glover and Maya Erskine as the titular married couple. Erskine was recently announced as taking over for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who departed the project over creative differences last year. Variety confirms that the three new casting additions will only appear in a guest capacity, and that all other details about their characters are still being kept under wraps.

    Mr. and Mrs. Smith revolves around the couple John and Jane, who are hired by a mysterious spy agency and learn how to intimately navigate both espionage and their marriage. The series is based on the 2005 film of the same name, which famously starred Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the title roles. Doug Liman helmed the film, but it’s still unknown who will direct for Amazon.

    Coel, Turturro, and Dano bring a serious amount of star power to a show many fans were already looking forward to. Coel has received critical acclaim for her work on HBO’s I May Destroy You, and  can next be seen in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Dano and Turturro are both fresh off successful villainous turns in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, and have impressive resumes to back up their reputations.

    Mr. and Mrs. Smith still has no release date.

    Source: Variety