Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • ‘Spider-Verse’ Producers Offer Update on ‘Silk’ Series 

    ‘Spider-Verse’ Producers Offer Update on ‘Silk’ Series 

    Sony’s Spider-Verse continues to expand, and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller are steadfastly at the helm of it all. Not only are the duo hard at work on the next two animated Spider-Man entries, Across the Spider-Verse and it’s sequel, they’re also currently developing several spin-off projects. One of their top priorities is Silk, a live-action series based on the Korean-American hero of the same name. The show, set to debut on Amazon Prime, was announced nearly two years ago with little-to-no official word since.

    However, in a recent interview with Deadline’s Crew Call podcast, Lord and Miller offered a promising update on the series’ production. The creative team confirmed the project is still in the works, and fans should expect more information soon:

    We’re developing all that stuff with great care and there’s a really exciting start for Silk. It’s coming along. There’ll be news someday soon.


    Phil Lord

    Silk revolves around Cindy Moon, a former classmate of Peter Parker who is bitten by the same spider that gave him his spectacular abilities. Tiffany Espensen previously played a character named “Cindy” in the MCU, though it was never confirmed if this was intended to be a version of the hero or if she will reprise the role for Sony’s upcoming series. Hopefully, Lord and Miller are true to their word and more news drops sooner than later.

    Source: Deadline

  • Sana Amanat Dispels Early ‘Ms. Marvel’ Cameo Rumors (EXCLUSIVE)

    Sana Amanat Dispels Early ‘Ms. Marvel’ Cameo Rumors (EXCLUSIVE)

    Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney Plus, but prior to Hollywood shutting down due to COVID in 2020 and the fallout that followed, it was once intended to debut in late 2021, ahead of Hawkeye. While the full story of just how much COVID impacted Marvel Studios’ productions may never come to light, it’s clear that it was enormous.

    Streaming series WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had to shut down mid-production while other shows, like Ms. Marvel, found themselves pushed back as part of a domino effect. Before all those delays, however, I heard and interesting rumor that would tie two of those shows together: Kamala Khan was set to make her MCU debut in a short cameo that would take place in the aftermath of the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Once the COVID delays hit, we were told the idea was scrapped as the focus shifted to finding a way to safely finish the show.

    Charles Villanueva had a chance to talk with Ms. Marvel producer Sana Amanat recently and asked about the rumor and if she was always intended to debut in her own show. As many of the best answers are, Amanat’s was short and to the point saying, “Yes. As far as I know. [Ms. Marvel] was always going to be her first appearance.”

    Ms. Marvel was first announced to be in development by Marvel Studios in August of 2019 during the D23 celebration. At that time, production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was just about to kick-off and the studio had just begun their search for the actress to play Kamala Khan. As we know, COVID shut down that search and it wasn’t until September 2020 that Iman Vellani was cast in the role. By that time, production on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had moved to the Czech Republic and was nearing completion.

    With all that in play, getting Kamala into a cameo for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier would seem all but impossible. More than that, a cameo appearance wouldn’t do serve the character’s story in the way that her brilliant introduction in her own show has.

    Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney Plus.

  • GEEKED WEEK: New Anime Series Based on Junji Ito’s Horror Stories in Development

    GEEKED WEEK: New Anime Series Based on Junji Ito’s Horror Stories in Development

    It looks like after the bad reception of the Junji Ito Collection, Netflix is trying its hand at bringing the famed horror mangaka’s visions to life in a new anime series. While the preview only gives us a slight look at some concept art drawn by Ito himself, they haven’t offered much on how they’ll bring the series to life outside of multiple series planned to get added over time which are eyeing a 2023 release.

    So far, they have confirmed that the three parts will be released: Tomie, Soichi, and the Hanging Blimp shorts. The series will be titled Junji Ito MANIAC and it’s kind of great to have an additional statement made by the creator himself. It should be noted that Cartoon Network is also actively developing an adaptation of his iconic horror manga, Uzumaki.

  • GEEKED WEEK: First Look at Upcoming Anime Projects Heading to Netflix

    GEEKED WEEK: First Look at Upcoming Anime Projects Heading to Netflix

    We’ve got a first look at some new anime series heading to Netflix. They’ve been busy working with some talented animation artist in the industry to bring some iconic new series to life, such as Exception. A new sci-fi series where people explore the galaxy to find a new home to terraform.

    That#s not all, as there’s also a new project from Wit Studio titled Moonrise, which will very likely bring us some beautiful animations as they did with Bubble and Attack on Titan.

    Last but not least, it looks like Netflix is actively working on a The Seven Deadly Sins spinoff that’ll explore the story of Tristan, Meliodas’ son in a new two-part film series.

  • GEEKED WEEK: ‘Masters of the Universe’ Gets a Sequel Titled ‘Revolution’

    GEEKED WEEK: ‘Masters of the Universe’ Gets a Sequel Titled ‘Revolution’

    It looks like Masters of the Universe is back but will now get a new title. The series will continue exactly where the last one left off, but will now be titled Masters of the Universe: Revolution and no longer Revelation. While they won’t give away any details, we did get at least a tease with a new visual hinting at where it’s heading. the ending also set up a sequel which will likely where the story picks up.

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  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Worked With VFX Supervisors to Bring New Powers to Life

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Star Worked With VFX Supervisors to Bring New Powers to Life

    There was some controversy surrounding the decision to change Ms. Marvel’s iconic abilities. While people have warmed up to the idea, especially as it still keeps the door open for further exploring, Iman Vellani offered some insight into how they brought her new powers to life for the Disney+ series. In an interview with Variety, she talks about how they tackled the new MCU ability and the challenges of doing so, especially as she had to coordinate with the series’ VFX supervisors.

    A lot of it was having conversations with our VFX supervisors, [asking] “How heavy is it? How hard is it for me to manifest it? How big is it? How much space do I have to leave in a frame?” Because if my hands here [motions to the outer corner of the Zoom frame] then you’re not going to be able to VFX anything in there.” We had to be super specific about it. It’s an amalgamation of a lot of people’s thoughts and opinions, and now Kamala has these really cool powers.

    Iman Vellani

    She also highlighted how she approach the way her character moved. As she’s a ser fan of the various superheroes, sh based a lot of her abilities on how others moved, such as Captain Marvel and Black Widow. Yet, she highlights that she’ll eventually also grow into her own kind of hero.

    She’s a 16-year-old kid, probably doesn’t know martial arts or any sort of fighting, so she’s probably copying everything she sees the rest of the Avengers do. So, we wanted to incorporate like a lot of Black Widow callbacks and Captain Marvel poses because this was really the only show where we could be as cheesy as possible and it’d be okay. This is Kamala’s life. She lives in fantasy land and she finally gets this fantasy — of course, she’s going to take full advantage of it. Over the course of time, she becomes her own version of a superhero — still clumsy, because she’s not perfect — but more unique poses.

    Iman Vellani

    It definitely sounds like they put a lot of work into bringing the character to life while keeping her core traits in mind. She’s a fan of superheroes and will have the habit of trying to copy them rather than do her own thing. Her family might be a big reason she starts to learn her own place and also further develops these abilities that may redefine her life as a teenager and hero.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Described as a “Palate Cleanser” After ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Described as a “Palate Cleanser” After ‘Moon Knight’ and ‘Doctor Strange 2’

    The MCU has introduced “some darker storylines as of late. Wanda faced the regrets of losing the one she loves in WandaVision. Sam Wilson trying to cope with taking on a new mantle with the weight of how the world would see him. Moon Knight gave us a man who lost himself and is on a journey to find peace with not only himself, but the alters that share the same body. Then you have Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with Strange possessing a corpse of himself from another dimension.

    So, it’s been quite a wild ride, and the upcoming Ms. Marvel series is taking a different approach. We’re taking a step back to follow young Kamala Khan trying to balance her life at high school, her family, and the challenges of being a hero. Ms. Marvel herself, Iman Vellani, describes the series as a “palate cleanser” in an interview with Variety

    It’s a great palate cleanser coming out of “Moon Knight” and “Multiverse of Madness.” “Ms. Marvel” brings a really fresh, warm perspective and a very light-hearted touch to the MCU, bringing back everything we loved about “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

    Iman Vellani

    She goes on to highlight what the Disney+ series has to offer that makes it stand out from others. While all the big heroes seem to have figured out their place in the world, but that isn’t the case for young heroes like Peter Parker and Kamala Khan.

    It has a very universal charm with the way we balance fan culture, religion, action and coming of age. We also definitely cater to a younger audience who can hopefully connect to the awkwardness and confusion of growing up and are comforted by the fact that you don’t have to have things figured out. Even a superhero doesn’t have things figured out.

    Iman Vellani

    Vellani continues to highlight how much she understands the character’s core and even brings her own experiences to help this character become an iconic part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Who knows if we’ll get more light-hearted stories alongside some darker ones. Thor: Love and Thunder also seem to be taking a more cheerful direction which will likely stand out from the rest.

    Source: Variety

  • Iman Vellani Shares How She Was Introduced to Ms. Marvel

    Iman Vellani Shares How She Was Introduced to Ms. Marvel

    Iman Vellani is living the dream. As a superfan of Marvel and the MCU, she now gets to play Kamala Khan, who is also a superfan of the heroes of her own world. She just happens to also gain out of this world abilities to become a superhero herself. On top of it all, she was a Pakistani-American who became an icon for many that wanted to see themselves in comics. That story isn’t too different for Vellani, as she shares in an interview with Variety.

    My first introduction to her was through “Ironheart”; she was on the cover of one of the comics and I was like “Who is this brown person?” I just went into a wormhole, falling in love with the character and the creators Sana Amanat and G. Willow Wilson. I watched their TED Talks and all their interviews and I was like “They have the dream job. I want to be them. They’re brown and they’re working at Marvel.”

    Iman Vellani

    It became a big inspiration for her, as it seemed like it would be possible for her to find a footing within the industry herself. They were an inspiration for Vellani just as much as the character in the comics.

    That was so incredibly eye-opening for me because I didn’t realize there was space for someone like me in the industry — and I know that sounds super cheesy or whatever, but it’s so true. Beyond representation on screen, seeing ethnic names in the credits matters so much. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in high school; I just wanted to try everything behind the camera, because I was really in love with the tech stuff, so seeing these people thriving working at Marvel was so inspiring.

    Iman Vellani

    Of course, there’s more to this story. Vellani shared how she connected with the character and how “very close to home” it was reading her stories, as she stands by her moral code as well as how her family and friends were important to her story.

    On top of that, Kamala was a Pakistani Muslim superhero fanatic; I was a Pakistani Muslim superhero fanatic. And [the story] wasn’t about her being Pakistani, or about being Muslim, it was about her being in love with superheroes and having this innate desire to want to help people and do the right thing because she has powers. She doesn’t know how to fight — she’s a 16-year-old kid — but she knows that she has to use them for good. She had such a strong moral code and I really admired how her family and friends were also part of her story and her friends. It felt very close to home. It felt like my life, like the comics were written about me, literally.

    Iman Vellani

    In a way, Vellani was the perfect choice to bring this character to life, as she connects with her in so many different ways. It’ll be exciting to see what she brings to the experience as the series has now started airing on Disney+ with more episodes on the way.

    Source: Variety

  • Amazon Pickups Season 2 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Ahead of Season 1 Debut

    Amazon Pickups Season 2 of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Ahead of Season 1 Debut

    Ahead of its Season 1 premiere, Prime Video has given a second season order to The Summer I Turned Pretty. The series, which will debut later this month, is based on the Jenny Han novel of the same name. The book tells a multigenerational story about a love triangle between one girl and two brothers, as well as the ever-evolving relationship between mothers and their children.

    “When I decided to adapt ‘Summer’ for television, I knew we’d need more than one season to honor the story we are telling,” Han said in a statement to Variety. “To receive a second season pickup ahead of the premiere of Season One is beyond my wildest dreams. I am so grateful to Amazon Studios for this amazing vote of confidence in our show, and cannot wait to bring our incredible team back together to tell the next chapter in our story.”

    “As fans anticipate the beach fun and young romance in the upcoming first season, we’re excited to announce more summer to come with a second season of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty,’” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios. “We look forward to our Prime Video customers returning to Cousins Beach with Jenny Han and her characters as they continue their coming-of-age journeys for another season.”

    The decision to renew The Summer I Turned Pretty shouldn’t be entirely surprising. After all, like Han’s hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which was adapted by Netflix, the Summer series consists of three books: The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, and We’ll Always Have Summer.

    Han served as the co-showrunner on the first season alongside Gabrielle Stanton. However, Stanton is expected to move into an executive producer role on Season 2, with Sarah Kucserka coming on board to serve as a co-showrunner with Han.

    The Summer I Turned Pretty will officially debut on June 17th. The series stars Lola Tung, Jackie Chung, Rachel Blanchard, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Sean Kaufman, Alfredo Narciso, and Minnie Mills, with Colin Ferguson and Tom Everett Scott.

    Source: Variety

  • Iman Vellani on How Brie Larson Helped Prepare Her For Marvel Stardom

    Iman Vellani on How Brie Larson Helped Prepare Her For Marvel Stardom

    Marvel Studios’ latest superhero is Iman Vellani, who plays Kamala Khan in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Luckily for fans of her performance, the six-episode show won’t be the last time audiences see the teenage phenom from Jersey City. Vellani is set to reprise her role for the upcoming blockbuster film The Marvels alongside fellow returning heroes Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris. The project will act as a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel and will see Khan team up with Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau to fend off a currently-unknown new threat.

    In the comics and the show, Danvers’ Captain Marvel acts as somewhat of a mentor and idol to Khan. Speaking to Variety in a recent profile piece, Vellani revealed that she and Larson had very much the same relationship after the former was cast in her current role. She elaborated on the time the two spent together on and off the set:

    She was the sweetest. I was really shy and I felt like everything I wanted to ask would have been stupid, but she didn’t make me feel like that. She has such a warm presence and made our Zoom call intimate, telling me all about her experience. She was like, “Seriously, if your mom needs to talk to my mom, we can make that happen. Anything you need.” Any time I had any issue on set, I would text her and she’d make herself so available to answer my questions, as silly or small as they were.

    Iman Vellani on Brie Larson

    Vellani continued to explain how the Short Term 12 star helped prepare her for a life after Marvel. Larson was famously targeted by review bombs and sexist remarks following her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, and the actress evidently felt it was important to make sure her young protégé had someone on her side should the heat of fame start taking it’s toll:

    She really wanted to be there for me, because even though she was already an established actor, being in Marvel changed her career forever. The sheer amount of attention you get being a Marvel actor is completely unmatched to anything else in this industry, and she wanted to prep me for that mentally and hold my hand throughout it.

    Iman Vellani

    Ms. Marvel is now streaming on Disney+.

    Source: Variety