Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Disney+ Adds 8M Subscribers and Avoids Netflix’s Downward Trend

    Disney+ Adds 8M Subscribers and Avoids Netflix’s Downward Trend

    There has been a lot of worry about the streaming market ever since Netflix faced its first subscriber drop in over ten years. So, everyone was wondering if others in the market would also face a slow down in subscriptions, or even worse, an additional drop. It turns out Disney managed to avoid the trend, as they have added 8M subscribers, beating Wall Street’s estimates.

    The service now stands at a total of 137.7M subscribers with its second-quarter growth. As such, its shares went up by 4.5% which definitely shows some of the hesitations that were out in the market. Hulu has also added 300K subscribers to stand at 45.6M while ESPN+ reached 22.3M with one million additional subscribers. So, there’s a general growth across all streaming services currently owned by the House of Mouse.

    Disney has taken a hit of $1 billion ending its content licensing agreements, but even while they wouldn’t solidify which ones, Netflix is a definite part of it with their Marvel series. Their only real challenge now remains with Disney+ Hotstar being a cheaper offering of the service that increases its subscriber growth but not the profit pulled from it. Spending will continue to grow, but we’ll see how it continues to move forward in the future.

    Source: CNN, THR

  • Disney+’s ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Adds ‘She-Hulk’s Director Kat Coiro

    Disney+’s ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ Adds ‘She-Hulk’s Director Kat Coiro

    Disney has been busy expanding its live-action repertoire for Disney+, and it seems that they are slowly moving forward with another one of their projects. The adaptation of the fantasy book series The Spiderwick Chronicles has been in development for some time, and it seems that they have now added She-Hulk director Kat Coiro to the mix.

    She will join to direct the first two episodes that will follow the Grace Family, as they move into an ancestral home that starts to unravel a dark mystery on a faerie-filled world existing parallel to theirs. It’s described as a “modern coming-of-age story combined with fantasy adventure.” Coiro will also be on-board as an executive producer for the series. Paramount television Studios and 20th Television are working on the series with Locke & Key‘s Aron Eli Coleite on board as showrunner.

    Coiro made a name for herself working on the rom-com Marry Me which starred Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. She also worked on the six episodes of the other Disney+ series, She-Hulk where she directed the pilot episode. She’s also worked on Dead to Me, Shameless, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family to name just a few. So, she’s definitely made a splash in the industry’s TV endeavors.

    Source: Deadline

  • Amazon Orders a Third Season of ‘Upload’

    Amazon Orders a Third Season of ‘Upload’

    After a long wait, Season 2 of Upload is now available on Amazon Prime. More importantly, though, a third season of the series has been ordered by the streamer.

    It was announced today that Amazon has given a third season order to its hit series, Upload, starring Robbie Amell. The series tells the story of a twenty-something-year-old man, Nathan Brown (Amell), who finds himself adjusting to life in the afterlife following a mysterious car accident. The first season premiered in 2020 to critical acclaim, but the second season, unfortunately, took nearly two years to debut.

    After a cliffhanger of a season, Upload will return with (hopefully) more answers for fans eager to see what will become of Nathan and the others. The half-hour series hails from Greg Daniels, who has worked on titles such as Parks & Recreation, King of the Hill, and The Office to name a few.

    Read our review of Upload Season 2 here.

    Source: Twitter, Deadlinie

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Head Writer Says Marc Was Alive and “Busy” During the Blip

    ‘Moon Knight’ Head Writer Says Marc Was Alive and “Busy” During the Blip

    With the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness coming right on the heels of the finale of the Disney+ series Moon Knight, there has been a lot for Marvel fans to process over the last week. Still, information about the series has been pouring out after the relatively open-ended finale. In any Phase Four MCU project, though, there is one question always on audiences’ minds even if it is rarely answered—who survived the Blip?

    Considering the MCU’s post-Avengers: Endgame content all takes place relatively recently after half the universe’s population was eliminated and then brought back, it always seems fairly relevant. For their part, Marvel Studios often keeps discussions about the details of the Blip to a minimum for plenty of practical reasons. However, Moon Knight head writer and executive producer Jeremy Slater recently told The Direct how Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector spent his time during the five-year period. As seemed reasonable, he first confirmed that Spector did indeed survive the Blip:

    We definitely, in the writers room, we all collectively thought he survived the Blip, that he wasn’t blipped away. Because I don’t know how you—I think if he had been blipped and come back, it would be something that you would have to address. It’s something you would have to deal with, especially as a character who is trying to find his place in the world, and has a lot of questions about his past. To not touch on the Blip of it all, felt weird. So we all kind of collectively assumed that he was part of the 50% that survived.

    Jeremy Slater

    Different clues throughout the series pointed to that conclusion, but it was never directly mentioned. Perhaps more interesting, Slater went on to say that he believes Moon Knight was “busy” during that time in a similar way to Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye/Ronin. He stated:

    But as to what was actually happening during that period, I mean, I think that they say in the show that Steven basically woke up about two years ago. That was the first time that they started living separate lives, and it was following the death of Marc’s mother. So that’s been the last two years, and we assume the three years before that was sort of Marc, just, there was probably, in the same way, that Hawkeye had his hands full as Ronin because the criminal underworld was running rampant during the Blip time, I assume Moon Knight was keeping very busy. But it was all being sort of done in the shadows, and he was sort of taking out a lot of threats that never surfaced or saw the light of day.

    Jeremy Slater

    While the character’s future in the MCU is still unclear, Slater’s description of Marc Spector’s vigilante-type past confirms that side of the superhero that we did not see in Moon Knight. It certainly helps explain the room full of the bodies of those Spector killed as the Fist of Khonshu, and it opens up plenty of space for telling stories about the character in the past or hints at how he may act in the future.

    All episodes of Moon Knight are now streaming on Disney +.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Trilogy’s New-Found Love Changed Ewan McGregor’s “Outlook” with the Franchise

    ‘Star Wars’ Prequel Trilogy’s New-Found Love Changed Ewan McGregor’s “Outlook” with the Franchise

    It’s hard to deny that the Star Wars prequel trilogy faced an uphill battle when it releases initially. The pressure of following up on of the most popular franchises of all time that has been largely dormant in theaters is nothing to scoff at. Even with the original creator George Lucas at the helm, it didn’t quite jell with people at the time. Luckily, there have been a new group of fans that look back at these three films quite fondly nowadays and it seems that this new perspective has also sparked something in Ewan McGregor.

    During his promotion for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series, McGregor talked about what it’s like seeing the renewed love for those that grew up from watching it as kids has also changed his own relationship with the series. @DreamedOfMagic took to Twitter to share the following quote by the actor:

    You were a kid when our films came out, so we sort of made them for you… We now meet those people that really love our films, but it’s taken 15 years for us to hear that and it’s so nice…. It’s changed my outlook – my relationship with Star Wars…”

    Ewan McGregor

    While it’s not spoken, the newly found reception for these films may have also been a reason he was open to potentially return. Hayden Christensen also faced a lot of backlash at the time of this portrayal of Anakin Skywalker but is welcomed with open arms by the community. So much so, that he’s now also making a general return in the role with other appearances planned in the near future. With only a few more weeks to go, we’ll see what the future has in store for us with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator on Iman Vellani’s Casting and Adapting Her Story to the MCU Timeline

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator on Iman Vellani’s Casting and Adapting Her Story to the MCU Timeline

    Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have been dominating the last few weeks, but now it’s time for Marvel to set their eyes on the next release, Ms. Marvel. There’s been some concern with the adaptation, as while the character seems mostly intact from the comics, her abilities have gone through quite the change. The character’s co-creator Sana Amanat talked to Entertainment Weekly to not only talk bout that massive change but also to highlight just how excited they are that Iman Vellani is taking on this role.

    There is so much of Kamala in her because I think Kamala has the same type of view of the world. She looks at the world with eager and hopeful eyes, and I think Iman does that, too. You can’t help but root for her and be drawn to her. There are just so many similarities that it felt like such a natural fit to see her put on the costume for the first time [or] see her go into the Khan house for the first time. It just made sense. There’s no other Kamala than Iman Vellani.

    Sana Amanat

    That’s not all, as she also discussed how they’ve adapted the project to fit the MCU by remaining true to Ms. Marvel’s storyline from the comics.

    The comic was very much a guiding light for us. We needed to make sure that it worked in the MCU, of course, but we wanted to make sure that we had that quirkiness and the stylistic distinction that the comics did so well. We wanted to find our own MCU version of it. So, we’re doing things in this show that we don’t really do anywhere else in the MCU. It’s kind of told through the lens of Kamala’s experience and her wild imagination. I think the brightness and the colors and where we go in the Marvel universe and in Kamala’s universe is really what makes it stand out, tonally and stylistically, from everything else.

    Sana Amanat

    The biggest change will also come in the form of how she looks up to Captain Marvel. Carol Danvers never had the identity of Ms. Marvel in the MCU. So, it’s a very different relationship when she takes on that role while still growing into her hero moving forward.

    I think that is very, very similar to the comics. Obviously, in the Marvel comics, the story was different. [Carol] was Ms. Marvel in the Marvel comics, and she’s been around for much longer. But in this case, what’s unique is Captain Marvel is one of the few really well-known, big-time female Avengers, if you will. She had a pretty significant save in the battle against Thanos, and I think if someone who was young and looking out at the world, and she sees this really powerful, badass woman almost take down Thanos, what does that do to you? How do you internalize that? I think that is a really important story to tell, not only about who your heroes are, but who are your heroes when you’re a young person of color? What does that do to your sense of self?

    Sana Amanat

    It’s great to see that the creators of the character were also heavily involved with the project to ensure that their vision remains intact even in its translation to live-action. She highlights that she was on set and had an active role in bringing the character to life, which just highlights how collaborative the Marvel Studios environment truly is for creators of any kind.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator Sana Amanat Talks on Disney+ Series New Take on Kamala Khan’s Abilities

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Co-Creator Sana Amanat Talks on Disney+ Series New Take on Kamala Khan’s Abilities

    There has been a lot of debate on the changes made to Ms. Marvel’s abilities. The upcoming Disney+ series by the same name will mostly follow the character of Kamala Khan, who was first introduced back in 2014. Marvel’s first Muslim-American superhero had a very specific ability that many called Embiggening where her body stretches in creative ways or even just grow entirely. Yet, the Ms. Marvel trailers teased she’ll have some crystal and cosmic-inspired abilities. People were concerned about what it might mean for her moving forward, but Ms. Marvel co-creator Sana Amanat has now opened up about the change from the comics.

    Amanat played a vital role in bringing the character to life together with writer G. Willow Wilson, artist Adrian Alphona, and editor Steve Wacker. She highlights the adaptation and says she’s also actively discussed the changes with fellow creator Willow highlighting they agreed with the direction the project took with her abilities.

    Obviously, so much of the show is an adaptation, and we thought it was important to make sure that her powers are linking to larger stories in the Marvel universe. We wanted to make sure there is a little bit more story to tell after this series. Obviously, she goes into The Marvels. The powers do look different, which is very controversial. I know people are like, “How dare you change the powers!” I know people are upset about it, but as someone who’s probably one of the closest people to this character from the inception, and having spoken to Willow about this as well, I think Willow and I have always felt that this made sense. This was the right move because there are bigger stories to tell.

    Sana Amanat

    One might argue that sacrificing her original abilities for “bigger stories” to tell, but that may further hint that we’ll get a better view of why the changes were made once the series releases on Disney+. It also seems like Amanat confirms that the metaphorical and visual standpoint of the abilities will remain even with their more cosmic direction.

    It’s really fun to give Kamala different kinds of powers that feel big in scope and cinematic in a different way. We can do a lot of fun things with her. I don’t want to spoil too much about how she uses her powers, but they’re fun and bouncy. At the same point, the essence of what the powers are in the comics is there, both from a metaphorical standpoint and from a visual standpoint. We’re doing the embiggened fist. We’re doing the elements that make her feel and look kind of crazy, but also really cool. I think it’s going to be familiar to people, but at the same time, different in a fresh and unique way.

    Sana Amanat

    The powers haven’t been highlighted too much in the trailers. So, we’ll see how exactly it might tackle these themes that made the character stand out in the past. Many that have been worried about the adaptation point out that it takes away from her character, but it seems that is something they’ve definitely going to remain while promising it’s simply just a “fresh” perspective on something comic readers have come to love over the years.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • Disney+ Delays Release of ‘Moon Knight’s BTS ‘Assembled’ Special

    Disney+ Delays Release of ‘Moon Knight’s BTS ‘Assembled’ Special

    It looks like one of the Assembled episodes has been delayed, as Moon Knight’s was originally going to release today. Still, Disney has seemingly made the decision o postpone it to 25th May 2022. This delay marks the second time it has happened for any Marvel Studios shorts that take a peek behind the curtain on how these projects are done. The same happened with their last Disney+ series Hawkeye, which was delayed into February instead of its initial January release. Surprisingly, we also never got a poster release for the series, which has also been a tradition up to this point.

    There’s been a surprising development of these projects being turned into individual episodes rather than having them as part of the initial Assembled series. The change was made with Hawkeye, which may have seen a spike in viewership as a standalone episode rather than bundled with the series due to the sporadic release schedules depending on when the films and series are released.

    Here’s hoping that they do eventually fold them back into the Assembled series at a later date for those wanting to catch up on everything they missed. The upcoming episode on Moon Knight also will include a particular “roundtable discussion” featuring the directors of the series. We initially saw the Disney Gallery: The Making of The Mandalorian, which kicked off the idea of mini-documentaries based on the popular series. We’ll see if they start promoting the special as we near its new release date in a few weeks.

    Source: What’s On Disney+

  • ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Didn’t Connect ‘Loki’ As it Would “Have Complicated Things”

    ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Didn’t Connect ‘Loki’ As it Would “Have Complicated Things”

    When early fan theories went crazy over Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, everyone assumed that the events of Loki would directly lead to this film. Yet, those that left theaters might’ve been surprised that non of the story points from that series would lead into the film, besides the birth of the multiverse. Still, even with the series’ head writer on board, they purposefully avoided referencing or building their film with the Disney+ series in mind, as it would “have complicated things.”

    If it had been necessary, I think we would have. But as it was, it felt, even to me, like we were just reaching. Nothing would have made me happier than to get to write dialogue for Tom or Owen or Sophia. But it felt like this was a story happening separate of that TVA purview. And that might have complicated things. You know, this movie was already handling a lot, and that might have just confused things even further. So I think we were okay without it.

    He makes a good point, as it already was building upon the WandaVision Disney+ show with Scarlet Witch’s development. It would’ve also had to strongly focus on building upon the world that Loki set up with the TVA, which could potentially distract from the film’s overall plotline. They probably had to pick their battle on what they focus on, as they could’ve also given the Illuminati’s role to the TVA in some capacity, which may not have had the same impact.

    Waldron also highlights how they keep a strong focus on how they approach their stories and they aren’t just doing it to connect everything for the purpose of connection git. We’ll see what the future has in store for Loki with a second season underway. There’s also the fact that Kang will make his appearance in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel, which may actually connect the TVA with the Quantum Realm. We’ll see what the future has in store for them.

    Source: Variety

  • REPORT: ‘Rogue One’s Death Troopers to Return in ‘Andor’ Disney+ Series

    REPORT: ‘Rogue One’s Death Troopers to Return in ‘Andor’ Disney+ Series

    All eyes are right now on Obi-Wan Kenobi, as the six-part limited series is about to release in just a few weeks. Of course, the excitement is big to see the return of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in their iconic roles. Yet, that’s not all heading our way this year, as we also have the Rogue One prequel series, Andor, heading our way and it seems some familiar Stormtrooper designs will make their grand return.

    According to Bespin Bulletin, we will not only see the Death Troopers return, but also Mudtroopers. The former will appear in a sequence alongside white officers, but there’s been no word if we might see the return of Ben Mendelsohn‘s Director Krennic. There’s a good chance that they are simply remaining consistent that the Death Troopers work for high-ranking officers of the Imperial Security Bureau. They are also supposedly joined by Mudtroopers, but no further details are offered.

    The Death Troopers may be one of the most iconic designs for the many iterations of Stormtroopers we’ve seen over the years. While it’s still a shame we aren’t exploring the life of a Stormtrooper in a series, perhaps we’ll see Cassian Andor infiltrating the Empire as a Stormtrooper, which leads to some interactions between him and others. We may also find out more about what exactly the function of Death Troopers is, as their name does give a big hint on what they’re most known for. We’re still waiting for a release date for the series, but it seems likely that it may follow once Ms. Marvel is released its finale on Disney+ going by the current release.

    Source: Bespin Bulletin