Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Marvel Backtracks on ‘Daredevil’s MCU Connection with Latest Update

    Marvel Backtracks on ‘Daredevil’s MCU Connection with Latest Update

    Just earlier today, we’ve reported that Marvel’s official website has added a new section called “On Screen Full Report” which details a character’s story from any adaptation. In the case of Matt Murdock’s Daredevil, everyone noticed that not only did it explore the Netflix series’ storyline for Charlie Cox‘s take on the character, but even referenced that his return in Spider-Man: No Way Home took place “sometime later” after the events of Daredevil‘s Season 3. Now, the site has been updated and the MCU connection has been completely removed.

    Orginally, the section had a reference to his time after Mysterio had Peter Parker’s identity outed and setting up his future return. It was swiftly followed by the mention of him, Karen and Foggy reforming their original law firm. Now, while that later bit is still included they’ve completely removed the Spider-Man: No Way Home section altogether. On the left you’ll see the original version while on the right the one missing the entire section on his time in the MCU.

    It’s unclear what exactly has lead to them choosing to delete it once again, but the update and removing the MCU reference is definitely suspicious. It’s unclear why they’d change it right after publishing it, but the fact that the topic is making the rounds and the team behind it would like to avoid anyone making the connection. We’ll likely have to wait until Murdock’s return in a future project to get a better grasp on what story elements remain from the Netflix series, especially now that it has been added to Disney+.

    Source: Marvel

  • Marvel’s Latest Site Update May Further Hint at ‘Daredevil’s MCU Canonicity

    Marvel’s Latest Site Update May Further Hint at ‘Daredevil’s MCU Canonicity

    The quest to discover whether or not Marvel Television’s Daredevil series is canon to the MCU has been a long and winding road. The show went from presumably canon during it’s run to losing it once it was canceled by Netflix, and the subsequent folding of the studio that created it. With little to no confirmation from Marvel Studios or the creatives behind the MCU, the question remained up in the air for years. Evidence was conjured up on both sides of the argument to prove their own theories. Then, late last year, Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprised their respective roles as Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock in two major MCU projects, opening the doors for speculation wider than ever before.

    After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Marvel website added Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s alternate universe wall-crawlers to their official character index. They were specified as non-MCU characters, and where the only non-MCU characters on the site to have their own “on screen” pages. All major characters officially under the MCU canon have separate tabs profiling their live-action appearances separately from their comic book history. However, there are no such pages for characters in films or television shows produced by a studio that is not Marvel Studios. Even the cast of Agents of SHIELD are reduced to quick video breakdowns. Yet, a recent addition to the site includes Daredevil, along with the rest of his Defenders co-stars, receiving their own “on screen full reports”.

    Even more curious, Daredevil’s character page includes a full description of the character’s Netflix history, including all three seasons and his time with the Defenders. Yet, what stands out is that it ends with a sequential paragraph describing his role in No Way Home as happening “sometime later”. As for Fisk’s page, it includes a similar history but does not reference the events of his appearance in Hawkeye, despite using an image from the show as the web page’s header. The information is weirdly non-specific and doesn’t technically confirm anything, as it’s not clear who is updating the Marvel website or if it was some sort of mistake. Disney+ doesn’t help matters by simply grouping the former Netflix shows as The Defenders Saga in the streaming service. For now, it’s just an interesting detail that may give fans a hint at where Daredevil lies in the Sacred Timeline’s history.

    Source: Marvel

  • Baratie Has Been Sighted on Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Set

    Baratie Has Been Sighted on Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Set

    The team behind Netflix’s One Piece series has been quite busy, as they have been not only filming but also recreating some of the iconic ships from the series. While the Going Merry has gone through the biggest change, most seem quite accurate to their manga counterpart. Luckily, some eagle-eyed passerby have noticed another iconic ship from the series in the distance, the Baratie.

    While we don’t get a close look, that’s definitely the famous fish mouth of the Baratie. The shape of the ship is a bit different from Eiichiro Oda‘s design, as it does have more ship-like qualities in its base structure. Yet, they could still add on to build the rest of the ship. The mouth being open as it is may even tease the little battleship making its way out.

    Baratie shipl live action, location: Cape Town (sorry for the poor camera quality:(
    by inOnePiece

    Zeff’s famous ocean-going restaurant is the main location for the Baratie Arc. While most of the stories take place on islands throughout the manga, Luffy’s fight against Don Krieg took place on the boat and the shipwreck surrounding it. Given his weakness of easily drowning once he’s in sea water, it made for an intense backdrop against one of the strongest foes he’s ever taken on.

    Plus, this ship is also famously where Sanji joined, as he was Zeff’s adoptive son and learned his iconic kicking techniques from him. Taz Skylar, who will take on the role of the character, has already started production not too long ago as they seemingly were skipping to Loguetown in their production. If they are still working on the ship, it may be one of the last sequences they film. Especially if you consider that most of it takes place on the water, it may be the most difficult project to tackle.

    Source: Reddit via Twitter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Promise a “Mind-Bending” Episode 4

    ‘Moon Knight’ Directors Promise a “Mind-Bending” Episode 4

    Moon Knight is a rather different kind of hero, as he not only is facing off against world-ending threats but also himself. The first episode has teased a man’s mind shattered, as the personalities of Steven Grant and Marc Spector fighting for control. It looks like they might fully dive into it throughout the series, but director Aaron Moorhead has teased that episode 4 might go even one step further, as he promises there will be a “mind-bending swing” that recontextualizes the rest of the series.

    As you say, there’s a big, mind-bending swing in episode four that makes you reconsider some of the stuff that you’ve seen. Being able to do stuff like that — which pops up all over the comics, and also do great service to the tone and feel of the comics, the excitement of opening something up and seeing something you haven’t seen before — was one of the reasons that we wanted to do this

    Aaron Moorhead

    Fellow director Justin Benson adds that they really went back to explore the character’s 50 years to play around with the project, as they embraced the many “big swings” that it took in the many different runs.

    When you look at the 50 years of incredible content that’s been generated for Moon Knight and Marvel, the best of it is defined by taking big swings, by being bold. So in that way, we were empowered to continue that, to be bold, especially with [episode four]. Visually, something that we were really drawn to, especially for that episode, was the [Jeff] Lemire and [Greg] Smallwood run [of Moon Knight].”

    Justin Benson

    It sounds exciting to see what the series has in store once we hit that episode, especially how it builds up beyond that. If there is a mind-bending twist, it makes you wonder how it might change the way we view the series and how it comes together at the end. The directors enthusiasm for playing around with the story, as well as embracing the comics. No wonder they were chosen to tackle Loki‘s next season as well.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Opening Sequence Was Ethan Hawke’s Idea

    ‘Moon Knight’s Opening Sequence Was Ethan Hawke’s Idea

    Ethan Hawke has talked about how Marvel Studios has offered a more cooperative environment unlike other studios. In the same interview with Variety, the actor has also talked about how the opening of Moon Knight came together, highlighting that creative input offered. The memorable opening sequence introduces us swiftly to his character of Dr. Arthur Harrow, as he crashes up glass with his cane and putting them into his shoes before walking off. He reveals that it was actually his idea, wanting to give the villain his own scene reminiscent of comic book one pagers.

    That [scene] really sprang out of my imagination and our conversations. When you read a comic book, some of the pages have eight drawings, some of them have 16, some have four, and then every now and then, they’ll give like the villain one full-page drawing.

    Ethan Hawke

    That comic inspiration seemingly got his gears turning on what they might do, and the creative team gave him the opportunity to explore that aspect, which led to him reflecting on his character.

    I kept asking the writers and directors, if it was a comic book, what would his full-page drawing be? And they were like, “What do you think it was?” I started really meditating on that, and I started thinking about spiritual people who go crazy, who get mad on their own spiritual pride, and how often that turns inward and you see that they’re secretly self-lacerating in some way and hating themselves

    Ethan Hawke

    The connection to the sequence came in the inclusion of his cane, and how it could tie into his character. It probably became the moment that cemented the collaborative nature of this project.

    I knew he had a cane and I kept saying, “Wait, I have a cane. Do I have a limp?” They’re like, “No, you don’t have limp.” And I thought, “Ahh, I know why he has a cane.” So I told them this idea. And this is what I mean about what was so surprising about Marvel: They’re like, “Let’s shoot that. That’s a great idea. Let’s open the show with that.” I’m like, “Okay, well, I guess these guys do want to play.”

    Ethan Hawke

    It’s great to see that the actors are able to also add something to the projects they are working on, especially in how they can highlight their characters effectively. The opening may have caught many off-guard, as the show focused on Moon Knight set the stage in a very different way by focusing on its main antagonist. We’ve only just started and it’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for Harrow.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke on How Marvel Studios is Different From Other Studios

    ‘Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke on How Marvel Studios is Different From Other Studios

    There’s been much debate on Marvel Studios’ relationship with its actors and directors given they run a tight ship. many believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is purely studio-driven, but there have been hints that the company has a very different dynamic with its talent than the industry standards might make you think. In an interview with Variety, Ethan Hawke shed further light on what it’s like working with the industry and how Marvel Studios sticks out.

    Every other experience I’ve ever had in film is generally that the more money they have, the more fearful the producing staff is. They really want you to do this cookie-cutter thing, do what we paid you to do, don’t have any ideas.

    Ethan Hawke

    He went on to compare the Disney-owned subsidiary like a kitchen and how it works with the many cooks in its kitchen.

    Marvel clearly has a good relationship with actors. The metaphor I like to use is, you have to cook in their kitchen and use their ingredients, but once you’re in the kitchen, and with their groceries, you can do whatever you want. So that was kind of fun.

    Ethan Hawke

    He also goes on to highlight that the studio isn’t “brittle and arrogant” as some others are. The company seemingly has supported the team behind Moon Knight to bring their vision to life.

    I was impressed. They have a tremendous confidence. A lot of people who are really successful, get brittle and arrogant. And wonderful people get confident, and they believe in others and instead of having power over people, they empower people. They really empowered Oscar, Mohamed, myself, May, other people working on the show to try to have a good time and try to make something that we cared about. Because they basically bet that if we liked it then other people would like it.

    Ethan Hawke

    It certainly sounds like the company is more focused on establishing a collaborative effort and hopes to empower creatives to bring their visions to life. The Disney+ series have highlighted that they are offering their teams more freedom as they’ve added more projects. Of course, the studio still has an active hand in the work such as the CEO Kevin Feige pitching some ideas while bringing projects to life. Movies and TV series are a collaborative effort. It looks like Marvel Studios tries to keep that alive somewhat.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Loki’ Lead Disney+ Viewership

    ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Loki’ Lead Disney+ Viewership

    There’s been a lot of debate on just how well the various series perform on Disney+. While some might want to use it to argue on their personal favorite series leading the pack, but it’s also an indicator of what was the most popular production on the streaming app. While none of Disney+s original productions could compete with Star Wars or Marvel, The Hollywood Reporter and Nielsen offers a little insight into how they generally performed through an analysis based on viewing data for the streamer. As of now, it seems that The Mandalorian and Loki remain the best performing series on the site.

    Lazy loaded image

    Throughout their runtime, every entry of the six live-action shows across both major brands were in the top 10 each week they released a new episode. Yet, it is highlighted that they continuously made billion more minutes of view time spent afterwards. Even What if..? and Star Wars: The Bad Batch made appearances throughout with around two billion minutes of viewing time within seven weeks. The Mandalorian is yet the clear leader with 14.5 billion minutes watched throughout the year. However, 8.4 billion were alone from the time the second season made its debut.

    While the Marvel shows have yet to top the series that started Disney+, Loki managed to draw in 5.23 billion minutes of watch time. It even passed one billion in a single week, and is the only Marvel series to do so. On top of that, it had the highest average watch time for any series, even including Star Wars with 872M minutes per episode in its six week runtime. Falcon and the Winter Soldier actually ranked right behind it with 692M minutes per episode, but reaching 4.15B average. Hawkeye had a weaker run with 3.46B minutes watched during its viewing time.

    The biggest challenge will come for Marvel Studios introducing new characters to the franchise through Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel. All previous entries were built on existing characters but they are believed to have the potential to become next quarter’s biggest series alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi. We also have to keep in mind these aren’t direct numbers from Disney+, where they might have a very different picture. It strongly depends on what they base their success on that could reshuffle this order.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Place on the MCU Timeline Revealed

    ‘Moon Knight’s Place on the MCU Timeline Revealed

    The tradition continues that Disney+ has not only become the central hub for anything Marvel, a new tagline the advertising for the Netflix show’s additions have been strongly pushing, but also gives us a hint at where what project takes place across the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. With the latest addition of Moon Knight, we once again can play the game on where exactly it fits within that very Sacred Timeline and it looks like the answer was quite simple.

    Just like Hawkeye before it, Moon Knight has been placed directly at the end of the timeline order. As such, it’s the newest addition to the ever-expanding franchise. So, the latest four entries also include Shang-Chi, and Eternals. Yet, we can very likely include Spider-Man: No Way Home around the same time as Hawkeye, as the series isn’t included due to Sony still holding on to the rights to that franchise.

    It would be great if they added some kind of fun visualization that highlights how some of the stories may even overlap on the timeline. Technically, Loki takes place across its entirety as the Time Variance Authority doesn’t necessarily adhere to the classic timeline rules. With the multiverse expanding, who knows if they might add other “Sagas” to the overview, as who knows what the future has in store for the MCU.

    Moon Knight still feels the most isolated of all projects. So, even if it has a timeline window it doesn’t necessarily have to fit that placement. Who knows if they might get a little creative in the future, as they shift some parts here or there to better fit the timeline if needed. For now, it only gives us some playroom to speculate, especially if there’s any crossover by the end of it.

    Source: Disney+

  • New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Going Merry’s Redesign

    New ‘One Piece’ Set Photos Offer Best Look Yet at Going Merry’s Redesign

    There’s always some kind of change we have to consider when translating a medium into another. It’s one of the reasons there were some nervous about the live-action adaptation of their favorite anime. Yet, it also opens up the possibility to expand or build upon new elements, especially in ambitious projects like Netflix’s One Piece adaptation. We’ve gotten a tease in the past from set photos that some classic designs will get adapted, and a new look at the Going Merry confirmed it.

    While the first ship to be revealed was a classically designed Going Merry, the Straw Hats classic ship. It was in the early days before they started production but a new look at the ship revealed some surprising changes, such as the goat figurehead seemingly screaming its way through the East Blue Saga. Some more set photos shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan has unveiled the best look yet and the Merry is definitely keeping its mouth open for the upcoming live-action adaptation.

    There’s a lot of added detail to the ship, especially with the side arms that connect to the ship. The head with a constantly open mouth is certainly a curious direction, but they also added some more realistic ears to the design. It would be funny to find out the inspiration for the ship head was a sheep that just constantly shouted at the builders. Still, it’s a different experience seeing it on the set and then in the series. So, we’ll see how it looks once it releases on Netflix.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Walking Dead’ Has Wrapped Its Final Episode After 11 Seasons

    ‘The Walking Dead’ Has Wrapped Its Final Episode After 11 Seasons

    It’s always bittersweet when a project comes to an end, especially if a team has been working on it for quite some time. After 12 years of production, The Walking Dead has official wrapped production on its final episode before AMC’s zombie-infested world expands into other projects. There are quite a few spinoffs already on the way, but it’s still crazy to think that the series that started in 2010 has gone on for that many seasons and managed to wrap up with its eleventh season.

    The official Twitter account has shared a tweet to highlight the ending of the journey with a look at its final clipboard alongside the cast. Even as sadly many have left the project over the years, each one left an imprint on the story of what was once a small group of survivors facing off against the zombies called the Walkers.

    They continued the tradition of keeping the comic inspiration as part of the clipboard. It’s also great to see the entire cast together on set one last time, as many will head out to tackle a brand new project. Of course, as many are veterans in the franchise they might also join the other productions, such as the Isle of the Dead series starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan. They also have an anthology series on the way that will include some familiar and new faces as well with The Tales of the Walking Dead. So, zombies aren’t going anywhere.

    Source: Twitter