Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • ‘Creepshow’s Grant Freely Cast as a Young Luke Skywalker

    ‘Creepshow’s Grant Freely Cast as a Young Luke Skywalker

    In a recent article by The Hollywood Reporter, we learned about how much the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series has changed since its earlier stages with Darth Maul being completely written out of the show at some point. Sneakily hidden away in the article is the reveal of the actor playing a young Luke Skywalker. The first trailer did give us a first look at the character, who was pretending to be flying or pod racing yet we never learned the name of the young actor taking on the role. Well, it turns out it is Grant Freely, whose only other credit was an episode of Creepshow.

    It’s great to see such young talent get a shot at playing some iconic roles. WandaVision also gave two young up-and-coming actors a chance at tackling some iconic roles. We still don’t know that much about the story of the sequel, but the article by The Hollywood Reporter did hint that he was initially going to protect Skywalker from Darth Maul, who returned to take his vengeance on Obi-Wan. They’ve seemingly moved away from that initial storyline due to too many similarities with The Mandalorian, who also took inspiration from Lone Wolf and Cub. We’ll see if Luke has any roll at all in the story, or simply was teased to remind people why Kenobi is on Tatooine once it releases late May.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Darth Maul May Have Been Written Out of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Darth Maul May Have Been Written Out of ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

    Here’s a rather surprising drop, but it looks like Darth Maul was originally going to appear in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Ray Park was actively preparing to play the role. Yet, it seems that as part of an overhaul of the project, he was written out only for Darth Vader and other antagonists, very likely the many Inquisitors we’ve seen in the first trailer, to get added. It seems that he had a role in Hossein Amini’s original scripts before Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau supervised the scripts and feared some overlap with The Mandalorian.

    The role given to Maul was him chasing down Kenobi trying to hide a very young Luke Skywalker. It seems they wanted showrunner Deborah Chow to “go bigger” with the project before Kathleen Kennedy got involved to ensure they’d rework it. They even found a young Skywalker actor who didn’t end up getting to film any scenes. Supposedly, some footage has been filmed with Park as test footage, but he was definitely set to return before getting written out. It seems that it was Filoni‘s idea to focus strongly on the Rebels’ Grand Inquisitor and Vader as part of the series.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Adds Anjali Bhimani in a Recurring Role

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Adds Anjali Bhimani in a Recurring Role

    With Ms. Marvel originally eyeing a release last year, we didn’t quite expect any casting announcements for the series, but it looks like there were still some surprises. Deadline has shared that Anjali Bhimani has a recurring role in the upcoming Disney+ series. As is par of the course, any details regarding her character remain under wraps. is taking on the role of the Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey, who first made her debut back in 2014.

    This isn’t the actress’s first Marvel series, as she also previously worked on Marvel TV’s Runaway series. She played an employee at Wizard named Mita Nansari, and it’ll be interesting to see what role she’ll tackle in the Disney+ series. She also had roles in series like Special Station 19, Modern Family, as well as Grace and Frankie. She joins a cast consisting of Laurel Marsden, Rish Shah, Saagar Shaikh, Matt Lintz, and Aramis Knight.

    Bisha K. Ali is the project’s head writer with a directing team consisting of Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and Meera Menon. As mentioned previously, the Disney+ series was originally going to premiere in 2021 but ended up getting pushed back all the way to the summer of this year. We still don’t have an exact release date, but we do know that it’ll be the next release after Moon Knight and a premiere seem to be planned for early June. So, it’ll likely release around then.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Harley Quinn’s Kite Man Getting a ‘Cheers’-Inspired Own Spinoff

    ‘Harley Quinn’s Kite Man Getting a ‘Cheers’-Inspired Own Spinoff

    Hell Yeah! It looks like the scene-stealing Kite Man is getting his own HBO Max spinoff from the popular R-rated Harley Quinn series. During SXSW’s Not Kidding Around: Warner Bros. Animation and the “Reimagining of Iconic Characters for an Adult audience” panel, series creator Patrick Schumacker has revealed that they are working on a spinoff titled Noonan’s.

    The project is in early development, but Kite Man will take center stage in the project as he buys the infamous villain hangout spot Noonan’s Bar in Gotham. Schumacker had the following to say on the spinoff teasing it’ll be strongly inspired by Cheers.

    He tries to run the bar by himself but it doesn’t turn out so easy. We have Harley and Ivy appear in the first episode, but after that, we have with different goons and villains appearing every episode like Lex Luthor and Bane. It will be kind of like ‘Cheers’ for supervillains.

    Patrick Schumacker

    UPDATING

    Source: Slash Film

  • RUMOR: Din Djarin May Visit Mandalore in ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3

    RUMOR: Din Djarin May Visit Mandalore in ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3

    There have been quite a few rumors making the rounds on what we might expect from the third season of The Mandalorian. After the reunion of Din Djarin and Grogu in The Book of Boba Fett, it seems like the future is bright for the two. Well, it seems that one hint from the first spinoff may become a reality in the upcoming next season, as Bespin Bulletin has shared some details on a new set that might tease Djarin’s arrival at a location teased throughout the franchise so far, his homeworld Mandalore.

    Bespin Bulletin describes a cave set where Paz Vizla, Din Djarin, and the Armorer were on set for the sequence. It’s a cave that has black sand at its entrance. It seems that the first rumblings of this location were already earlier in the year, but the cast reports alongside some updates, i.e. the before-mentioned sand, has made the connection to this potentially being the Mines of Mandalore. What helps is the reference to this location as a way for Djarin to make up for taking off his mask and rejoining the Mandalorian creed. The rumor also hints at the cave including a lake, which is referenced as the living waters.

    There have been strong hints that the group that raised him is quite radical. So, the potential return of Bo Katan may also open up a potential conflict for the Mandalorian, who now wields the Darksaber. A visit to Mandalore always seemed like the endgame for the storyline, but with Grogu’s return, anything can happen. One thing is for sure, he won’t let anything happen to his ward.

    Source: Bespin Bulletin

  • Latest ‘Moon Knight’ TV Spot Includes a ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Connection and Confirms Timeline Placement

    Latest ‘Moon Knight’ TV Spot Includes a ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ Connection and Confirms Timeline Placement

    A new TV spot has dropped for Moon Knight and it includes quite a few interesting things. First off, we finally hear Oscar Isaac’s voice for the personality of Marc Spector, which is quite a bit different from Steven Grant. Not only that, but we’ll also get scenes of him discussing with himself if this trailer is anything to go by. What stands out as well, is that the spot also includes a connection to the wider MCU with a reference to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

    It’s easy to miss but if you look behind Moon Knight after his transformation, you can see the logo for GRC on the bus. This is significant as it’s the logo for the Global Repatriation Council, which formed after half the universe was snapped out of existence by Thanos in an attempt to reunite the world. We are first introduced to it in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series, where it played a major role in showing us the aftermath of the Blip.

    It’s a great small detail to hide in the background, as it also is a great way to get a feeling for when the series takes place. We don’t know if the project will also explore Marc Spector’s time before the events that Thanos unleashed, but the main series is definitely part of the post-Blip timeline within the Marvel Cinematic Universe if this TV spot is anything to go by.

    You can check out the TV spot right here:

    Source: YouTube

  • Warner Bros. Discovery to Combine HBO Max and Discovery+

    Warner Bros. Discovery to Combine HBO Max and Discovery+

    It was only a question of time, but the official announcement has finally arrived. As Warner Bros. Discovery is about to be created when the AT&T merger finalizes with Warner Media, it seems that HBO Max and Discovery+ will be fused into one service rather than Disney’s multi-platform bundle strategy. Gunnar Wiedenfels, who will be the CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery, shared the following insights into their approach during the Deutsche Gank 30th Annual Media Internet & Telecom Conference:

    One of the most important items here is that we believe in a combined product as opposed to a bundle… We believe that the breadth and depth of this content offering is going to be a phenomenal consumer value proposition

    Gunnar Wiedenfels

    He also highlighted why they aren’t rushing this concept and want to give it some time to figure out how best to approach it.

    The direct-to-consumer business is obviously further along now than what we had four years ago. There’s a greater risk, you want to get that right. Between the two direct-to-consumer products, by the time we close, close to 100 million people are going to be affected as we make those changes. So that will need some very, very detailed and disciplined planning

    Gunnar Wiedensfels

    This change won’t happen overnight, so bundling will still be available early on as they try to figure out how to merge the platforms. It’s unclear if they’ll stick to the HBO Max or Discovery+ branding, as they may take a different approach. The services are currently available with an ad-supported and ad-free variant that is priced differently. So, we might have to wait for some time before we get a clearer vision of

    what the streaming future has in store for HBO Max and Discovery+.

    Source: Variety

  • REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Adds Graham Greene

    REPORT: Marvel Studios’ ‘Echo’ Adds Graham Greene

    All eyes have been on the upcoming Marvel Studios’ releases of the year, but slowly we’re getting more details on other projects soon to enter production. Among them is the recent update on Echo, which is seemingly eyeing a production start soon. It looks like they may have also already started their casting process, as The Direct has just revealed that veteran and Academy Award-nominated actor, Graham Greene, has joined the production in an undisclosed role.

    The actor is famous for his performances in Dances with Wolves for which he was also nominated for an Academy Award, The Green Mile, and Wind River. It would be another big series for the actor as well, as he recently appeared in American Gods last year, and is currently working on The Last Of Us for HBO.

    Greene is a great addition to the series, especially as the series is eyeing to embrace Maya Lopez’s Indigenous background. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see many actors with many more Indigenous actors join the production. As far as we know, it seems that the production hopes to start soon with some exterior shots of Grantville planned. The project’s location manager teased that it’ll mainly focus on a small town, which was our first hint at the series’ direction. We’ll see if some official casting finds its way online in the near future.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Passed On ‘Loki’ Season One Because of Another Multiverse Project

    ‘Swiss Army Man’ Directors Passed On ‘Loki’ Season One Because of Another Multiverse Project

    The multiverse is quite popular these days, for Marvel Studios and beyond. The Marvel Cinematic Universe kickstarted its own multiversal adventure in the finale of Loki’s first season, and it has already been followed up with What If… ?, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and soon Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The chaotic branching of timelines seen in Episode 6 of Loki may very well go down as one of the most iconic moments of the MCU, and the series as a whole was generally critically succesful as well.

    Director Kate Herron ultimately brought Loki to the small screen. However, apparently Marvel was in early talks with a directing duo who ultimately said no to the Disney+ series because of another multiverse project. Swiss Army Man directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert revealed the ironic twist of fate in an interview with IndieWire, as their multiversal project Everything Everywhere All At Once was in production about the same time:

    [Scheinhert] “There were meetings with Marvel about ‘Loki’ that we didn’t even take. We were trying to make our own multiverse movie,”

    [Kwan] “No, the meeting was set, and we went, but by the time we went we said we probably weren’t going to do it,” he said. “We were trying to shoot our own movie at the same time.”

    Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

    While the duo passed on Season One of Loki, the fact that they were in the mix at some point could mean that Marvel still has its eye on the directors for future projects. Still, the two expressed their doubts on working on an interconnected project, like those found in the MCU:

    “Then we can just throw out anything that’s not working. I respect people who are able to play in someone else’s sandbox but that’s kind of intimidating because if there’s a preexisting fanbase for a character, and a lore, a mythology and I’m not allowed to throw out something that’s not working, that seems hard.”

    Daniel Kwan

    Marvel Studios has clearly found great success with directors that were not already well-established blockbuster filmmakers. Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi and Captain America and Avengers franchise tentpoles Joe and Anthony Russo are a few of the biggest examples.

    Loki is confirmed for Season Two, and directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are attached to the project. While it will be some time before it is ready for release, Mobius actor Owen Wilson said in February that production on the second season would begin soon.

    Source: IndieWire via The Direct

  • ‘What If…?’ Wins Best Animated Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards

    ‘What If…?’ Wins Best Animated Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards

    It looks like it was a big night for Marvel Studios at the Critic’s Choice Awards, as they managed to take in one win during the event with What If…? nabbing the Best Animated Series award. In a strong year for animation, it’s a big win for Marvel Studios especially with it being their first venture into animation. Some might question why Arcane isn’t nominated, but the Netflix series sadly wasn’t eligible due to the cut-off date for the awards. What If…? was going up against other titles which include Big Mouth, Bluey, Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, and Q-Force.

    Dune. WandaVision was nominated for Best Limited Series but lost against Mare of Eastwood. Paul Bettany, Elisabeth Olsen, and Kathryn Hahn were both nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress respectively but didn’t take the win home. So, it’s great to see Marvel studios manage to take home at least one award after also mostly being kept out of the Oscars again in their go-to visual effects category.

    Of course, we recently heard that What If…? will return this year with a new season, which adds further credence to their plans of this animated project being a yearly release. It’s unclear if future seasons will unshackle itself from having to forcefully follow specific set storylines, but it does seem like the Guardians of the Multiverse maybe something from the past. Of course, they may also find a recurring villain breaking the multiverse to call them to action once again. We’ll see once we learn more about the next season.

    Source: Twitter