Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Regina King Almost Directed an Episode of ‘Luke Cage’

    Regina King Almost Directed an Episode of ‘Luke Cage’

    Looking back at any series or film, it’s sometimes the things that didn’t end up happening that catch our curiosity the most. Cheo Hodari Coker, the showrunner of Netflix’s Luke Cage series, has taken to Twitter to share some memories from bringing the cultural landmark to life. Not only did he reveal that Iron Fist was originally going to film before their project did, it seems that they also had plans for Regina King to tackle an episode. Sadly, it seems that he was outvoted on her inclusion. Sadly, it didn’t happen but that didn’t stop the actress from leaving quite an impression, especially with her directorial work on One Night in Miami… back in 2020.

    From the sound of it, she would’ve joined Lucy Liu, who was also a fantastic get for the project, in its second season. Besides the already mentioned film, King has also been known for her work on pürojects like the animated The Boondocks series, The Strain, and taking on the main role for Watchmen. She also sat behind the director’s chair for projects like This is Us, Scandal, and more. Her directorial debut also led to her becoming the second African-American woman to get nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Director. She is certainly on the radar for a new project, and we’ll see if Marvel Studios may make up for the fact the Netflix series missed out on her.

    Source: Twitter

  • Netflix’s ‘Luke Cage’ Originally Was Set to Film After ‘Iron Fist’

    Netflix’s ‘Luke Cage’ Originally Was Set to Film After ‘Iron Fist’

    Here’s an interesting reveal, it seems that Netflix’s Luke Cage series was originally going to film after Iron Fist. As all Marvel series are about to leave the platform in a week, showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker used the chance to revisit the cultural landmark series and shared some details from behind the scenes. Among the many astounding insights into what was cut or added into the project, Coker revealed that Luke Cage was originally going to shoot much later and it was due to his inspiration to write up a draft for the series’ bible after a spark of inspiration.

    It’s always incredible to think about what one spark of inspiration can do to a project. Here’s hoping we get to see that bible one day, and learn more about what rules the project set itself to bring the character to life. Here’s hoping that Coker may have a chance to return to the character and continue his story through Marvel Studios. These cultural storylines are even more important as the franchise continues to explore different corners, and it makes you hope Mike Colter’s take on the character gets a chance to interact with Sam Wilson. There’s a lot to explore here and hopefully, we’ll find out more soon.

    Source: Twitter

  • New ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos Offer First Glimpse at a Skrull and Teases Underwater Scene

    New ‘Secret Invasion’ Set Photos Offer First Glimpse at a Skrull and Teases Underwater Scene

    Production on the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion is well underway, as filming in Halifax, UK continues to give us glimpses of the secretive series. Now, Reddit user u/crampedcaves345 has shared even more photos from the set in Halifax. While the original post has been taken down, the photos have found their way on Twitter offering our first glimpse at a Skrull and various filming locations:

    One image shows a behind-the-scenes look at an actor playing a Skrull. This is probably our first look at someone in the full make-up since the production started, as even in the initial set photos we got everyone was human. Of course, the shot from behind doesn’t give away who the Skrull might be or even offer an indication of it being someone we know. One photo shows a pummeled law enforcement vehicle, while others tease different locations and sets for the series, as one looks to be an underwater stage set while another seems to be a jungle or forest.

    The underwater pool is quite curious, as it makes you wonder if it might be for a post-credit sequence or the Skrulls have even invaded Atlantis, which will supposedly make its first appearance in the MCU during Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. There’s also the chance that someone might just crash into the water. For now, all we can do is speculate. Other leaked photos and videos recently have given us some looks at characters played by Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, and Ben Mendelsohn, among others. It seems like Secret Invasion might be getting less secret by the day.

    Source: Reddit via Twitter

  • Amazon Renews ‘Harlem’ for Season 2

    Amazon Renews ‘Harlem’ for Season 2

    Amazon has given a second season order to Harlem.

    The series about four close friends is returning for another season. After a rollercoaster of a first season, Amazon has finally handed out a second season order to the drama from Girls Trip‘s Tracy Oliver. The series follows a group of women in Harlem, New York: Camille (Meagan Good), Tye (Jerrie Johnson), Quinn (Grace Byers) and Angie (Shoniqua Shandai). Having gone through their twenties together, the group find themselves trying to navigate their thirties while living in Harlem and dealing with the bumps life has to offer along the way.

    Regarding the renewal, Oliver expressed her excitement over reuniting with the cast. “When I walked into a bar in Harlem and overheard folks excitedly discussing the show, I knew we had a hit,” she said. “Harlem has resonated with so many people and I’m beyond grateful to Amazon for giving it a second season. Most of all, I’m excited to reunite with the beautiful cast.”

    “Culturally relevant, critically acclaimed and hysterical, Harlem and Tracy Oliver accomplished something very special with the first season of this show. Tackling real-life strife with levity and laughs, the show means so much to our global Prime Video customers and perfectly fits the types of stories we aim to tell,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios in a statement to the press. “We look forward to following the Season 2 journey of Camille, Quinn, Angie and Tye, and giving fans more reasons to laugh out loud as they cheer on these four dynamic Black women doing it their way. #HarlemEverAfter.”

    Our review for Season 1 of Harlem can be found here.

    Source: Variety.

  • ‘Peacemaker’s Justice League Cameo Included Henry Cavill’s Superman Suit

    ‘Peacemaker’s Justice League Cameo Included Henry Cavill’s Superman Suit

    Just a few days ago, we got the season finale of Peacemaker which gave us a heartfelt and action-packed ride. Yet, many are still talking about the surprise cameos by the Justice League. We saw Aquaman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Superman arrive to save the day, but they were too late at that time. Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller were the only members to make an actual return with the others kept in the shadows. A stand-in actor shared a first look at what would’ve been a Batman costume and confirmed that he alongside a Cyborg stand-in were cut from the scene.

    Now, actor Brad Abramenko has shared a look at the Superman costume that was used for the scene and confirms that it was indeed Henry Cavill‘s Superman. There’s been a lot of debate on if the actor would eventually return to the role, but his inclusion may further give some hope that DC will see the return of the Man of Steel that started the current rendition of the DCEU. You can check out his costume here:

    It was hard to make out in the darkness, but it seems they went with the more colorful version of Cavill‘s Superman suit for the shot. That was the version used in Joss Whedon‘s take of Justice League that may still be deemed canon. The Flash will rewrite our understanding of this franchise after a quick trip through the multiverse. That’s the theory on why Batman and Cyborg were absent given who knows where this series takes place. For now, we’ll have to wait but it’s great to get a confirmation.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 May Be Eyeing a 2023 Release

    ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 May Be Eyeing a 2023 Release

    HBO Max’s breakout series Peacemaker won over critics and audiences alike over the course of its eight-episode season. The finale was the biggest single-day performance for an HBO Max original production. So, it made sense that ahead of the finale episode, it was announced that The Suicide Squad spin-off would indeed be returning for a second season.

    While many series end up taking years to release a new season, it looks like Peacemaker fans might not have to wait quite so long. Luis Duran, General Manager at HBO Max Latin America, appears to have announced that Peacemaker Season 2 will arrive in 2023 in a recent tweet, which The Direct translated as follows:

    With this finale so strong we already know that S2 will be one of the great releases of next year!

    Luis Duran

    Fans can also rejoice in the fact that James Gunn will be returning to write and direct every single episode of Season 2. It was speculated that Peacemaker’s second season might take quite a bit of time since is still in production of The Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3. He is also still developing another spin-off to The Suicide Squad, but just who it will follow and plot details on that remain under wraps for now. The writer and director are certainly racking up quite the resume in comic book film and television.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct

  • Master Chief Will Take his Helmet Off in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’

    Master Chief Will Take his Helmet Off in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’

    This news might not be to the liking of long-time Halo fans, as the upcoming Paramount+ series will make one major change to the character of Master Chief. For a long time, the Spartan infamously never took off his helmet. Yet, it seems that the creators behind the series plan to break that tradition, as revealed by executive producer and 343’s Studio Head of Transmedia, Kiki Wolfkill during IGN’s Fan Fest.

    I think we set out to tell a character story and a personal story. And once we really got into what that story was, it became clear that you really needed to see the person in the armour and under the helmet.

    Kiki Wolfkill

    There have been many mysteries on what he might look like. Yet, the expectation after being a mystery for a long time might also lead to some concerns by fans of the franchise. It makes sense they want to remove the helmet, as even our favorite superheroes have the habit of taking off their masks repeatedly throughout their projects. She goes on to highlight that:

    For some people, it’s been a moment 20 years in the making, and for other people it is something that feels very hard to imagine. We absolutely respect both sides of that fence, those who really want to see Chief’s face and those who really don’t. But for the nature of this story, it felt really important to connect with the Master Chief in a different way, and that meant showing the face.

    Kiki Wolfkill

    In a way, the official poster kind of hinted at this very revealing. He’s seen holding the helmet in his hand, but we might’ve not expected that they’d reveal his face. We already know Pablo Schreiber is playing the character but if they are making a big deal out of it, who knows if he might have some prosthetics to make him look different. With the developers behind the latest Halo game involved with the project, this confirms they also signed off on this decision. We’ll have to see how they tackle this.

    Source: IGN

  • Disney+’s Website May Hint at Star Heading to the US

    Disney+’s Website May Hint at Star Heading to the US

    Disney+ has entered the competitive streaming market as the “family-friendly” offering filled to the brim with iconic IPs from the Disney library. Purchasing 20th Century Fox helped them expand it, but the limitations were starting to show themselves. Netflix and Amazon don’t have that restriction and can reach a wider audience as a result. We’ve seen Disney start to break away from its initial focus with some of its Hulu offerings, Black-ish, Grown–ish, The Wonder Years, and the Korean original series Snowdrop, heading to its service. Yet, there’s a chance they might be considering adding the Star branding to their US market.

    As noticed initially by What’s on DisneyPlus, the US home page featuring the bundle offerings of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ include a visual highlighting its offerings from the streaming service. Yet, what stands out is that the Star logo has also been included. There’s a chance that the service might be moving away from being split up into three but rather meld it into the Disney+ branding.

    Of course, the oddity of the Star branding being included lies in the fact that Hulu mainly takes over that function in the US. It’s unclear if they might test the waters with its inclusion, especially with a lot of confusion with what shows are being offered to the US or Europe. Star was launched last year for European markets and some Hulu series, such as the upcoming The Kardashians series, getting Disney+ branding but only for the European markets. The image has been taken down since but it’s inclusion is still curious if it’s nothing more than just an odd mistake.

    There have been hints that they are trying to include more products into their flagship streaming service, and it does open up the question of how far they might go with the new plans. Hulu now offers ways to directly access ESPN+ – another separate streaming service. They’ve also been testing live-streaming options which add to the possibility of Disney trying to diversify themselves from other streaming services more and more. We’ll have to wait but we might not find out until the next Investor’s Day presentation or even Disney+ day later this year.

    Source: Disney+ via What’s on DisneyPlus, Verge, The Direct

  • Batman and Cyborg Were Cut From ‘Peacemaker’s Justice League Cameo

    Batman and Cyborg Were Cut From ‘Peacemaker’s Justice League Cameo

    The Peacemaker finale was filled to the brim with surprises for fans. The one that stood out to many was the surprise appearance of a few Justice League members. Towards the end of the episode, we saw Superman, Aquaman, Flash, and Wonder Woman arrive just as the battle with the butterflies had come to an end. It looks like Jason Momoa was the only one actually on set, while Ezra Miller filmed his scenes on the set of Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3. It turned out Wonder Woman and Superman were played by doubles, explaining they were hidden in the shadows. Turns out, there were a couple of other surprises that sadly got cut.

    A double, who worked on the Peacemaker finale, confirmed via a behind-the-scenes photo from his trailer that Batman and Cyborg were indeed set to make a brief appearance in the finale. He even shared an image on his Instagram of him wearing a Batman costume very similar to that worn by Ben Affleck throughout his tenure as the iconic DC character.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CaKpbLvJskM/?utm_medium=copy_link

    The curious aspect of their exclusion further hints at the characters confirmed with a future in the franchise were present in the short scene. Affleck’s iteration of Batman will make his final appearance in The Flash, while Cyborg’s future is unknown and doesn’t look to be returning anytime soon. There have been many theories on what the future holds for Superman though, as Henry Cavill also seemingly moved on from the role. perhaps his appearance hints at his return in the near future, but it’ll just leave us with a few questions for now.

    Source: Instagram

  • RUMOR: Jon Watts in Talks to Direct an Episode of the Mystery ‘Star Wars’ Series

    RUMOR: Jon Watts in Talks to Direct an Episode of the Mystery ‘Star Wars’ Series

    Here’s a rather curious story, as Discussing Film has unveiled that Spider-man: No Way Home’s Jon Watts may be in talks to tackle a Disney+ series. What’s interesting is that it’s not just any of the announced series, but the mystery project that has been teased as Star Wars‘ take on Stranger Things. They’ve also included that Jon Favreau would return to executive produce the project, which still has no title or official release date. We’ve recently heard that they are interested in starting production in June, which would make sense if they are actively looking for directors now.

    The director has quite a tight schedule moving forward, as he’s set to tackle the Fantastic Four film for Marvel Studios, has an Apple TV+ thriller that has no set production start. He’s no stranger to directing TV projects, as he also worked on Jeff Bridges‘ The Old Man project. He’s also not the first Marvel Studios director to tackle a Star Wars project, as – excluding Jon Favreau who started the Disney+ renaissance with The Mandalorian – Taika Waititi and Peyton Reed also were involved with the project.

    We still know very little bout this project with hints being that it takes place during the High Republic and will focus on a group of young kids. It was compared to Stranger Things for its approach. If production does start in June, we might get an announcement in the coming months, especially as Lucasfilm has been rather quiet on its upcoming projects. The only thing we know about is that Obi-Wan Kenobi will release in May. It would seem fitting they unveil their plans during May 4th’s Star Wars Day. We’ll have to wait and see.

    Source: Discussing Film