Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’s First Spinoff Series to Focus on Idris Elba’s Knuckles

    ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’s First Spinoff Series to Focus on Idris Elba’s Knuckles

    There were hints that Paramount was all in on their upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe and they aren’t waiting for the sequel’s release, as they’ve just announced that a third film is in development as well as a spinoff focused on Idris Elba‘s Knuckles, which is heading to Paramount+. It’ll be the first live-action spinoff series and is eyeing a 2023 launch. The wording on this being the “first” is curious and who knows what they might already be actively working on.

    This is quite unexpected, as Knuckles is highlighted primarily as an antagonist in the upcoming film. There’s also the question of what they might be focusing on, such as either taking inspiration from his game spinoff meeting Team Chaotix. Otherwise, we may also use this to explore the Echidna tribe that was heavily focused on in the first film’s opening. Perhaps it’ll set up the next sequel by exploring Master Emerald’s ties to Chaos.

    Who knows how the upcoming third entry will end and it may set up the sequel that’s already eyeing a release next year. If the franchise continues to grow, we may be able to expect more spinoffs in-between cinematic releases. Paramount certainly seems excited about further exploring the franchise if they go out of their way to say Knuckles is the first.

    Source: Deadline

  • Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Nabs Early Season 2 Renewal

    Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Nabs Early Season 2 Renewal

    Even after a troubled production timeline that took years to bring this series to life, Paramount+ has given its upcoming Halo adaptation an early Season 2 renewal. The series is currently on course to release on March 24th. While received with some skepticism, there’s a lot of anticipation for this project that brings the Xbox video game classic to life for the streaming service. Brave New World‘s David Wiener is also confirmed to join as executive producer and showrunner, which was hinted at a few weeks ago.

    It’s a surprise that the series got an early renewal given its long and troubled production schedule. The series must’ve been expensive to produce but there’s a lot of belief that it’ll become a tentpole franchise for the streaming service. It makes sense given how popular Halo is as a gaming franchise, and it got some additional momentum after the recent release of Halo Infinite.

    They might also want to make use of everything that was prepared for the first season, especially with Wiener already being considered before an official announcement dropped. So, perhaps talks internally were already underway and it may have depended if the new showrunner would sign on the project. At the rate Paramount is going, who knows if a spinoff series is only a few months away from being announced.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Loki’s Kate Herron Interested in Tackling Netflix’s ‘Bioshock’ Adaptation

    ‘Loki’s Kate Herron Interested in Tackling Netflix’s ‘Bioshock’ Adaptation

    Just earlier today, we found out that the long-awaited Bioshock adaptation is finally moving forward as Netflix was the lucky winner to get its hands on the iconic gaming IP. Sadly, the project currently has no writers or directors attached to the project, but it looks like one director is quite interested in the project. In a tweet reaction o the new post by Netflix Geeked, Loki showrunner Kate Heron has thrown her hat into the ring to take on the project.

    https://twitter.com/iamkateherron/status/1493674143883091970

    Given her hand in creating the iconic atmosphere and world of the Time Variance Authority, she’s definitely someone to keep an eye out in the industry right now. As she isn’t returning for the second season of Loki, this would make for a great next project of hers to tackle. The Bioshock adaptation is planned as a film, but there’s also a lot of chance to build multiple projects around it, such as a spinoff series that further explores whatever world they decide to tackle with this project.

    It would be interesting to see how exactly they tackle this adaptation, as there is no necessary need to revisit pre-existing environments. Whoever ends up getting their hand on the project could create their own adaptation, but only require to ensure there’s always a man and a lighthouse. That way, it also isn’t shackled by the expectations of tackling the first game or Infinite. We’ll have to wait and see what heads our way.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Finale Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Viewership

    ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ Finale Beats Out ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Finale Viewership

    The numbers are in and it looks like eh final episode of The Book of Boba Fett may have beat out its predecessor’s final numbers. Deadline has just shared the first analysis from Samb TV – Disney+ still refuses to release its numbers – that reveals the final episode was watched by 1.5M U.S. households from Wednesday to Sunday. That is 36% higher than the 5-day total from The Mandalorian‘s Season 2.

    Robert Rodriguez‘ directed the episode “In the Name of Honor” was not far from its pilot episode, which opened with 1.7M over the course of five days. It’s pretty in line with what other series have faced, such as Hawkeye dropping from 1.5M in its premiere to 1.3M in its finale. It’s actually quite a stronghold for viewership numbers that may be a benefit from its low episode number. Though the last Marvel show also opened with two episodes, it seems this has been Disney+’s usual trend.

    We still have to keep in mind that this is a 3rd party analysis and doesn’t reflect the exact performance of these series but offers an estimate based on their internal panel. To this day, Loki still holds the best performance on the platform with 1.9M viewers for its finale after also getting the biggest season premiere at 2.5M. Moon Knight recently has been outpacing most Marvel Studios series and could be the next contender for the top spot if it keeps it up until its release on March 30th.

    Source: Deadline

  • Fox Reviving Berkeley Breathed’s ‘Bloom County’ as an Animated Series

    Fox Reviving Berkeley Breathed’s ‘Bloom County’ as an Animated Series

    It looks like the classic comic strip Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed is making a return, but this time as an animated TV series. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Fox is currently working on the project to revive the 1980s classic. It’ll see the return of Steve Dallas, Bill the Cat, Opus the Penguin, and many more characters from the iconic comic strip with the reclusive creator co-writing and executive producing the project alongside Fox Entertainment, Bento Box Entertainment, Miramax, Spyglass MediaGroup, and Project X Entertainment. The announcement also includes the following description for the series:

    Bloom County centers on a collapsed lawyer, a lobotomized cat and a penguin in briefs and fruit headwear living in the world’s last boarding house in the world’s most forgotten place deep in the dandelion wilds of FlyWayWayOver country. To wit, today’s America at a glance

    Keep in mind, this project has not been renewed yet but would end up joining Family Guy and The Simpsons on Fox’s Sunday animated line-up. It seems like a fitting addition that might also mix things up on what they have to offer given its take on satire. It’s great to see them give the classic franchise a revival in this form and it’ll be interesting to see how they tackle his iconic art style in this new adaptation.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Hulu Renews ‘How I Met Your Father’ for a Bigger Season 2

    Hulu Renews ‘How I Met Your Father’ for a Bigger Season 2

    Good news has arrived, as How I Met Your Father is getting a second season on Hulu. The show received mixed reviews on the first 4 episodes, but things have been looking good so far. The newest episodes were great, and Hulu must be happy with the performance thus far to renew it and even add a little extra.

    The second season of the show will be double the episode count of the first, moving up from 10 episodes to 20. Considering the relationship-building needed for a show like this, much less for a successor to How I Met Your Mother, I’m glad the second season is going to get a bit more time to spend with this cast. The character development in the show has been great so far, so a doubled episode count should really help the show.

    How I Met Your Father is a standalone sequel to the acclaimed How I Met Your Mother. The show follows Hilary Duff’s Sophie as she explains the tale to her son of how she came to meet his father and the subsequent love story that follows. Twisting key plot lines and troupes of the original, How I Met Your Father does a lovely job at following the original in new ways. You can catch it on Tuesdays on Hulu.

    Source: Deadline

  • Warner Bros. Working on a New ‘I Am Legend’ Project

    Warner Bros. Working on a New ‘I Am Legend’ Project

    Sometimes there are some fun surprises hidden away in corners of articles about something completely unrelated. In a new piece by The Hollywood Reporter on an ongoing legal battle between Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. on the future of their franchises. In it, they reveal that a new I Am Legend adaptation is seemingly in development, as the article talks about films currently in development involving both parties.

    Sadly there is no mention of how far the project is moving along, but it seems to imply it’ll be released as a film. It’s just a short mention alongside other projects currently in development co-owned by Village. The reason this is highlighted is that the company is seeking the rights to co-invest and co-own projects they share the rights with Warner Bros. This has become a prevalent issue with their goals of further promoting HBO Max by releasing half their film slate on the streaming platform, which may also include this release.

    I Am Legend has been adapted quite a few times in the past, and it would be interesting to see how they’d update a new take. For some, the version including Will Smith might be the version most remember, as he tries to survive a post-apocalyptic world with his trusty dog by his side. It was an emotional story that is sure to connect with many viewers and given the current situation might’ve garnered even more relevance.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Khonshu Voice Actor Revealed

    ‘Moon Knight’ Khonshu Voice Actor Revealed

    Oscar Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham has been revealed as part of the cast of Marvel Studios upcoming Disney Plus streaming series Moon Knight. Abraham, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 1984’s Amadeus, will voice the Egyptian Moon god Khonshu over the course of the series. Abraham has done some voice work recently, working on The Isle of Dogs and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. This will be his first turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    In the comics, Marc Spector is a mercenary who is betrayed and killed during a mission in Egypt only to be revived by Khonshu. Spector goes on to serve as the avatar of Khonshu known as Moon Knight. Typically, Spector’s conversations with Khonshu aren’t observable by anyone else, casting further doubt on the hero’s grasp of sanity as it seems to be just another voice in his head.

    The trailer and TV spot for the series have hinted heavily that Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow may be serving the will of another Egyptian god in the show, giving him an interesting connection to the lead character. The show’s synopsis teases a “deadly mystery” pertaining to the Egyptian gods, so the giant bird-like Khonshu might not be the craziest thing fans see in the show.

    When Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life, he discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.

    Moon Knight is set to begin streaming on Disney Plus on March 30th.

    Source: Disney Media

  • CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ April Production Start Confirmed Alongside New Logo

    CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ April Production Start Confirmed Alongside New Logo

    The series Gotham Knights have been moving forward at quite the speed, as we first heard about the project back in December, as Natalie Abrams, James Stoteraux, and Chad Fivestash are joining the new Batman family-focused series after their work on Batwoman. We previously also shared some exclusive insights on the characters we’ll meet throughout the series’ runtime and that the series is eyeing an April production start.

    Not too long after, it looks like director and writer Danny Cannon has shared a first look at the series’ logo and confirmed that the DC series will start production in April. It’s curious that it was shared without any casting confirmations so far. It’s a nice visual to confirm the production and the logo seems surprisingly simple for the series, but it may change as time goes by.

    The series will explore the aftermath of Bruce Wayne’s murder, similar to what the game of the same name is exploring, and forces the unlikely family to work together. Unlike the upcoming Batman Arkham spinoff, we’ll get a wider cast that reflects how many people Batman has taken under his wing throughout his run as Gotham’s Caped Crusader. It’ll be fun to see these many personalities bounce off of each other and what chaos might ensue in the void left behind by Bruce’s death.

    Source: Instagram

  • Netflix’s Approach to ‘One Piece’s New Logo is to Reflect Its “Cinematic Scale”

    Netflix’s Approach to ‘One Piece’s New Logo is to Reflect Its “Cinematic Scale”

    It’s crazy to look back at the build-up to Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece and for some time all we had was a logo. To be fair, we had a single message from manga creator Eiichiro Oda for almost 4 years before the series picked up any steam, but the new logo was the first sign of the series actually happening. A redesign of such an iconic logo was going to face some criticism but we got a very Western take on the iconic logo.

    The 3D model of the lettering is something that’s not too uncommon in modern film or TV logos, but there are some nice touches that pay tribute to the original, such as the anchor in the “E” at the end and the straw hat-wearing skull in the “O”. There are even some small additions such as a mini Luffy hiding in the nose of the skull, which is a great little detail. In a new piece on the creative director Arisu Kashiwagi (Stranger Things) she offered some insight into how they approached the design.

    The goal of Netflix’s live action brand identity is to further evolve One Piece into a compelling, modern brand – one that elevates the epic fantasy pirate genre while standing the test of time. By adding dimension, textural realism, drama, and a hint of humor, the new identity captures the eccentric, whimsical nature of the One Piece world and the cinematic scale of their wild, nautical adventures.

    Arisu Kashiwagi

    The piece highlights they wanted to include elements from the original manga logo while simplifying elements. There are some added details to the logo as the “weathered textures add life and realism to the title representing the many adventures that the Straw Hat Pirates crew have encountered at sea.” Part of me does wish that the logo may change throughout the series’ run and we see more and more of the weathered design as time goes on, reflecting the challenges they face throughout the Grand Line.

    Still, i’s a good logo that mostly stays true to the original and the adaptation fits the fact it’s a live-action take on manga classic. The fact Luffy is in the nose rather than replacing the “I” was a nice touch, even if it would be nice if the rope was a bit more representative, especially with the rather simple font choice. Still, the texture addition is a nice touch, and hope to see it fully animated, which may add to the experience.

    Source: Arisu