Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Outpacing ‘Ms. Marvel’s Viewership

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Outpacing ‘Ms. Marvel’s Viewership

    There’s always been a lot of discussions surrounding what makes a show successful on Disney+. We have very little insight outside of third-party analysis like Samba sharing various viewership numbers from the first five days. Marvel Studios’ latest show, Secret Invasion, has been released and it looks like the show has outpaced Ms. Marvel’s initial release.

    According to Samba TV, the show has been watched by 994K US households within its first five days. That is, as they point out, above Ms. Marvel’s 775K but below the last Diseny+ series, She-Hulk which pulled in around 1.5M. While the difference is big when compared to the sitcom that released last year, it does make sense given that there’s no major character name in the title and it’s more subtle marketing strategy.

    It’s easy to point to the AI drama surrounding its opening title to be a reason it has lower viewership, but we tend to overanalyze these types of discussions in the offline world. Plus, Ms. Marvel is a showing of how not every Marvel show is going to be a massive multi-million release in its first five days; especially as this is just an estimate based on external data. It’s an easy connection point but not hard to say if it truly is a causality; similar to how we underestimate how few know about Ezra Miller’s history when it comes to The Flash’s box office.

    What will be interesting is to see if the viewership numbers rise over the coming weeks, especially with how the series focuses on twists and turns throughout its six-episode season. Shows like Apple TV+ have different metrics, why The Crowded Room opening to 192K households over three days could be a success for that streamer but detrimental to others. A lot of Marvel shows saw viewership rise throughout its multiple episodes and could do the same here as word-of-mouth kicks off from what happens in the latest episodes but only time will tell.

    Source: Twitter, The Direct, Twitter (Crowded Room)

  • ‘Infinity Train’ Creator Working on ‘Among Us’ Animated Series

    ‘Infinity Train’ Creator Working on ‘Among Us’ Animated Series

    Sus. Looks like the popular game Among Us is heading to CBS Studios in the form of a new animated series. CBS Eye Animation Productions is working together with INnersloth, the developers behind the game, to bring the iconic whodunnit to the small screens.

    Not just that, but they already have a showrunner involved as Owen Dennis is attached as executive producer, who famously created the iconic Infinity Train series. The following logline has been shared:

    Members of your crew have been replaced by an alien shapeshifter intent on causing confusion, sabotaging the ship, and killing everyone. Root out the ‘Impostor’ or fall victim to its murderous designs.

    Big Mouth and Star Trek: Lower Decks‘ production company Titmouse is the main animation studio behind the series. Among Us was originally released in 2018 and managed to pick up speed during the pandemic, as many friends used the game as a way to hang out with their friends throughout the lockdown. It’ll be interesting to see how they bring this simple concept.

    Source: Variety

  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge Wants Her New ‘Tomb Raider’ Series to be “Dangerous”

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge Wants Her New ‘Tomb Raider’ Series to be “Dangerous”

    Before the writer’s strike, Indiana Jones star Phoebe Waller-Bridge was busy working on a new Tomb Raider series. While she is standing in solidarity with them, she still got a chance to share her own excitement of tackling a character that is near and dear to her heart. She does, however, confirm that she did not remain much of a gamer in her youth, as she gamed herself “into the ground”.

    My parents were very smart because they didn’t actually limit me. They could sense that I was going to just game myself into the ground, and I did. I packed the PlayStation away, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to not do that because I’ve got to write and read and do other stuff.’

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    Still, the one thing that always stuck with her was the character of Lara Croft. Something about her just stuck with her even if she regrets the way she “changed when they realized that they could market her as a sex symbol.” Still, she wants to use her chance to explore the character in a new way with the upcoming TV series.

    There’s room to do something really quite dangerous. And if I can do something dangerous and exciting with Tomb Raider, I already have an audience of people who love Lara and hopefully will continue to. And that is a very unusual position to be in. It’s the old Trojan horse.

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge

    A “dangerous and exciting” take on Tomb Raider is definitely fitting given how we spend our childhood taking on dinosaurs. So, we definitely want to relieve that thrill that we had when we were kids, but there’s definitely a challenge in another adaptation of Lara Croft. Many still hold true to the iconic version portrayed by Angeline Jolie. So, there’s quite a bit of pressure on whoever will take on the task.

    Source: Vanity Fair

  • [SPOILER] May Return in ‘The Marvels’

    [SPOILER] May Return in ‘The Marvels’

    The following article contains spoilers for the ending of the first episode of Secret Invasion. So only continue at your own risk.

    One of the biggest shocks in the pilot episode of Secret Invasion was the death of Maria Hill. Cobie Smulders was a mainstay since her first appearance in 2012’s Avengers. While she didn’t quite follow her comic counterparts’ growth into the leader of SHIELD, she still remained a constant throughout the franchise. It worked well to highlight the dangers Nick Fury is about to face.

    Even with how big the show was and how many set photos have found their way online from the production, the twist was kept a secret up until the show’s release. Smulders shares her surprise and looking back at what she believes was “a dream job.”

    There were a lot of people around, so I’m surprised that there wasn’t an image that got leaked. I guess that’s the respect that Marvel has earned over the last decade, which is like, ‘Don’t spoil it for people.’ And nobody did, thankfully.

    Cobie Smulders

    Interestingly enough, the article from The Hollywood Reporter claims that she is still set to return in the upcoming film The Marvels. What adds a bit of confusion to this twist. Of course, it opens the possibility that we’re going to see more Skrull twists in the series moving forward. Of course, it may just also be a hint that the film takes place earlier in the timeline tahn expected but we might not know until Disney+ releases.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • Paramout+ Pulling a Warner Bros. and Removing Freshly Canceled Shows

    Paramout+ Pulling a Warner Bros. and Removing Freshly Canceled Shows

    Warner Bros. Discovery started a terrible trend when they started pulling projects from their streaming services. Not just projects they were licensing but also originals that weren’t readily available in any legal capacity outside of their specific streaming service. Then, Disney+ joined in by pulling some great shows like Big Shot and Willow, which were only released recently. It seems the streaming wars are slowly nearing their final chapter as Paramount+ is now pulling the exact same stunt.

    The streaming service has decided to cancel four shows, which include Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe, The Game, and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Yet, to add insult to injury, they have also decided to completely remove the shows from the streaming service in the coming days. So, if you haven’t seen any of these projects and still want to check them out, this might be your last chance before they are gone. A spokesperson shared the following statement:

    We want to extend our thanks to our tremendously talented cast and crew and our producing partners for their passionate work and dedication on these programs, and we wish them all the best on their future endeavors.

    The depressing aspect of this trend is simply that it highlights the importance of physical media as who knows if any o these projects may be released anytime soon on other streaming services or on network television. Some actions are done for tax reasons, but they may not just wait it out before releasing the projects as part of bundle deals with others. The only question is if this is perhaps just the beginning of other purges from Paramount+.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘One Piece’ Adds Revolutionary Character to Cast

    ‘One Piece’ Adds Revolutionary Character to Cast

    Even though we’re finally nearing the release of Netflix’s live-action One Piece in late August, it seems that one more cast member has potentially been uncovered. There are still quite a few major characters that have yet to be cast, but we also don’t know how far the story will go throughout the East Blue, as many are theorizing if we’ll even see Loguetown in the first season. This new casting, as first shared by @OP_Netflix_Fan, may have added some more confusion.

    Dean Damonse has seemingly revealed that he is playing a character by the name of Dragon in Project Panda a.k.a. One Piece. There has been a rumored casting some time ago due to an IMDb listing,b ut those are generally easy to edit by anyone that makes an account. So, we were left wondering if we’d actually see the iconic leader of the Revolutionary Army in the series.

    The casting has garnered some concerns over the actor’s age and if he would match the character. He also had only minor roles up to this point, which makes many wonder why they’d cast the actor in such a pivotal role. Of course, there might be a reason for that due to how he auditioned, but there’s also another factor to take into account: Dragon appears very briefly and disappears for quite some time.

    They might have just decided to have someone act as a stand-in that they can easily recast later down the line. With the character not having a prominent role up to the time skip, it’s not a surprise they wouldn’t want to fly in a big name. Even in his first appearance, you can only briefly make out his face after a short speech. Plus, the actor is quite young and could be used in a flashback instead with minimal lines. So, we’ll have to wait and see if he actually appears in a big capacity in the project.

    Source: Top Talent Management

  • Skrulls Spotted in Major Cities Ahead of ‘Secret Invasion’ Debut

    Skrulls Spotted in Major Cities Ahead of ‘Secret Invasion’ Debut

    Marvel Studios has been having a bit of fun in promoting their upcoming Disney Plus streaming series, Secret Invasion. From releasing hidden messages online that lead to uncovering the first 5 minutes of the series to the subterfuge that has been their entire press tour, the studio certainly can’t be accused of “same old Marvel.” Now, they’ve taken it to a whole new level.

    A series of videos have made their way to Reddit that show Skrulls part of different newscasts in major cities across the country. The videos show actors fully decked out as Skrulls either walking through news stories or, in this case, working behind the camera!

    They can be anywhere. They can be anyone. Who do you trust? Secret Invasion begins streaming on Disney Plus June 21st at 3 AM ET/12 PT.

    Source: Reddit

  • Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Where ‘Secret Invasion’ Lands on His List of MCU Projects

    Samuel L. Jackson Reveals Where ‘Secret Invasion’ Lands on His List of MCU Projects

    Nearly ten years after it first hit theaters, Captain America: The Winter Solider remains one of Marvel Studios’ most highly regarded projects. Tonally different from anything that came before it, the second installment in the Captain America franchise is the gold-standard spy thriller of the MCU and according to Secret Invasion star Samuel L. Jackson, connects to his upcoming Disney Plus streaming series.

    “It ranks as number one in terms of things that I’ve done in the, you know, Marvel Cinematic Universe,” said Jackson during the global press event for the new series. “I really loved Winter Soldier, so that tone, you know, flows into this in a very real kind of way. And it’s a story about people doing people stuff, you know, without, you know, all those supers coming in to save you and help you and doing all that other stuff.“

    Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios’ SECRET INVASION, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Des Willie. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Those “supers”, as Jackson calls them, aren’t expected to make an appearance in Secret Invasion, as co-star Don Cheadle explained, leaving Fury to assemble a different kind of team and showing a new side of the “invulnerable” character fans have grown accustomed to. Where that leaves Fury remains unclear as critics have only seen the first two episodes of the streaming series’; however as fans of the comics are sure to understand, nobody should underestimate Nick Fury!

  • Don Cheadle Speaks Out on Rhodey Stepping Out of the Shadow of Iron Man and The Avengers in ‘Secret Invasion’

    Don Cheadle Speaks Out on Rhodey Stepping Out of the Shadow of Iron Man and The Avengers in ‘Secret Invasion’

    Following a brief cameo in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Don Cheadle‘s James Rhodes steps into a bit of a new role as a “political animal” in his second post-Blip appearance in Secret Invasion. Now the “right hand” of Dermot Mulroney‘s President Ritson, Rhodey has traded in the War Machine suit for a three-piece (at least through the first two episodes). While Rhodes’ full role in the series has yet to be revealed, Cheadle’s character seems as though he’ll survive and advance given he’s set to star in Armor Wars.

    For Cheadle, Secret Invasion provided not only his first time to share an extended scene with star Samuel L. Jackson but also for the character to step out of the shadow of Tony Stark and The Avengers. During the global press event for the Disney Plus streaming series, Cheadle was asked what it was like to step into the role again without the comfort of so many familiar characters. “It was liberating not to have to carry that dead weight,” joked Cheadle before shooting straight.

    It was great. Look, I’ve known Sam for a long time, and, you know, we’ve spent a lot of time, you know, talking about what it would be like to work together, looking for projects to do together. So, you know, the central relationship between myself and Sam, and this is, you know, it was very important to me and I was very glad to be brought on.

    Don Cheadle on Rhodey’s role in Secret Invasion

    Cheadle went on to reveal that his character didn’t originally have a role in Secret Invasion…until his longtime friend changed that. “I don’t think it was originally conceived that Rhodey was gonna be in this,” said the actor. “But when it came to me and Sam called me, I was really excited about leaning into it.” And lean into it he did, especially given the room he had to work in the new environment.

    And also being in a show like this, that’s really a departure from what I have been in, as far as the genre goes, it’s really an opportunity to act and really, you know, lean into some human stuff, which was also a lot of fun. And, you know, as Emilia [Clarke] said and as Olivia [Colman] said, as Kingsley [Ben-Adir] said, as Ben [Mendelsohn] said, this is a great cast and [director] Ali [Selim]was a great director, a great leader. So it was just all upside, and, you know, very happy to, you know, look into who Rhodey is and to probe that more and kind of find out what really makes him tick.

    Don Cheadle

    Fans don’t have long to wait to find out exactly what it is that makes Rhodey tick as Secret Invasion premieres on Disney Plus on June 21st .

  • ‘One Piece’ Episode Titles Potentially Revealed

    ‘One Piece’ Episode Titles Potentially Revealed

    At TUDUM, we finally got our first look at the official One Piece live-action adaptation from Netflix. Showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda have been busy at work on this project for many years, and are currently continuing an important fight to ensure the safety of their industry. In the meantime, the cast gets to promote the new season and it looks like right after the trailer dropped, the WGA has updated its database.

    As first noticed by @OP_Netflix_Fan and the OPLA discord, WGA database has seemingly listed the episode titles for the upcoming One Piece series. While the directory for the actual show hasn’t listed them, the titles seem fitting for the show. There’s a chance these aren’t the final titles, but they are definitely interesting.

    Here are the titles of the eight episodes in no specific order as it is provided by the WGA currently:

    • Eat at Baratie!
    • Romance Dawn
    • Tell No Tales
    • The Chief and the Chore Boy
    • The Girl with the Sawfish Tattoo
    • The Man in the Straw Hat
    • The Pirates are Coming
    • Worst in the East

    So, we can definitely connect some of these episodes. “Romance Dawn” is oddly spelled “Down” but we know that is the pilot episode’s name. “The Man in the STtaw Hat” could either be the second episode or even the last one, as it’s how Smoker describes Luffy when they meet.

    The “Pirates are Coming” and “Tell No Tales” seem very easy to connect to Usopp’s Syrup Village arc. “Eat at Baratie!” and “The Chief and the Chore Boy” match the Baratie beyond the obvious connection. “That only leaves “The Girl with the Sawfish Tattoo” is also obvious for the Arlong Park storyline.

    So, we only have “Worst in the East” and “The Man in the Straw Hat” without any truly fitting. As previously mentioned, the latter could be either the first or the last, but “Worst in the East” seems fitting for Arlong. Though, they could also use it as a way to hint at the dangers that Buggy represents. For now, let the speculation begin.

    Source: WGA