Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • Gugu Mbatha-Raw Says Ravonna is a “Powerful Presence” in Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    Gugu Mbatha-Raw Says Ravonna is a “Powerful Presence” in Season 2 of ‘Loki’

    In the Season 1 finale of Loki, Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna Renslayer made the decision to leave the TVA after learning of her nature as a Variant who had been taken from her timeline by He Who Remains. When Season 2 of the streaming series hits Disney Plus next Summer, that thread won’t be left hanging loose, according to Mbatha-Raw.

    While talking with Entertainment Tonight, Mbatha-Raw said that her character, who left in search of free will and the power to truly “be in charge” of the Time Variance Authority, teased the return of her character in Season 2. “In Loki, Ravonna is a powerful presence,” hinted the actress, saying “selfishly, Renslayer makes it out of the TVA, which I’m really excited about.“

    In the comics, Ravonna has deep ties to Jonathan Majors‘ Kang, for whom the stage has been set to become the overarching villain of Marvel Studios’ ongoing Multiverse Saga. While it’s unclear if Mbatha-Raw’s character will play a role outside of Loki, it’s very likely she’ll come across one Variant or another of Kang at some point. Perhaps that’ll happen in Season 2 which, according to Mbatha-Raw, is shaping up to be another wild ride.

    It’s been amazing to shoot the second season of Loki. [Fans] are gonna be in for a real treat because the show is bolder and more surreal. And in many ways, goes to some bigger, bolder places than season 1, which is really exciting.

    Gugu Mbatha-Raw

    Unfortunately, fans are still in for a bit of wait to get that treat as Season 2 of Loki isn’t set to hit Disney Plus until next Summer.

    Source: ET

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Margarita Levieva and Sandrine Holt in Major Roles

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Margarita Levieva and Sandrine Holt in Major Roles

    The time has come, as we’re getting our first real casting announcement for the upcoming Disney+ continuation of Daredevil, Daredevil: Born Again. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are the only known cast to return with Matt Corman and Chris Ord acting as showrunners on the new adaptation of the iconic Man Without Fear. Deadline has just revealed that they have cast Margarita Levieva and Sandrine Holt in major roles, which are even described to potentially be love interests for the leads.

    Yes, you read that correctly for both leads. It does raise the question if potentially one of them might be a recasting for Vanessa, the Kingpin’s long-time lover from the comics and the original Netflix series where she was played by Ayelet Zurer. There’s still the big question if we’ll see other actors from that series return and this casting does raise some questions on how Marvel Studios will tackle their take on the character.

    Levieva is no stranger to Disney+ series, as she has also recently been cast in the Star Wars series The Acolyte. Perhaps her involvement with that project caught the attention of Marvel Studios, who always had a habit of casting rising stars. Holt has made a name for herself in American Gigolo, but has an extensive TV background with House of Cards, Better Call Saul, The Expanse, MacGyver, and many more. With this casting out, there’s a good chance we might hear more about additional cast members in the near future as the series gets ready for production.

    Source: Deadline

  • HBO Max and Discovery+ Merger May Simply be Named “Max”

    HBO Max and Discovery+ Merger May Simply be Named “Max”

    You read that title correctly, but it seems a name has potentially been found for the merging of two streaming giants. If you’ve questioned Warner Bros. Discovery’ overall direction since CEO David Zaslav took over, it seems that their plans to simply title the merger of HBO Max and Discovery+ “Max” is a curious choice. The plans are to launch it in the near future, but there are still many questions on what their focus is moving forward.

    HBO Max and Discovery+ were infamously compared with very distinct focus groups, and the Discovery head has no interest to truly invest into creatives if there’s no clear return on investment. AS such, his main focus with streaming will be to push cheap content that can draw in a massive crowd. So, reality TV is definiteley on their radar, such as when they shared with pride their 90 Day Fiance Universe tagline during an earnings call after the merger.

    The source from CNBC has pointed that the company’s lawyer is currently vetting the name, which isn’t the definite name as of now. They may have other ideas on the table, but it’s surprisng they aren’t trying to bank on the Warner Bros. brand if they are moving away from HBO. Supposedly, they are taking inspiration from Disney+’s design with brand focused sections. It will be interesting if they keep some of the elements alive from the original streaming services, especially with HBO Max being among the most visually stunning.

    Source: CNBC

  • Marvel Studios Inspired Jonathan Kasdan’s New Idea for a ‘Solo’ Follow-Up

    Marvel Studios Inspired Jonathan Kasdan’s New Idea for a ‘Solo’ Follow-Up

    After playing a key role in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Qi’ra, played by Emilia Clarke has had an expanding role in the pages of Star Wars comics as the leader of Crimson Dawn. Writer Charles Soule made Qi’ra the focus of an unofficial trilogy of comic book events that take place between the events of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that sees the character move out from behind the scenes to become one of the greatest thorns in the side of Emperor Palpatine.

    Qi’ra was created by Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan, who is now making the press rounds promoting his Disney Plus sequel series, Willow. While talking to THR, Kasdan was asked if he believed Qi’ra might have a future on the streaming series. “I don’t honestly know”, answered Kasdan bluntly. “I’m always afraid to ask Kathy [Kennedy] because she can see right through me. She can see my desire to tell more stories there,” he continued. However, despite being unsure of what the future holds for the character, Kasdan isn’t short on ideas, including one that’s inspired by one of Marvel Studios’ most well-received projects of 2022.

    But in recent months, I have been intrigued by the wonderful Werewolf by Night as a potential form of storytelling … So I would love to see Lucasfilm embrace a short-form novella version for telling some of their stories. That certainly seems like a place where future stories about those characters could live.

    Jonathan Kasdan

    Could Star Wars take a page out of Marvel’s book and start mixing in some Special Presentations on Disney Plus? Both Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special were praised and have given Marvel Studios something to think about in terms of perhaps using them more often. Given the relative overall success of Star Wars projects on D+, perhaps Kasdan’s idea might get some traction.

    Source: THR

  • Charlie Cox Has an Idea of Where Daredevil Should Show Up Next

    Charlie Cox Has an Idea of Where Daredevil Should Show Up Next

    If you’re an MCU fan, you can never have enough Cox. With appearances in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law behind him and production on Daredevil: Born Again set to get underway early in the new year, Charlie Cox‘s Matt Murdock certainly seems to be a big part of the Multiverse Saga. The 18-episode Born Again looks to be the cornerstone of the MCU’s street-level stories with rumored appearances from such characters as Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, White Tiger and, potentially, Richard Fisk. As busy as filming 18 episodes should keep Cox in 2023, it sounds like he’s angling for a little more work anyway.

    At an appearance at German Comic Con in Dortmund, Cox mentioned he’d like to see Daredevil show up in the strangest of MCU places: the currently untitled Deadpool and Wolverine film slated for a 2024 release.

    I think because of the tone of our show, I think that there’s a place for Daredevil to show up in Deadpool. It would be really cool.

    Charlie Cox

    Cox’s comment about the tone of Daredevil: Born Again somehow meshing with that of Deadpool is incredibly interesting. While the lighter approach to the character in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law was refreshing, it doesn’t really seem in line with Deadpool’s sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek humor. Perhaps Cox knows a thing or two about what’s planned for the Deadpool film? One theory suggests that the film might be an adaptation of Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and see the Merc With a Mouth “killing off” the Fox-verse, making it very multiversal. Could Daredevil: Born Again have some multiversal aspects to it as well?

  • The Sunday Paper—December 4, 2022

    The Sunday Paper—December 4, 2022

    There were several revelations from the 2022 CCXP Disney Panel in Brazil on Thursday. Marvel Studios unveiled both the first trailer and synopsis for the awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The trailer offered us our first look at several new players, including Lylla. Here’s who we theorieze might die in the movie. See the full trailer below:

    In non-Marvel news from CCXP, the title for the fifth Indiana Jones movie was revealed—Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny—and Season 3 of The Mandalorian got an official release date of March 1, 2022. Separately, Marvel Studios debuted new trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Loki at APAC Showcase 2022. 

    However, a new rumor seems to shake up what we thought we know about a potential Scarlet Witch solo project. Apparently, such a spinoff may not be happening at all. But there is good news for Marvel fans wishing to see more of underutilized-in-the-Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. Past Daredevil: Born Again, Marvel Studios has plenty more of the character in mind in the MCU’s future, which is suggested by some information on some actors’ contracts.

    This week, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige teased more mutants in the MCU’s near future. During the Q&A after the CCXP event showcasing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked on if we can expect more mutants in the near future and he definitely seemed optimistic: “No, look, we’ve already met a few. There’s a new Mutant named Namor that you might’ve met recently. So, more to come.” 

    Of course, the head of the production company is not going to give away what we can expect. We do know that Deadpool 3 will give Hugh Jackman one more chance to play Wolverine; hopefully finally wearing his iconic outfit. And, there are many opportunities to slowly introduce various versions of these characters throughout upcoming projects. Now, we just have to wait and see if the X-Men will get their time int he spotlight or if they even existed throughout MCU’s history to begin with.

    Of course, rumors keep swirling about whether Tom Holland has officially signed on to play more Spider-Man in the MCU. A new rumor this week suggests Holland’s return could be as early as 2024. We took a look at how that release date could impact Marvel Studios’ current 2024 theatrical slate. On an unrelated “Spider-Man 4” note, this week fans got a new look at the Vulture wings that never made it to Sam Raimi’s fourth Spider-Man film. 

    Check out some of our reviews from the past week:

  • Ke Hey Quan’s ‘Loki’ Character Revealed

    Ke Hey Quan’s ‘Loki’ Character Revealed

    Season 2 of Loki is set to stream on Disney Plus sometime in the Summer of 2023 and following a reported screening of the first two episodes to Disney employees, some details are starting to emerge. While some are a little spoilery than others, one detail that should be pretty safe is the identity of fan-favorite actor Ke Hey Quan’s character which comes from insider Daniel RPK.

    Quan, who starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies in the 80s, was announced as part of the cast of the second season by Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige at D23 in Anaheim, but no details were given at the time. According to the new report, Quan will be playing a character called Oroboros, the TVA’s tech specialist, and will go by “B-O.”

    A character known as Mr. Orobouros, one of a group of clones TVA employees that included Mobius M. Mobius, was first introduced to the pages of Marvel Comics in 2006 during Dan Slott’s Time Trials arc on She-Hulk. However, Marvel Studios has essentially reinvented the TVA for the MCU and it seems safe to say that Quan’s character will be a mostly original character who happens to share a name with a comic book character.

  • Kevin Feige Teases More Mutants in the MCU’s Near Future

    Kevin Feige Teases More Mutants in the MCU’s Near Future

    The Mutants are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While some theories expected a longer wait with the iconic Marvel characters to appear after the Multiverse Saga has come to an end, but Marvel Studios is going at it one step at a time. We first met a familiar face in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with the 90s theme, which was later used to recontextualize a reveal in Ms. Marvel.

    Now, we have the word once again spoken by Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; the first to be well-aware of his mutant status in the MCU given how different he is from his own people of Talocan. During the Q&A after the CCXP event showcasing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked on if we can expect more mutants in the near future and he definitely seemed optimistic

    No, look, we’ve already met a few. There’s a new Mutant named Namor that you might’ve met recently. So, more to come.

    Kevin Feige

    Of course, the head of the production company is not going to give away what we can expect. We do know that Deadpool 3 will give Hugh Jackman one more chance to play Wolverine; hopefully finally wearing his iconic outfit. And, there are many opportunities to slowly introduce various versions of these characters throughout upcoming projects. Now, we just have to wait and see if the X-Men will get their time int he spotlight or if they even existed throughout MCU’s history to begin with.

    Source: The Direct

  • Kate Dickie Joins ‘Loki’ Season 2

    Kate Dickie Joins ‘Loki’ Season 2

    Kate Dickie has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadline announced today that the Game of Thrones actress secretly, but officially, joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ Loki for its upcoming second season at some point during filming. While exact details surrounding Dickie‘s role are still being kept under wraps, the outlet stated it’s believed she will be playing a villain when she appears in the series. Production on the second season of Loki has already been completed, so the former Tinsel Town star was likely added to the cast quietly several months ago.

    She joins returning leads Tom Hiddleston and Sophia Di Martino, as well as Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Eugene Cordero, and Tara Strong. The only other confirmed newcomers, at this time, are Blindspotting star Rafael Casal, whose role is also still unknown, and Ke Huy Quan.

    Loki Season 2 is set to be directed by the duo of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, taking over for Kate Herron from the first season, and written by Eric Martin, who replaces Michael Waldron. Plot details for the show’s second outing are sparse, but it’s expected to pick up where the previous season finale left off, with Hiddleston‘s Loki mysteriously stuck in a foreign version of the Time Variance Authority, seemingly run by a variant of Jonathan Majors‘ He Who Remains. It is unknown if Majors will return.

    There is no current release date for Loki‘s second season, though it is slated to premiere sometime in the middle of 2023.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios Has More ‘Daredevil’ in Mind

    Marvel Studios Has More ‘Daredevil’ in Mind

    As Daredevil: Born Again prepares to go into production in early 2023, Marvel Studios has begun assembling the supporting cast of the project including Michael Gandolfini and Colin Woodell. Casting will continue to make quite a bit of news over the next few weeks leading up to the holiday break as the studio looks to fill at least a half dozen new roles for the series. And as casting gets underway, an interesting bit of information has made its way to us.

    Daredevil: Born Again looks to be the most ambitious project Marvel Studios has undertaken on Disney Plus. Production is set to run for nearly 11 months on the project which will consist of an unprecedented 18 episodes. While all actors won’t need to be on set every day of the shoot, some of the principals will be giving up a significant part of their year to the project. That’s a big undertaking for anyone which makes the information here even more interesting.

    As these new actors are sealing their deals with Marvel Studios, I’m told that some like Colin Woodell, are signing on for one-and-done contracts. Thinking out loud, that probably means Woodell isn’t playing someone like Bullseye, who would likely be a recurring villain should Marvel Studios choose to use the character. I’m also told that others, like Gandolfini, are closing deals with options for future seasons and appearances in other Marvel Studios properties. That means that Gandolfini is much more likely to be playing someone like Richard Fisk than some no-name mafioso.

    Nobody here is privy to the fine print of these contracts and having options does not mean that the characters are guaranteed to return or that another season is already going to happen. For all anyone knows, the options could be for a film like Spider-Man 4, which could see Spidey and Daredevil team up against Wilson Fisk, as all the actors involved have indicated they would be interested in making happen. However, if the contract option are for more seasons of Daredevil, it would certainly seem as though a second season would be quite a ways off, especially if another season were to be comprised of anywhere near as many episodes. There’s no reason to believe another season of Daredevil would have to be 18 episodes and there’s no reason to believe it couldn’t be; however, it seems as though Daredevil: Born Again‘s elevated episode count is due in part to the importance of the series in building the street-level corner of the MCU.

    Given how fond Charlie Cox is of the role, the vast library of Daredevil stories in the comics and incredible roster of supporting characters, it would be shocking if Marvel Studios did NOT produce future seasons of Daredevil on Disney Plus. The contracts these actors are signing might just be the first indication to Marvel Studios’ plans.