Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV News

  • ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Confirm Javicia Leslie as Red Death

    ‘The Flash’ Set Photos Confirm Javicia Leslie as Red Death

    Batwoman may be over, but it looks like Javicia Leslie is here to stay. Recent set photos from filming of The Flash’s ninth and final season have seemingly confirmed the actress will return to The CW as the multiversal villain Red Death. Leslie previously portrayed an original character named Ryan Wilder, better known as the second Batwoman, in the latter two seasons of Batwoman’s run. She took over the title role from Ruby Rose, who departed the series following behind-the-scenes issues, and quickly became a fan-favorite member of the Arrowverse. Since Batwoman’s cancellation, which occurred in April of this year, viewers have wondered whether Leslie would ever get another chance to put on the cape and cowl. Apparently, the answer is a resounding “sort of.”

    In the lore of DC comics, Red Death is actually an alternate-universe version of Bruce Wayne. In his timeline, Red Death became traumatized by the deaths of his various sidekicks and sought to harness the Speed Force as a means of upgrading his crimefighting ability. He eventually succeeded in doing so by defeating the Flash of his universe and fusing with him, resulting in a single super-powered being. Red Death possesses Bruce Wayne’s body, with Barry Allen’s consciousness trapped inside, and a corrupt connection to the Speed Force. After using his newfound abilities to slaughter his rogues gallery, Red Death joined The Batman Who Laugh’s multiversal supergroup ‘The Dark Knights’, and embraced his role as a violent ‘protector’.

    It would appear that The Flash’s upcoming season will at least partially adapt this story, but with Leslie’s Wilder taking the mantle of Red Death as opposed to Bruce Wayne. While not confirmed, it’s likely that – much like the comics – this is a variant of Wilder and not the same character fans followed on Batwoman. Either way, however, it will be fun for longtime Arrowverse viewers to see Leslie back in action with a Bat symbol on her chest.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    ‘Dune: The Sisterhood’ Adds Five Cast Members

    Fear not, Dune believers, it would appear The Sisterhood is still on track to come alive at HBO. The prequel series, set 10,000 years before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, has added five new performers to its cast. Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds and Chloe Lea have joined the production as series regulars, alongside previously announced stars Emily Watson, Shirley Henderson, and Indira Varma.

    Based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson‘s novel Sisterhood of Dune, the show, titled Dune: The Sisterhood, follows the sisters of the Harkonnen family as they deal with forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit. Watson and Henderson will play the titular siblings, while Varma portrays Empress Natalya – a formidable royal who united thousands of worlds via a marriage to the Emperor Corrino. Boussnina is set to play Princess Ynez, an independent young woman dealing with the pressures of her responsibility as heir to the Golden Lion Throne. Additionally, Brune-Franklin will play Mikaela, “a strong-willed Fremen woman who serves the royal family while longing for a home planet she’s never known.”

    Cunningham, Hinds, and Lea will help fill out the members of the Sisterhood School. Sister Jen (Cunningham) is a fierce and unpredictable acolyte in training who appears to be emotionally closed off. Sister Emeline (Hinds) is a zealous acolyte descended from a long line of martyrs, who continues to be fervently religious in her training. Finally, Lila (Lea) is the youngest acolyte at the Sisterhood School who is mature well beyond her years.

    Dune: The Sisterhood is being produced by Villeneuve, Herbert and Legendary Television, alongside Jon Spaihts, Scott Z. Burns, Matthew King, John Cameron, and Cait Collins. Diane Ademu-John will serve as creator, writer, and co-showrunner, with Johan Renck directing the pilot episode. There is currently no release date.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director on the Decision Behind a 9-Episode Season

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director on the Decision Behind a 9-Episode Season

    Before principal photography on She-Hulk: Attorney At Law ever got underway, rumors had the legal comedy pegged for a 10-episode first season. Similar rumors hovered around Marvel Studios’ first streaming effort, WandaVision, which like She-Hulk, ultimately consisted of nine episodes. With most of Marvel Studios’ streaming series consisting of 6 episodes, these two stand as outliers. So what determines just how many episodes will comprise each series? According to director Kat Coiro, the episode count for She-Hulk wasn’t something that was predetermined by Marvel Studios.

    Talking with The Direct, Coiro explained that She-Hulk was fairly deep into development before the number of episodes started to come into focus.

    One of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as a creator and as an artist is Marvel is not bound by the same rules as, you know, other TV shows that have to be 22 minutes. And the story really dictated the length of the season. And so as the story came into focus and as we started putting the pieces together, it landed at nine. It could’ve been eight, it could’ve been eleven. And it’s the same with the length of the episodes. There isn’t a number you have to hit. It really is, ‘What’s best for this episode,’ which, in my opinion, is how it should be.

    Kat Coiro

    One of the benefits of owning your own streaming series is being able to play a little fast and loose with things like runtime and episode count. And while that may seem obvious, it’s something that Marvel Studios has struggled with throughout their first round of streaming series. Criticisms of rushed or crammed finale have been levied against series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Hawkeye. On the other hand, Loki’s total runtime seemed just right. Perhaps as Marvel Studios continues to evolve as a “television studio”, they’ll continue to learn the right lessons and let the story dictate the runtime, not let the runtime dictate the story.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director Kat Coiro on How the “Wongers” Post-Credit Scene Came to Be

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director Kat Coiro on How the “Wongers” Post-Credit Scene Came to Be

    Of all the obscure comic book characters introduced over the 9-episode run of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, it was an original character developed for the show that captured the hearts of fans. Patty Guggenheim’s Madisynn was undoubtedly the surprise star of her time on the show. Her “bestie” relationship with Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, played by MCU vet Benedict Wong, played out wonderfully throughout Episode 4, “Is This Not Real Magic”, and continued on into a hilarious post-credit scene. As it turns out, while She-Hulk featured several scripted post-credit scenes, Madisynn’s “Wongers” scene wasn’t one of them.

    According to director Kat Coiro, the idea for the scene developed as the crew delighted in the on-set chemistry between Wong and Guggenheim.

    You know, when Wong and Madisynn have their little moment, that was not scripted but they had such incredible comedic chemistry that, at the end of the day, I had them sit on the couch, and threw a couple cameras on them and said, ‘Go. Go forth and make comedy.’ And they sure did. So, part of what was amazing about this process was the collaboration and really leaning into the strengths of our actors. And part of the secret of comedy is letting people get loose, and have fun, and play around. And so, whenever we had the opportunity to do that we would.

    Kat Coiro

    It’s great to see that the creative team of She-Hulk was able to recognize the comedic gold they had on their hands in Madisynn. Noboy’s asking for a Mr. Immortal spinoff, but MCU fans are definitely wondering when they might see Madisynn again!

    Source: The Direct

  • Halia Abdel-Meguid to Write & Produce ‘Death Note’ Series for Netflix

    Halia Abdel-Meguid to Write & Produce ‘Death Note’ Series for Netflix

    Following a poorly received movie adaptation, Netflix is moving ahead with a live-action Death Note series. It was announced on Thursday that Halia Abdel-Meguid had signed on to write and executive producer a Death Note live-action series for the streamer. News that Netflix was looking to revisit Death Note first broke in July as part of the development slate for Upside Down, the production banner for the Duffer brothers (Stranger Things) as part of the duo’s overall deal at Netflix.

    Death Note centers on a character named Light Yagami who is a bright student who finds his life changes drastically after discovering the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god. Light finds that if he writes a name in the Death Note, that person soon dies, so he opts to use the Death Note to rid the world of evil. Unfortunately, though, he soon becomes intoxicated by the power as law enforcement seeks to stop him.

    Abdel-Meguid is said to be a longtime fan of the manga and anime series, she’s also said to speak fluent Japanese – having lived in Toyko for some time. Death Note will serve as a reunion between Abdel-Meguid and the Duffer brothers as she worked with them as a writing consultant on their adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s novel The Talisman. Along with penning Death Note, Abdel-Meguid is also attached to another noteworthy project with Hulu’s The Devil in the White City.

    This will mark Netflix’s second attempt at adapting Death Note. The streamer released a film adaptation in 2017 from director Adam Wingard that starred Nat Wolff, LaKeith Stanfield, and Margaret Qualley. That project was poorly received, however, and this television series is not expected to be connected to that film.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Paramount Orders Up Adaptation of Image Comics ‘Geiger’

    Paramount Orders Up Adaptation of Image Comics ‘Geiger’

    Paramount Television has reached a deal to adapt Geoff Johns’ Image Comics title Geiger. Set in a Mad Max-esque dystopia in 2050, Geiger tells the story of a man named Tariq who survived the Unknown War of 2030 and now protects the people of the wastelands from criminals and scavengers. According to Deadline, Johns will write the pilot and then serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Justin Simien.

    Published in 2021, Geiger’s first story arc ran for six issues and was followed up by an old-school 80-page giant-sized issue that looks to be setting up a Geiger-verse full of characters called The Unnamed who are somehow connected by through fighting in wars dating back to American Revolution of 1776. One of the characters, a robot named Junkyard Joe who fought in the Vietnam War, recently debuted his own solo series.

    As of publication, no timeline for the start of production of the series was given, but it’s safe to say fans shouldn’t expect it to hit the screen until late-2023 at best, but more likely 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Goosebumps:’ Rachael Harris Joins Disney+ Series

    ‘Goosebumps:’ Rachael Harris Joins Disney+ Series

    Disney’s live-action Goosebumps series has added Rachael Harris to its cast. The news comes courtesy of Variety, with the outlet stating she’ll play a character named Nora. The character is described as “Jeff’s (Will Price) mother and an unassuming waitress at a local café that dabbles in sorcery.”

    The live-action series is said to follow a group of five high schoolers who accidentally unleash supernatural forces upon their town. In order to save the town, they’ll all need to work together, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process. This will mark the second time the Goosebumps books have been adapted for television, as there was a series that aired 74 episodes between 1996 and 1998. Unlike that series, which took an anthology approach, though, the Disney+ series will focus on five of the most popular Goosebumps books.

    Harris is perhaps best known for her stints on shows such as Lucifer, Friends, Frasier, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She has also appeared in New Girl, Modern Family, and The Office. On the film side, she’s starred in films such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Hangover.

    Harris joins Price, as well as the previously announced Ana Yi Puig as the smart and shy Isabella, Miles McKenna as the class clown James, Justin Long as teacher Nathan Bratt, Zack Morris as football player Isaiah and Isa Briones as the bookworm Jane. Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman will act as the executive producers and are the co-creators of the Disney+ series adaptation. Neal H. Moritz, who was a producer on the 2015 and 2018 films, is also attached as an executive producer.

    Source: Variety.

  • Prime Video’s ‘Harlem’ Adds 7 to Cast

    Prime Video’s ‘Harlem’ Adds 7 to Cast

    The second season of Prime Video’s Harlem has added a slew of new cast members. Deadline has announced that Rachel True (The Craft), Courtnee Carter (Charmed), and Luke Forbes (S.W.A.T) are set to recur. While Rick Fox (Greenleaf), Sherri Shepherd (Sherri), Countess Vaughn (The Parkers), and Lil Rel Howery (Vacation Friends) are all set to guest star.

    True will portray Aimee, an “earthy, ethereal” owner of a plant shop in Harlem who strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tye. While Carter is set to play Zoe, a character described as a “confident player who has a reputation for leaving a trail of broken hearts.” As for Forbes, he will portray the “handsome and professional” Michael who just so happens to be one of New York’s top real estate agents.

    Fox will play Quinn’s father, Phil, who is described as “an affluent man.” Shepherd plays Sonya, Angie’s “boisterous, loving mother” who also happens to be her biggest fan and cheerleader. While the talented Vaughn will play herself in a light-hearted moment with Angie. Finally, Howery will play Freddie, Angie’s step-brother who is described as high-spirited and supportive.

    The first season of Harlem focuses on 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 finds themselves trying to navigate their thirties while living in Harlem and dealing with the bumps life has to offer along the way.

    Harlem hails from Girls Trip‘s Tracy Oliver. The entire first season can currently be watched on Prime Video.

    Source: Deadline.

  • Stilt-Man Almost Appeared in ‘She-Hulk’

    Stilt-Man Almost Appeared in ‘She-Hulk’

    More than any other MCU project to date, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law opened the doors for some of Marvel’s most obscure D-list characters. Leap-Frog made a memorable MCU debut. Emil Blonsky’s retreat introduced Man-Bull, Saracen, Porcupine, and El Aquila, none of whom would many many Top 1000 favorite Marvel characters lists. Regardless, She-Hulk gave those characters their moments in the spotlight along with introducing slightly more well-known characters like The Wrecking Crew and Mr. Immortal.

    To no one’s surprise, those characters were just some of the many that the writer’s room of the series considered and while we’ll never know the entire list, writer Zeb Wells did name drop one character whose exclusion from the project might indicate an appearance in another project down the road.

    “Yes, for sure. We went through a lot of them. I think Stilt-Man was probably thrown in there at one point. Saracen, he started off as someone else we couldn’t get for some reason. I think there is a character at Marvel called ‘The Matador’ and we couldn’t use him [laughs].”

    One of Daredevil’s recurring foes, Stilt-Man is precisely the type of character who is more well-aligned with the sensibilities of the MCU than the Netflix Defenders-verse. If the character was indeed in the mix for She-Hulk, it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that he’ll be in the mix again. While primarily an adversary of Daredevil, the character also played a role in Armor Wars, which Marvel Studios is currently adapting as a feature film. So while he didn’t make the cut in She-Hulk, Stilt-Man’s dozens and dozens of fans can keep their fingers crossed he turns up down the road.

    Source: Comicbook

  • Charlie Cox on the “Save Daredevil” Campaign and the Future of the Character

    Charlie Cox on the “Save Daredevil” Campaign and the Future of the Character

    Charlie Cox week continues full steam ahead. Whether it’s been discussing the new-found levity of the character,hyping Daredevil: Born Again co-star Vincent D’Onofrio or confusing fans and himself about the continuity of the character, fans have had their fair share of Cox this week and that’s ok. It’s become clear over the years that Daredevil fans love Cox. And in an interview with Marvel.com, the actor talked bout just how much he loves them back, including a certain segment that is near and dear to his heart.

    When the news of the cancellation of Daredevil reached fans in November of 2018, a group of fans took it upon themselves to start an online campaign to get Cox back in the role. Over the years, the Save Daredevil campaign grew into a massive, highly organized undertaking who were able to celebrate their success when news broke that Cox was returning to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. According to Cox, he has them to thank for his return to the role…and the future of the character.

    Charlie Cox at a rooftop party with the Save Daredevil crew in NYC
    Photo credit: Save Daredevi

    There’s so much I want to say. Whatever happens to my career going forward from this point on, I owe most of it to the “Save Daredevil” campaign. That even when I had lost hope years ago, they did not, and they continued to campaign and support. And over the years, I’ve met many of them, and they’re such an enthusiastic, passionate crowd.

    Charlie Cox

    While Marvel Studios worked hard to keep Cox’s return a secret in the past, the future is a wide-open book. Following his work on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, he’s expected to appear in Echo, though he’s played coy about that appearance so far, and then star in Marvel Studios most ambitious Disney Plus streaming series yet: Daredevil: Born Again. Demonstrating his trademark passion for the character, Cox explained that he can’t wait to get started on the new series, which he’s called “a whole new deal” for the character.

    I’m so excited about the future. I can’t wait to get on the set from the first day of the new show. I’m already starting to train. As you know, I’m already starting to make plans in terms of living and training and having conversations with the writers and all of those things. So it’s starting to feel very real.

    Charlie Cox

    Principal photography on Daredevil: Born Again is expected to begin sometime early in 2023 with some work set to be done in New York City. The actor had indicated that production is expected to both physically and mentally challenging, given the ambitiousness of the project, but the payoff should be great. With an 18-episode run, fans can expect to see a lot of Cox on Disney Plus throughout 2024.

    Source: Marvel.com