Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • What to Expect from Marvel Studios at SDCC ’22

    What to Expect from Marvel Studios at SDCC ’22

    Marvel Studios has confirmed it will have a presence in Hall H for the first time since 2019. Kevin Feige once said the studio wouldn’t go to SDCC if they couldn’t over-deliver, so fans must be in for a bit of a treat this July. What can fans expect? What should they not expect? Let’s think it through…

    A Major She-Hulk Presence

    The surest of sure things is that Marvel Studios’ presentation will have a heavy dose of their next big thing: the Disney Plus streaming series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. By the time SDCC rolls around, it’ll have been about 2 months since the first full-length trailer for the series dropped, so a fresh trailer certainly makes sense given the series will begin streaming four weeks after SDCC. Marvel Studios always likes to have cast members on stage for SDCC presentations, so don’t be too surprised if star Tatiana Maslany shows up and, if they really want to blow the roof off of Hall H, Charlie Cox.

    First Look at Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

    black panther tenoch huerta

    The next surest thing for Hall H is that a good chunk of time will be devoted to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios’ final film of 2022. SDCC is just a month away and not so much as a teaser for the film has been released yet. That may change over the next couple of weeks as Marvel Studios could choose to release something online that would also play in front of Thor: Love and Thunder, or they could simply choose to wait and make waves at SDCC. It also seems likely that the cast of the film could be on stage, as was the case with Eternals in 2019, and Marvel Studios could finally acknowledge that Tenoch Huerta will be the MCU’s Namor, in addition to revealing some other cast members who will still be a surprise to general audiences who don’t follow things too closely.

    Disney Plus Updates

    Marvel Studios has a second season of What If…? that should be ready to go at some point in 2022, 3 live-action projects that have completed principal photography (Secret Invasion, Werewolf By Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special) and 3 others that are in production now (Echo, Loki Season 2 and Ironheart). Should fans expect major news about every one of those projects? Absolutely not, but some cast reveals and some first look footage would go a long way for pretty much any of them because nothing official from Marvel Studios has been revealed about any of them save Echo.

    It’s All About Phasing

    Marvel Studios’ fans sure seem to love big timeline photos even though the reality is that they’re subject to change. There’s been a lot of Phase 4/Phase 5 talk lately and Feige recently said he’d be showing fans a “tiny, tiny, tiny bit more of the roadmap” in the coming months. So will there be a full Phase 5 reveal? Unlikely. But could Feige give fans a cool looking timeline for the rest of 2022 and for 2023? Sure.

    The Over-Deliver

    So far, nothing listed above would be either surprising or all that exciting for fans who are always starving for more. In 2019, the “over-deliver” was certainly the reveal that Mahershala Ali would be leading the Blade reboot. So what’s in store for 2022? The 2023 slate is 75% known and it’s widely believed that Blade will take the other spot. There are four dates blocked off for 2024, though no films have been assigned to them at the time this article is written. However, it’s expected that Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts are going to be two of them, so any news about another 2024 film would be pretty major. If he really wants to make a big enough bang that will carry over until D23, he could announce anything mutant-related or reveal whatever they’re calling the Secret Wars adaptation that fans are all expecting to be the Endgame of this new saga. There’s no way for us to know exactly what Feige will do, but the safe bet is that he’ll drop something major at SDCC, but keep many more big reveals in the bag for D23, which we continue to hear is going to be an absolute blast.

  • ‘Succession’ Season 4 Kicks Off Production With First Set Photo

    ‘Succession’ Season 4 Kicks Off Production With First Set Photo

    It was back in October that the HBO series Succession was renewed for a fourth season. Not much was known about the upcoming new season, which continues to follow the Roy family, a group of dysfunctional entrepreneurs in the media and entertainment world. Brian Cox plays the role of Logan Roy and is joined by a stellar cast that includes Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, Matthew Macfadyen, Jeremy Strong, and more.

    Cox and Strong have been praised as the series went on to nab quite a few nominations, and it seems after quite a few months of waiting, production has finally started don the fourth season of Succession. The official Twitter account has shared a photo from the set, which sadly doesn’t include any of the cast but confirms that production has begun.

    HBO has continued to offer a powerhouse of productions, even as it expanded into streaming with HBO Max. With a stellar cast, Succession was surely to draw in an audience and it’s great to see a successful series enter the fourth season as most streaming alternatives sadly barely make it past a second season. Each one ran for around ten episodes, with only the third ending on a ninth episode. So, showrunner Jesse Armstrong might stick to that format moving forward. The above image also confirms that Mark Mylod is back in the directing chair after working on last season’s finale.

    Source: Twitter

  • Warner Bros. SDCC Plans Revealed

    Warner Bros. SDCC Plans Revealed

    The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that while certain properties from Warner Bros. Discovery will be showcased at San Diego Comic-Con next month, CEO David Zaslav is looking to make big changes to the company’s approach at the convention. Per the outlet, this year will mark the first time that Warners – including DC. – will not have a presence on the convention floor. In recent years, the company has had a huge presence on the convention floor, including signings from the Justice League cast in recent years.

    Perhaps the biggest news, however, is that there will be no presence for the CW at SDCC. Fans of The Flash and Superman & Lois, unfortunately, should not expect the panels and promotion of recent years. This, of course, shouldn’t be too surprising. Along with cleaning most of its slate, the CW is expected to go up for sale which more than likely had an impact on the decision to forgo SDCC. The lone exception will be Riverdale, with the series set to make its final Hall H appearance ahead of its sixth and final season on the network.

    While Warner Bros. Discovery will not have a floor presence, titles such as House of Dragons and Sandman will make a huge splash at the convention thanks to HBO and Netflix. There will also be panels by DC Publisher and CCO Jim Lee, as well panels for animated titles (for young and old), and Warner Bros. Games. There will also be a special screening of the first two episodes of Harley Quinn, as well as the premiere of the animated film Green Lantern: Beware My Power, which will be followed by a Q&A.

    The decision to rethink how Warner Bros. Discovery approaches Comic-Con is said to be so that the company can be “more strategic” as the convention has cost Warners approximately $25 million in past years due to the floor installation, travel for its talent and tech costs for presentations. It remains to be seen whether or not this change is permanent in coming years, or if this is merely a one-time change.

    Source: THR

  • Disney + Series ‘American Born Chinese’ Adds ‘Hacks’ Star to Cast

    Disney + Series ‘American Born Chinese’ Adds ‘Hacks’ Star to Cast

    The news comes courtesy of Variety, with the outlet revealing the Hacks breakout has nabbed a guest role in the forthcoming series. She joins a cast that includes the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Yeo Yann Yann, Daniel Wu, Chin Han, and Ke Huy Quan. Liu will portray Princess Iron Fan, a character described as “enchanting” and having magical powers.

    The Disney+ series, American Born Chinese, is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. It follows Jin Wang, who’ll be played by Ben Wang, who is described as a high schooler trying to juggle a social life with his immigrant home life. After meeting a foreign exchange student named Wei-Chen, played by Jim Liu, the duo soon see their worlds colliding as Jin soon finds himself in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

    Liu, who first broke out with the role of Kiki on the HBO Max series, Hacks, is building a busy resume. Along with American Born Chinese, Liu is confirmed to appear in the AMC anthology series, Tales of the Walking Dead, as well as the Amazon series adaptation of Dead Ringers. Outside of Hacks, she has previously appeared in shows like Better Call Saul and Hulu’s recently canceled Dollface.

    American Born Chinese hails from writer and showrunner Kelvin Yu, as well as Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), who’ll serve as a director and executive producer on the series.

    Source: Variety

  • REVIEW: ‘The Terminal List’ Feels Like Chris Pratt’s Attempt at His ‘Breaking Bad’

    REVIEW: ‘The Terminal List’ Feels Like Chris Pratt’s Attempt at His ‘Breaking Bad’

    Amazon Prime Video has been building quite the rapport with Chris Pratt. Not only did he bring in quite the success during the pandemic with The Tomorrow War, but he’s now also working on a series adapting the novel by Jack Carr, The Terminal List. The series follows the story of James Reece, who after facing the loss of his entire Navy SEALs platoon starts to question his own memories and loses grip with reality as the story around him starts to unravel, which may endanger the ones he loves. Can the premise also deliver with this new series?

    One thing is for sure, the base premise is quite a promising one. Especially in the first two episodes it starts to play with the viewer’s understanding of what is and isn’t true. Audio clips and flashbacks start to intertwine in ways that make you wonder what exactly is real or isn’t. Pratt sells the performance as Reece, and it does push you to question what exactly is going on. The dramatic turn of these earlier episodes also adds some weight and further solidifies the difficulty of discussing topics like posttraumatic stress disorder in combat veterans.

    Yet, the series slowly devolves into a rather simplistic plot of vengeance with some political turmoil. There are some interesting ideas at play, but it does continue to throw in new characters and unravels the “bigger picture” at the expense of what was the initial personal drama that gave the series an amazing hook. It’s not bad mind you, but it does feel like a missed opportunity as its strongest moments still remain with elements from that core concept that help develop Reece as a character.

    There’s a lot of gray in this series, and no person is truly good. Some are definitely more corrupt than others, but it does become a boiling point where if you can’t go with Reece’s vengeance, you may lose interest in the series as that’s the main driving force. Chris Pratt gives a great performance and it is always strange to see comedic actors take on some rather dark roles. In a way, this is Pratt‘s Breaking Bad in a way, as he tackles a complex and broken character. It simply hinges on if you are going to join his journey or not to truly invest in this eight-episode series.

    There is a strong supporting cast here,e especially Taylor Kitsch’s Ben Edwards who plays a vital role in supporting Reece throughout his journey. Though Constance Wu may be a personal standout in this series as journalist Katie Buranek alongside Jeanne Tripplehorn‘s Lorraine Hartley. Though, I can’t help but highlight the hilarious twist on casting Jai Courtney as a war-loving multi-billionaire CEO given his perchance of action roles. The way they play with his character was probably the one thing I least expected from the series and it worked in its favor.

    The series is, at its core, a military conspiracy drama and works quite well as such. When they pull out their action sequences, they are great and you can see the influence of director Antoine Fuqua‘s experience with Training Day and Equalizer at play here. Though Ellen Kuras also offers some strong work here, especially echoing her work on projects like Ozark and The Umbrella Academy. Action is tight and purposefully dramatic when it needs to be, even if it does pull its inspirations from various military and gun-focused projects.

    You can tell this was a passion project for Pratt, who also was an executive producer on the series. The series hits its stride when it comes to emotional moments, as Reece is pushed further and further throughout the story, especially as he starts to have a hard time connecting what is and isn’t real. And, as a personal taste in what could’ve been shouldn’t overshadow what the series is going for, it should be praised for what it delivers. There’s an interesting intrigue at play that caught me off-guard even by the end, as sometimes the camera would play with us on where certain characters stand.

    There’s a middle section where the series seemingly takes a brief detour to introduce new characters that don’t have a stronger play into the overarching story. It was interesting as it added a new perspective on some characters, but it felt like the aspect of this story could’ve easily been tightened for the adaptation, as it pretty much feels like a brief detour in the middle of the story.

    I repeatedly caught myself wondering if that was the end until realizing I was only halfway through the series. It does come at the expense of dragging at times and making me wonder if they may have had to pad out the eight-hour run, but it was still interesting to see how the series continues to just escalate. It also has something to say about PTSD and how strongly it affects soldiers. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the military; not even a little bit. It doesn’t indulge in the violence but adds a visceral aspect that forces you to keep watching.

    For what the series is, The Terminal List pulls off what it’s trying to be. While I still wished it played a bit more with its audience, there’s something genuine at play here and it could’ve played a bit more morally grey on some character decisions. Yet, your enjoyment of the story strongly depends on how you feel about Pratt‘s character and his emotional journey throughout. There’s a strong supporting cast and while it has some moments where it could’ve tightened the plot, the series still has something to say that was worth telling.

  • Arlong Actor Wraps Up Work on Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series

    Arlong Actor Wraps Up Work on Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series

    One Piece is a major project worldwide and with 25 years on its back, the story is slowly nearing its end. Netflix has quickly jumped on board with Tomorrow Studio to find a talented cast and crew to bring the series to life in live-action. We’ve gotten a tease from the production sets that tease a massive project that has been filming since the beginning of the year. While we may have to wait a bit longer for more updates, it seems that one actor has wrapped production.

    Actor McKinley Belcher shared at the end of May that he had joined the production of Netflix’s One Piece series. Yet, it turns out he may have already wrapped up his work on the project. Belcher took to his personal Instagram to share that he’s leaving Cape Town, seemingly confirming he’s finished his work as Arlong. So, it seems that he’s been working for around a month on bringing his sequences to life.

    Some may be wondering how that works considering that we’ve recently got the tease they were working on the Baratie episodes, especially as Doctor Who director Emma Sullivan was confirmed working on them. Yet, they aren’t necessarily filming sequences from the manga back-to-back and may be working on various sequences simultaneously. It’s not uncommon especially as they have to work around actors’ tight schedules. Still, it’s geat to know that the production is coming along.

    Source: Instagram

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ From Page to Screen: Episode 3

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ From Page to Screen: Episode 3

    As Marvel Studios’ series Ms. Marvel reaches its halfway point, it is clear that the show borrows quite a lot from Ms. Marvel comics. With Episode 1, we looked at how the series adapted from the comics the moment Kamala’s powers were activated; and for Episode 2 we delved into the comics’ and series’ introduction and handling so far of the character Kamran. This week, we take a different approach with Episode 3. While the episode incorporates many small references to the comics, arguably its most significant and intriguing inclusion lies far outside Ms. Marvel comics. Below, we look at how and why the Clandestines in Ms. Marvel were brought to life from ClanDestine comics.

    Ms. Marvel’s Clandestines

    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 3
    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 3

    The beginning of Episode 3, titled “Destined”, brought forth a lot of information supposedly explaining much of Kamala’s origin and background. Najma, Kamran’s mother and the woman Kamala had visions of, tells Kamala that she and Kamala’s great-grandmother Aishia were not human. Specifically, Najma claims that she and some others she appears to live with are actually Djinn, who were exiled from their home Noor dimension. She states that they are called many names, including Clandestines.

    The explanation of who Djinn are that we get in Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel is pretty sparing. Kamala’s dad reads Bruno’s research, which says that Djinn are mythological beings of pre-Islamic folklore, sometimes referred to as genies. We also know from references throughout the series that Djinn seem to be viewed as demons to the superstitious, including Kamala.

    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 3
    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 3

    There are still a lot of questions about the group, but they appear to be a patchwork group of loosely-related Djinn who live together. It is unclear if anyone is closely related other than Kamran and his mother, but there is a clear theme of family and belonging within the Clandestines which Najma uses to manipulate Kamala.

    ClanDestine in the Comics

    ClanDestine #1 (2008)

    The Clandestines of Ms. Marvel are clearly influenced by the ClanDestine comics, although ClanDestine seems to provide minimal inspiration rather than being directly adapted into live-action. In the comics, ClanDestine is a large, kind of odd family comprised of the progeny of Adam Destine and a being named Elayath. All of their children inherited superhuman abilities of some kind. Adam himself is immortal and many of the children are decades or centuries apart in age.

    The family primarily sought to operate in secret rather than identifying themselves as super-powered beings or superheroes, though certain members try to follow this path. ClanDestine stories in the comics are driven by family conflict, such as when Adam killed his son Victor because he believed he had become evil.

    ClanDestine #5 (1994)
    ClanDestine #5 (1994)
    ClanDestine #5 (1994)

    The clear connection that the makers of Ms. Marvel made to ClanDestine is that the matriarch, Elayath, is a Djinn. Adam freed her from a wizard that had trapped her in a jewel around 1200 A.D. In return, she granted him his immortality and invulnerability.

    Why Would Ms. Marvel Adapt ClanDestine?

    ClanDestine #12 (1995)

    The comics’ ClanDestines and Ms. Marvel’s Clandestines seem extremely different in history, nature, and group members. The connection between the two seems to boil down simply to the name and the Djinn aspect. Even so, how the two groups incorporate Djinn is entirely different, as ClanDestine is a family descended from a single Djinn, whereas the Clandestines in the show appear to all be a type of being, known as Djinn, from another dimension.

    Why would Marvel make this connection between an extremely obscure group from the comics and a very different group in live-action? It all likely comes down to the series attempting to give Kamala’s background and origin the same type of explanation as her Inhuman heritage in the comics. Everything in the series suggests that Marvel Studios wants to mimic Kamala’s comic story without invoking Inhumans. So, in Ms. Marvel, the Clandestines are a family-like group of super-powered, or at least mystical, beings that Kamala is related to in some way, similar to her relationship to Inhumans in the comics.

    Ms. Marvel #7 (2014)

    That connection is relatively obvious, but the series clearly wanted that familial theme to be tied to Kamala’s religious and cultural heritage. This leads, of course, to using beings of pre-Islamic folklore, Djinn, as an option to explain why Kamala is more than human. There is very little comic basis for this, but ClanDestine happens to already contain those essential elements of Kamala’s story in Ms. Marvel.

    Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel Episode 3

    To be fair, Najma’s explanation of the Clandestines should be taken with a grain of salt given the fact that she is a clear villain and there is not much evidence yet to back up her claims. Still, Ms. Marvel certainly made a bold creative choice in adapting ClanDestine from the comics to build Kamala’s Khan’s story.

    The first three episodes of Ms. Marvel are now streaming on Disney+.

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sound Mixer Teases a “Dynamic” New Direction in the Final Episodes

    ‘Ms. Marvel’s Sound Mixer Teases a “Dynamic” New Direction in the Final Episodes

    Ms. Marvel has been quite the standout in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only does it offer a window into the life of Muslim-Americans with the touch that many have wanted from these kinds of stories, but also one of the visual standouts in the franchise. While the series may be the most down-to-earth for the franchise, Ms. Marvel‘s sound mixer Chris Giles teases the final episodes as “dynamic” in an interview with The Direct.

    In the interview, he especially highlights how the later episodes will be “touching on things that a lot of Westerners may not even be aware” of and it may offer a culturally relevant backstory that we haven’t seen yet in the MCU.

    The standout ones will be, somewhere in my mind, for me, will be later in the series. Because we start touching on things that a lot of Westerners may not even be aware of existing. Maybe if you follow the canon of Ms. Marvel and a few other things, you might be able to kind of piece it together and figure some of this out. But I’m fascinated that there are some stories that are going to be told through this medium. And it’s kind of to me, it’s backstories, it’s sort of things that help develop these characters.

    Chris Giles

    He also goes on to highlight how this new series format offers a way to further explore the origin stories of the characters and continues to tease that “some really, really cool things coming” our way in the Disney+ series.

    Because, you know, Marvel gets critiqued a lot for, oh, there’s no character development, oh, it’s just flashing and banging and blowing things up, and this and that. Especially these episodic streaming projects, they’re able to flesh out a lot of backstories. So, whenever you do greet them on the big screen, you’re like, oh, I was able to read up on such and so, this is why they are at, you know, an adversary to this other person that I thought was a good person or bad guy, or whatever the case is. No, there are some really, really cool things coming.

    Chris Giles

    What stood out in the interview is that he also teases a “dynamic differently” direction as the backstory is further explored. The last episode already offered us a glimpse into a very surprising new direction with Ms. Marvel’s origin and we may get a better look as more puzzle pieces fall into place moving foward.

    I can’t say. When they start building more of the backstory, it gets more dynamic differently than I think a lot of MCU things have typically. So, if nothing else, because it’s different. It stands out in my mind. I hope it translates to the audience because we can perceive it one way, because we’ve read the scripts we’ve been through the process. And we can applaud our ways all the way to release. But, until the audience sees it, you have no idea if it registers, or if it speaks to people. Mostly because the demographics that it serves are what speak to me the most. If nothing else, the more youthful audience.

    Chris Giles

    It definitely sounds like Ms. Marvel may continue to evolve and if it hits the landing, could find its place among the top of the Marvel Studios’ offerings on Disney+ so far. It has the most “weekly” feeling, unlike some of the other dramas that have a more “six-hour film” approach. So, it’s going to be exciting to see how the story comes together.

    Source: The Direct

  • ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Surprise Actor Opens Up on Return to ‘Star Wars’

    ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Surprise Actor Opens Up on Return to ‘Star Wars’

    Obi-Wan Kenobi has come to an end and ended on a high note for the limited series (you can read our review by clicking here for the finale). There were some big surprises towards the end but nothing had people more excited than the return of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. After famously stating he wouldn’t make an appearance, the final moments of the show had the former master and padawan reunite.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Liam Neeson revealed what inspired his return and also why he decided to give Qui-Gon Jinn another shot after his recent statement. It seems a lot of it has to do with George Lucas and Ewan McGregor.

    I certainly didn’t want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George [Lucas] and that mythical world that he created. Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago.

    Liam Neeson

    This marks the first live-action appearance of the actor since he played him in The Phantom Menace back in 1999. Jinn died at the hands of Darth Maul and passed on the responsibility of teaching young Anakin Skywalker to his padawan at the time, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Sadly, we didn’t get that many interactions between the two, but perhaps they kept the door open for further exploration. For now, we’ll see what the future has in store for McGregor‘s Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • RUMOR: ‘Agatha: House of Harkness’ Eyeing 2023 Production Start

    RUMOR: ‘Agatha: House of Harkness’ Eyeing 2023 Production Start

    We know that a new Disney+ Day is just around the corner alongside D23 and SDCC. So, it seems like we’ll get a look at some of the already announced projects and maybe even some new productions heading our way. Now, it seems we may have gotten a small update in regards to Agatha: House of Harkness. It seems that work on the project may start on it by 2023.

    Insider Daniel Richtman has seemingly shared a grid that hints at production eyeing a start from January to May 2023. As such, we may see some casting announcements in the coming months as they prepare to kick off the new year with its production.

    There’s also a hint at a new character known only as “Tyler.” They are casing someone between the ages of 17 and 20 years that is a “formidable and dark sense of humor, incredibly witty, astute, and of the moment.” He’s even highlighted as a “fan-boy at times.” While DisInsider believes this might be the character of Billy, there is also the possibility they introduce Agatha’s son Nicholas Scratch.

    It’s an exciting prospect to see what they do with a series focused on Agatha Harkness, especially after Kathryn Hahn‘s amazing performance in WandaVision. While we can only speculate for now, here’s hoping we get more details on Agatha: House of Harkness in the near future to build up what exactly Marvel studios has planned for this character.

    Source: Patreon via DisInsider