Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes

    We are only three episodes into Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, but the show is already a huge hit among critics and fans. With a total of 202 critic reviews, Ms. Marvel is now officially “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes “Tomatometer” at a staggering 96 percent.

    The 96 percent rating makes Ms. Marvel the highest-rated show in the MCU on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing What If…? (94 percent) and Loki (92 percent). As well as being the highest-rated show, Ms. Marvel is tied with Black Panther as the top Marvel project on Rotten Tomatoes.

    The “Critics Consensus” on Rotten Tomatoes writes: “Ms. Marvel is a genuinely fresh addition to the MCU — both stylistically and substantively — with Iman Vellani ably powering proceedings with her super-sized charisma.”

    The certified fresh rating has to be a triumph for those involved with Ms. Marvel as doubt was cast on the show even before the first episode aired. When it was revealed that Kamala Khan’s power set was going to differ from the comics, some fans expressed frustration that the on-screen adaptation was going to be unsuccessful.

    In the comics, Kamala is exposed to Terrigen Mist, which in turn activated her latent Inhuman powers. Kamala is mostly known for her polymorphic abilities — akin to Reed Richards — allowing her limbs to grow in many shapes and forms. But with the Inhumans not a factor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the decision was made to align Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan powers with her hero, Captain Marvel.

    It looks like that decision is paying off as we have already seen Kamala display embiggening powers, a trademark of her wildly popular character from the comics, and the connection to Carol Danvers is building in each episode as the story unfolds. Audiences are clearly loving the show’s vibrant cinematography and upbeat attitude with the certified fresh rating.

    Ms. Marvel is currently streaming on Disney+, with new episodes releasing each Wednesday.

    Source: Rotten Tomatoes

  • First Look at “The Santa Clauses” Released by Disney+

    First Look at “The Santa Clauses” Released by Disney+

    With roughly six months to go until Christmas Day, Disney+ is getting in the holiday spirit a bit early this year with the first look at official images of their upcoming series The Santa Clauses.

    The images were released as part of Disney’s Halfway to the Holidays marketing campaign, giving audiences an idea of what to expect when the Calvins are back on the screen.

    Tim Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell are both returning in their starring roles as Santa Claus, Scott Calvin, and Mrs. Claus, Carol. The pair will be joined by Austin Kane and Elizabeth Allen Dick, who will be playing their two children, Cal and Grace. Elizabeth Allen Dick won’t have to stretch her imagination to far to imagine Scott Calvin as her on-screen father as she is the real-life daughter of Tim Allen.

    As well as the Calvins, audiences will also be introduced to a new batch of characters. Kal Penn will be playing a character named Simon Choski, a single father who is an ambitious game inventor and product developer. Choski visits the North Pole, which turns out to be a life-changing trip for him. Alongside Penn will be Rupali Redd, described as Choski’s “angelic daughter with a love for Santa and all things Christmas.”

    Would there really be a North Pole without elves? Of course not. Devin Bright is cast as Noel, Santa’s trusted right-hand elf. Matilda Lawler will be playing Betty, Santa’s demanding Chief of Staff and a “job-oriented Elf.”

    The plot for The Santa Clauses is set an unspecified time after the events of the 2006 film The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, in which Jack Frost (Martin Short) attempted to become Santa Claus himself. The series picks up with Scott Calvin approaching his 65th birthday. Scott realizes he cannot be Santa forever as his magic suddenly starts to disappear, so he begins a quest to find a proper replacement and get his family ready for a life outside of the North Pole.

    No official release date has been given yet, but the Disney original series will be streaming soon on Disney+.

    Source: Disney Parks

  • Netflix’s ‘Three-Body Problem’ Adaptation Adds to Expansive Cast

    Netflix’s ‘Three-Body Problem’ Adaptation Adds to Expansive Cast

    According to The Hollywood Reporter Jonathan Pryce, Rosalind Chao, Ben Schnetzer and Eve Ridley have joined the upcoming series. Three-Body Problem is based on Liu Cixin’s trilogy and tells the story of what happens when humanity discovers that we are not alone in the universe.

    The latest group of actors join the previously announced Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Jess Hong (Inked), Marlo Kelly (Dare Me), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Sea Shimooka (Pink Skies Ahead), Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani (Succession) and Benedict Wong (Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). We exclusively broke many of these roles in a report last Fall.

    Pyrce is known for his work on Game of Thrones, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Most recently he’s appeared in Apple+ TV’s Slow Horses and Netflix’s The Crown. Pryce’s casting marks the third Game of Thrones alumni to be cast in the series. Which shouldn’t be too surprising given that former Thrones showrunners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss, created the series alongside Alexander Woo.

    As for Chao, she’s coming off of the live-action take of Mulan and recently starred in Better Things. While Schnetzer recently starred in FX’s Y: The Last Man and newcomer Ridley has lent her voice to an episode of Peppa Pig. 

    Source: THR

  • Theory Thursday: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Lead to an Incursion

    Theory Thursday: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Will Lead to an Incursion

    Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel, entitled “Destined”, made it clear that Kamala Khan will be involved in much more than street-level threats. The young hero clearly has connections to universe and multiverse-spanning abilities and those seem related heavily to her family history. In essence, Ms. Marvel may be opening a very large door into the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline. In particular, Episode 3 gave hints that the events of the series could lead to an incursion and tie into a future Secret Wars adaptation. 

    Ms. Marvel’s third episode opened with quite the bombardment of new, cosmic-level information and stakes. Najma, Kamran’s mother, reveals to Kamala that the Clandestines are Djinn from a place they refer to as the Noor Dimension. She also tells Kamala that Kamala’s great-grandmother Aisha was also Djinn and that the group was exiled from the Noor Dimension and was trying to use Kamala’s bangle as a way to get back. While Najma is clearly an antagonist and some of the details should not be taken at full face value, the lingering implication is that Kamala has the power to create the means for inter-dimensional travel. 

    Ms. Marvel #16 (2015)

    The last time we got to explore multiple realities was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There, we first learn that incursions are happening to some extent throughout the multiverse. Incursions are essentially the colliding of two realities that—as described by Earth-838’s Reed Richards—ultimately lead to the destruction of one or both. We do not know much about incursions, other than that a multiverse-traveling sorcerer can cause one by leaving too much of a footprint in another universe. In Ms. Marvel, the Clandestines are implying that inter-dimensional travel could be at play, which may implicate some of the forces behind incursions.

    Still, Kamala’s abilities are mysterious. When she confides in Bruno about the Clandestines and her plan, his research (based on scholarship by Thor’s Dr. Eric Selvig) leads him to believe that she would essentially need the power equivalent to that of the sun to actually make it happen. In other words, he warns her that “if you help them go home, some things might go boom.” The foreshadowing of destruction certainly brings to mind the idea of the demolition of a dimension or universe. To be fair, the MCU has not been overly clear as to the distinction, if any, between other “dimensions” and “universes”, but the same logic might apply. 

    Ms. Marvel #19 (2015)

    By the end of the series, the inter-dimensional and/or multiversal implications of Ms. Marvel could very well lead to this sort of “boom” Bruno warned Kamala about, and there is plenty of reason to think that the fallout could be an incursion. In the comics, the Secret Wars (2015) storyline was a major influence on Kamala’s story early on. She actually first meets Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel in the lead-up to the final incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. Considering an adaptation of Secret Wars has been hinted at in the MCU for quite some time, incursion-related consequences stemming from Ms. Marvel could easily go on to influence The Marvels and an eventual Secret Wars. 

    There are still numerous mysteries to be explored in Ms. Marvel, and Kamala’s family history and connection to the bangle are sure to be big reveals. Considering that Kevin Feige recently promised fans that the direction of the MCU in Phase Four and beyond will soon become clear, Ms. Marvel may very well be laying more groundwork for a Secret Wars event in a direct way, coming right off of Multiverse of Madness. Whether she directly or indirectly causes an incursion herself is yet to be seen, but her presence in the universe is definitely cosmic. 

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

  • REVIEW: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3—”Destined”

    REVIEW: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3—”Destined”

    Ms. Marvel’s third episode, “Destined”, does a remarkable job at maintaining the heart and integrity of the series while also bringing it to new heights in an exciting way. The episode hit the ground running straight off of Episode 2’s cliffhanger in Kamran and his mother’s car. There is a very welcome shift in pace throughout the beginning of the episode, which also takes the series in a very bold new direction. While the bangle remains mysterious, Kamran’s mom, Najma’s, explanation of its history to Kamala suggests that Najma (along with her family) and Kamala’s mysterious great-grandmother Aisha are Clandestines, or Djinn, from another dimension. While their narrative should be taken with a grain of salt at this point, they seek Kamala’s power to get them back to their home Noor dimension from which they had been exiled. The very end of the episode suggests there is more to the story of Aisha’s disappearance still, as Najma shows both Kamala and her grandmother Sana a vision of a train marked “Karachi”, which seems to be a callback to Sana’s family’s escape from India and Aisha’s disappearance. 

    The rest of the third episode once more brought the Kamala Khan charm to the screen. Particularly in the wedding scene, the episode proves that Ms. Marvel is one of the most colorful Marvel Studio’s projects in existence and is filled to the brim with personality. The teenage drama involved in Kamala’s story is amplified here, as she struggles to maintain trust, confidence, and honesty with and from her friends and family. Bruno begins to hesitate about Kamala’s plans with the bangle and tells her he is headed to CalTech, which complicates their adorably awkward crush-type relationship. Nakia angrily discovers that Kamala is actually the masked person who has caused problems for the community, and Kamala’s relationship with her family is further strained by her inability to tell them what she is going through. 

    The episode spends much time celebrating and dissecting the concept of family. This theme was introduced, foreshadowed, and explored in the first two episodes, but Episode 3 featured multiple scenes back to back that explicitly state the importance of family through dialogue. Kamala’s relationship with the Clandestines is yet another layer to that discussion—assuming they are to some extent her family, what is her duty to them? How can Kamala honor her lineage or heritage while not betraying her closer family and community?

    While we have still yet to see Kamala go into full superhero mode, the episode’s first major action scene set to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” was a strong start for the series in that regard. This episode also solidified the villains of Ms. Marvel even if there was no surprise to it. The tease of the mask Bruno made Kamala tees up her eventual triumphant debut as her own bona fide superhero, but that moment still seems potentially distant on the horizon.

    Overall, Episode 3 of Ms. Marvel dramatically raises the stakes and implications for both Kamala and the series. While the more “classic” elements of the series are still going strong—teenage awkwardness, crushes, family responsibilities, and self-discovery—there is now an additional element of inter-dimensional or multiversal travel and Kamala’s direct connection to it. The fact that there is a missing bangle is a mystery that foreshadows its inclusion down the line. Sana’s request that Kamala and her mother come to Karachi is clearly setting up an adaptation of the Ms. Marvel comics “Mecca” arc, but it also is the prime (or closer to it) location for exposing the truth about Kamala’s family history, the significance of the bangles, and Kamala’s powers.

  • Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Series Expands Cast by 3

    Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’ Series Expands Cast by 3

    According to Deadline, Dior Goodjohn and Charlie Bushnell have joined the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians in recurring roles, while Olivea Morton is set to guest star. They join series lead Walker Scobell in the small screen adaptation of the beloved book series. Also starring alongside Scobell in the series are Aryan Simhadri and Leah Sava Jeffries, as well as recently announced cast members Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally, and Timm Sharp.

    Goodjohn, best known for her role as Robyn Rook in the Head of the Class reboot on HBO Max, will be portraying Clarisse La Rue, the child Ares. She is a determined and aggressive fighter and is feared as a bully at Camp Half-Blood. Bushnell, who appeared as Bobby Cañero-Reed in Diary of a Future President on Disney+, will play Luke Castellan. The character is the son of Hermes and a head counselor at Camp Half-Blood, as well as an expert swordsman and all-around cool guy.

    Morton, who has appeared in the short film And Yet They Speak, will play Nancy Bobofit, a sixth-grade classmate of Percy Jackson. Portrayed as a bit of a kleptomaniac in the first book of the Percy Jackson series, Nancy enjoys picking on Percy, but ends up the first victim of Percy’s demigod powers.

    Production on the live-action series is underway with the author of the original Percy Jackon book series Rick Riordan serving as the writer of the pilot, alongside Jon Steinberg. James Bobin of The Muppets and Dora and the Lost City of Gold fame is directing the series for Disney+, which currently is without a release date.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3 Primer

    ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episode 3 Primer

    Episode 2 of Ms. Marvel, “Crushed”, was a very exciting episode. As Kamala comes to understand what her new powers can do, she learns from Bruno that her powers don’t come from the bangle, but that the bangle just triggers something already inside of her. Just as all that starts to come together, Kamala runs into the new kid at school named Kamran. Kamala starts crushing on Kamran immediately, making Bruno more than a little jealous.

    The episode also makes good on the post-credit scene from the first episode that showed the Department of Damage Control taking an interest in Kamala. When Kamala saves a little boy, showcasing her superpowers once again, she not only gets the DODC’s attention again but also has a vision of a lady holding her hand out to her. At the very end of the episode, when Kamran helps Kamala escape the DODC, it’s revealed that this mysterious lady is actually Kamran’s mom.

    Arlyn’s Assumptions

    Why she was having visions about Kamran’s mom? Well, we don’t know but if I had to guess I think it might be because it is actually also Kamala’s great-grandmother, whose life story was at the center of much of Episode 2. It would be weird if she was just having visions about a random lady, but it would make sense that she would have visions about her if she had the bracelet before, too. In this next episode, I believe that her great-grandmother will explain everything to Kamala. She will help her understand her powers a little bit more and why she has been in her visions.

    The next episode of Ms. Marvel will stream tomorrow!

  • ‘Hawkeye’s Fra Fee Teases Kazi’s Return

    ‘Hawkeye’s Fra Fee Teases Kazi’s Return

    Hawkeye was one of Marvel Studios’ more grounded storylines, as Jeremy Renner‘s Clint Barton had to take on a couple of mafia goons in tracksuits alongside their leader Echo. Though, we’re also introduced to Kazi, a very different take from the comics clown portrayed by Fra Fee. At the end of the series, it seemed like the character made his untimely doom at the hands of his former boss, but Fee believes that there’s still a future for the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    In an interview with Attitude Magazine, the actor got a chance to talk about his upcoming role in Zack Snyder‘s Rebel Moon and used the opportunity to tease his potential return to the MCU. While he doesn’t confirm anything, he says he doesn’t “really know just yet” but highlights that “no one’s ever dead in Marvel” after the events of Hawkeye.

    Erm, the truth is, I don’t really know just yet. But I very much hope that Kazi can make an appearance. I wouldn’t put money on the fact he met an untimely end at the end of Hawkeye. No one’s ever dead in Marvel. I would be very hopeful and I’d certainly be thrilled to revisit the character and the world — I had such a good time

    Fra Fee

    He has confirmed in the past he knows about the character’s story and wasn’t going to tease if we may still get the Clown at some point. Many fans of the original run were a bit underwhelmed when he was nothing more than a member of the Tracksuit Mafia, but with an Echo spinoff show on the horizon, they could still take it in a direction that he makes his return as a changed man. For now, it’s just fun to speculate but who knows where the MCU is heading.

    Source: Attitude Magazine

  • Scout Comics Adapting ‘Midnight Western Theatre’ for TV

    Scout Comics Adapting ‘Midnight Western Theatre’ for TV

    Scout Comics and Oren Segal’s Management Production Entertainment have joined forces to develop an adaptation of Louis Southard’s comic book, Midnight Western Theatre. The series, which is published by Scout Comics, will be developed for the small screen with Kevin Carroll set to tackle the adaptation.

     “I was instantly drawn to the world of Midnight Western Theatre, with its razor-sharp wit and ingenious premise,” Carroll said in a statement to Deadline. “It blends the grittiness of a classic Spaghetti Western with the pulse-pounding elements of Gothic Horror. It’s a big, expansive world, populated with creepy creatures and demonic cultists. And at its core, a charming, endearing, heartbreaking story of two friends who have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

    Midnight Western Theatre, which marks Southard’s second comic, tells the story of Red Tom and his deadly posse who have laid claim to the once-prosperous town of Liberty Springs. When two black-clad, supernatural strangers arrive out of the blue, Red Tom and his posse find themselves on the defense as they try to enjoy their apparent short-lived victory The comic book series features artwork from David Hahn, who has illustrated titles such as Bite Club and its sequel, Bite Club: Vampire Crime Unit.

    Scout Comics & Entertainment, which was founded in 2015, signed with Mosaic’s management division back in 2020 to help manage its film & tv expansion. Since then, the publisher has announced an adaptation of multiple titles, including Tray Walker and Hoyt Silva’s Last Stop and Unikorn by Don Handfield, Joshua Malkin and Rafael Loureiro. 

    Source: Deadline

  • Ewan McGregor Isn’t Done With Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Yet

    Ewan McGregor Isn’t Done With Obi-Wan Kenobi Just Yet

    Obi-Wan Kenobi was the first series from Lucasfilm that was highlighted as a limited series. There was much time when head writer Deborah Chow confirmed that the project was conceived with a specific story in mind. Yet, while she’s remained very strict with that approach, Ewan McGregor has a different opinion. He actually would want to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi one more time in a future project.

    I hope it’s not the last time I play him. I had such a great time doing this, I’m sure we can think of a few more stories before I turn into Alec Guinness, don’t you think?

    Ewan McGregor

    Similar to how Hayden Christensen also was hinted at making a return in Ahsoka, it seems that their grand return to the Star Wars franchisee won’t just be a one-off. It’s unclear of the storyline may set up a future where he finds himself in a new environment or we take a look during his heyday before the Empire took over. There’s a lot of wiggle room, and while it would be great to see the franchise expand into new territory. So, we’ll see where the future is leading them and if we’ll see McGregor sooner rather than later.

    Source: Radio Times