Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • Marvel Studios Provides Release Dates for Season 2 of ‘Loki’, ‘Echo’

    Marvel Studios Provides Release Dates for Season 2 of ‘Loki’, ‘Echo’

    2023 will be nearly half over before Marvel Studios first streaming series of the year, Secret Invasion, will hit Disney Plus. However, it looks as though the last quarter of 2023 will have plenty of Marvel Studios entertainment.

    Loki will begin streaming on October 6 and will be almost immediately followed by Echo. In an unprecedented move, Marvel Studios will drop all episodes of Echo on November 29th. It’s expected that the second season of Loki will consist of 6 episodes and while Disney has not officially revealed it, rumors have swirled for months that Echo will consist of five episodes.

    The move also puts Marvel Studios’ new releases back on Fridays, where they first began, after moving to Wednesdays for some time. Should Marvel Studios only release one episode of Loki per week, that puts the final episode out the same day as the planned release of The Marvels. The studio has yet to release an episode of a streaming series on the same day as a film, though they’ve released episodes of their series on the Wednesday before an opening weekend so it’ll be worth following along to see what strategy Disney decides to follow.

  • Live Action ‘One Piece’ Adds Former Cirque du Soleil Acrobat as Cabaji

    Live Action ‘One Piece’ Adds Former Cirque du Soleil Acrobat as Cabaji

    We’re only a few more weeks away from entering the second half year and Netflix is still playing with our hearts on when we can expect the first trailer or release date for its live-action One Piece adaptation. While many are likely still quite a bit cautious due to their track record with these adaptations, a lot of elements are coming together hinting at this potentially being the one to break the mold with passionate cast and showrunners. Even the manga creator Eiichiro Oda has his hands on the project, confirming that it won’t go out into the world until he approves it.

    To hold us over until Netflix drops an official statement, @OP_Netflix_Fan and the detectives over at the One Piece Live-Action Discord server have uncovered another actor playing a familiar role in the live-action adaptation. Buggy’s crew is finally growing with Sven Ruygrok confirming he is set to play Cabaji in Netflix’s One Piece in his CV. Going by it, he has a background in gymnastics and dancing but most notably worked as part of Cirque du Soleil, which makes him an interesting choice for the man commonly unicycling his way through combat.

    It’s great to see them adding an actor that also has the acrobatic skills that match the character from the manga. While it’s unclear just how much we’ll see him jump around or if he’ll primarily be using a unicycle (if at all) but it’s definitely a great little addition to the already stellar cast. Now, we only need to know if he also has a bizarre haircut and a long scarf. They may have shortened it to ensure it doesn’t get in the way during combat; especially if he uses swords.

    Source: Twitter, APM, IMDb

  • Netflix Won’t Renew ‘Lockwood & Co’ for a Second Season

    Netflix Won’t Renew ‘Lockwood & Co’ for a Second Season

    Netflix is doing its thing again, as it has decided not to move forward with the supernatural detective series, Lockwood & Co. for a second season. The series was based on Jonathan Stroud’s young adult novels and had Joe Cornish bringing the series to life that hit Netflix earlier this year in January. Ruby Stokes took on the leading role of ghost hunter Lucy Carlyle, who ends up establishing her own ghost-busting agency.

    While some will discuss why Netflix would once again cancel a series, it seems the viewing numbers just weren’t there to justify another season investment. It does seem like Complete Friction, who was behind the project, is not done working with Netflix and they already have a number of projects in development. They stated that working on Lockwood & Co was “one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers” and were grateful for what they were able to accomplish with the series adaptation.

    With heavy hearts, we announce that ‘Lockwood & Co.’ will not be returning for a second series. Making this show was one of the most rewarding experiences of our careers and we will forever treasure it. Being trusted by the supremely talented Jonathan Stroud to adapt his outstanding series of books was an honour and a privilege. Working with him as closely as we did across the development, production and release of Lockwood & Co has made him a friend, and part of the Complete Fiction family, for life.

    There was quite some fanfare for the project online, but sadly it seems that it was not up to Netflix’s very strict expectations of how a series should perform. There is uncertainty about how many projects really could live up to that measure, especially given the lack of promotion some of these series get. The higher the budget, the bigger the expectation and it’s getting difficult for some shows to build up an audience with a trailer and a poster shortly before release at times.

    Source: Variety

  • New Marine Set Photo Surfaces from Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series

    New Marine Set Photo Surfaces from Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Series

    Netflix’s One Piece series recently gave us a massive update from the manga creator, Eiichiro Oda. Not only did he confirm the eight-episode count but also went out of his way to highlight his involvement with the project being more than just giving away the rights. He has the final say on when the project releases and while we’re still waiting, some small details keep finding their way online to keep us well-fed until the next official batch drops.

    It looks like yesterday’s drop wasn’t everything, as a new set photo has found its way online through @OP_Netflix_Fan. This time around, we get a good look at the cadets that work on the various Marine ships. What stands out is that they have shorter sleeves, which is a bit more reminiscent of one of the designs the Marines have in the One Piece manga. It’s unclear if they purposefully are only giving the cadets shorter sleeves as a way to make an easier distinction of what rank each Marine has.

    It’s great to see more of the Marines, as this is our first real look at them on a ship. There’s a chance this might be part of Garp’s ship that was teased in some of the earlier set leaks. Though, this could also just be a regular Marine ship which is also quite prominent throughout the manga’s long tenure. We can only speculate for now, but it’s great to know that the Marines will have different layers and this might be our first tease at what two prominent characters from the East Blue Saga will be wearing, especially with the tease that they will integrate elements from the saga’s Cover Story.

    Source: Twitter

  • Starz Sets ‘Heels’ Season 2 Premiere Date

    Starz Sets ‘Heels’ Season 2 Premiere Date

    It’s taken a bit longer than hoped, but Season 2 of Avengers: Secret Wars writer Michael Waldron’s excellent look into the world of professional wrestling is finally almost here! As part of a first look at Heels sophomore season, EW has revealed that the Spade brothers will be stepping back into the squared circle on July 28th. By the time the first episode airs, it’ll have been nearly two years since the Season 1 finale saw brothers Jack (Stephen Amell) and Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig) have a major falling out over Jack’s admission that he’s been a real-life heel all along.

    Season 2 will pick up right where the Season 1 finale left off, according to showrunner Mike O’Malley, who also plays rival wrestling promoter, Charlie Gully. “We pick up exactly where we left off in the finale, where Ace walks out of the ring, walks out of that hallway and just gets in a car and is like, ,F— this shit,‘” explained O’Malley. “And then Jack’s journey is, how can I demonstrate my contrition in active ways to my wife, to my colleagues, to my mother, to my brother, to my son? These acts of contrition are profound, but they have to be profound.”

    As O’Malley describes it, Ludwig’s Ace will go on a journey of self-discovery and have to come to terms with some parts of who he is that he just does not like. “In season 2, Ace has to go on a journey to realize that he has just been seeking applause and fame and recognition and doing that has made him somebody that he doesn’t like,” explained O’Malley. He continued, “He doesn’t like that he needs the applause so much that he breaks down in tears. He doesn’t like that his entire life has been built about trying to be a professional football player, and he didn’t make it. He feels like his whole life is a failure.”

    According to O’Malley, it doesn’t sound like Ace and Jack will have much free time on their hands to make up as Gully still fully intends to put Jack’s wrestling league, the DWL, out of business. As the actor puts it, the Spade brothers really are their own worst enemy in the fight against Gully and rightfully points out that they brought this on themselves. “I [Gully] didn’t even know who you guys were until you started trashing me on podcasts. You have created this circumstance,” explaining Gully’s perspective. “Everything that Jack does is due to his own character flaws. If he did not lie to Ace, he wouldn’t be in the situation with Ace. If he did not decide to punch Charlie Gully in the face as a way to deal with his problems with him, he would not be in the situation that he’s in now,” said O’Malley. “This season, you can kind of can see Gully’s point. You’ll see, he’s just a dad, he’s celebrating that his daughter got into college. He’s just trying to run a business, and the Spade brothers are being ridiculous.“

    It sounds like Season 2 of the wrasslin’ drama will come out swinging when it debuts at 10 PM ET on July 28th.

    Source: EW

  • Ava DuVernay’s TV Deal With Warner Bros. Won’t Be Extended

    Ava DuVernay’s TV Deal With Warner Bros. Won’t Be Extended

    Ava DuVernay was a rising star with her projects like Selma, A Wrinkle in Time, When They See Us, Queen Sugar, and more. It led to her getting a massive deal with Warner Bros. TV that would have her signed up for five years, which was worth $100M. Yet, it seems that Warner Bros. and DuVernay have decided to part ways and will no longer continue the contract after 2023.

    Keep in mind, this is not something that was due to the WGA strike but rather was a mutual decision between both parties. There’s no drama involved with this decision but there are no details on what exactly is the cause for this development. We currently also have no news on where she is heading next, as she focuses her work on the post-production of the film Caste.

    It’s not uncommon that some deals just don’t continue due to a change in focus. There’s a chance that DuVarney is simply more interested in pushing forward her cinematic projects. Plus, there might be some disinterest after the DC project New Gods fell apart that she was heavily involved with quite some time ago, and the cancelation of Naomi on the CW. But, if there’s no drama as reported then it might just be a decision to refocus moving forward but we’ll have to see if she breaks another TV deal.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Casting Used Video Game Lines Before Halting Production

    ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Casting Used Video Game Lines Before Halting Production

    Here’s a rather bizarre piece of news, or rather trivia at some point later down the line. While The Last of Us was preparing for its second season, the WGA strike happened with many writers banding together to fight for a liveable wage. In any way one would look at it, it’s an important fight to ensure that creativity as we know it lives on moving forward and now allowing artificial intelligence to become a new norm to save labor costs of talented writers.

    Studios are a bit desperate, however, to keep their big shows going and are finding ways to avoid just following through on the inquiries made by the writers. In the case of The Last Of Us‘ second season, it seems they opted to use video game sequences to cast before finally shutting the doors on the production after all.

    Variety is reporting that they have asked actors to read sides taken directly from The Last of Us Part II, which the second season will reportedly be based on. What makes this bizarre is that there are currently no scripts for that very season even as hopes were to start production in early 2024 in Vancouver. Series showrunner Craig Mazin has been advocating for the WGA and was spotted at the picket line.

    It’s unclear what exactly pushed for this casting process but it is likely the studio hoped that they could jump into production as soon as possible if they already have a cast in place with the WGA coming to an end eventually. Neil Druckmann, series co-creator and creative director of the game, has also not been involved with the series which adds to some concerns about how they might move forward even after the series’ massive viewership.

    Source: Variety

  • CW Cancels ‘The Winchesters’ and ‘Kung Fu’

    CW Cancels ‘The Winchesters’ and ‘Kung Fu’

    CW is ready to enter a new phase of its lifespan, as it slowly starts moving away from the network shows that made it what it is today. Many expected that they will start axing shows left and right, as they are now under the new leadership of Nextstar and the rollout of cancelations has begun. The first victims of the new regime: the Supernatural spinoff The Winchesters and Kung Fu.

    It’s not all bad news, as All American and Walker have been renewed for the 2023 to 2024 season, which puts Nexstar on its goal to make it profitable by 2025; something the network is famous for never being. Supposedly, we might not see more than two to four series airing a season on the network which is quite a step down from its usual network offerings.

    Some big shows have been on CW like Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girls, Supernatural, The Flash, 7th Heaven, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls, and many more. Now, the future looks rather bleak for the network as they cut down greatly with some series still on the fence with supposedly only three shows getting a renewal.

    They are likely going to bring back only one of the two DC shows with Superman & Lois being the bigger one, but it is also quite pricey compared to the cheap Gotham Knights; supposedly the cheapest show they ever produced, and not too surprising given its more street-level focus. They already have some of their biggest shows wrapping up this season with Riverdale, Nancy Drew, and The Flash but it’s unclear if they will roll out more series once CW is profitable, or if they will simply stick to fewer and fewer scripted shows as times goes on as they also haven’t ordered any new pilots during this development cycle.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • New Look at Live-Action ‘One Piece’s Marines Leaks Online

    New Look at Live-Action ‘One Piece’s Marines Leaks Online

    One of the first things we got to see from the set of Netflix’s live-action One Piece series was the various boats they were building. That wasn’t all at the time, as we also got a first look at what the live-action adaptation of the Marines will look like. Surprisingly, they even included some goofier traits from the comics like their baseball caps.

    Now, after the production has long ceased and is pretty much wrapping up its post-production, a new image has seemingly leaked online courtesy of @OP_Netflix_Fan showcasing a fresh look at One Piece’s band of government watchdogs. Sadly, we still have no look at what Garp will look like in his iconic outfit, but the designs still look like they were taken directly from the manga.

    What sticks out is that we have a better look at their swords. Surprisingly though, it doesn’t seem like they have any guns on them, but this might be from the same scene we saw leak all the way back in February of 2022. Given that there’s a big number and the uniforms seem quite similar in design, they might be the ones we meet that are forced to work under Axe Hand Morgan’s rule.

    Though, they could also be positioned on Loguetown and report to Smoker, who surprisingly still hasn’t been cast so far. It almost seems like they are still keeping some castings quite close to the chest even with the series potentially only a few months out. For now, we have to see if it’ll be part of a final push towards the series’ release date promotion.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Secret Invasion’ Will Show a New, More Human Side of Nick Fury

    ‘Secret Invasion’ Will Show a New, More Human Side of Nick Fury

    Nick Fury has always been the MCU’s man with the plan. Always several steps ahead of the guy who thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, Samuel L. Jackson‘s old spy has seen it and done it all. By the time the Chitauri invaded Earth in 2012’s The Avengers, ol’ Nick was already a seasoned veteran of alien affairs, having dealt with the Kree-Skrull War in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel. Next up for Fury is an alien invasion of a different kind in the Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Secret Invasion and it’s set to show MCU audiences a whole new side of Fury.

    Secret Invasion will see Fury faced with his inability to keep a promise he made to the group of Skrull refugees he set out to help find a new home world nearly 30 years prior. As series co-star Emilia Clarke said, Fury “promised a lot of stuff a long time ago, and not a lot has happened. So understandably, a certain amount of resentment has been built.” According to Jackson, that Fury is not the same man featured in Secret Invasion. “Here you have a guy who’s showing his face, and showing his age,” said Jackson in a new interview with Empire, adding “It’s an opportunity to humanize someone that everybody thinks is superhuman.“

    In Marvel Studios’ new series “Secret Invasion,” set in the present day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

    Official synopsis of Marvel Studios Secret Invasion

    As opposed to the comic book event from which it takes its name, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion is anything but a superhero cameo fest. That’s by design, according to executive producer Jonathan Schwartz, who wanted to take the focus off the MCU’s godlike icons and place it on the shoulders of its mere mortals. “One of the things we really wanted to bring to this show that makes it a little bit unique in the Marvel universe is vulnerability,” explained Schwartz and that means putting characters like Fury, Maria Hill, Everett Ross and newcomer Olivia Colman‘s Sonya Falsworth at the center of the show’s action. “Nick Fury is just a human, Maria Hill is just a human. A single bullet could take them out. That’s something we don’t always get in the MCU. To bring that level of tension, fear and vulnerability into one of our shows was really exciting,” said Schwartz.

    And so when audiences reconnect with Fury at the beginning of the series, gone is the eye patch and trenchcoat so long associated with the character. “All those things are part of a Nick Fury that’s invulnerable,” Jackson explained and Secret Invasion is more about peeling back the layers of who Fury is…and who he has been behind all the secrets. “It’s great to have an opportunity to find out who he was and delve into how much of a toll his job actually takes on his personal life,” said Jackson adding that the new spin on the character has given him a renewed interest in continuing to portray the character, “I love playing him, and I love the fact that they’re opening him up to all these other possibilities and this whole life that he has.” With Secret Invasion hitting Disney Plus in just over a month, audiences will get to find out just what that life has been and what the cost of it might be.

    Sources: Empire, Vanity Fair