Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • REVIEW: ‘The Mandalorian’ Puts Din and Grogu in the Backseat for a Look at the Not-So-New Republic

    REVIEW: ‘The Mandalorian’ Puts Din and Grogu in the Backseat for a Look at the Not-So-New Republic

    Chapter 18 of The Mandalorian, The Mines of Mandalore, wrapped up Din Djarin’s quest to end his apostasy well enough that it didn’t need to be revisited; however, the book ends of Chapter 19, The Convert, do indeed revisit the events of the previous episode and, to some extent, cleverly revise them. Returning to Kalevala to find it under attack by Imperial remnants, Bo-Katan, Din and Grogu hotfoot it to a safe space one hyperspace away. Where they go and what happens there are left for the show’s closing moments, though an attentive audience surely guessed where they’d land. As interesting as those closing moments–and the moments they surely set up for the future–are, the episode spends 80% of its runtime (the longest of any chapter of The Mandalorian to date) putting Din and Grogu’s ongoing journey in the back seat so Doctor Pershing can take the wheel.

    Last seen on Moff Gideon’s light cruiser in the Season 2 finale, Doctor Penn Pershing’s reemergence served as a reminder of where Din and Grogu’s journey began, provided a look at the Reconstruction Era of the galaxy and seemed to put the pieces in place for Gideon’s next move. Part of the New Republic’s Reintegration Program, Doctor Pershing’s arc in The Convert serves up a heaping helping of The Who’s We Won’t Get Fooled Again. Co-writers Jon Favreau and Noah Kloor deftly take advantage of years of conditioning of the Star Wars audience to subtly say an awful lot about the New Republic without saying anything at all. Like the other members of the Reintegration Program, Pershing is now a number and not a name, ironically finding himself given the same cold, impersonal identification assigned to the Clone Troopers by the “evil Empire.” An entirely different article could be written on the episode’s commentary on the inefficiency of the New Republic’s handling of old Imperial and Alliance resources, but their handling of a resource as valuable as Pershing as nothing more than a mundane cog in the machine set the gears of his “regression” at the behest of Elia Kane, who is likely working with Gideon. Pershing’s final fate, having his brilliant mind wiped by the “good guys” of the New Republic using an Imperial Mind Flayer, might as well have been done with Roger Daltrey screaming “meet the news boss; same as the old boss” in the background. The hypnotized never lie.

    (L-R): Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) and R5-D4 in Lucasfilm’s THE MANDALORIAN, season three, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

    Whatever Gideon wanted Pershing to do with Grogu’s blood, it looks as though Kane will now help see it through putting Mando and The Child back in the sights of the former Imperials. However, if the closing moments of the episode are any indication, Kane, Gideon and whoever else they assemble may not like what they find the next time they cross paths. As Din returns to the Mandalorian covert to prove he’s come back to the faith, the full measure of his rescue from the Living Waters of Mandalore by Bo-Katan. Though she has never walked the Way of the Mandalore, by bathing in the Living Waters herself, Bo-Katan has been “redeemed” and may now live among the Children of the Watch. The details of Din and Bo-Katan’s experience on Mandalore (Bo-Katan is keeping one tiny detail to herself for the time being) are sure to encourage The Tribe to consider returning to Mandalore and begin the culture’s prophesied return to glory. Bo-Katan’s no dummy and these new brothers and sisters in “faith” provide her with an army of warriors who will certainly do everything they can to protect one of their own, as they’ve demonstrated in the past.

    So while the “Big Three” of the first few episodes only get a small fraction of The Convert’s runtime, the detour to the Coruscant of the New Republic is by no means a waste of minutes. The events on Coruscant serve as a reminder that while you can take the solider out of the Empire, you can’t always take the Empire out of the soldier: the threat of Gideon, in this case in the form of Kane’s ongoing loyalty to his “plan”, still looms large. Additionally, the time spent exploring the ins-and-outs of the New Republic is long overdue. Through two seasons of The Mandalorian, only bits and pieces of what was going on at the center of the galaxy could be gleaned when Mando’s Outer Rim adventures attracted their attention. The New Republic is still new story telling territory and with the rise of Mandalore drawing nearer with every episode, it’s safe to say that the hypocrisy of the New Republic will come into play. There’s nothing in the street looks any different to me…

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Find A New Home

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Find A New Home

    The last few weeks have been some of The Bad Batch‘s best; a remarkable turnaround from a fairly lame first half of the season. Where episodes once felt flat and pointless, they are now full of life and purpose, aimed towards a clear end goal with actual substance. The latest entry, titled Pabu, continues this trend with a wonderful excursion focused on community, something the leading group of rebels has found themselves severely lacking. A perfect mix of calm and storm, the episode manages to be both a singular adventure and a catalyst for the development of its heroes in one gorgeous outing.

    Pabu sees the Bad Batch accompany their occasional business partner and not-a-pirate Phee Genoa, played by Wanda Sykes, to the episode’s titular planet for a bit of rest and relaxation. After a betrayal by their previous employer, the group needs a safe place to hide and a refresher on what it means to be alive, something Genoa believes she can supply in the form of a peaceful refugee city. Of course, things don’t go exactly as planned, and the group ends up having to protect the citizens from a massive tidal wave that wipes out half the community’s infrastructure. The resulting escapade is a lovely look into what the clones could have, and uphold, if they were willing to lay down their guns and give up the fight.

    (L-R): Hunter, Tech, and Wrecker in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    It’s an excellent follow-up to last week’s installment, The Outpost, which saw Crosshair finally submit to a devastating revelation about the Empire. Similar in fashion, the Bad Batch have come to see their own allegiances in a new light, ditching Rhea Perlman‘s Cid and complimenting their former comrade’s journey in a subtly clever way. The parallel between the two storylines is likely far from accidental, with the show’s nearing finale kicking the series’ overarching plotlines into their final gears. One of the best aspects of Pabu, an episode that appears to be potentially one-off at first glance, is how effectively it pushes the narrative forward for its protagonists. Even if the Bad Batch don’t grow to call the planet home, their experience there opens up new ideas and helps both Dee Bradley Baker‘s Hunter and Michelle Ang‘s Omega consider other methods of living.

    Also of note is the ingenious bait-and-switch of Genoa’s role in the series. After several episodes of the character claiming not to be a pirate, something played as a joke every time, it turns out that she is not, in fact, a pirate. She truly is a “liberator of stolen artifacts”, as she puts it, and an advocator of the downtrodden. This reveal works in a few ways. It’s surprising and endearing, yes, but it’s also another notch in The Bad Batch‘s allegorical belt. From the start, the series has made no false pretenses about its intentions to portray the “soldiers post-war” dilemma, and refugees are a large part of that conversation. It’s truly very intriguing to see The Bad Batch manage to tie another character, one who seemed to be outside of the thematic elements of the show, into the grander image.

    Overall, Pabu is a solid half-hour of television. It’s whimsical in its ideals and thrilling in its execution. The Bad Batch has really hit its stride in the back half of this season, and it really feels as though the show is leading to something special. Hopefully, it can stick the landing.

  • Netflix Announces ‘Sweet Tooth’ Season 2 Premiere Date

    Netflix Announces ‘Sweet Tooth’ Season 2 Premiere Date

    After a long wait, Netflix has announced that Sweet Tooth‘s second season will grace screens on April 27th. The series debuted last year and was a hit with fans, boasting an 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix greenlit a second season shortly after its premiere. Christian Convery, who plays Sweet Tooth (also known as Gus), is giving fans an early nugget on what to expect this season:

    I know that I’m itching it find out what’s next but I really hope that Bobby’s okay because he’s the cutest thing in the world, right? Well, and of course… But you’ll just have to wait and watch season two to find out.

    Christian Convery

    Executive producer Beth Schwartz shares that season two is a coming-of-age story where fans will see growth through different stages of life. A new synopsis for Season 2 gives an idea of what Gus will have to face.

    As a deadly new wave of the Sick bears down, Gus (Christian Convery) and a band of fellow hybrids are held prisoner by General Abbot (Neil Sandilands) and the Last Men. Looking to consolidate power by finding a cure, Abbot uses the children as fodder for the experiments of captive Dr. Aditya Singh (Adeel Akhtar), who’s racing to save his infected wife Rani (Aliza Vellani). To protect his friends, Gus agrees to help Dr. Singh, beginning a dark journey into his origins and his mother Birdie’s (Amy Seimetz) role in the events leading up to The Great Crumble. Outside the Preserve, Tommy Jepperd (Nonso Anozie) and Aimee Eden (Dania Ramirez ) team up to break the hybrids free, a partnership that will be tested as Jepperd’s secrets come to light. As the revelations of the past threaten the possibility of redemption in the present, Gus and his found family find themselves on a collision course with Abbot and the evil forces that look to wipe them out once and for all.

    Source: Comic Book

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Almost Had A Prequel Game

    ‘The Last of Us’ Almost Had A Prequel Game

    HBO’s The Last of Us finale was loaded with heartbreaking moments. True to form, the acclaimed adaptation refused to hold back when it came to tear-jerking scenes and shocking acts of violence. While many of those sequences were lifted directly from the original game, there was one that might have come as a surprise to even the most hardcore fans. In a beautifully dark cold open, viewers are treated to their first look at Ellie’s mother Anna, played by the incomparable Ashley Johnson, and the story of Ellie’s birth. Not included in any previous The Last of Us project, the tragic tale has had a long journey towards coming alive, and according to franchise creator Neil Druckmann, was almost its own game entirely.

    With the mainline video games so focused on Ellie and Joel, very little time was left to explore the characters’ connections with anyone in the past. Ellie, specifically, teases multiple important relations from her life before Joel, but only one gets the time to shine. The prequel comic The Last of Us: American Dreams and its follow-up DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, detail Ellie’s friends-to-lovers romance with her childhood best friend, Riley, and have become massively popular with fans. Her mother, on the other hand, is often referenced but never shown. The potential telling of Anna’s story is something that Druckmann has spoken on in the past, and has formerly stated was planned to be an expansion of its own. In an interview with Gizmodo, Druckmann reconfirmed this, and added that Anna’s demise was first conceptualized as an animated short:

    The short story of the origin of that little sequence is when we were wrapping up the game, there are these opportunities to do other pieces of art or storytelling to help promote the game. So we did this comic book called American Dreams, and that’s where we developed Riley, which later turned into the Left Behind additional chapter. And there was an opportunity to do an animated short. Trying to come up with a story, I wrote this short script about Ellie’s mom and how she gave birth to Ellie, was bitten at the same time, and wasn’t sure if she was infected during that birth. And it just became this little character drama that felt like it spoke to the same themes of parental love for their child, and how much you’re willing to do even when you’re on death’s door. [But] that deal fell apart.

    Neil Druckmann

    It was Druckmann‘s second attempt at telling Anna’s story, however, that’s likely the real bombshell for gamers. Hidden at the start of his follow-up answer, the creative director nonchalantly reveals he was having discussions about a full-blown prequel game for The Last of Us universe before transitioning to a live-action outlet:

    Then we were talking to another game company to potentially do it as a whole other game. That deal fell apart to tell that story then. Then I became interested in live-action. So I’m like, maybe we should do this as a short. I was talking to Ashley Johnson about her starring in it, and then we both got busy, so that fell apart and I had just kind of forgotten about it until Mr. Mazin over here. We started meeting to talk about the show and he’s like, ‘What do you have that we haven’t seen? What is Ellie’s back story?’ And I was telling him all this stuff and was like, ‘Oh, right there’s this other story about Ellie’s mom,’ and blah blah blah, and kind of told him about it and he’s like, ‘Oh my God, that has to go in the show.’

    Neil Druckmann

    Pushed further by his interviewer, Druckmann elaborated that this mysterious prequel project got as far as some written material, and would have also pulled back the curtain on Ellie’s father. He remains hesitant to give away any more plot details, however, as he’s apparently holding out hope the game could still one day be made:

    I will say there was some stuff written for the mom and the dad. Again, we were talking to this sort of game studio to potentially do a whole Anna game, the climax of which was this scene. So I’m reluctant to say anything about it because as I now found out several times, stories that I think are failures and will never see the light of day, sometimes see the light of day.

    Neil Druckmann

    While the game studio Druckmann is referring to goes unnamed, it seems notable that Naughty Dog – who have developed both existing games and their DLC – was not who the director was negotiating with. Either way, fans can only hope the story of Anna is told in full at some point in the future, with Druckmann at the helm as always.

    All episodes of The Last of Us are now streaming on HBO Max.

    Source: Gizmodo

  • REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Finale Makes A Hard Call

    REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Finale Makes A Hard Call

    *SPOILERS*

    Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight films are nothing if not quotable, but there’s perhaps one line that rings truer than most. “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” Spoken as a principle reminder to Christian Bale‘s Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, the dialogue is just as relevant to Pedro Pascal‘s Joel Miller in the shocking finale of HBO’s The Last of Us – a series that survives on the actions of love and, more importantly, their consequences. The show spent its entirety building the relationship between Joel and Bella Ramsey‘s Ellie to substantiate a wildly controversial, yet immensely effective, ending that will come to redefine its characters and recontextualize the season for all time.

    From the very beginning of The Last of Us‘ 9-episode run, showrunner Craig Mazin and franchise creator Neil Druckmann have emphasized their desire to portray a world filled with grey areas and difficult decisions. The idea of making a hard call, specifically one that may not be morally correct, for the sake of love has been woven into the series’ DNA and made visible in nearly every installment. Whether it be Tess’ final stand, Bill’s choice to drink the wine, Henry’s sell-out for medicine, or even David’s cannibalism, viewers have been shown over and over again what people are capable of when the life of someone they care about is on the line. It’s the fabric that holds The Last of Us together, and the through line that’s pushed each episode past the point of decency. As such, it’s only fitting that the season finale, titled Look For The Light, confront the topic head-on, putting both Joel and the viewers at home in a near-impossible predicament and forcing them to sit with the outcome after it’s all said and done.

    Those who played the original game may have seen it coming, but for first-time watchers, Joel’s ultimate decision to choose Ellie over a universe was likely a heartbreaking surprise. The minds behind the show did an excellent job of seeding the climactic moment beforehand, giving the duo a collection of sweet moments as a lead-in to demonstrate how strong the connection between Joel and Ellie has become and give further evidence of Joel’s thought process. They even successfully adapted one of the game’s most iconic scenes, with the pair encountering giraffes in Salt Lake City, to make a point of Ellie’s innocence and the beauty the world stands to lose. Pascal‘s performance is exquisitely desperate throughout, at first as a wanting father and later as a wounded protector, injecting the episode with the appropriate amount of distress in an underlying, ever-present fashion.

    The true genius of Look For The Light, however, lies in the subtle way it compares two separate reactions to the same difficult decision. With Ellie unconscious for the majority of Joel’s monumental actions, the episode finds itself needing someone else to act as a foil for the protagonist. The season has spent much of its time convincing viewers of Joel and Ellie’s motives, and that’s not easy to shake. It makes people far more apt to root for Joel’s murder spree, saving a character they love, without considering the viewpoint of the other side. The magnitude of what Joel’s done cannot fully sink in unless there’s someone to present an alternative route, and for the audience to actually respect that secondary opinion, the character who vouches for it must be one with a decent amount of credibility. As she did in the original game, Merle Dandridge‘s Marlene is the one who brings that presence to the table.

    Joel and Marlene are two very different types of survivor. Joel, as has been stated countless times, is a protector. In his mind, he exists solely to keep the ones he loves alive. There is no world but his own, and anyone who challenges that is merely an obstacle. Marlene, on the other hand, is fighting for something bigger. She’s trying to revive the planet, an end goal she feels justifies the sacrifice of anyone it may require. It’s a wonderfully dramatic parallel that’s rich for dissection and gives the episode that signature extra layer fans have come to both expect and admire. While this climactic face-off has always been integral to The Last of Us, the finale episode is able to do something with it that Druckmann‘s initial version of the story simply wasn’t allowed to. After numerous references, the extent of Marlene’s ties to Ellie is revealed, and it does wonders for the final moments of the first season.

    Look For The Light opens with the first-ever glimpse at Ellie’s mother Anna, played by Ashley Johnson (who brought Ellie to life in the games), and gives Marlene’s decision to end Ellie’s life an immense added weight. Druckmann has been attempting to grant Anna’s story a space for nearly a decade, and this episode might have been the perfect place to finally place it. The sequence is haunting, further emphasizing the damage even a single Infected can do, and although probably not the full scope of what Druckmann would like to explore with Anna’s character, it’s exactly what’s needed for the hour at hand. The audience gets a peek into the relationship Marlene shared with Anna and a much better idea of what Ellie means to the former. Present for her birth and now the would-be harbinger of her death, despite a promise made to a dear friend, the difficulty behind Marlene’s decision is now clear.

    So, when Joel’s disquieting rampage through the hospital inevitably ends with a confrontation between Marlene and himself, it’s the kind of storytelling payoff that dreams are made of. An entire series focused on the survival of one girl, coming down to two powerful forces who had both been assigned to protect her. One has grown willing to take her life for the larger majority, and the other has grown willing to murder countless innocents to ensure she stays alive. Neither character is entirely in the right. It’s a problem with no real solution, the perfect final example of The Last of Us‘ cherished grey area.

    Ellie, on the other hand, is robbed of her agency. As has always been her draw in life, she is not allowed a say in her own future. A shepherd, once again sedated as a sheep. Every major plotline culminates in these closing moments, punctuated by the last idea left unaddressed – consequence. Joel makes the most dramatic decision of his life, and then to salvage what he has left, he lies. The lie, and the anxiety of what might come with it, is something Joel and the folks watching from home will be forced to sit with for the foreseeable future. It’s been a miracle of a season, and the finale is appropriately breathtaking. One can only hope it’s made the same impact it had on gamers in 2013.

    Just make sure to remember – when you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.

  • ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Rumored to Setup a Major Young Avengers Storyline

    ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’ Rumored to Setup a Major Young Avengers Storyline

    Even though Marvel Studios Disney Plus streaming series Agatha: Coven of Chaos has been filming in Atlanta for several weeks, little is known about the plot of the WandaVision follow-up. Kathryn Hahn is back as Agatha–or maybe Agnes–and Joe Locke’s Billy Kaplan has been seen on set but just what their connection is to one another remains a bit of a mystery. While MCU fans wait to find out more about the project, a new rumor is circulating that indicates where things might go next for the characters.

    According to My Time to Shine Hello, the events of Agatha: Coven of Chaos will act as a prelude to an adaptation of a nine-issue mini-series published by Marvel Comics between 2010 and 2012 titled Avengers: The Children’s Crusade. There was no indication if the project will be streaming series or a feature film.

    Featuring the Young Avengers, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade focuses on Billy’s search for his missing mother, Wanda Maximoff, as his enormous powers begin to grow beyond his control. While it’s unlikely that Marvel Studios will closely adapt the mini-series, which features Magneto and Doctor Doom in key roles, it is a fitting follow-up to the events of WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha: Coven of Chaos; it’s also a great indicator–for those who still doubt it–that Wanda is very much alive and (un)well in the MCU. As exciting as it sounds, fans shouldn’t get too worked up as the account indicates that the project won’t be ready until 2025 at the earliest.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Star

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds ‘Agents of SHIELD’ Star

    Perfectly timed, Daredevil: Born Again starts production in New York City we are getting some more news on what we can expect from the quasi-legacy series. Not only do we have a director now, but also have a rather shocking recast of Sandrine Holt taking over the role of Vanessa Fisk. It marks the first recasting from the original Daredevil Netflix series even though Jon Bernthal is returning in his iconic role.

    Still, we have one new addition to the cast with an Agents of SHIELD actor Michael Gaston. He wasn’t a major player in the Marvel series with a single episode appearance but this marks the second in his career. The actor also worked on shows like Blindspot, Mayor of Kingstown, Chicago P.D., and many more.

    He joins a cast that consists of Margarita Levieva, the before-mentioned Sandrine Holt, Michael Gandolfini, Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, and its main star, Charlie Cox. It’ll be interesting to see just how big the cast grows as 18 episodes open up many opportunities to introduce a wide variety of characters.

    We still don’t know how far they’ll dive into an overarching plotline or mostly keep it as a week-to-week story. Fisk’s involvement does hint that something will be brewing throughout the entire season, but with 18 episodes they might want to have more individual storylines that flesh out the world we’re about to return to. Only time will tell, as we also don’t know if Foggy or Karen will return.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Disney+’s ‘Daredevil’ Series Adds ‘Dexter’ Director

    Disney+’s ‘Daredevil’ Series Adds ‘Dexter’ Director

    Just as the next Daredevil series starts production, it seems we have an update on who will take over directing duties. The ambitious 18-episode Disney+ series has now added Michael Cuesta, famous for his work on Dexter and Homeland, to direct the first episode of Daredevil: Born Again.

    Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio are set to return alongside the recent announcement of Jon Bernthal also reprising his Punisher role from the Netflix series. The series showrunners and writers are Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who previously worked on Covert Affairs, The Enemy Within, Containment, and The Brave.

    We don’t know how different the series will be from the original Netflix series, though it’s to be expected that Marvel Studios and everyone involved will try to make it stand out as its very own show; probably the reason for its subtitle Born Again being promoted similarly to Spider-Man’s Homecoming.

    There’s going to be a lot of excitement and weight on this Disney+ series, as many have established the Netflix version of the character as their de facto “fitting” tone for the character. His She-Hulk appearance highlighted that his more lighthearted comic variant had been overwritten in the viewers’ eyes. So, we’ll see how it comes together once we get our first actual look at the project.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • First Cast and Story Details for ‘Flintstones’ Sequel Series ‘Bedrock’

    First Cast and Story Details for ‘Flintstones’ Sequel Series ‘Bedrock’

    It looks like the upcoming Flintstones sequel series titled Bedrock is moving forward. Elizabeth Banks has been spearheading the project that’ll return to the life of an adult Pebbles, as we see what life has been two decades after the original Flintstones story came to an end as the former family head is heading into retirement.

    While we haven’t heard about the project for some time, it seems the Bedrock spinoff is finally picking up some steam over at Fox. It has now scored a pilot presentation after being dormant for two years. Now, we also know who will voice whom in the upcoming series, as they have an all-star line-up:

    • Elizabeth Banks as Pebbles
    • Stephen Root as Fred
    • Amy Sedaris as Wilma
    • Nicole Byer as Betty
    • Joe Lo Truglio as Barney
    • Manny Jacinto as Bamm-Bamm

    It’s funny to think we knew Banks was voicing Pebbles all the way back in April 2021 with the rest of the cast being the big additions. Some might look at this project quite skeptical after the Velma debacle, which took the original concept of Scooby-Doo and tried to “subvert” it with an R-rating. There’s no word if this take on the Flintstones is more adult as it focuses on a 20-something Pebbles. What will be interesting is the tease of the Stone Age being left behind and they enter the “enlightened” Bronze Age, which will give us some interesting looks at the older cast adjusting to an uncertain time. Warner Bros. Animation and Fox Entertainment are set to produce the pilot.

    Source: Deadline

  • Atlus’ ‘Persona’ Would Make for a Great Globe-Trotting TV Anthology Series

    Atlus’ ‘Persona’ Would Make for a Great Globe-Trotting TV Anthology Series

    Atlus has made quite a splash internationally with Persona 5. The latest entry in the Shin Megami Tensei spinoff managed to bring a somewhat niche JRPG franchise into one of the biggest offerings with spinoffs, a remake, multi-platform releases, and who knows what else might be in the works. What makes this franchise special is that each new entry tells a story that is unique with a brand-new cast of characters. Some familiar elements return with each new entry, but it’s still a unique story not shackled by having to be a direct continuation.

    There are enough recurring themes and elements that truly tie this franchise together, may it be the iconic Velvet Room, the carry-over demons and gods from SMT, the high-school setting, and many more. Still, each entry is even freer to explore a story that makes it stand out. Persona 2 Innocent Sin explores the concept of rumors coming to life. The fourth entry explored a murder mystery plot in the small town of Inaba, while the fifth entry just had our main characters turn into literal thieves of hearts.

    There’s something unique about what Persona has to offer and the wait for each new entry seemingly gets longer every time. Who knows how many scrapped ideas and concepts were left on the cutting room floor? Plus, the games have a strong focus on the Japanese market, which fits with its constant taking inspiration from real Japanese locations. Persona 5 almost took a very different direction but stuck to its roots after how Japan held together following the Great East Japan Earthquake.

    So, who knows where Persona 6 might take the franchise, as it may simply build upon what we saw in Persona 5 Royal or even take a completely new direction. Generally, there’s also a good chance that Atlus looks beyond the gaming market to expand its brand; we’re already seeing it with SEGA busy in hoping to bring Yakuza to live-action. So, who knows how long the wait will be until Persona or generally the Shin Megami Tensei franchise gets a similar treatment.

    And there is a lot of potential with a franchise like Persona. It’s made for the anthology series format similar to True Detective, which can explore a similar concept with multiple new cast members. Plus, it would allow some of the scrapped ideas to potentially make it back into the franchise by having them as jumping-off points for the new live-action adaptation. Each season represents a new group of characters that face off against unique takes of the shadows that manifest from the hum consciousness.

    They could start familiar with the first season by playing closer to home with something that was already established. Persona 4 seems like the perfect template for a starter season given its more somber tone and a murder mystery always makes for good television. They could give it a different twist and simply use the basic template to build a Western variation to ease viewers into the concept. Once hooked, each season can explore other parts of the world also affected by the Shadows and Personas.

    Though, the biggest challenge is to also bring the flair of the visuals many connect with the franchise to a new format. It’s not impossible as with smart cuts and visual additions, they could still keep those elements alive. Different variations on the iconic music with strong inspirations from whatever culture and location the latest season explores open up many avenues to add something fresh to familiar elements of this iconic JRPG franchise.

    Of course, they could always go down a cinematic route but there’s something bout the build-up across 80+ hours in the gaming franchise that just feels more natural in a long-form format like television. It may just be a dream for now, but if they ever do decide to bring the franchise to live-action, it would be a damn shame if they don’t make use of this concept to explore new avenues across the world.

    Source: Persona Central