Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • Legacy Lunacy: Exploring Marvel Studios Past, Present and Future Choices when Passing the Torch

    Legacy Lunacy: Exploring Marvel Studios Past, Present and Future Choices when Passing the Torch

    As the grand experiment that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe shifted from the Infinity Saga to the Multiverse Saga, familiar faces that audiences had grown to love stepped away and heroes, both old and new, stepped up to take their places. Sam Wilson picked up the shield and became Captain America; Kate Bishop met her hero and now shares the mantle of Hawkeye with Clint Barton; Jen Walters became a better Hulk; and Yelena Belova picked up the torch in memory of her fallen sister.

    These new characters seek to continue the legacy of the characters with whom they share a moniker though they don’t always look to keep the course that was set by their predecessors. Most of these heroes look to do better–be better–than the imperfect heroes they followed into the role. Their relationships with the original heroes gave them perspective, allowing them to learn and grow from their successes and failures and ultimately choose their own direction. That’s the beauty of a well-done legacy arc, but what happens when the studio chooses to circumvent the process? Marvel Studios has made two such decisions and had decidedly mixed results. With another project on the horizon in which they may face a similar choice, reflecting on what worked well and what could (maybe should) have gone better might help the Parliament choose a bit more wisely when the time comes to choose the lead for their upcoming Nova project.

    Ant-Man

    After nearly a decade in development, Marvel Studios released Ant-Man in 2015 as the capstone to Phase 2 of the Infinity Saga. Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish began developing the script in 2006 and Wright was scheduled to direct. When Wright left the project due to creative differences just ahead of filming in 2014, Peyton Reed came on board and along with Adam McKay rewrote bits of the script. According to Reed, the “spine” of Ant-Man was still based on Wright’s work which was an adaptation of Marvel Premiere #47’s “To Steal an Ant-Man” story. Published in 1979, “To Steal an Ant-Man” saw Scott Lang steal the Ant-Man suit from original Ant-Man and founding Avenger Hank Pym just like what happened in the movie, sort of.

    Though Hank Pym was introduced in Wright’s script and Reed’s film, its protagonist is Scott Lang. Pym certainly has a history as the Ant-Man in the MCU, but it’s one only glimpsed in a few brief flashbacks and outside of inventing Pym Particles the character arguably only exists in name only. The same can be said for his wife, Janet, who was not only a founding member of the comic book Avengers like Hank but also a team leader at one point. Though her role grew in importance in Ant-Man and The Wasp and her time in the Quantum Realm will play a major role in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Janet, like Hank, is Janet in name only.

    Wright’s development on the film began in 2006, a full year before Marvel Studios hired Zak Penn to write the script for The Avengers. In 2010, Joss Whedon signed on to direct and rewrote many iterations of the script, including one that included The Wasp as a key member of the team before removing her in favor of Black Widow. It’s unclear exactly how the slow development of Wright’s film may or may not have impacted the script of The Avengers, but what is clear is that Ant-Man didn’t release until 2015, and by that time a second Avengers film, Age of Ultron, had been released as well. So what did the decision to focus on comic book legacy character Scott Lang as the MCU’s Ant-Man ultimately cost Hank Pym?

    Skipping over Hank and Janet in favor of Scott and Hope cost the MCU’s adaptation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes two of its founding members. Additionally, the fact that the long-gestating Ant-Man wasn’t released before Avengers: Age of Ultron meant that Whedon had to replace Pym as the creator of Ultron, the villainous AI created by Hank Pym in the comics. Hank and Janet still got to exist, albeit not in their prime, but the opportunity exists for the adventures of their younger days to be told should Marvel Studios choose.

    Despite all that, Marvel Studios seemingly struck gold with the decision to focus on a legacy character rather than the original. The casting of Paul Rudd as Lang certainly played a large role in that and the large role Lang was able to play because of Rudd’s overwhelming likability has made the character an MCU fixture. Though Marvel skipped over telling the stories of Hank and Pym, the character of Ant-Man has become so integral that the third film in the franchise features the main villain of the Multiverse Saga.

    Captain Marvel

    In 2013, Marvel Studios began developing a Captain Marvel project and a year later, revealed it would become the studio’s first female-led film. The script, which initially took inspiration from Roy Thomas‘ classic Kree-Skrull War comics, passed through multiple writers before Geneva Robertson-Dworet, along with co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck finalized it. By that time, the Kree-Skrull War had gone from inspiration to the “backdrop and mythological underpinning” of the film, according to producer Jonathan Schwartz, and Kelly Sue DeConnick‘s 2012 Captain Marvel run became a major source of inspiration for the film.

    In 2019, Marvel Studios skipped over five (sorry Skrull imposter, you don’t count) Captains Marvel to introduce Carol Danvers as the hero in Captain Marvel. The first of those Captains was Marvel’s first true Cosmic hero, the Kree warrior Mar-Vell who, over the years, developed a relationship with Carol. In 2012, DeConnick explained that her series would find Carol contemplating the legend of Captain Marvel and what it meant to her before choosing to take the name Captain Marvel in honor of the hero. Between Mar-Vell and Carol, Monica Rambeau, Mar-Vell’s children, Genis and Phyla and Noh-Varr all went by the name Captain Marvel. A character named Mar-Vell, who shared no similarities with the comic book hero, played by Annette Bening, appeared in Captain Marvel and briefly interacted with Carol Danvers.

    Captain Marvel majorly overhauled the origin story of Carol Danvers but ultimately the character came outof the oven as a pretty good copy of her comic book counterpart. However, in the rush to establish Carol Danvers as a major player in the MCU, Marvel Studios completely ignored the vaunted history of Mar-Vell and in doing so may have set themselves up for a cascade of alterations to other characters and stories in the future. While there are plenty of strange concepts that are part of Mar-Vell’s comic book history that would be better served being left in the books, the character was inarguably one of Marvel’s greatest Cosmic heroes. At one time, Mar-Vell served Eon as the Protector of the Universe and his ongoing participation in the Kree-Skrull War, which was greatly diminished for the MCU, had consequences that extended beyond his death. So what did the decision to focus on comic book legacy character Carol Danvers as the MCU’s Captain Marvel ultimately cost Mar-Vell and the other Captains Marvel?

    At the moment, it would seem the greatest cost to Mar-Vell would ironically be legacy. Mar-Vell died years ago in the comics, but his legend has lived on and his legacy carried by his children. Without greatly retconning Bening’s Mar-Vell, it’s hard to imagine that Dorek-Vell/Hulking/Teddy Altman, Phyla-Vell/Quasar and Genis-Vell will be her children. While they’re all incredibly important characters, Teddy’s hidden heritage as the son of the great Kree hero Mar-Vell and Princess Anelle of the Skrull Empire is one of the great twists in Marvel Comics’ history and a major part of the character’s ongoing arc. Teddy, under the name Dorrek-Vell, now rules over the combined Kree-Skrull Empires after having put an end to eons of war. With the Young Avengers just around the corner in the MCU, it would seem this entire fascinating arc couldn’t be done without undoing quite a bit first.

    Carol Danvers is a major player in the pages of Marvel Comics and absolutely deserves to be one in the MCU. Marvel Studios landed a huge star in Brie Larson for the role and it’s expected that she’ll be at the forefront of the action as the Multiverse Saga continues to unfold beginning in The Marvels. That film features Monica Rambeau, who was the second Captain Marvel in the comics, and Kamala Khan who was a legacy character to a legacy character in the comics, taking the name Ms. Marvel to honor her idol Carol. The rush to get Carol in the MCU spotlight also greatly changed the Kamala and Carol dynamic (Carol has never been Ms. Marvel in the MCU) and Kamala’s status as Carol’s biggest fan feels forced given there’s really no reason anyone on Earth would know much about Carol much less everything. To date, other than flying through a ship, Carol’s Captain Marvel has not taken her rightful place as a top tier MCU character, calling into question if the overall ongoing narrative may have been better served by introducing Mar-Vell, focusing more on the Kree-Skrull War and allowing Carol to come into her own over the course of a few years, much in the way they have finally worked Peter Parker into a place where he can be a more comic accurate Spider-Man.

    A Man Called Nova…But Which Man?

    Though every industry insider has different insight into how the character will enter the MCU, Nova is entering the MCU sometime in the near-ish future. Sabir Pirzada, who worked on Moon Knight, began work on a Nova project early in 2022 and at one point insider KC Walsh shared that production on that project was set for 2023. Whether production on the movie/series/special presentation starts in 2023 or 2024 or not, Marvel Studios has already made a decision that will greatly alter how the project is perceived…we just don’t know what they chose.

    With Mar-Vell out of the spotlight, Richard Rider became Marvel Comics greatest Cosmic hero over an amazing multi-year run beginning in 2007. Rider grew from a teen who randomly found himself the recipient of a Nova Corps helmet that gave him incredible powers and bopped around with the New Warriors into a man whose body contained the entirety of the Nova Force, rebuilt the Nova Corps following the destruction of Xandar, led the defeats of Annihilus and Ultron and ultimately sacrificed himself to save the entire galaxy. Rider is a fascinatingly complex character who has developed tremendously over the years and could easily be the face of MCU’s Cosmic corner for a decade.

    Introduced in 2011, Sam Alexander is a legacy character in more ways than one. The son of a secret black ops arm of the Nova Corps, Sam became the second Marvel Comics character to go by the title of Nova. Sam grew up with no notion that his missing father was a Nova but with the help of Rocket and Gamora discovered his father’s helmet and begin learning how to master its incredible powers. Sam quickly found himself in some incredible situations, saved the entire Nova Corps and joined the group of young heroes called the Champions. Alexander is still portrayed as arrogant and immature, is essentially about where Rider was as a character during his days as a New Warrior and at this point would seem to fit the MCU better as part of a team of young heroes.

    Though it hasn’t been revealed to the public, Marvel Studios has already determined which of these heroes will be introduced to the audience as Nova. Whether Rider or Alexandar is the star of Pirzada’s script, the writer would have some cleaning up to do thanks to James Gunn. Gunn introduced the Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy, though they were reduced to mall cops with shiny helmets who held onto the Power Stone until Marvel Studios figure out what they wanted to do with it. There was no mention of the Worldmind of the Nova Force in the movie, two integral components of the Corps in the comics, and they have never been seen nor referenced again. It’s possible Pirzada‘s job was made somewhat easier when the writers of Avengers: Infinity War allowed Thanos to retrieve the Power Stone from them off screen. In a rare case of Marvel writers lobbing a softball to their successor, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have given Pirzada the chance to start from scratch to some extent. Xandar has been decimated more than once in the comics, including by the Annihilation Wave, and been rebuilt from the ashes into something new, an idea that may be central to Pirzada’s Nova project.

    If part of the Nova project’s plot focuses on rebuilding Xandar, that’s certainly a job for a more mature, veteran Nova, much like Richard Rider was when he took on the task in the comics. However, Richard Rider hasn’t existed in the MCU just yet, much less become a hardened Nova vet. Then, of course, there’s the issue of addressing the powers given to members of the Nova Corps by the Nova Force, which also doesn’t exist in the MCU. Rider first got his powers when a dying Rhomann Dey (played in the MCU by John C. Reilly) handed off his helmet following the destruction of Xandar. As stated previously, Alexander first got his powers after finding his father’s helmet. While the Dey-Rider handoff could happen, there would have to be some retconning done to explain any powers that come with the helmet. Fortunately, the Nova Corps had possession of the Power Stone for quite some time and any number of experiments could have been done to power up the Corps. Of course, if that had been the case, one would think they’d have done a little better job of stopping Thanos, but Pirzada can only work with what he’s handed. Alexander’s story is a little more difficult to retcon. Even if the Nova project were set in 2026 and his father, Jesse, was a victim of the Snap, Alexander would have to have been born between 2008-2011 or so to be old enough to be a high schooler. As far as MCU lore is concerned, there were no powered Nova’s then, much less a super-powered black ops team. Gunn has left quite a mess to be sorted out.

    Major mess aside, the choice Marvel has already made but not shared in terms of which character MCU audiences will come to know as Nova most likely came down to how they plan to use the character. If they want a great Cosmic hero, the choice should be Rider; if they want a teen to team up with other teens, the choice should still be Rider, who was introduced as a teen in 1976, but would probably be Alexander. In skipping over Rider and going straight to Alexander, Marvel Studios runs the risk of not only angering comic book fans (even though it’s only 2% of MCU audiences, including me) but also finding the character written into more corners in the future as they have with Hank, Janet and Mar-Vell. Alternatively, they could follow what’s been a much more successful approach to legacy characters by establishing Rider, allowing him to become a great Cosmic hero, shift to him mentoring Alexander and then having Alexander assume the mantle later.

    Truthfully, there’s no logical reason for Marvel to have chosen Alexander over Rider, though the lack of logic won’t have prevented them from doing so. Alexander’s Nova hasn’t sold more comics or been more popular and most MCU fans probably don’t have any idea who either of these characters are, much less favor one over the other. Rider’s story as the champion of Xandar and then the galaxy has already been written and would be incredibly easy to adapt to the MCU. Establishing him as a core hero for a few years and then pairing him with Alexander would ultimately make for two strong characters rather than one as their bond would deepen and enrich both of their MCU narratives. Should Marvel Studios chose to follow the example from the comics and have Rider sacrifice himself to save the galaxy, audiences would be heartbroken and Alexander would find himself in an emotional space ripe for telling compelling stories. Such a choice would allow the legacy character to become a legacy character and allow the legacy character to earn the legacy right in front of the audiences’ eyes. If it’s good enough for Hawkeye, it’s good enough for Nova!

    As we all wait to find out together which route Marvel Studios has chosen for Nova, which route would you prefer? We would love to hear your thoughts!

  • ‘The Last of Us’ From Game to Screen: Episode 1

    ‘The Last of Us’ From Game to Screen: Episode 1

    The Last Of Us debuted last Sunday to resounding applause, as the videogame adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey was celebrated for its faithful recreation of the source material as well as the performances of the cast. Every week, we are going to highlight the differences between the video game and the show, as we gauge whether The Last of Us follows the blueprint of another HBO smash in Game Of Thrones in respecting its source material before potentially setting it on fire. We begin Game to Screen with episode one of The Last Of Us, which only had one major difference with how the game opened but some subtle differences that may impact the larger story. 

    In Naughty Dogs’ The Last Of Us, we get a prologue where we see Joel’s daughter Sarah killed by a soldier, and die in Joel’s arms. That’s it, really. However, the show expands on her scenes so that the death hits even harder than it did in the game. In the show, we see her at Joel’s birthday party, visiting friends, baking, and being a more well-rounded character than we saw in the games. Nico Parker deserves a ton of credit for making such a lasting impact in such little screen time. Joel’s relationship with his daughter is deepened by these additional scenes in a very poignant manner. 

    Speaking of deepening relationships, the show does a great job of deepening the dynamic between Gabriel Luna’s Tommy and Pascal’s Joel. In the game, their relationship after the death of Sarah is virtually non-existent until they run into each other while Joel is taking Ellie to the Fireflies. In the show, we see Joel doing what all brothers do: spending time with each other and then bailing your brother out of jail over a bar fight. All in all, the changes are subtle but they do add more depth to someone who may play a bigger role down the line. 

    Another interesting difference between the game and the show is that Joel and Tess are explicitly romantically linked in the show whereas the game just toyed with the idea. In the games, she is his business partner who helps him smuggle things into Boston, but the show adds another layer to their relationship that really didn’t exist in the games. This makes a lot of potential future events that much more interesting, and it sets the stage for some hard decisions to have to be made by our characters given their new proximity to each other. 

    Lastly, a subtle change is how the virus is transmitted. In the game, the person who is carrying the virus has to bite someone or pass the virus through airborne spores. It’s why Ellie’s immunity is so impressive, in that she has both survived repeatedly being bitten and has not caught the virus via breathing. In the show, poison-ivy-like vines transmit the virus from a carrier to a victim, with the reasoning given that the showrunners loved the idea of each victim being connected by the host of the vine that infected them. 

  • Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Follow-Up Seems to Have Conjured Up a New Title

    Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Follow-Up Seems to Have Conjured Up a New Title

    Agatha: House of Harkness. Agatha: Coven of Chaos. How about Agnes of Westview? Production on the new Kathryn Hahn-led series has just gotten underway and it seems that it may have a new title! Star Joe Locke, who is believed to be playing Young Avenger Billy Kaplan in the series, revealed a set photo in which a chair reveals a brand-new logo and potentially new title.

    The series is slated for a late 2023/early 2024 release, though rumors of a delay have swirled for a month or so. Production on the rumored nine-episode series was tentatively scheduled to last until May, making a late 2023 release possible but also potentially tough. With no update from Disney yet available, it’s unclear if the title has officially been changed or if the new logo represents something other than the series’ title.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 4 Reminds Us All That Podracing Exists

    REVIEW: ‘The Bad Batch’ Episode 4 Reminds Us All That Podracing Exists

    In 1999, when Y2K was set to end us all, George Lucas came to the rescue by introducing podracing in Star Wars: Episode 1-The Phantom Menace. A high-stakes sport that was wildly popular in the Outer Rim territories, podracing (and a little sleight of hand by Qui-Gon Jinn) was the plot device that put Anakin on his highway to hell. Episode 4 of The Bad Batch, cleverly titled “Faster”, puts the win-at-all-costs sport back in the spotlight, only with much lower stakes.

    As has been the case in the show’s second season, “Faster” splits up the squad allowing the episodes to focus a bit more on the growth of individual characters. . Episode 4 sees Tech, Wrecker and Omega accompany their sleazoid boss Ciddarian Scaleback to the sordid spaceport Safa Toma. While the episode leans heavily into reminding the clones and the audience just how unsavory of a character Cid is thanks to Ernie Hudson‘s Grini Millegi, an old associate of hers, its primary focus is the continued growth of Tech. So far, no character has shown more growth than Tech and “Faster” is truly his time to shine.

    Tech in a scene from “STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH”, season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.

    Beginning in the season’s two-episode debut, Tech has continued to move from a nearly insufferable know-it-all and has begun showing signs of becoming sympathetic. Though it was never intentional, Tech has always displayed a tendency to talk down to others and being amazingly unaware of appropriate behavior in most social situations. Through a series of bets and contrivances that put Cid in a bad spot with Millegi, “Faster” puts Tech in a position where his mutation sets him up to save the day. And while he gets to show off his big brain and impress the masses with his calculations, it’s his selflessness in putting himself at risk to save Cid that truly earns him high marks.

    Through four episodes, Season 2 has yet to truly pull back the curtain on its main plot thread, focusing rather on making sure the audience knows that these clones are more than just their mutations and that Omega is not the only one who is still learning. While clones across the galaxy face being “decommissioned” and looking at a fate no better than the battle droids they replaced, Clone Force 99 continues carving its own way through the galaxy and growing as they go.

  • ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Tony Award Winner Nikki M. James

    ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Adds Tony Award Winner Nikki M. James

    Production on Daredevil: Born Again is set to kick off in February and as the cast begins arriving in New York City, another member has joined the mix. According to Deadline, Book of Mormon’s Nikki M. James has boarded the project in an unknown role.

    Though James’ role is unknown, Marvel Studios has been searching for a Black actress, 40-49, to play a “loyal” but potentially “ruthless” character whose success is described as “self-made.” In 2011, James won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Nabulungi in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon. She recently appeared in four episodes of Apple TV’s Severance after roles in The Good Wife and BrainDead.

    Daredevil: Born Again was unveiled at SDCC ’22 as an 18-episode event starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio. It was originally slated to debut on Disney Plus in the Fall of 2024.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Attack on Titan’s Final Season Gets a Release Date

    ‘Attack on Titan’s Final Season Gets a Release Date

    Mark your calendars, as the highly anticipated third part of Attack on Titan‘s final season is set to air on March 3rd in Japan. As it’s a simulcast it’ll be available in the States on March 4th. It’ll be a part of this year’s Spring lineup of new anime releases, but MAPPA has revealed it’ll release in two parts with the second half released later in 2023. The mention of a “special broadcast” may hint that this isn’t multiple episodes but rather a special.

    We’re pleased to announce the release date of Attack on Titan: The Final Season. Our initial goal was to broadcast the entire Final Season on March 3rd 2023. However, in the production process, the workload became must larger than expected. After consulting with the production committee, we’ve decided to release the Final Season in two parts

    Studio MAPPA

    Although there might be some theories that the studio divided the season into two parts because they want to potentially “milk” the franchise, this is not a first for MAPPA. This situation happened before when they took hold of the series after its third season, because of the magazine’s problems with Wit Studio. Sadly, this is another case of history repeating itself, as MAPPA might have bitten off more than it can chew once again.

    Attack On Titan was quite the hit when it was first released worldwide and there’s a lot of excitement to see how they will wrap up the series. Yet, the series has also lost its momentum having to stretch out the last few seasons, especially after a long hiatus before continuing after its initial success. Still, there’s excitement

    Source: Comic Natalie via Anime News Network, ComicBook

  • Meryl Streep Joins ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3

    Meryl Streep Joins ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 3

    Only Murders in the Building has become one of Hulu’s newest hits and has slowly started to grow its already impressive cast throughout the last few seasons. The series is led by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in the leading roles. Yet, the series made a big splash when Ant-Man himself, Paul Rudd, joined for the series’ third season. Selena Gomez jokingly shared a video on TikTok to highlight the cast on set including Rudd joining in for the fun. Yet, there was one major new addition that might have everyone quite excited.

    At the end of the video, the one and only Meryl Streep appears and jokes around with the others from the Hulu Original. While it’s not said outright, her addition being highlighted by the official Twitter account and her being there on set confirms that Streep will have a role of some kind in the next season.

    It’s definitely a clever way to reveal her involvement, especially with the popularity of the series with younger audiences. Generation Z is the main focus on TikTok and it seems quite fitting that they’re using this cheeky way to get some fans hyped up for the legacy actress joining the franchise. Only Murders in the Building features a fun concept that allows almost any actor or actress join, and it’ll be exciting to see who Streep might end up playing. Guess we’ll have to wait a bit until we find out.

    Source: Twitter

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Eyeing a Summer Release

    RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Eyeing a Summer Release

    Rumors are a staple of the entertainment industry, especially in the variety of how much or even how little can make the rounds in regard to future releases. Marvel and DC have commonly become the main focus for many rumors due to just how much is involved with these massive and ambitious projects, but it seems that a new project has potentially become the focus of a new rumor.

    Netflix has been hoping to establish its new Stranger Things with a variety of projects. Wednesday may have already helped fill the void alongside all the cancelations of projects that could’ve grown to that status. Still, they’ve put a lot of money into bringing two iconic franchises to live-action, One Piece, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Surprisingly, the latter started production long before the manga adaptation, yet we’ve seen nothing so far.

    While we’re still waiting for any sign of life on the project, leaker @MyTimeToShineH has taken to Twitter and shared a rather curious bit of information. They have hinted that the series is eyeing a summer release on Netflix. Of course, there’s no actual release date and who knows how far along the series is that it can hit that time window.

    There’s also the question of what that might mean for One Piece, as they’d release two of their biggest projects init he same year. They’ll likely want to space them out to avoid any overlap so that they can dominate viewership for as long as possible. If that series was able to showcase some set photos earlier and also relies on a few less special effects work due to no elemental bending being involved, perhaps that series will see an earlier release.

    It’s still a rumor for now, but it’s at least something and gives us a potential time window to keep an eye out for. Avatar: The Last Airbender is an ambitious adaptation, especially with the reputation the initial adaptation had from M. Night Shyamalan. Plus, the lack of any promotion does leave some questions on if we’ll see another one-month promotion for a series they hope to take the world by storm. If we get a trailer or tease in the next few months, the summer release seems more realistic.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Last of Us’ Becomes 2nd Largest HBO Premiere Since 2010

    ‘The Last of Us’ Becomes 2nd Largest HBO Premiere Since 2010

    Based on the viewership of its premiere, HBO has its next major hit series on its hands with The Last of Us. The video game adaptation garnered 4.7 million viewers during its Sunday night premiere between the linear cable channel and the HBO Max streaming service. This officially became the second-largest debut for an HBO original series since 2010, with the Steve Buscemi-led Boardwalk Empire drawing in 4.81 million viewers in its debut. 

    Of course, the one series that drew in higher debut viewerships was House of the Dragon from this past summer. The Game of Thrones prequel debuted to a remarkable 9.986 million viewers between the HBO network and HBO Max. The monstrous debut drew in the largest audience in pay cable history.

    Based on the Playstation video game series of the same name, The Last of Us follows Joel, a survivor of a mass societal apocalypse, being hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie away from a dangerous situation. From there, the series will follow a cross-country odyssey with the two characters in their struggle to survive the widespread infection.

    The series stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the two leads with the ensemble cast including Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, and Nick Offerman. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann serve as writers and executive producers for the series.

    New episodes for The Last of Us premiere every Sunday at 9:00 pm EST. The first season will consist of nine episodes. You can read Murphy’s Multiverse review of the premiere here.

    Source: Deadline 

  • New Trailer for ‘The Mandalorian’ Hints at Revisiting one of Star Wars Most Harrowing Events

    New Trailer for ‘The Mandalorian’ Hints at Revisiting one of Star Wars Most Harrowing Events

    The latest trailer for Season 3 of The Mandalorian is filled to the brim with Mando madness, putting a dozen or so different armored warriors on display and making clear the path forward for Din Djarin involves a trip to the ruins of Mandalore. Fans who have been following the story of the war-torn planet through the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels are sure to feel giddy at the prospects of The Mandalorian following through on those unresolved arcs but it’s another unresolved arc that caught the attention of fans upon first seeing the trailer.

    During Luke Skywalker’s time with Grogu as seen in The Book of Boba Fett, the Jedi Master helped the young Force-wielder tap into his memories, giving audiences a glimpse into his tragic backstory. As seen in the flashback, Grogu bore witness to members of the 501st murdering a trio of Jedi who protected him. The scene brought to life the events that Grogu communicated to Ahsoka Tano in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. After communing with Grogu through the Force, Ahsoka shared that Grogu was raised at the Jedi Temple and was taken from it during Order 66. The identity of his savior, however, remains unknown though it may not stay that way for long.

    At around the 1:07 mark of the new trailer, a shot of the interior of the Jedi Temple can be seen and close attention to the door in the center of the frame seems to indicate that not only will Season 3 of The Mandalorian revisit Order 66 once again but that its most terrifying myrmidon may make an appearance.

    The door in frame is clearly being cut open by a lightsaber, leaving the only question to be who is using it on the other side. Following the debut of the trailer, fans immediately began to speculate that Anakin Skywalker is the unseen menace behind door number one and that Grogu will come face-to-face with Hayden Christensen. There is, of course, another option in play, however. While it’s entirely possible Christensen will make an appearance in the series (he did reprise the role of Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi, after all and could have filmed his Mando scenes then), it’s equally possible that the shot is a bit misleading and that Grogu’s savior stands behind the door.

    One of the more popular theories about the identity of Grogu’s savior revolves around the idea that the traitor Barriss Offee, who was a prisoner of the Jedi during Order 66, may have played a role. In the Summer of 2022, during production on the live-action Ahsoka series, a rumor made the rounds that Lucasfilm was looking to cast an actress as Barriss Offee. Given pickups and reshoots for Season 3 of The Mandalorian took place during the time Ahsoka was filming, it’s possible the actress could appear in both. Given Offee had gone to the dark side, her reasons for taking Grogu might be a bit mysterious, but obviously whoever is behind that door didn’t kill the Youngling.

    Without any strong evidence at this point, the identity of the person holding the lightsaber will remain a classic 50/50 scenario until the third season of The Mandalorian debuts on March 1st.