Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • No Other ‘Cars’ Spinoff Series Currently in Development

    No Other ‘Cars’ Spinoff Series Currently in Development

    Cars on the Road is the first non-short collection from Pixar and their first true venture into long-form storytelling on Disney+. It’s a big step with a popular franchise that has been a merchandising paradise for the House of Mouse. So, it wasn’t too surprising that the franchise would return with a new series but it looks like they are still trying to test the waters before rolling out more.

    Director Bobby Podesta has pointed out during Cars on the Road‘s official press release that there are currently no other series based on Cars in any form of development. It seems that we’ll only get to enjoy the road trip of Mater and Lightning McQueen for now.

    Well, we don’t have any Cars series in the making as of this moment, I’ll say that. But we would love to make more. And the schedule was we made the whole series in about a year and a half, which is a pretty tight timeline for Pixar to make this, you know, this amount of content.

    Bobby Podesta

    He doesn’t state that they aren’t interested in exploring more series in this universe, but it seems that Pixar is taking it one step at a time. Also highlighting that the series was made in a record time of “a year and a half” could also be one of the reasons they want to see how it pays off in viewership. Even with a younger demographic, there’s a chance some kids will love this series and watch it over and over again. One of Frozen‘s big selling points even to this day was just how much kids loved playing it on loop.

  • ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 3

    ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ From Page to Screen: Episode 3

    Welcome back to another installment of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law From Page to Screen. In the show’s first week, we looked at the differences between the comics’ and series’ versions of Jennifer Walters becoming She-Hulk as seen in the first episode. In Episode 2, viewers got a live-action introduction to Jen’s new legal job, taken straight out of Dan Slott’s and Juan Bobillo’s 2004 She-Hulk run—Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H). Episode 3 took She-Hulk in a bold direction. While it didn’t appear to be the most comics-inspired episode, it did introduce an apparently reimagined version of a comic villain.

    At the end of the episode, Jen is jumped by four men who wield the stolen tools of an Asgardian construction worker. The gang is apparently the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the supervillain team, the Wrecking Crew. The group first appeared in 1974 in The Defenders #17. Since then, however, the Wrecking Crew has primarily been associated as a villain to Thor, though they appear as adversaries in a wide variety of contexts in Marvel Comics.

    Despite being construction-themed, the Wrecking Crew has a rather fantastical origin. The Wrecking Crew began in Marvel Comics with Dirk Garthwaite, a demolition worker whose violent upbringing made him equally unstable and violent. Dirk donned a mask and costume and assumed the criminal persona of “Wrecker,” causing mayhem at crime scenes with a crowbar. Wrecker’s crime spree one day brought him Loki, who was summoning his ally the Norn Queen to restore his magical power. Dirk was mistaken for Loki after stealing and wearing Loki’s helmet, and he was granted magical power in the form of superhuman strength and endurance.

    Wrecker used his newfound power to carry out Loki’s command and battled Thor. Wrecker was defeated by the Destroyer armor after several attempts to kill Thor and was imprisoned. Wrecker eventually escaped from prison with three other inmates: Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball. The villain found his crowbar (which held his enchanted powers) and decided to share his power with his new crew of escapees. The Wrecking Crew was born when a thunderbolt hit the crowbar while all four held it.

    The Defenders #17 (1974)
    The Defenders #17 (1974)
    The Defenders #17 (1974)

    In She-Hulk, the Wrecking Crew so far seems to be a rather puny, comedic version of the comics’ team. Though the group’s live-action origin is a nice nod to the heavy Thor-based comics crew, as they got their “abilities” by robbing an Asgardian construction worker of his enchanted tools. The Wrecking Crew members weren’t just looking for a fight with Jennifer Walters. Thunderball, wearing a ski mask, tries to inject her with what appears to be a blood sampling device. This opens the door for questions about the MCU Wreck Crew’s “boss” and what they want with Hulk blood.

    Marvel Studios’ ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ Episode 3
    Marvel Studios’ ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ Episode 3
    Marvel Studios’ ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ Episode 3

    The live-action Wrecking Crew has barely appeared in She-Hulk, so it is difficult to say if they will remain this fairly de-powered version of the classic comics team, or if they have more development later in the series. In She-Hulk comics, there is a comedic moment where the Wrecking Crew is imprisoned in the Big House, a Pym particle shrunken-down prison. Perhaps there is a chance for even more Ant-Man references in an MCU Disney+ series.

    She-Hulk #5 (2004)

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is now streaming on Disney+.

  • REVIEW: ‘Cars on the Road’ Has Something for Everyone

    REVIEW: ‘Cars on the Road’ Has Something for Everyone

    The Cars franchise has varied in quality throughout its three cinematic releases, but there’s always been something quite charming about the friendship between Owen Wilson‘s Lightning McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy’s Mater. Pixar knew what the film’s strengths were and with each project kept that at the base of its hard; no matter where the story leads it. That very same thing can be said with Pixar’s true first animated series, Cars on the Road.

    Across the various episodes, the duo is on the road for a few days to take part in the wedding of Mater’s sister. Besides the surprise revelation of Mater’s family background–which has quite a fun twist that doesn’t overstay its welcome–and some more fun between the leading pair, there’s something quite special with the Pixar series. Each episode is its own little storyline that offers something quite fun and a great time.

    Steve Purcell and his team tried to offer something fun with each episode, such as playing around with different genres, film tributes, and generally just taking these iconic characters and putting them into surprising scenarios. While one episode explores the pre-historic history of the Cars universe with a Ray Harryhausen animation twist, another will give us The Shining with a vehicular twist.

    The series doesn’t revolutionize anything and there’s no real need for it to do so. From the opening, the show knows exactly what it’s about and doesn’t try to be anything else. What helps with that aspect is that these episodes are pretty digestible. You’ll get through an episode in just around seven to eight minutes, which includes credits and it helps give each episode a quick pace.

    The show goes by fast and still has its memorable moments. McQueen goes through quite a bit of hell this time around, as the poor guy has to live through a haunted mansion and even face his fear of clowns; a highlight of the season. Mater is as enjoyable as he’s always been and the show doesn’t change their characters much; mostly just sees how their personalities would work or even clash depending on the situation.

    We also get some new additions this season with characters like Quinta Bruson‘s Ivy and Dana Powell‘s Mato. They are fun additions but don’t really take much of the focus away from our leading duo. There is a point in the story where they make it seem like they’ll have someone joining them for the road but that storyline is swiftly scrapped. In a way, it did make you wonder why they included it besides for a few gags and it was a shame not to explore how their dynamic would change with a new friend tagging along.

    The animation is great and everyone looks the way you’d expect them to. As stated earlier, there is an episode that pays tribute to claymation that highlights the attention to detail. A lot of this series feels like a love letter to the many genres and films where the franchise started. There aren’t any major twists and turns but a simple joyful ride with two close friends.

    Cars on the Road is just a great time and has something for everyone. Kids will just have a blast with Mater and McQueen’s usual dynamic while also enjoying how these two play off of each other. In the meantime, adults will get a blast out of Easter eggs from Mad Max, The Shining, and more sprinkled throughout the series. In a way, it could be the perfect jumping-off point for anyone wanting to spark their kid’s curiosities about some classic films when they start asking why a bunch of cars are driving through the desert challenging strangers to survive the Thundercone.

  • Jodie Turner-Smith Joins ‘The Acolyte’

    Jodie Turner-Smith Joins ‘The Acolyte’

    Announced during Disney’s 2020 Investor Day, The Acolyte was one of many Star Wars projects that went dark for a while with virtually no updates on the series. That was until it had been announced that Amanda Stenberg was set to lead the cast of the Sith-based prequel series for Disney+ and it looks like the project has secured yet another cast member.

    Deadline is reporting that actress Jodie Turner-Smith, best known for her work in projects like After Yang, Queen and Slim, and Anne Boleyn, has joined the cast of the Disney+ series. The trade report didn’t have any details on who Smith will be playing in the series as details on the project still remain under wraps.

    The series, developed by Netflix’s Russian Doll creator Leslye Headland, is said to take viewers into the last days of the High Republic as the Dark Side grows in power and will follow a young Sith apprentice, known as an Acolyte. The project is reportedly set to begin filming sometime this Fall.

    Fans can most likely expect to hear more on the project at the upcoming D23 expo set for September 9th and 10th where anything and everything under the Disney umbrella will have time to shine during two major Studio Showcase panels.

    Smith can be seen in multiple upcoming projects such as White Noise alongside Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, directed by Noah Baumbach and Netflix’s Murder Mystery 2.

    SOURCE: Deadline

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’s Larry the Cable Guy Shares How He Voiced Mater Throughout the Years

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Cars on the Road’s Larry the Cable Guy Shares How He Voiced Mater Throughout the Years

    Mater has become a staple of the Cars franchise and even many children’s toy boxes. Even with the many different toys, video games, shorts, and anything Disney could get out of the character, Larry the Cable Guy continued providing his voice for the many iterations of the character.

    Now, he’s venturing out into the first TV series based on Cars with Cars on the Road, and in an exclusive interview, Larry the Cable Guy shared how he recorded most of his projects in the past and compares his latest experience to working on the various Mater-centric shorts throughout the years.

    I have a studio at my house and that’s where I did all the toys, and games, and that kind of stuff. The movies, I’d go out to Emeryville. […] For the shorts, I think I’ve done it so long that the producers and directors trust me enough to know what I’m doing. We all get along and they write such great stuff, they trust me, I am very happy about that.

    Larry the Cable Guy

    He highlights how many different venues they have nowadays to release the series and he could’ve imagined Cars on the Road as shared just how much fun they had recording for this project.

    We laughed so hard, each one of these episodes we’d get to laughing so hard. I’d throw something out, they’d throw something out. We would go: “Let’s take a few seconds!” because we were laughing. I mean there is really funny stuff in there.

    Larry the Cable Guy

    It definitely sounds like they had a lot of fun and he teased in the interview that he also had the chance to improvise; giving the scenes their own dynamic as well. He’s voiced the character for so many years and through many different mediums, but he still shares his joy of voicing this character to this day.

  • The Hypothetical 2024 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V3

    The Hypothetical 2024 Marvel Studios Release Calendar, V3

    Thanks to Kevin Feige’s presentation at SDCC ’22, not much has been left to the imagination for 2024. Marvel Studio’s One-Above-All blew the doors off Hall H by officially revealing Daredevil: Born Again, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four would all be released in 2024. He did, however, leave one currently scheduled film date unfilled and what look to be three Disney Plus series. Feige also gave a time frame for when Agatha: Coven of Chaos should start streaming and from the looks of it, 2024 is going to be a very full slate for Marvel Studios live-action productions.

    As per Feige at SDCC ’22, Coven of Chaos will bridge 2023 and 2024, so if Marvel Studios sticks to that timeline, it’s just a matter of when in December it starts and when in January it ends, assuming a 6-episode run until otherwise indicated.

    Once upon a time, it seemed like a sure thing that Deadpool 3 would hold down this spot. I even got wind at one point that it might start production in the Spring of 2023, making this the perfect date. However, as time goes on, confidence in Deadpool 3 being ready in time for this date continues to decrease. But until such a time that confidence hits absolute zero (and I hear that something else is taking this date), it’ll stay here.

    Daredevil: Born Again will be Marvel Studios’ longest series yet, with an 18-episode first season on the docket. Everyone has their own idea about how this series will work out: three six-episode pods; a nine-episode “part one” and a nine-episode “part two.” But as of now, Marvel Studios hasn’t given any indication of what to expect so we’re rolling with this being 18 consecutive weeks of DD goodness. 18 weeks is over a third of the year and there are plenty of other streaming series they want to roll out, so a March 1st start date allows this big event series to bridge the gap between films.

    It took a little longer than expected to crack the script and find a director, but now things are headed in the right direction with Julius Onah taking the helm. Expect casting news to start trickling out over the last quarter of 2022 and for production to get underway early in 2023.

    The first draft of Thunderbolts has been complete for quite a while now, having been done by Black Widow’s Eric Pearson. With Jake Schreier now on board as director and much, if not all, of the cast of the film already in place, don’t expect a ton of news to roll out about this one.

    Whether or not this project, which was announced back in February of 2021, is called Midnight Angels or not remains to be seen; however, once fans see Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, they will certainly have an understanding of what this project could be about should Ryan Coogler chose to center this Wakanda-centric spinoff on those characters. Of course, there will be a couple of other potential stories that could also make for an interesting D+ series and Ironheart is itself a Black Panther-related spinoff, so the World of Wakanda will continue to grow in many directions regardless of what this series is titled.

    Wonder Man finally gets his chance to step into the MCU! While I don’t expect this show to begin filming until 2023, there may be something to the rumors about them already looking to cast Simon Williams, meaning that the character would debut in another project ahead of his streaming series. Wonder Man and the Wakanda series do seem to be next up, so which one debuts first in the Fall of 2024 will just be a matter of which one gets into production first and successfully avoids the kinds of delays that have hit all of Marvel Studios live-action streaming series.

    Nearly five and half years after first being teased at SDCC ’19, Marvel Studios will debut their version of the First Family. Matt Shakman was recently chosen to shepherd the project and early word is that his vision lines up nicely with not only what Kevin Feige has in mind but with the original vision of the characters who first appeared in the World’s Greatest Comics Magazine over 60 years ago.

    Fans have had a field day wondering “what’s going on with Armor Wars?” The answer is probably much less sinister than the internet believes. The project is still in development and as is the case with so many of Marvel Studios’ projects, they are simply just taking their time to make sure they put together a solid project before heading into production.

    *NOTE* While confidence is fairly high that 2024 will include Midnight Angels, Wonder Man, and Armor Wars (though it’s possible a Nova series pushes one of them to 2025) confidence is much lower on the order in which they might arrive.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Larry the Cable Guy on Reuniting with Owen Wilson for ‘Cars on the Road’

    EXCLUSIVE: Larry the Cable Guy on Reuniting with Owen Wilson for ‘Cars on the Road’

    There are many iconic duos in the world of cinema but many might have a fond childhood memory of the unlikely duo of race car Lightning McQueen and Radiator Spring’s sweetheart Mater. While we last saw the two together in the third Cars film back in 2017. Luckily, the duo return with their original voice actors once again reuniting, McQueen’s Owen Wilson and Mater’s Larry the Cable Guy.

    Having had the chance to interview Larry the Cable Guy during the press for the upcoming Disney+ series, Cars on the Road, the actor shared some insight into what it was like working with Owen Wilson again even with the pandemic keeping them apart. It sounds like their work dating back to 2006 has made it easy for them to know how the other voices their character even without being in the same room.

    The cool thing about Owen and I: we’ve done it for so long, we’ve done so many projects. I know which direction he’s going, and he knows which direction I’m going. So, if Owen’s in the studio and he throws out a new line and they put that in the script when I go up to do mine; obviously if they are reading Owen’s line to me, I already know which inflection Owen already used, I know what he sounds like in my head before I do mine. So, when I do my line I know it’s going to match to what he said, because we know each other’s inflection and we know what each other person is thinking because we’ve done it for so long.

    Larry the Cable Guy

    It sounds like the pandemic couldn’t keep the duo from bringing their iconic characters to life. There’s something about realizing just how long Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy have been working together. It also shows what kind of bond they have developed over the years.

  • Funko Pop! Reveals New Look at ‘Secret Invasion’ Character

    Funko Pop! Reveals New Look at ‘Secret Invasion’ Character

    Marvel Studios is adapting one of Marvel Comics craziest event series in Secret Invasion. Expected to stream early in 2023, Marvel Studios Secret Invasion has been billed as a paranoia-filled spy thriller. And in the MCU, if spy games are involved, THE spy will be there. Samuel L. Jackson has been attached to the project since its earliest days (in fact, the series was initially described as a Nick Fury project) and while there hasn’t been much in the way of promotion, the actor has been front and center for what has been shown. Now, as part of a series of reveals of Funko Pops! that will be available at NYCC, a new look at Jackson’s Fury has been unleashed!

    As of the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Fury was known to be in space working with a group of friendly Skrulls while Talos was simming him on Earth. Secret Invasion will see Fury back on Earth, but becoming aware that not all Skrulls’ interests are aligned with those of Talos. Crew merch that surfaced earlier this year seemed to indicate that at least part of the comic event’s plot, which centered around a Skrull god and a prophecy that the Skrulls were destined to rule Earth, should make its way into the streaming series, perhaps hinting at the identity of some of the rivals Skrulls. It’s also recently been revealed that some of the events and characters look to be inspired by a recent comic miniseries titled Meet the Skrulls. So while the full plot hasn’t been revealed (fans are hopeful a trailer for Secret Invasion will come out of the upcoming D23 Expo), it seems that Nick Fury will have a a pretty full plate.

  • Initial ‘Cars on the Road’ Pitch Included “Twice as Many Stops”

    Initial ‘Cars on the Road’ Pitch Included “Twice as Many Stops”

    Productions change a lot from when they are initially pitched. While some pitches tend to focus on the overarching storyline and feeling the series is going for, others tend to have a stricter outline. In the case of Cars on the Road, it seems that they had quite a few episodes already mapped out as revealed by writer Steve Purcell, who pitched the series initially.

    In the official press conference for the series, he reveals that the biggest change was the number of episodes that made it into the final release. Purcell initially pitched twice as many stops before they started cutting down on what fits the story best. He doesn’t give away what they would’ve consisted of but it seems that they wanted to focus on finding a nice balance when bringing the series to life.

    Yeah. When I first pitched the idea, we had twice as many stops. And so we’ve sort of arrived at an order that we felt was working. And sometimes we would pull one out and put another one in, a different idea. Looking for just the right selection and the kind of, you know, alternating between day scenes and night scenes and kind of, you know, out in the desert opposed to in a forest or something like that. So it was really trying to structure it so it felt like a nice variety of places and it felt like you were going from one place to another along the way.

    Steve Purcell

    He does highlight that perhaps there’s more to come and teases that he has “10 more ideas sitting out there” that could be a part of another road trip for Mater and Lightning McQueen.

    But there’s still, you know, 10 more ideas sitting out there that we hadn’t used.

    Steve Purcell

    Given the Cars franchise’s success, it seems unlikely to expect this to be the last we see of them. So, we’ll have to see if the series’ upcoming Disney+ Day release will signal a second season renewal. Who knows if they might even have it planned and are just trying to build up the momentum once the series hits Disney+?

  • ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 3 Recap

    ‘House of the Dragon’-Episode 3 Recap

    A Historically Accurate Royal Hunt

    One of the biggest plot points in this episode was Viserys’ royal hunt, where he and about half of the Red Keep went into the Kingswood to hunt down a rare white hart in celebration of his son Aegon’s second nameday. This is actually pretty accurate to what medieval royal hunts looked like, where the monarch would wait for his huntsmen to find their prey and the king would deliver the killing blow. So while this may be more in line with how it actually may have happened, we’ve already seen a king in Game of Thrones go hunting through the Kingswood, with nobody but a Kingsguard, his brother, and a cupbearer. Robert Baratheon has no time to sit in a tent when a boar the size of an elephant is waiting to gut him to pieces!

    Viserys chose to spend his time waiting for his prize drinking and getting into whisper shouting matches with his daughter, Otto Hightower, and a Lannister about the war in the Stepstones. Paddy Considine is really nailing the role of Viserys, trying to please everyone while drinking himself into a stupor, and in doing so, making things so much worse. And did anyone catch those missing fingers from the Iron Throne cut? Bad omen. Another note is that the hunters couldn’t track the white hart, they only found a brown one, and Viserys could not even cleanly kill the poor replacement. The rare white hart did appear for Rhaenyra, but she chose to let it go. Something to remember moving forward.

    A lot of time was spent this episode with Viserys combating different people (Hightower and Lannister) for questioning his line of succession. Viserys finally made a stand and cemented his daughter as heir, even confirming it to her. He did have a moment of weakness with Alicent in wondering if he had the made wrong choice in Rhaenyra, but then doubled down on his choice afterwards. This confirmation of Rhaenyra as heir should make her more interactive in court and around her family, but the lingering question remains: what happens between Rhaenyra and Aegon when Viserys is gone?

    Rhaenyra and Company

    The episode provided some quality one-on-one time with Criston and Rhaenyra, after Rhaenyra ran off and Cole had to go after her. A callback to King Robert showed up when a (much smaller) boar attacked Rhaenyra and Criston, but the Kingsguard knight made short work of it. It did make quite a striking visual with them arriving back at camp dragging the carcass and Rhaenyra being soaked in blood.

    Another significant dynamic to keep an eye on is the rivalry between Alicent and Rhaenyra. So far, Alicent has seemed very sympathetic towards Rhaenyra who is giving her the cold shoulder. How long will Alicent continue to play nice, especially with her father in her ear whispering that her own son Aegon should be heir and not her stepdaughter?

    War in the Stepstones

    A big difference between the show and the book is that Viserys was not supporting the Stepstones throughout the war. In Fire and Blood, Viserys was happy to pay for Corlys and Daemon’s war in order to keep him out of trouble. In the show, Corlys and Daemon are struggling, and were on their last legs before Viserys chose to send a small force. This minimal help drove Daemon into a rage and one last assault, basically soloing the Crab’s forces before Corlys’s army along with his son, Laenor, and his Dragon Seasmoke came to save the day. Laenor isn’t a warrior in Fire and Blood, he doesn’t even get knighted until he’s required to for marriage, so it’s quite a change from the books and something that probably should have been set up a little better to have a bigger impact.

    One major complaint about this episode is that Daemon’s duel with the Crabfeeder took place entirely offscreen. I was really looking forward to that, especially with the Crab looking like Jason Voorhees incarnate. Oh well. We’ll see how Viserys handles Daemon being the self-proclaimed King in the Narrow Sea next week.