Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • ‘The Incredible Hulk’ Star Opens Up About Acting Opposite a Different Hulk Actor

    ‘The Incredible Hulk’ Star Opens Up About Acting Opposite a Different Hulk Actor

    The upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law marks the grand return of Tim Roth in the role of Emil Blonsky. He’s only the second actor from 2008’s The Incredible Hulk to join production; following the late William Hurt as General Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America: Civil War. With such a time gap, it was quite the change for the actor, who opened up about the experience in an interview with Forbes to promote the upcoming project, Resurrections.

    While he continues to not give away any details on his exact role, he does look back fondly at The Incredible Hulk; even calling it a “big budget indie” as it was in development before the Marvel Cinematic Universe truly came together. He did highlight it was quite the adjustment jumping back into the fray of this franchise.

    Coming back, I didn’t know what to expect. Once I started shooting on it, I didn’t know how to go about my business, and it was a bit disconcerting. Tatiana Maslany is incredible, and She-Hulk is a comedy, and she’s bloody good at comedy but, to be fair, she’s pretty, pretty good at everything When Mark Ruffalo showed up to do his stuff that I was involved in and saw the two of them interacting, it was a penny drop moment for me, and I went, ‘Oh, that’s what we’re doing. Oh, okay,’ and then I knew what to do. Basically, on the first segment I was involved in, I got some serious direction from them about we go about our business there, and then it was all playtime. It was a lot of fun.

    Tim Roth

    He also jokingly added how unique it was to star opposite Mark Ruffalo, who is the second actor in the franchise to take on the mantle. The 2008 Hulk film originally had Edward Norton in the iconic role before he passed after some creative differences heading into The Avengers. It seems that he and Ruffalo had quite a bit of fun with that fact on set.

    Yeah, I was like, ‘You’ve changed.’ (Laughs) It’s kind of fun. We used to hang around and muck about between takes, and we had a nice time. I very much respect Mark as an actor, so even under those bizarre and wonderful circumstances, that one was a treasure.

    Tim Roth

    It definitely sounds like he had quite a lot of fun with the project, which adds to the uniqueness of joining after so long. Not only is it a straightforward comedy but also a very different kind of project that is heading to Disney+ exclusively. So, it’s going to be exciting if that behind-the-scenes energy also carried over into the streaming series.

    Source: Forbes

  • ‘Moon Knight’ Director Backtracks on Season 2 Tease, Hints at Interest in Exploring Character’s Judaism

    ‘Moon Knight’ Director Backtracks on Season 2 Tease, Hints at Interest in Exploring Character’s Judaism

    Not too long ago, Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab was asked by a fan alongside Oscar Isaac, who was visiting Cairo at the time, if they were working on a second season. At the time, they jokingly stated why else they’d be there and Diab also shared a “Season 2” tease on Twitter. So, it seemed like maybe there was a chance that something is happening. Yet, it seems the director may have backtracked on that statement in a new tweet.

    Moon Knight had a strong focus on its Egyptian mythology and DID, which led to some fans being disappointed with the lack of Jewish representation. while it was present, there have been many discussions on if it was enough. In response to a tweet on the matter, Diab has hinted that not only is he definitely open to exploring it more but also now backtracked that there are no talks in regards to the character’s future.

    It’s confusing as we don’t know if the previous teases were just them playing around or he may have accidentally revealed something he wasn’t supposed to. Moon Knight definitely feels right to continue after that post-credit sequence. Jake Lockley was teased throughout the entire season for a last-minute reveal, and there’s also the question of how exactly they might want to include the character in future projects.

    Considering that two personalities left the life of a superhero behind, it would be odd not to further explore that dynamic before throwing them into a crossover storyline. There’s definitely something interesting to explore with the concept of the inner conflict with being used by an Egyptian god with a Jewish background. Here’s hoping they get the chance to further explore it.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Star and Director Stand by VFX Artists

    ‘She-Hulk’ Star and Director Stand by VFX Artists

    There’s been a lot of talk about the way VFX artists are treated by Marvel Studios. Given they are one of the biggest players in the market, there’s going to be tension as with any other service-based industry. It’s definitely been quite a few reports from artists that highlighted the crunch and many challenges that come with the work on these Disney+ and movies.

    She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was one of the many targeted due to its inclusion of not one but many fully CGI characters like Hulk, She-Hulk, Abomination, and who knows who else might show up. During this year’s Summer TCA panel, Tatiana Maslany, Kat Coiro, and everyone attending the panel voiced their support for the VFX industry, as well as for them being able to unionize.

    It’s great to see them speak out on the matter, and as more reports from many perspectives start to surface, it does paint a very curious picture. There’s a lot we don’t know behind the scenes and we’ll have to see if there will come an official statement from Disney or Marvel Studios.

    No matter where one stands on the issues, it doesn’t mean we should downplay the work that is being done on the Disney+ show which has improved tremendously since the first entry. So, it’s going to be exciting to see how the show comes together once it premieres in just a few weeks.

    Source: Twitter

  • Tatiana Maslany Teases She-Hulk and Daredevil’s Dynamic in Disney+ Series

    Tatiana Maslany Teases She-Hulk and Daredevil’s Dynamic in Disney+ Series

    Disney has been busy today promoting its upcoming project during this summer’s TCA, and one of the panels was for the upcoming She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series. While they naturally didn’t reveal any information bout the show’s plots or characters, they did give a hint at what we can expect from the dynamic between Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk and the return of an in-costume Daredevil.

    Charlie Cox‘s return is something many are excited about and it was naturally the first question asked. While they couldn’t give away any details, Kat Coiro, the director of the She-Hulk series, teased the dynamic between the two unlikely allies. It seems that we can expect them to “match wits” throughout their time on screen together. Here’s the full quote as shared by Brett White from the event:

    https://twitter.com/brettwhite/status/1554901965494276096

    His return is definitely something many are looking forward to and with Disney+’s growing streaming base and offerings, we’re excited to see what their future also has in store. Cox had his fair share of great lines in the Netflix series and it’ll be great to see him carry over that dynamic going into his new Disney+ run, also setting up his characterization in the upcoming projects.

    Source: Twitter

  • HBO Max May No Longer Produce Scripted Shows, 70% Layoffs Expected

    HBO Max May No Longer Produce Scripted Shows, 70% Layoffs Expected

    The news surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery continues to ramp up. Not only did they shelve two almost finished projects with a combined cost of $130M but also decided to just shelve around six films from HBO Max that were original productions. Now, more details are finding their way online on what exactly is happening and the future of the streaming service is starting to look quite grim.

    HBO Max was quite the promising streaming service in the market and had the potential to rival both Netflix and Disney+ in its growth. Now, it seems that the future plans are to combine HBO Max and Disccovery+ into a brand new service. As a result, they are removing shows and movies that didn’t perform well (questioning what standard that exactly is) as partial tax write-offs. Yes, more projects are likely going to silently vanish from the streaming service.

    The only way that taxable income can be written off is by removing it from distribution, which also means we won’t see a future digital release; similar to what happened to Batgirl. They also seem to want to streamline their service to not overwhelm audiences with choices, a common complaint surrounding Netflix, but it may come at the cost for original productions.

    The plan seems to be to roll scripted shows with HBO to reduce redundancies between the two offerings. 70% of their current staff may be cut which is a massive movement by CEO David Zaslav and likely leave a very bitter taste in the industry. It’s unclear when they might clarify what exactly their future plans will be, but right now it seems that scorched earth is their internal strategy.

    Source: IndieWire, The Wrap

  • ‘She-Hulk’ Director Teases How Daredevil Fits Into Series

    ‘She-Hulk’ Director Teases How Daredevil Fits Into Series

    She-Hulk is about to make her big debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and she won’t be alone when she does it. Mark Ruffalo will star in the series alongside Tatiana Maslany, reprising his role as Dr. Bruce Banner from previous Marvel entries, acting as Jennifer Walters’ cousin and mentor. Yet, Ruffalo is still not the co-star fans are most excited to see when She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premieres on August 18th. Charlie Cox was finally confirmed to be returning as Matt Murdock, a.k.a. the blind vigilante Daredevil, at San Diego Comic-Con, and has since become one of the project’s most talked about aspects online.

    In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, series director Kat Coiro discussed the character’s inclusion and what a relief it’s been for the information to be public. While Coiro couldn’t reveal much about Daredevil’s time on the series, she did crack a joke about how perfectly he fit into the world of She-Hulk as both a fellow lawyer and superhero:

    Can I tell you how excited I was when the audience was able to see that and I realized that I did not have to keep that secret anymore? Yes, Daredevil is in the show. I mean, how can you have a legal comedy and not have Daredevil come into it?

    Kat Coiro

    Head writer Jessica Gao previously mentioned the writers thought Marvel’s approval of Daredevil in the series was a prank, and Coiro‘s excitement seems to sell that comment as being true. Continuing to elaborate, the director explained how Matt Murdock and Jennifer Walters interact as equals, and referred to Daredevil as the expected “crowd favorite” of the show:

    They match each other’s wits, is what I can say. I am definitely excited for Daredevil to make his appearance, because I think he’s going to be a crowd favorite. But I can’t tell you anything else about that. The Marvel police is a real thing and I don’t want to get arrested by them

    Kat Coiro

    It’s not currently known how much Daredevil will actually be present in the show’s runtime, but the trailer tease and the constant hype coming from the project’s creative team at least indicate his appearance will be special. Even if the Man Without Fear is only in a single episode, fans still have Echo and Daredevil: Born Again to look forward to on Disney+.

    Source: EW

  • ‘Stranger Things’ Writing Team Share BTS Image as Work Starts on the Final Season

    ‘Stranger Things’ Writing Team Share BTS Image as Work Starts on the Final Season

    It looks like work on the final season of Stranger Things has finally begun. While it confirms that the wait for its release is going to be a long one, it’s great to know that we’re finally seeing some development on the project. The Russo Brothers have quite a few plans ahead of them with a spinoff and even a Harry Potter-style project heading out as a musical. Their Upside Down Studios will be busy but that doesn’t mean the focus won’t remain on their flagship franchise.

    Netflix is definitely on board for the project, and luckily with this first image, we know that writing has started on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. Sadly, they won’t give us a look at what they are writing down for the project but here’s hoping we get some ongoing updates that tease whatever the ending of the last episode gives us.

    It’s a bit hard to make out who is part of the writing team but they are likely to have many from the previous one back in action. With the Upside Down finally unleashed into the real world, Vecna is ready to unleash his final plan and do whatever it is that an evil man does. The wait will be tough but at least it gives us time to listen to “Running Up That Hill” or “Masters of Puppets” on repeat for as long as possible until the next major 80s hit grabs our hearts.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Gunn On Where’The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Falls Among MCU’s Phases

    James Gunn On Where’The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Falls Among MCU’s Phases

    Coming out of Marvel Studios’ marquee panel at San Diego Comic-Con over a week ago, one of the major talking points was the confirmation of the full line-ups of both Phase Four and Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, one project which was curiously omitted from either lineup was the previously announced The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special . Despite Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 holding a major presence at the event, no update on the holiday special was provided. 

    Director James Gunn took to Twitter to give some updates on the special, including its placement in the MCU timeline. Gunn officially referred to the upcoming holiday special as the “epilogue” to Phase Four.

    This bit of news seems obvious on a surface level with the special debuting in the limbo period between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (the end of Phase Four) and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (the start of Phase Five). Even still, it will be interesting to follow how Marvel Studios officially notates the holiday special. If it never receives an “official” placement in an MCU phase, it could be an omen that these one-off specials aren’t as distinctly canonically tied to the ongoing Multiverse Saga. In theory, this would be in line with how the Marvel Studios Animation wing has seemingly been sectioned off from the ongoing narratives of the live action MCU projects.

    However, there is still the possibility that Marvel Studios distinctly withheld The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special from San Diego Comic-Con to instead spend time discussing the project at the D23 festivities in September. This could pair well with the assumed official reveal of Marvel Studios’ Halloween-based special coming later this year. Ultimately though, this subject is likely a continued indicator of the general banality of phase delineation and that people generally overthink the distinct meanings of them beginning and ending.

  • Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 26: Our SDCC Favorites

    Murphy’s Team-Up Volume 26: Our SDCC Favorites

    Anthony Canton III

    As far as Comic Con’s announcements go, the easiest thing to say would be Avengers: Secret Wars. The truth is Kevin Feige’s plan on display for us to see is the kicker. This universe is expanding and we’ve all been wondering how it will continue to do so. As a fan, it was gratifying to see all of the projects lined up. There’s definitely fun in trying to figure out where the MCU is going on its own but to see it laid out is awesome.

    It gives us all something to look forward to. If you want your street heroes and miss Daredevil…you got him back. Did you want to see how Sam Wilson’s journey will continue? We now have a title and a date. From team-ups to solo projects what we got was a reminder that the talk about the MCU was silly. Going forward, the expectation will be to see how tv gets better structurally. Otherwise, the road to what’s coming is here and we can actually enjoy the now of the MCU again. See you soon Kang.

    Torbjorn Frazier

    After having the pleasure to attend this year’s San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) festivities, it remains an arduous task to find just one top revelation from the weekend. While part of me wants to think outside of the box (I want to give special mention to Star Trek’s Hall H panel and them laying out a strong framework for their future on Paramount Plus), I can’t help but acknowledge that Marvel Studios were the runaway winners of the weekend.

    With that in mind, I will focus on the triad of major revelations that were exclusive to the audience at Hall H. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion, and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 all showcased first-look trailers for their respective projects. And the three Marvel Studios projects all left extremely strong first impressions that should all have fans excited for the start of 2023. Quantumania’s trailer highlighted how this film will certainly be the highest stakes of the Ant-Man franchise through the introduction of a Jonathan Majors Kang the Conqueror variant, but still keeping the comedic tone from the original core ensemble and the addition of Bill Murray. Meanwhile, Secret Invasion seemingly will provide the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with its first paranoia thriller since Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and I’d argue the series will lean much more into the genre than the film if the trailer is any indication). And to top it off, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3’s trailer was the largest revelation from the panel. James Gunn very much has established this film will mark the conclusion of his run on the Guardians;   franchise, and he is pulling all the stops to make this ending as epic as possible in terms of both plot and cinematic scope. There are many distinct talking points coming away from it, but the largest certainly is the highly emotional arc in store for Rocket Raccoon and his origins at the hands of the High Evolutionary.

    If there’s ultimately a singular major revelation from SDCC, it’s that fans could be in store for a highly exciting beginning to MCU’s Phase Five in 2023.

    Dalbin Osorio

    My favorite reveal, hands down, was the announcement of the next Avengers films: Secret Wars and Kang Dynasty. My guy AC called out the fickle fans who sit online all day consistently complaining about Marvel and the “no direction” post-Endgame, but anyone paying a modicum of attention to Loki could tell a) who the big bad of this saga was and b) what they were building towards. You don’t populate the world with heroes and then just leave them as such, and Kevin Feige pulling the curtain back on the conclusion of the now-aptly named Multiverse Saga confirmed what we knew. The big bad is Kang, and we are headed towards the only story that can both top Endgame and simultaneously reset the universe to a point where it makes sense that mutants other than Kamala Khan exist and that the Avengers do have to pay for their machinations of time. You see, just because He Who Remains’ TVA was ok with them messing with time doesn’t mean that all the other Kang variants and their TVAs (should they have them) will be. Kang’s line to Ant-Man (you’re an Avenger? Have I killed you before) is the first salvo in the war to come ahead. A secret war, if you will, and seeing that confirmed was pretty damn exciting.

    MTF III

    daredevil disney plus

    My favorite reveal from Marvel’s SDCC panel was the official announcement of Daredevil: Born Again. Although Charlie Cox’s return to the role in the MCU was no secret (shoutout to #SavedDaredevil), the extent of Daredevil’s role in future Marvel projects was still held close to the vest. And even after confirmation of appearances in Echo and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, the official announcement of his Disney Plus series was universally well-received. But no one could have predicted that the series would get 18(!) episodes to tell its story.

    I recently advocated for longer seasons of the Marvel Disney Plus series, because the six-episode season structure wasn’t adequately serving them, so tripling that output assuages all of those concerns. Daredevil: Born Again is 5 episodes longer than what fans were used to getting from Netflix, which should provide its narrative with more than enough time to breathe so that the show can service multiple character subplots, conclude several arcs, and overall, do the necessary world-building to truly establish the MCU’s Street Level.

    Will we see any of the former Defenders pop up? Will we get a split season of 9 and 9 with a break in between? Will the “canon” questions be definitively answered? So many questions were raised by the announcement of Daredevil: Born Again, and I can’t wait to discover all the answers.

    Hunter Radesi

    Not sure if this is a surprise to anybody, but my favorite reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were probably Spider-Man: Freshman Year and Daredevil: Born Again. These are two of my all-time favorite characters, and to see both of their names pop up in Hall H, headlining projects, was a dream come true. I’ve been craving a solid new animated Spider-Man project for years, and it looks like Jeff Trammell is getting ready to deliver. Learning Freshman Year is going to be a full-blown variant series, as opposed to a mini-MCU prequel, was so exciting. I haven’t been satisfied with a Spidey show since The Spectacular Spider-Man, but this one looks to have everything I could want from a web-head adaptation. Diverse supporting characters, classic bad guys, a unique animation style, and a passionate creative team working behind the scenes. As for Born Again, that one doesn’t take much explaining. Who wouldn’t be pumped about another season, a full 18 episodes, of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio doing their thing? My eyes will be on Disney+ for the next couple years.

  • ‘Andor’ Gets New Release Date, Three-Episode Premiere

    ‘Andor’ Gets New Release Date, Three-Episode Premiere

    Audiences will have to wait a little longer to see Star Wars next live-action Disney Plus series, Andor. Along with a new trailer and poster for the streaming series, came the information that the premiere date has moved to September 21st.

    Originally set to debut with 2 episodes on August 31st, Andor will now stream the first 3 episodes on the new date.

    Andor serves not only as a prequel to Rogue One but as story of the beginning of the rebellion against the Empire. As such, the new trailer showed the return on some familiar characters whose stories were told in animated series such as Clone Wars and Rebels, in addition to others who have been seen across multiple live-action and animated projects. Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor and is joined by an expansive ensemble cast including Stellan Skarsgård, Forest Whitaker, and Adria Arjona.