Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Warner Bros.

  • ‘Moon Knight’s Jeremy Slater Offers Update on ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel

    ‘Moon Knight’s Jeremy Slater Offers Update on ‘Mortal Kombat’ Sequel

    Now that head writer Jeremy Slater has finished work on Moon Knight, he’s already hard at work on his next major project. In an interview with The Direct, he offered a small update on the sequel of 2021’s Mortal Kombat film. While it wasn’t received warmly going by its Rotten Tomatoes rating but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming HBO Max’s most-watched film to date. In the interview, he reveals that they’re already “halfway through the script.”

    It’s really fun so far. We’re about halfway through the script. I’m working really closely with the director and the studios, and the game guys, and I think—I can’t say anything about the actual story, but I think they definitely learned some lessons the last time around in terms of, ‘Here’s the stuff fans responded to, and here’s what people liked out of the movie, and here’s the stuff that didn’t work out as well as we hoped.’ So we’re really looking at this as a chance to take everything that worked in the first one and do it even better and give the audience even more, and make something that is just incredibly satisfying, and really exciting, and unpredictable.

    Jeremy Slater

    When asked how it might compare to his work on Moon Knight, he does highlight that it’ll keep his “sensibilities” but it definitely will continue what makes Mortal Kombat such an iconic series, its showcase of brutal takedowns of its heroes and villains.

    I don’t think it’s necessarily going to have the same tone as the MCU, but it’s definitely going to have some of my sensibilities. That was part of my pitch to them. This is Mortal Kombat. We have guys who are ripping off their faces and breathing fire—it’s a weird universe, let’s embrace some of that weirdness, and let’s make a Mortal Kombat sequel that no one is expecting and that can kind of sneak in and blow everyone away. We’re still really early in that process, but I’m having a blast with this script

    Jeremy Slater

    The first film ended with a massive teaser of Johnny Cage finding his way into the film. It also only set up the actual Mortal Kombat tournament, as it was mostly a very Hollywood-esque prequel series leading into the main conflict from the games. Luckily, they are now unshackled and can potentially jump into it in the next film if that is the plan, as they could also be building up towards it by the end of a trilogy.

    Source: The Direct

  • Hall of Murphy: Episode 18 – ‘The Batman’ Sequel and CinemaCon

    Hall of Murphy: Episode 18 – ‘The Batman’ Sequel and CinemaCon

    At this year’s CinemaCon, Warner Bros. went all out teasing some of its upcoming feature films. Surprising many, we got a few footage descriptions and teases on what’s to come. Not just that but also the confirmation of The Batman sequel, which John and Joe dive right into with their speculation.

  • REPORT: Warner Bros. Discovery Cancels ‘The Wonder Twins’ Film

    REPORT: Warner Bros. Discovery Cancels ‘The Wonder Twins’ Film

    Here’s a rather shocking surprise if true, but it looks like Adam Sztykiel‘s upcoming adaptation of The Wonder Twins has been swiftly canceled according to That Hashtag Show. While many expected some major shifts with the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger, it’s surprising to see a project getting canceled just as it’s getting its team together. We just recently learned that they’ve cast KJ Apa and Isabel May in the leading roles.

    The project was eyeing a production start in July, but it seems that the WB and Discovery merger is currently cleaning house. While projects already in some form of active development will still release, it seems that some of the announced projects in the past might not see the light of day. It’s a shame that a project based on such an interesting property, especially for those that grew up with their animated appearances throughout the years, has been canned before it even got started.

    There’s no word from That Hashtag Show why exactly it was potentially canceled, but we’ll see if an official announcement may follow at one point. For now, it seems that the merger may wipe their DC slate clean and refocus their projects moving forward. This move is quite surprising as they just announced a sequel to The Batman recently as well. So, we’ll see what the future of the DC looks like moving forward.

    Source: That Hashtag Show

  • Jason Momoa in Talks for ‘Minecraft’ Movie

    Jason Momoa in Talks for ‘Minecraft’ Movie

    Video game adaptions are quickly becoming all the rage again, with many studios looking to find the next hot property to turn into a successful franchise. Many have struggled to take off due to the fact that they just were not easy to adapt. One adaptation that’s been in the works for quite some time is one based on Minecraft, the popular open-world sandbox game where the sky is the limit. It seems the old project may have picked up the steam yet again as the film looks to be on the hunt for its star.

    Ankler is reporting that Jason Momoa is currently in talks to voice the protagonist in the feature film adaptation. The Aquaman actor will voice the film’s main hero for what the studio is hoping will blossom into a new franchise. This news comes as Warner Bros. is set to lose its lease on the film rights to Minecraft by January if a project does not go into development by then. It seems the director of Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, Jared Hess, is set to direct the project although it is unknown just who is writing.

    Not much is known plotwise for the film as it seems its taken many shapes over the past couple of years. Originally it was reported that the film would follow a female protagonist alongside a group of adventurers who’d set out to defeat the Ender Dragon as he broke free from the End and into the overworld. The film has seen multiple directors like Peter Sollet and even It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia’s Rob Mcelhenney, with Steve Carrel at one point set to star. For now, that is all we know but we’ll see if Minecraft can truly grow into a franchise.

    Source: The Ankler

  • DC Searching For its Own Feige After Discovery Merger

    DC Searching For its Own Feige After Discovery Merger

    Since Man of Steel, the DC Extended Universe has been trying to build a universe around some of its most beloved characters. Certain issues have seen aspects of the DCEU cast astray, resulting in some creative roadblocks that have resulted in certain characters seemingly getting lost along the road. The recent Discovery merger has seen new heads at the combined company eager to overhaul the DC Cinematic Universe.

    A new report from Variety suggests that, following ther Warner Bros Discovery merger, top leadership at the newly formed company is looking to overhaul the DC Entertainment branch. David Zaslav and company are reportedly looking for someone with a business background and less of a creative mind to maintain the many branches of DC Entertainment. The studio wants the films to be much more aligned, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The new leadership is unhappy with how many important characters within the DCEU, such as Superman, have been shelved with no plans to return in the future. The studio also believes that more films like Joker should be explored.

    This decision could impact future development plans for projects as the studio attempts to rework and better streamline the DC Cinematic Universe. They also believe that DC must be more present in the gaming industry, as a way to push the brand to its fullest potential. Projects over the last couple of years have been significantly improving under the leadership of Walter Hamada, who took over following Geoff Johns and Jon Begs stepped down. Hamada is still under contract with Warner Brothers Discovery to lead DC films until 2023, and could play a vital role in what Zaslav aims to do with the future of DC.

    Fans have been vocal about their distaste for the absence of many of their favorite characters within the film universe and worried about what the Justice League may look like in future appearences. Hopefully, whatever Zaslav and company have in store for the future of DC is able to please both sides and unite the fanbase.

    SOURCE: Variety

  • ‘Crazy Rich Asians 2’ Sets Amy Wang as New Writer

    ‘Crazy Rich Asians 2’ Sets Amy Wang as New Writer

    The sequel to 2018’s hit Crazy Rich Asians is moving ahead with a new writer.

    The news comes courtesy of Deadline with the outlet revealing Amy Wang will take over writing duties on the long-awaited sequel. Wang replaces Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, who were part of a controversial pay parity in 2019 when it was revealed Chiarelli was set to earn $800,000 to $1 million for the first two films, while Lim was only set to make $100,000. Lim ended up walking away from the planned sequels, with director Jon M. Chu fully supporting her decision. Wang will take sole writing credit on the Crazy Rich Asians sequel.

    Wang has served as the story editor for Netflix’s Brothers Sun, and she has also worked on the Netflix title From Scratch. She has also directed an episode of Starz’ Blindspotting, as well as 2019’s The Birch for Facebook. Wang is currently attached to write and direct a horror feature for Paramount.

    Crazy Rich Asians, based on the hit novel of the same name, raked in $238 million worldwide in 2018. Two sequels were announced shortly after its successful debut, however, they’ve been slow-moving. Crazy Rich Asians 2 does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Deadline.

  • ‘Meg 2: The Trench’ Gets 2023 Release Date

    ‘Meg 2: The Trench’ Gets 2023 Release Date

    Warner Bros. continues to shift release dates. After moving the release dates for a fair amount of its DC properties, the studio has given a new release date to the sequel to The Meg.

    Meg 2: The Trench has secured a 2023 release date. Per Variety, the Jason Statham-led film, will hit theaters on Aug. 4, 2023. It is the sequel to the smash-hit The Meg, which pulled in $530 million at the worldwide box office upon release in 2018. Fans of the first film have been eagerly awaiting the sequel, which will see Statham’s Jonas Taylor return.

    The first film followed a group of scientists who were tasked with exploring the Marianas Trench. During their exploration, though, they found themselves face to face with the largest marine predator that has ever existed: the Megalodon. The film, and its sequel, are based upon the books from author Steve Alten.

    The Meg 2: The Trench stars Statham, Sienna Guillory, Skyler Samuels, Cliff Curtis and Sergio Peris-Mencheta. It is directed by Ben Wheatley (High-Rise) from a script by Dean Georgaris and Erich Hoeber.

    Source: Variety.

  • Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Film Adds America Ferrera

    Margot Robbie’s ‘Barbie’ Film Adds America Ferrera

    Margot Robbie has found her co-star for the upcoming Barbie film, as Deadline has just announced that America Ferrera has joined the production that also features Ryan Gosling. Greta Gerwig is hired to direct the film that’ll bring the classic doll toy to life on the silver screen. There was no word what her role is, as Warner Bros. continues to keep the production’s plot a secret but there are teases it won’t be the typical story you might expect featuring a plastic doll.

    It’s being produced under LuckyChap Entertainments with Robbie also having a producing role. Mattel’s Robbie Brenner is also involved alongside Heyday Films’ David Heyman. Ferrera has been quite busy, as she is currently set to make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. She also recently worked on a few episodes of Netflix’s Latinx dramedy Gentefied.

    It’ll be interesting to see how they tackle a project focused on Barbie, as many adaptations on popular toy lines have taken a strong meta-narrative direction. Great Gerwig‘s involvement certainly is a promising addition that may push the project into a new direction that will certainly surprise us. So, we’ll have to wait and see once production finally starts.

    Source: Deadline

  • Bong Joon-Ho Sets Next Project at Warner Bros, Robert Pattinson In Talks to Star

    Bong Joon-Ho Sets Next Project at Warner Bros, Robert Pattinson In Talks to Star

    Fans have waited two years to see what Bong Joon-Ho’s next move would be after taking the 2019 awards season by storm with Parasite. We’ve known for a while now that Joon-Ho had begun development on an American adaption of Parasite, teaming with Adam Mckay on a 6-hour mini-series for HBO, but there had been no news on just what film he’d be working on next. It seems after enough time to carefully pick his next project, he’s found the perfect one over at Warner Bros.

    Joon-Ho is in talks to write and direct an adaptation of the unreleased novel, Mickey7 written by Edward Ashton. The film is already in the process of casting, with Robert Pattinson in talks to star. Joon-Ho is said to have boarded the project after he was given a copy of the unreleased novel late last year. The casting process was said to be quite crazy as many A-listers in Hollywood were eager to get a shot at the role. In the end, though, Pattinson proved to be the best candidate after wowing both executives and Joon-Ho.

    Mickey7 tells the story of a disposable employee who is sent on the most treacherous and dangerous missions. Mickey, of course, proves to be the best employee for the job because after one Mickey dies, another is cloned with perfectly intact memories. Once Mickey reaches the seventh life, he goes missing on a mission to colonize the ice planet of Niflheim and is presumed dead. Healed back to life by the natives of the planet, Mickey returns only to find that they’ve already gone ahead with Mickey8 and they’ve begun the terraforming of Niflheim.

    No release date for the project has been set as the production team is still coming together.

    Source: Deadline

  • Warner Bros. Committed to Theatrical Releases in 2022

    Warner Bros. Committed to Theatrical Releases in 2022

    Warner Bros. shook the market when they decided to go for day-and-date releases of all their 2021 films. While some directors have openly discussed their disappointment in the decision, it made sense given the uncertainty of how long the pandemic would continue to drag on. Now, we’re about to enter the next year, and Warner Bros. CEO, Ann Sarnoff, has opened up on if they had considered also tackling a similar release for 2022 even with the pandemic still an issue for many. When interviewed at a conference by Bloomberg Wednesday, she discussed how they are now committed to theatrical releases in the new year.

    Have we thought about going back to day and date? Sure, we thought about it, but we have made our commitments to the theaters to the agents to the talent. Everyone was hoping we would be on the other side of the pandemic by now

    The releases would affect projects like The Batman, which they are definitely expecting to fill out theaters once it releases in March. The Secret of Dumbledore, which continues the ever-popular Harry Potter franchise, will follow in April as both kick-offs a strong year for the company. As things are calming down somewhat, it’s great that studios are committing to once again promoting theatrical releases and ensure the media moving forward.

    The good balance lies in the new release windows. Those that miss out on a theatrical release will get access to it on HBO Max within a faster time, a similar strategy we’ve seen Disney+ tackle with their releases like Encanto already going out during Christmas. It’ll be interesting to see how this new direction might change our understanding of cinema and streaming moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter