Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Wonder Man

  • New Set Photos Emerge as Production on ‘Wonder Man’ Resumes

    New Set Photos Emerge as Production on ‘Wonder Man’ Resumes

    Like Captain America: Brave New World and Daredevil: Born Again, Wonder Man was deemed to require a little creative overhaul after Marvel Studios had some time to reflect on the project during the WGA and SAG strikes. Originally set to resume production in late 2023, the steps taken to rework the series–which likely included a larger time commitment from creator and director Destin Daniel Cretton–took a bit longer than expected leading to bogus rumors that the series had been canceled. Bogus as they were, like much of the bullshit on the internet in modern times those rumors took hold and became a prominent belief among fans. Now those rumors have been completely dispelled as set photos of the Marvel Spotlight series have emerged from Los Angeles.

    X user @douglaszaldaaa posted several photos of a set being created for Wonder Man in Westwood, California. The photos indicate that some of the rumored plot points of the series seem to remain intact after the retooling.

    The photos reveal that the logline for the show revealed in early 2023 remains accurate and that lead character Simon Williams will be an in-universe Hollywood actor.

    Based on the character of Wonder Man, one of Marvel’s oldest characters, first introduced in 1964 in the pages of Avengers No 9. Known as Simon Williams, a celebrity actor and stuntman. In a nutshell, it is a story of two actors struggling to make it in the Hollywood of the MCU, [asking] the big question what does Hollywood look like in a world where super heroes are real?

    The new behind-the-scenes pictures show a set being constructed that will likely serve as the location of a big Hollywood premier for a “Wonder Man” movie. One of the set photos includes a silhouette of a classic Wonder Man costume which will obviously be part of the in-universe film.

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to bring Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, to life and will share the screen with Ben Kingsley who will reprise the role of Trevor Slattery in the project. Demetrius Grosse was reportedly cast as Simon’s brother, Eric, also known as the comic book villain the Grim Reaper. Hollywood legend Ed Harris also reportedly joined the film as Neal Saroyan, Simon’s agent. It remains to be seen what changes to the cast, if any, follow the creative overhaul of the project.

    Source: X

  • ‘Wonder Man’ to Start Filming after Thanksgiving, Now a Marvel Spotlight Project

    ‘Wonder Man’ to Start Filming after Thanksgiving, Now a Marvel Spotlight Project

    Marvel Studios’ strategy of utilizing Marvel Spotlight to create a distinction between their films and TV shows is continuing to move forward. The upcoming Wonder Man series is seemingly still alive after many rumors hinted it might be canceled. The series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will now be under the new banner that highlights that this is an additional story part of the MCU but not something relevant to the major ongoing narrative.

    We still know very little about the project but it did start production before the writer’s strike led to the production shutting down. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct the first two episodes and is acting as an executive producer on the Disney+ series. It’s unclear if the intentions of this being a standalone project were there from the beginning or if it’s part of the new direction for the production studio.

    The announcement is part of the big reveal that the director has left the upcoming Avengers project behind to put his focus on other projects with the studio. Of course, we don’t know what exactly he else might be working on but it does seem like a move to allow the director some more time to work on other projects rather than rush out everything and neglect the long-awaited Avengers film.

    Source: Deadline

  • BREAKING: ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Exits ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’

    BREAKING: ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Exits ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’

    It looks like director Destin Daniel Cretton has decided he wants to focus on other projects, as he’s exited the upcoming Avengers film, The Kang Dynasty. Though this isn’t him leaving the Marvel Studios family behind, as he’s setting his eyes on other future projects. He seemingly will still be involved with the Wonder Man series, which was rumored to have been canceled, and the long-rumored Shang-Chi sequel.

    The film initially was going to be released in 2026 with its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars set for 2027. Yet, as Deadpool 3 will be the only release in 2024 and many films are once again being pushed back, we can expect a lot more reshuffling for the studio moving forward. Who knows what other projects might end up looking quite a bit different moving forward?

    It’s good to know that Cretton is still on board with Marvel Studios and that the Wonder Man series is seemingly still in some form of development. The only question is if they are reworking the concept as they are no longer including headwriters but going back to actual showrunners. So, we might see more ongoing projects created with multiple seasons in mind rather than their ongoing mini-series approach.

    Source: Deadline

  • Marvel Studios’ Reshuffles its Disney+ Release Slate as ‘Agatha’ Gets a New Name

    Marvel Studios’ Reshuffles its Disney+ Release Slate as ‘Agatha’ Gets a New Name

    Marvel Studios has been shifting quite a few of its release dates as of late. While they certainly are going to for all projects that have yet to finish, it seems they also decided to map out some of their TV shows that were set to release on Diseny+ in the coming months. The biggest surprise is that Echo was pushed back (again) to a January release date even though it was previously slated for November 29th.

    What If…? is going to be released on Christmas Day, which is our first confirmation as it was initially going to be released in 2023. So, it’ll be the only other show releasing this year besides Loki later in October, which is already being heavily advertised by Marvel Studios. X-Men ’97 also seemingly is getting a release timing, as it is set for early 2024 after initially planned to release later this fall. Season 2 of the series is already in the works.

    Ironheart is off the schedule for now, as it seems it is affected by the strikes. The same goes for Daredevil: Born Again and Wonder Man, which had to pause in the middle of production. The big surprise is that Agatha: Coven of Chaos is getting another new name, this time Agatha: Darkhold Diaries. It initially was announced with the title Agatha: House of Harknes and is now set to release on Halloween next year.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Marvel Studios Hits Pause on ‘Wonder Man’ & ‘Thunderbolts’

    Marvel Studios Hits Pause on ‘Wonder Man’ & ‘Thunderbolts’

    As the writers’ strike continues, Hollywood is being forced to hit pause on upcoming projects. Two of the most recent projects impacted by the strike are Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man and Thunderbolts, with the former having already begun production and the latter having been readying for a June start.

    Wonder Man and Thunderbolts join Blade as Marvel Studios projects now on hold indefinitely. Wonder Man has no official release window but Thunderbolts and Blade are tentatively slated for July 26th, 2024 and September 6, 2024 releases, respectively. It would seem that should the strike continue through the Summer and, perhaps, beyond that meeting those release dates would begin to become unrealistic for Marvel Studios.

    As it currently stands, productions for Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Captain America: New World Order, Daredevil: Born Again and the third Deadpool film are still up and running. While principal photography on Kathryn Hahn‘s Agatha Harkness spinoff is coming to a close, the Deadpool and Wolverine team-up is just getting underway in the UK. It’s unknown how the strike might impact additional photography and/or reshoots which are a built-in part of every Marvel Studios production.

    Source: Deadline.

  • RUMOR: Josh Gad to Appear in ‘Wonder Man’

    RUMOR: Josh Gad to Appear in ‘Wonder Man’

    Production on Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man kicked off earlier this month in Atlanta, with set photos providing fans their first look at Ben Kingsley on set. The project, which is being produced by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, is set to star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. While Marvel Studios has been relatively quiet regarding the project thus far, we also know that Ed Harris, Lauren Glazier, Werner Herzog, Demetrius Grosse and Bob Odenkirk are set to appear in the series. However, it seems yet another big name is being added to the big cast as reporter Jeff Sneider has reported he’s heard that actor Josh Gad has joined the cast.

    No further details were provided, unfortunately, so it’s unclear who Gad could be playing in the series. It’s also unknown if Gad’s role is a starring role or a recurring role.

    Stella Meghie and James Ponsoldt are on board as directors for Wonder Man, although it’s currently unknown how many episodes each will helm. As of now, Wonder Man does not yet have a release date.

    Source: Twitter.

  • First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    First ‘Wonder Man’ Set Photos Offer First Look at Ben Kingsley’s MCU Return

    It’s strange to think that Wonder Man has seemingly started production but Marvel has yet to give it an announcement or tease officially. We’ve heard it from various official outlets but Marvel is surprisingly silent about this new series that likely introduce a major player with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams. Plus, it’s a series set in Hollywood, which makes it potentially the most meta entry in the franchise.

    Marvel may not be saying anything just yet, but luckily some set photos give us a glimpse at the show in a familiar face. We first heard that Ben Kingsley would return as Trevor Slattery back in August. So, it’s crazy to see him back on set in the role rocking a rather familiar hairstyle. We last saw him in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which followed up on the short All Hail the King.

    We still know very little about what the series will be about or how it’ll explore Wonder Man’s story from Hollywood star to unlikely superhero. There’s also the question of how Slattery ends up back in Hollywood, but perhaps the actor being abducted from prison after being arrested for portraying a terrorist would get any producer’s attention. So, perhaps he is there to pitch his life story as a film to one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, who is hiding his true abilities.

    Source: Twitter via The Direct

  • ‘Just Mercy’ Director of Photography Brett Pawlak Joins ‘Wonder Man’

    ‘Just Mercy’ Director of Photography Brett Pawlak Joins ‘Wonder Man’

    Production on Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, looks to be getting underway in Los Angeles and while the cast has been growing by the day, the team behind the camera is also coming into focus. In a post on his Instagram, Wonder Man executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton has revealed that Brett Pawlak will serve as the series director of photography.

    A quick check of Pawlak’s resume, located on his website, confirms that Pawlak has taken the gig. Cretton and Pawlak are frequent collaborators with the two most notably teaming up on Just Mercy and the Disney Plus streaming series, American Born Chinese. Wonder Man is being written by Brooklyn 99‘s Andrew Guest and will be directed by a team consisting of Stella Meghie, James Ponsoldt and, potentially, Cretton. Of course, Cretton is also pretty busy writing the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and preparing to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so he may choose to simply oversee the creative team of Wonder Man.

    Given Marvel Studios has been ordered to drastically slow down their output of streaming series, it’s unclear when Wonder Man may stream on Disney Plus but it doesn’t seem as though it could be any sooner than late 2024.

    Sources: Instagram, brettpawlak.com

  • Ed Harris Reportedly Joins Marvel Studios ‘Wonder Man’

    Ed Harris Reportedly Joins Marvel Studios ‘Wonder Man’

    Marvel Studios streaming series Wonder Man, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, is gearing up for production and continues to add to its already stellar cast. Demetrius Grosse was recently confirmed to have joined the series as Eric Williams, the brother of Abdul-Mateen‘s Simon and the villain known as the Grim Reaper, but it’s been known for some time now that Wonder Man will feature another villain. In late 2022, rumors swirled that Bob Odenkirk was offered the role of Simon’s agent, a role that was later revealed to be the primary antagonist of the project. Unfortunately, Odenkirk and Marvel Studios didn’t strike a deal but they did find a very capable replacement.

    According to YouTube personality Jeff Snieder, Westworld’s Man in Black, Ed Harris, has joined Wonder Man as Simon’s agent, Neal Saroyan. Murphy’s Multiverse first posited that Neal Saroyan was the identity of the character and the villain of the piece shortly after Odenkirk’s name was circulated in association with the project.

    The 72-year-old Harris is one of Hollywood’s most well-respected method actors and capable of turning any role into a memorable one. Harris has played memorable villains in The Rock, Enemy at the Gates, The Truman Show and National Treasure: Book of Secrets as well as a chilling performance in A History of Violence. He’ll certainly bring something special to the role, though it looks as though it will be quite some time before audiences get to see exactly what that is. Marvel Studios has dramatically slowed the streaming pipeline and Wonder Man isn’t expected to stream until late 2024 at the earliest.

    Source: YouTube

  • Disney+’s ‘Wonder Man’ Logline Hints at Show’s Intended Tone & Time Frame

    Disney+’s ‘Wonder Man’ Logline Hints at Show’s Intended Tone & Time Frame

    While word of a slowdown of the big Marvel Studios machine continues to spread, the company continues to prep several projects for production over the next several months. Among them is the streaming series Wonder Man, created and overseen by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director Destin Daniel Cretton.

    The show has been on a bit of a fast track since being revealed in a trade report last June; in fact, despite not being part of either of Marvel Studios’ big Summer con presentations (SDCC and D23), Wonder Man is tentatively set to begin principal photography in late March or early April. As such, the series has made quite a bit of news lately as the cast begins to shape up and it’s in the news again now as insider Daniel RPK has unveiled a potential logline for the project

    Wonder Man has been described as a Hollywood satire and the new information from RPK does seem to fall in line with that.

    Based on the character of Wonder Man, one of Marvel’s oldest characters, first introduced in 1964 in the pages of Avengers No 9. Known as Simon Williams, a celebrity actor and stuntman. In a nutshell, it is a story of two actors struggling to make it in the Hollywood of the MCU, [asking] the big question what does Hollywood look like in a world where super heroes are real?

    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is set to bring Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man, to life and will share the screen with Ben Kingsley who will reprise the role of Trevor Slattery (likely the other struggling actor) in the project. If Slattery is the other struggling actor, it calls into question just where on the MCU timeline it will fall. When last seen, Slattery seemed to have chosen to stay in Ta Lo with fuzzy bestie Morris after having spent the better part of a decade either in prison or as a prisoner of Wenwu after portraying the Mandarin at the behest of Aldrich Killian. However, before taking that job, Slattery was indeed a struggling actor doing things…no two ways about it…in the street that a man shouldn’t do.

    Could part of Wonder Man be set during the Infinity Saga? There’s no reason it couldn’t be and it actually lines up with part of Williams’ villain origin story. In the comics, Simon’s father, Sanford, developed a munitions factory named Williams Innovations. After Sanford’s death, Simon ran the company into the ground as competitors like Stark Industries took its business. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes put an interesting spin on that part of the story by having Tony Stark buy the company much to the disgust of Simon. In either version, the downfall of Williams Innovations drove Simon down the road toward becoming a super-powered villain. This could easily be adapted to the MCU without Robert Downey Jr. needing to appear; on the other hand, Marvel Studios could choose to skip this part of Simon’s story entirely and set it entirely in the present day.

    Whatever the case, MCU fans will have at least a couple of years to wait before they’ll find out. With Marvel Studios looking to spread out their streaming series a bit more, Wonder Man likely won’t hit Disney Plus until early 2025.

    Source: Patreon