A Place For The Man

Tonight, who's in charge on Star Trek Discovery? We get a glimpse of what Lucas had originally planned for the sequel trilogy and the ever sad and whining guy of Stan Lee. All this and more on this edition of Multiverse Tonight. There are many universe out there. Welcome to the one with news about all the others. This is Multiverse Tonight. Now, here's your host, Thomas Cal. Hello and welcome to Multiverse Tonight, where we look at all your geeky universes. Welcome to our second episode. Thank you for all of you who watched or listened to the first episode. If you liked it, share it. And if you want to tip me, let me tell you about how. Just go to co-fee.com slash multiverse. That's ko-fi.com slash multiverse. There you can give any amount you want from one dollar and up. You can make it a recurring contribution or just a one-time tip. And if you contribute this month, you'll get entered into a drawing to win some random geeky prizes. All your contributions go toward this podcast and its expenses. Thank you very much for your support. We begin tonight with Star Trek News. As you know, Discovery will be back in 2019, but we didn't get the fate of its companion series Aftertrek. The series, in a format similar to the Talking Dead on AMC and hosted by Matt Myra, first was aired live after each episode Discovery, but then was filmed live to tape. It featured guests from the series who talked about that night's episode. Now, we know we'll be back, but with changes. As to what those changes are, they aren't saying. A spokesperson for CBS All Access said, quote, We are reimagining After Trek for season two. The series will continue to have all the fan-driven elements that Star Trek Discovery viewers enjoy this season and more. We'll be sure to share more details as we get closer to launch. But I'll be sure to inform you about what those changes are when they're made. In an exclusive to the Hollywood Reporter, we have learned that Discovery showrunners, Aaron Harbert and Gretchen J. Berg, have left the show, which is in the midst of filming season two. In their place, Alex Kurtzman, the co-creator and other executive producer of Discovery, writer of the first two Calvin Timeline movies, and the director of The Mummy, will now continue on as the new showrunner. Vrider reports that there were escalating tensions in the writer's room over the past few months prior to Harbert's and Berg's leaving in the escape pod. It's starting to look like a war of attrition over there. Does anyone want to take a bet on how long Kurtzman will last? Will, an ancestor of Captain Card, soon grace the set of Star Trek Discovery. Sir Patrick Stewart was recently asked by Red Carpet News if he had watched Discovery. His answer was an interesting quote, you mean the series, not the movie, because there is a new movie due out very soon. Stewart clarified first, then went on to say, No, I haven't. But I may have good cause to look at it very soon. Unquote. Does he have good cause because he's going to act on the show? Maybe it means he's just going to direct an episode. Maybe Captain Picard will come back in time and fix the timeline. Anyway, when we know, you'll know. Be sure to follow at Multiverse Tom on Twitter so you can follow along on all the updates. Todd McFarlane is still expressing hope that McFarlane's Star Trek Discovery Phaser will be still be released. The Phaser pre-orders had been cancelled due to changes required to fit regulations requiring toy weapons. Quote, based on federal, state, and local regulations around replica toy weapons, McFarland Toys has decided to cancel pre-orders on the Star Trek Discovery Phaser 2018 release until we can determine a more acceptable way to release it without compromising the integrity of the item. We're still pursuing options on releasing this item in the future. We apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this may have caused the fans. Several states have regulations to ensure that toy guns cannot be confused for real weapons. The latest promotional image for the STD phaser shows an orange-colored nozzle, different from what was shown at Toy Fair earlier this year. I guess if you want something more screen accurate, you can always recolor the nozzle to yourself. And speaking of toys, the Captain Picard and Captain Kirk 7-inch articulated figures are set to debut by late July. You can pre-order it now, and if you want to be super helpful to me, you can do so at the Amazon.com associate link found at multiverse tonight.com. Just look for it over on the sidebar. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Senequa Martin Green spoke about how being familiar with the world and characters of Discovery after s after season one will allow the writers and crew to take things to the next level in season two. Quote, we are just as excited as we were for season one. But there is a blanket of peace in this sense of preparedness because we're familiar with it and because we have our experiential knowledge from last year, Martin Green says. Now we have a little bit more hold on what it is that we're doing, the universe we're in, the story that we're telling, the roles that each of us within the story were hopefully very boldly, if I may say, going higher and deeper. Unquote. In a different interview, she told E.T. about the feeling of responsibility she bears as the franchise's first woman of color cast in the lead role. Quote, I certainly appreciate, and I'm humbled by being able to be part of a be a part of the conversation. Being able to be in these enlightening conversations that we're having right now as the tide is turning, she says. I have been ignited in a brand new way. I'm no stranger to the sci-fi genre, but being able to be a part of the conversation now and being able to be a part of the solution while you're surrounded by the problem, it's a dream come true, and I take it as a responsibility. What I hope and what I'm striving for now and will continue to strive for is that these things are reflected in my own life. Do you want to take a tour of the Star Trek Discover of the Star Trek Discovery? If Bell Media President Randy Lennox has his way, you will. Bell Media, which owns the CTV network, purchased a majority share in Pinewood Toronto Studios earlier this year, and they are set on an expansion. Quote, we didn't buy Pinewood to keep it the way it is. There's so much potential. People are always intrigued at what happens behind the scenes. Maybe you can go on to the Star Trek Discovery set and then go take your picture in the transporter room. We can do that, unquote. But before they get that far, Linux plans on a on building an additional 170,000 square feet of space with groundbreaking this summer. Quote, we have to be pragmatic. Let's get the studio space to meet demand first, and make sure we do all our productions before we evolve to golf carts, says Linux, who says he doesn't have a definitive timeline. But I'm positive all this could happen. Why wouldn't there be a tour? It's a great opportunity. Unquote. Would you be willing to go to Toronto to take a tour of the Discovery set? Let us know on our social media. Now let's talk some general Star Trek news. The Magel Tricorder could be one step closer to reality. Researchers at Birmingham's Ashton University have developed a desktop prototype of a machine that can take readings from blood and human tissue using laser beams. The device has been successfully trialed at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Alabama. The machine uses three different lasers to monitor how well blood is delivered to tissue, measures blood oxygen levels, and looks at cell metabolism. The device has already had practical applications, being used in diagnostic procedures for strokes and skin cancers, and is non-invasive, as no needles are necessary. A prototype wearable monitor has been developed that athletes can wear on the wrists. Much of the technology is due to gun production, and the university recently launched Ashton Magel Technologies to commercialize inventions. Professor Edic Refilov of AIPT said, quote, this technology will allow a range of tests to be taken quickly, painlessly, and without any reason for patients to feel nervous. There are no needles involved. Results are instantaneous, which is better for patients and more efficient for healthcare providers. This next story is a little odd. Fox News reports that a man in Florida, cop masturbating, told cops he was Captain Kirk. Officers of the Clearwater PD were called to a bus stop, following up on a report of a lewd and lascivious act. Officers stated that they discovered the man sitting on the bench, touching himself under his pants. When asked what he was doing, the man told officers, quote, I'm scratching myself, unquote. When they arrested him, he told the officer that his name was James Tiberius Kirk. Officers later determined his real name to be James Bundrick, a native of Georgia. He was booked on disorderly conduct and providing a false name to law enforcement. Maybe he should have called Scotty to beam him up instead. Gentle Giant is the news licensee for Star Trek Discovery, and they have announced a limited edition convention exclusive minibus of everyone's favorite and or tasty first officer, Lieutenant Saru. This bus is hand cast, hand painted, and hand numbered with a certificate of authenticity. It will be a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive and will be sold at the Gentle Giant booth during the con, which happens next month from July 18th to the 22nd. For those of us not attending Premier for not attend attending the convention, Premier Guild members will get first dibs on the bus after SDCC. The cost will be $100, and you can go to the link in our show notes, which can be found on our website, multiverse tonight.com. Robert Manden has passed away at the age of 86. He got a start in soap operas. He is best known for his role on the comedy series Soap that ran from 1977 to 1991. Now, you might be asking why is Thomas mentioning this in Star Trek News? Well, here you go. He had a guest appearance on Star Trek Deep Space Nine as Kotan Padar in the cart episode Cardassians. We send his we send our condolences to his friends and family. Now, let's take a look in Star Wars news. If you thought George Lucas's sequel trilogy would have been better than the Disney made sequels, you'd be surprised. Revealed in a new companion book, the James Cameron's s Story of Science Fiction series on EMC, Lucas says, quote, The next three Star Wars films were going to get into a macro a microbiotic world. But there's this world of creatures that operate differently than I than we do. I call them the Wills, and the Wills are the ones who actually control the universe. They feed off the force. If if I'd held on to the company, I could have done it, and then it would have been it would have been done. Of course, a lot of the fans would have hated it, just like they did the Phantom Menace, and everything at but at least the whole story from beginning to end would be told. We may have dodged a laser blast there. We have good news and bad news about Solo, a Star Wars story. The good news is that the cumulative worldwide growth has finally passed the budget of 300 million, with 317,510,420 as of June 12th. The bad news is that this still makes it the worst performing Star Wars film. Rogue One, by comparison, made over a billion dollars worldwide. Now, could Lando Calarician make an appearance in episode 9? According to a rumor on the site Fantas, he could, and they claim to have it verified through two sources. Quote, we were asked by our original source to verify this with another independent source before we ran with it. We did that, confirming that this is indeed correct, and before anyone asks, we're not going to name our sources because that's not how this works. Filming on episode 9 starts next month, so we expect to see official confirmation of the six signed casting very soon. Unquote. Billy D. Williams is 81 years old. No word has come from him. However, there is a report that he has changed his eying and exercising habits. Maybe he's getting in shape for a cape. Now let's talk Marvel news. Well, our hopes of seeing the X-Men and Avengers in the same Sunmac universe have officially run into a snag after Comcast officially unveiled its $65 billion all cash bid for the pieces of Fox that Disney put a bid in for. Now it's Disney's move. Do they sweeten the pot by offering more cash and less stock? Maybe a lifetime pass to the Disney for the Murdoch family. We'll keep you apprised on Twitter when the story develops. Now, let's talk some Avengers 4 slash Infinity War II, the Wrath of Thor or whatever they're gonna call it, news. Purported promo art for the film may offer the first look at the Avengers post-Infinity War. Servicing on the Brazilian website Hiro X, the leaked art is reportedly for merchandise for the upcoming Marvel Studios sequel. Most notably from the image is the inclusion of Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton slash Hawkeye and Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, absent from the marketing for Infinity War, Bre Larson's Captain Marvel, and decidedly different looks for Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Don Cheadle's War Machine. Steve Rogers looks to be wearing a cleaned-up uniform. Also present is Thor, Black Widow, Nebula, Iron Man, and Rocket Raccoon. A different piece of art depicts Thanos in new armor wielding both the Infinity Gauntlet and a bladed weapon. Avengers 4 arrives May 3rd, 2019. This artwork is pretty good if true. We'll have a link to it in the show notes. Empire Star Grace Byers is joining the X-Men Universe series The Gifted for season 2. She will play Reva, a quote, smart, charming, authoritative, elegant, beautiful woman who's ruthless in her efforts to fight for her people. She leads an excl-elite band of followers and has a soft spot for her new recruits, but is still capable of extreme violence in defense of her vision, unquote. Reva will work with Polaris, the Frost Triplets, and Andy Strucker's Faction of Medians. Will we finally see a really good filmed version of Doctor Doom? Speaking with Vulture.com, Noah Hawley revealed he's working he's writing a script for his solo Doctor Doom movie that both he and the studio, quote, really like, unquote. However, the project is currently in limbo. Will this Doom ever escape the script negative zone? Or will he be Doomed? Well, Marvel's Defenders won't be coming together anytime soon, according to Marvel TV chief Chef Loeb. During a Reddit AS Ask Me Anything promoting Cloak and Dagger, Loeb said that the team up is not in the plans right now, but you never know. However, we will get to see Iron Fist in some new superhero duds. When asked if there was any chance of Agent Carter getting resurrected, Loeb offered the usual find us a network, adding that Haley has been so kind of saying she'd love to come back. Asked about finding a home for the Squirrel Girl-led New Warriors series that Freeform ordered, but then passed on, Loeb said, We're working on it. While in diplomatically addressing what is sometimes referred to as Netflix bloat, he explained, quote, We tell stories that Marvel and showrunners want to tell. If they come out to 13 episodes, we feel good about that. We support that vision as best we can, unquote. When asked about how Infinity War relates to any of the TV series, he wrote, quote, for the most part, our stories will take place before Thanos clicked his fingers. A lot of that has to do with production and when we are telling our stories versus when the movies come out. Unquote. In other words, we'll take that as a we'll see. Marvel Comics has revealed the team roster for the upcoming As Guardians of the Galaxy. This is from the press release. Spinning out the events of Infinity Wars, comes an epic space opera from the superstar team of Colin Bunn and Matteo Loli. Angela, the not-so beloved half-sister of Thor, the hothead Valkyrie, and the human who shares a form, Annabelle Riggs, Scourge, the Executioner, Fresh Return from Hell, Throg, the mightiest frog of thunder, Kevin Masterson, the boy who took his father's mace to become the hero of Thunderstrike, and the destroyer, the Azguardian armor built to take down Celestials, its wilder its wilder unknown. The book is due to hit the racks in September. Time for the Stan Lee update. Since we last left our intrepid hero, Stan was threatened outside his Los Angeles home by two gunmen. Two men were detained by officers at the scene, although it's unclear if the suspects remain in custody. According to a witness who spoke to the Daily Mail, one of the men who confronted Lee about money supposedly owed to him. The witness also said that the two men tossed their guns away prior to the arrival of the police, but that officers retrieved the weapons. The cause of the incident is still being investigated. A few days later, on June 10th, Stan posted a video on Twitter saying that his only partner and business manager was Kia Morgan. On June 11th, Kia was arrested and held at the Hollywood Community Police Station with bail set at $20,000 for allegedly filing a false police report with the LAPD. No details, but the Hollywood reporter suggested that was related to the allegations that Lee was accosted by a pair of armed men. Now, the Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Stan has requested a restraining order against Mr. Morgan. According to theblast.com, documents that have been obtained reveal the events which led to this move. The request says that Mr. Morgan put Lee's personal well-being at risk by isolating him from loved ones by using quote undue influence. The Blast also details how Morgan's influence went further than it than most suspected. Not only was Morgan monopolizing Stan's Twitter handle, but he even moved Stan from his Beverly Hills mansion into a condo sometime around June 8th. Stan was then cut off from friends shortly thereafter. Kia Morgan must stay a hundred yards from Mr. Lee until a hearing next month. As of right now, Stan has returned to his home in Beverly Hills. On the 13th, Stan Lee's former lawyer, Tom Lullis, has been appointed guardian ad lightum for Lee, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Multiverse tonight will continue to cover the ever-involving saga of the man, Stan Lee. We're sending all our hopes to him. Now, let's take a look at the box office report for Marvel's movies. First off, Infinity Wars finally dipped below the $1 million day mark on Monday with a $921,000 gross. It still should end its 50th day of the release, passing Titanic to become the fourth biggest domestic box office earner of all time. Currently, the movie is up to $2 billion, $4 million, worldwide. Deadpool 2, meanwhile, is up to $664 million worldwide after 27 days, getting closer to making the same amount as the first Deadpool, which made $783 million,000 worldwide. Now, let's take a look at the distinguished competition. DC Comics is celebrating the big 25th anniversary of the Vertigo comic imprint with new books, a new logo, and for some reason, a new name. DC Vertigo. Kinda sounds like something you get when you visit the Washington Monument. DC Vertigo Executive Editor Mark Doyle says that DC's relocation from New York to Southern California and Vertigo's new access to the deep pool of local talent across various entertainment media has had an effect on the foundation of the imprint's new identity. He said that they are looking for new voices and people who are doing storytelling in other media such as video games, music, etc. Seven new books will be released starting in September with Order Town by writer Eric M. Esquival and artist Ramon Villalobos. Set in a small town of Devil's Fork, Arizona, the series will follow Frank Dominguez and his high school friends as they uncover the secrets behind supernatural occurrences that are being blamed on Mexican immigrants. In October, we get Hex-Wives by writer Ben Blacker and artist Mirka Andolfo. The series involves a world where some unsavory men brainwash a coven of witches into being subservient suburban housewives. In November, we get American Carnage, written by Brian Hill and drawn by Leandro Fernandez. White, passing biracial FBI agent Richard Wright, infiltrates a white supremacist group believed to be responsible for the death of a fellow agent. December brings us Goddess Mode by writer Zoe Quinn and artist Robbie Rodriguez. Set in the not too distant future where a godlike AI oversees all of humanity's needs. The series follows IT officer Cassandra, who stumbles upon a group of superpowered women who are locked in a circuit war against horrifying monsters. More debuts will arrive next year, including High Level of a smuggler with a bounty on her head who is forced to deliver a child Messiah to the mystical city of High Level, a city from which no one has ever returned. Safe Sex? A dystop dystopian sci-fi thriller where a ragtab ragtag team of sex workers must fight for freedom from the government and Second Coming, where Jesus is sent to Earth by God in order to learn from the all-powerful superhero Sun Man. In other words, Jesus learning from a Superman-like character. And speaking of Vertigo, the TV series Lucifer, which ran for three seasons on Fox, was recently cancelled. A Twitter campaign was launched to hashtag save Lucifer, and it has been heard. Netflix has announced that it will put out a 10-episode season 4 of Lucifer. Congratulations to the cast and crew. Long time DC Comics artist Ethan Van Shiver has announced that he is no longer working for DC Comics. He will instead focus on a revival of his creator-owned series, Cyberfrog. Ethan has recently raised over $187,000 with an Indiegogo campaign to fund a 48-page Cyberfrog Blood Honey graphic novel. The departure comes hot on the heels of now former DC Chief Creative Officer and President Jeff John's departure. Johns, however, will remain a DC in a new capacity, launching his own comic book imprint, as well as gaining a film production gig under the banner Mad Ghost Productions, where he will executive produce and write a Green Lantern horror movie based on his comic book run, as well as produce and writing on Wonder World Woman 2. Replacing Jeff as Chief Creative Officer is Jeff is Jim Lee. Diane Nelson has also left her position as DC Entertainment President after a leave of absence that she started taking in March. In a press release from Warner Brothers chairman and CEO Devin Suihihara, he wrote, quote, Diane has been a friend and a colleague as well as a viable member of the Warner Brothers family for more than 20 years. While we're sad she'll be leaving us, we completely respect and support her decision, unquote. No one has been announced to replace her. DC Comics is now part of the ATT family, after the merger of American Telephone Telegraph and Time Warner was approved by a federal judge who turned down the government's objections to the merger and suggested that the government not appeal the decision. And now, let's take a little general geek news. You watch season one and two of Stranger Things, and you want more. Netflix and Penguin Random House to the Rescue with a series of novels and companion books, including a prequel novel by Gwenda Bond, which will be released in the spring. More books for adults and young readers alike will also be available next fall. And production of season 4 of Rick and Morty has begun. Wobbleabadab! We have also been promised that the wait time between seasons will be much smaller than past years. Series co-creator Justin Rurland confirmed that this is in this in an interview with Polygon. Quote, We want the episodes to stay good, but we do also want to try and turn them around a little quicker. Now that we have this big order, I think it gives us the ability to be faster. We're not going to do these long breaks, these chasms in between seasons anymore. We're going to schedule vacation time and just keep the machine going. It's going to be really cool. Before I go, I also have some new some news to share. Multiverse tonight has an affiliate code with Wizard World Conventions. Just use the code Multiverse for 20% off admission at any 2018 Wizard World Show. Be sure to check out our social media, Twitter, at multiverse tom and on Facebook, and if you'd like to contribute some money, please do so at code-fee.com slash multiverse. If you're a subscriber, be sure to share us with your friends. And if you're brand new to the show, please be sure to subscribe and leave us a comment and let us know how we're doing. Special thanks to Lobo Loco for our music. Thanks for watching Multiverse Tonight. We'll be back in two weeks. Now please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. Good night. Multiverse Tonight is the production of Half Fixed Genre Productions.