My Brothers Keeper

Tonight! Strange New Bluray, THere’ gonna be a New Man of Steel, Donald Glover THe Hypno Hustler, and remembering Gary Friedkin, Richard Miler and Kirstie Alley. All that and more on this episode of Multiere Toighyt.

Hi, Miss me?

Sorry, there was no episode a couple of weeks ago, it’s been a crazy month.  First, off, I had a colonoscopy and hemorrhoid banding. Everything went fine, no problems were found in the colon and the hemorrhoid banding went well. The second thing was the passing of my brother Leo. It was unexpected. He had been in the rest home for a few years since having a stroke. Leo was responsible for several things in my life. He introduced me to the humor of George Carlin and Bill Cosby, he got me interested in model trains, he might have been a complete ahole, but he cared for me. He helped me out, he will be missed. 

Star Trek

Star Trek Strange New Worlds season one is coming to physical media this March. The Bluray, DVD and Limited Edition Steelbook arrives with over 100 minutes of special features, including cast and crew interviews, deleted scenes, and gag reel. The Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Blu-ray, DVD and limited-edition Blu-Ray Steelbook, with a run time of 8 hrs and 44 minutes, offers over 90 minutes of special features, including content exclusive to home entertainment:

PIKES PEAK (Exclusive) - Anson Mount takes fans through his journey as Captain Christopher Pike in the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, providing a glimpse into his portrayal with intimate footage throughout the season.

WORLD BUILDING - Led by Production Designer Jonathan Lee and his team, the season’s production design utilized cutting-edge technology to create worlds prior to shoots, allowing the actors to fully immerse themselves into scenes rather than imagine the worlds around them in a green room. Through interviews with producers, cast and crew, fans will learn about the expertise involved in the development process and how the powerful technology was seamlessly integrated into the show.

EXPLORING NEW WORLDS (Exclusive) - Fans will explore the storylines and characters that bring Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to life with writers, cast and crew.

COMMENTARY: ANSON MOUNT & AKIVA GOLDSMAN - STRANGE NEW WORLDS (Exclusive)

DELETED SCENES (Exclusive)

GAG REEL (Exclusive)

Strange New Worlds arrives on March 21st.

As part of his promotion of the launch of Paramount+ in Germany last week, Anson Mount talked to German Trek site TrekZone.DE. The actor was asked about the season finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” which showed Pike an alternate future based on some key choices he made during his face-off with the Romulans, notably how his diplomatic approach proved to be the wrong choice. In the following exchange, the actor discusses how this and other elements of season 1 will inform season 2:

TrekZone: Earlier Star Treks portrayed violence as a problem and empathy and diplomacy as the solution to that problem… I feel Strange New Worlds has a more hawkish, sometimes even more militaristic approach to conflict. We see that in the Gorn arc and – in part – this seems to be the message of the season finale. How does that fit with the optimistic vision of the future that this series is advertised as?

Anson Mount: Well, you’ll have to see where we take that. Because some of those themes go on in the second season and really asking those exact questions that you were just asking. Is it possible that intelligence can be so completely ripped apart from any sense of communication or idealism? That, is there such a thing as a monster? Is that really possible? So yeah, we go down that exact road.

IDW is remembering the 30th anniversary of Star Trek Deep Space Nine with a new five issue miniseries set during the run of the series. The Dog of War comes from novelist Mike Chen and artist Angel Hernandez and kicks off with Quark acquiring a rare purebred corgi from Earth on behalf of a potential buyer. However, the dog, named Latinum, causes further concern when Sisko finds with it a Borg component discovered by a crew sent on a mission to uncover Cardassian technology. The Dog of War #1 goes on sale in April. It'll ship with multiple covers. They include Cover A by Hernández; a wraparound Cover B by Chris Fenogolio, featuring the cast of Star Trek: Lower Decks; and Cover C by My Little Pony artist Andy Price (connecting with covers across all five issues to create an amazing diorama of DS9 characters with lookalike canine companions).

Star Wars

Star Wars actress and daughter of Carrie Fisher, Billie Lourd has had a second child. The actress took to Instagram to make the announcement quote 1️⃣2️⃣✨1️⃣2️⃣✨2️⃣2️⃣ Introducing: Kingston's sister: ✨✨✨✨✨✨💖Jackson Joanne Lourd Rydell 💖 ," Lourd wrote. Billie’s last child Kingston was born back in 2020.

The Deuce and Revenge actress Margarita Levieva will have a guest star role on Disney+’s upcoming The Acolyte. 

The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that will take viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Levieva joins a cast that includes Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith, Dafne Keen, Rebecca Henderson, Charlie Barnett, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Carrie-Anne Moss in the Lucasfilm series which is currently shooting in the UK with creator, showrunner and executive producer Leslye Headland.

James Gunn, the new co-head of DC Studios went on Twitter to commemorate the 44th anniversary of Richard Donner’s Superman. He then answered questions from SUperman fans about the future of the character in movies. Gunn replied that “...Superman is a huge priority, if not the biggest priority.” unquote He also called work on Green Lantern to be “Important” and called rumors that Gunn didn’t like Henry Cavill’s Superman to be false.

However that doesn’t mean that Cavill will be back as Superman. In a series of tweets this past week, James Gunn confirmed that Cavill will not play Superman in any future DCU films. Gunn wrote quote Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future. Unquote He confirmed that he will be writing it. 

Patty Jenkins' planned third Wonder Woman movie will not be going forward and the series might be dead according to multiple sources talking to the Hollywood Reporter. Sources say that Jenkins recently submitted her treatment, co-written with Geoff Johns, and that Gunn and Safran, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, broke the news to the filmmaker, telling her the project — as it stood — did not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans. Jenkins directed and co-wrote the previous two movies, starring Gal Gadot and released in 2017 and 2020. No decision has been made about the next steps.

Patty Jenkins  has released a statement about Rogue Squadron and Wonder Woman 3:

DC

Warner Bros Discovery now expects to incur total pre-tax restructuring charges of $4.1 – $5.3 billion, which includes $2.8 – $3.5 billion of content impairment and development write-offs as it takes a hatchet to its programming. That’s well above the merged company’s initial announcement of charges for $3.2 – $4.3 billion related to its restructuring and transformation initiatives, which included $2 – $2.5 billion on the content side.

Marvel

Deadpool 3 will not be toned down for Disney teases the film’s director Shawn Levy. Levy spoke to Collider about the subject of D3 and Shawn said quote "It is so delicious to hear and write and come up with these scenes where people are just talking foul," "And the violence is in your face and hardcore, and it's very much a 'Deadpool' movie." unquote 

Donald Glover is attached to star and produce in a movie based on the little-known Spider-man villain Hypno Hustler.  Created by Bill Mantlo, the writer who also created Rocket Racoon, and artist Frank Springer, Hypno-Hustler was very much a product of the disco music scene when he first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man No. 24 in 1978. His real name was Antoine Delsoin, the leader of a band called the Mercy Killers, and used hypnosis technology in his instruments on his audience so he could rob them.

Hypno-Hustler is not considered one of Spider-Man’s top villains — in fact, he regularly shows up on worst supervillains lists — but sources say Glover seemed interested in the musical aspect of the character and the fact that he has less Marvel canon baggage, freeing him to greater interpretations. The project could be anything from a disco period piece to a re-imagined modern hip-hop version or even a cyberpunk future play. Adding to the spark was Murphy’s take, whose details are being kept below the bass clef.

Glover’s name has circled Spider-Man for years, with fans clamoring for him to portray Spidey, particularly in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. That didn’t happen — Andrew Garfield landed the role as Peter Parker — but Glover did voice Spider-Man/Miles Morales in the Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man in 2015. He also appeared in a very brief role in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. (A deleted scene from the movie pointed to him playing Miles Morales’ uncle.)

Sony, which owns the film rights to the Spider-Man and related characters, has a whole slate of films based on not just villains but also heroes that make up the Spider-Man family. With movies such as Venom and Morbius under its belt, the studio has Kraven the Hunter set for an Oct. 6, 2023 release. Hero projects in development include Madame Web and Spider-Woman.

Geek

Dick Van Dyke is 97. No news, just thought I’d put that fact out there. Dick Van Dyke is 97.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s long legal battle appears to be over.

In a lengthy post on social media Monday morning, the Aquaman star revealed her “very difficult” decision made with “a great deal of deliberation” to settle the defamation suit with her ex-husband. “I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder,” Heard went on to say, noting that she had “exhausted almost all my resources” before and during the Virginia set trial this past spring.

“Women shouldn’t have to face abuse or bankruptcy for speaking her truth, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon.”

In her Instagram post (read it below), Heard also said that the agreement provided “an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to.” She went on to write:  “I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.”

Depp released a statement quote “We are pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter for Mr. Depp, who made clear throughout this process that his priority was about bringing the truth to light. The jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place. The payment of $1M – which Mr. Depp is pledging and will (actually) donate to charities – reinforces Ms. Heard’s acknowledgement of the conclusion of the legal system’s rigorous pursuit for justice.“

Today’s announcement comes less than a month after Heard and her new legal team launched a formal appeal of the June 1 verdict that found heavily against her in a Virginia court. Following weeks of bitter and often lurid testimony by both parties, Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages by the panel. Before releasing the Fairfax County jury, Judge Penny Azcarate reduced the punitive damages figure to $350,000, the maximum allowed in the state. Bizarrely, while handing Heard a stunning loss, the jurors also gave her $2 million counterclaim award.

That counterclaim award and the First Amendment proved the potential wedge by which Heard’s constitutional-law specialists Ballard Spahr LLP attorneys hoped to succeed in an appeal. Complicating matter, part of the requirements of an appeal in Virginia is that Heard would have to pay an $8.35 million bond with 6% interest per year before she could move forward. Money, from all indications, the actress did not have, a well place source tells Deadline.

Quantum Leap will continue to Leap as the reboot has been handed a second season order by NBC.

Speaking of reboots and pilots, Witch Mountain will be getting a Disney Plus show. Bryce Dallas Howard will  be starring in the show that revolves around two teens who, according to the synopsis, develop strange abilities and discover their sleepy suburb may not be as idyllic as it seems. Howard is probably playing the part of the mother. The pilot hails from 12 Monkeys and Picard scribes, Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas, who serve as executive producers alongside John Fox and John Davis of Davis. Augustine Frizzell (Euphoria) will direct and executive produce the pilot.

The cinematic Witch Mountain property — which dates back to 1975 — currently spans five feature films, including a 1995 made-for-TV movie and a 2009 reboot starring Dwayne Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb.

Remo Williams is headed to the small screen. Sony Pictures Television has picked up the rights to The Destroyer the first in a series of best selling book series by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir that features the character who’s movie,  Remo Williams The Adventure Begins, had been made into a box office bomb back in 1985. The film has since gained a cult following. The plan for the new adaptation is to use the large library to create a “cohesive and iconic international action/adventure universe,” according to the producers, as well as to retain the sardonic humor of the books.

Disney Plus has announced a second-season renewal for Tim Allen’s THe Santa Clauses. The first season saw Santa Scott Calvin Clause looking for a way to retire so that he could be a better dad and husband.

Disney will be saying goodbye to the classic Splash Mountain at Walt Disney World in Florida and start work on its replacement Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Disney says Splash Mountain will send its last vessel down the flume on January 23, 2023. A final date for the attraction at Disneyland in Southern California will be set down the line. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in late 2024, though an official date has not been announced. The switch was decided on in 2020. Disney indicated then that it would overhaul and “re-theme” the attraction, sharing the news as protests against racial injustice were roiling the country in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Splash Mountain had been based on the Uncle Remus Br’er Rabbit story in Disney’s controversial 1946 film Song of the South. Imagineers crafting the new attraction are aiming to pay homage to the history and heritage of New Orleans.

Visitors will “join Princess Tiana and jazz-loving alligator Louis during Mardi Gras season as they prepare to host a one-of-a-kind celebration for the people of New Orleans,” Smith wrote. The new image (see it above) captures “the thrilling moment you first drop into the bayou and encounter some friends both new and familiar.” Zydeco music will play as Tiana encounters an otter, rabbit, raccoon, beaver, turtle, and other members of an animal band whose members sing and play instruments made of natural materials.

Fraggle Rock: Back To The Rock will be back for another go-round. Apple TV+ has renewed the Emmy-winning series for a second season, with Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), who appeared in the Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Night of the Lights holiday special, set to return, along with Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) and Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) in guest-starring roles. Production on Season 2 of the reboot of Jim Henson’s beloved classic Fraggle Rock is underway in Calgary, Canada.

In Season 2, big changes affecting the Rock, the Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs will force them to confront their past and celebrate their interdependence, as they move through challenges together with hope, silliness, and brand new songs, all while dancing their cares away…down at Fraggle Rock.

Disney’s Strange World is heading to Disney+ on December 23, the streamer announced Monday. The animated family film has been a disappointment at the box office, grossing $30.4M domestically since its weak opening over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and $50.4M worldwide.

Dan Levy’s next TV project has found a home at Hulu.

The Disney-run streamer has given a series order to Standing By, an animated comedy about guardian angels co-created by Levy and Ally Pankiw (The Great, Feel Good), who worked together on the Emmy-winning Schitt’s Creek. Danielle Uhlarik (Hulu’s Solar Opposites) will serve as showrunner on the series, which comes from Disney’s 20th Television Animation. Bento Box Entertainment is the animation studio.

Levy also heads the voice cast for the series. David Tennant, Natalie Palamides, Glenn Close, Poppy Liu, and Samira Wiley also star.

Netflix is backing the live action film adaptation of Manga My Hero Academia from Legendary Entertainment. Joby Harold is penning the screenplay for the live-action feature, which will be director and exec producer Shinsuke Sato’s English-language debut and will see the popular manga property jump to the live-action movie realm. THe manga revolves around superhero fanboy Izuku Midoriya (aka Deku), who was born without a superpower or quirk that makes him almost give up his dream of going to U.A. High School, the most prestigious hero training academy. But after a chance encounter with the legendary All Might, Deku starts on the road to becoming the greatest hero.

Netflix has greenlit a live-action movie adaptation of the classic Japanese manga City Hunter. Japanese leading man Ryohei Suzuki (Tokyo MER, Segodon) has signed on to star in the iconic role of Ryo Saeba, with filmmaker Yuichi Sato (Kisaragi, Strawberry Nights and The End of the Tiny World) onboard to direct.

Created by manga artist Tsukasa Hojo, City Hunter was a staple of Japanese pop culture throughout the 1980s, selling over 50 million copies around the world. The franchise spawned a popular anime series and numerous feature-length adaptations, including movies made in Hong Kong (one starring Jackie Chan), France, and mainland China, but this will be their first time the property is adapted as a live-action film in its native Japan.Netflix describes the project as “a modern-day updated version of the manga, set in the bustling streets of Shinjuku. The streamer has set a 2024 target launch for the film.

Amazon has struck a deal with Crystal Dynamics, a San Mateo, California–based game developer, to publish a new video game based on the Tomb Raider franchise, the companies said on Thursday.

The currently untitled game is in early development and does not yet have a release date. The latest installment, set to be a multi-platform single-player narrative adventure, will include exploration, puzzle solving, and combative interactions with enemies.

The Tomb Raider game will be published after MGM, acquired by Amazon earlier this year for $8.5 billion, lost the film rights to the Tomb Raider franchise earlier this summer. A planned sequel with returning star Alicia Vikander was also scrapped at the time and the film rights have since returned to the producer Graham King and his GK Films

Actor Gary Friedkin has passed away. Gary is best known for many roles including Happy Days, The Twilight Zone, the movie Cool World, Star Wars Return of the Jedi, and Blade Runner.

Friedkin, 4-foot tall, was an active member of Little People of America and attended many conventions, where he connected with people across the U.S. and introduced others to the organization.

Gary passed away from Covid 19 complications in Youngstown Ohio, he was 70 years old.

Richard Miler the sculptor whose work includes Princess Leia’s gold bikini from Return of the Jedi and Davy Jones's tentacled beard from Pirates of the Caribbean movies has died. A dear member of ILM’s extended family, Miller was the lead sculptor and a key staffer in the ILM Creature Shop and later the ILM Model Shop for nearly 30 years. He contributed to 55 features and numerous other projects dating to 1981 when he joined the company to work on 1983’s Jedi, the last installment in the original Star Wars trilogy. His long list of credits at the studio also included the Star Wars prequels; multiple Star Trek movies including Generations (1994) and First Contact (1996); the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films; and the last two Back to the Future features.

He also contributed to Ghostbusters (1984), Howard the Duck (1986), Innerspace (1987), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Willow (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The Rocketeer (1991), Hook (1991), The Mask (1994), Jumanji (1995) and Planet of the Apes (2001).

In Jedi, Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia is forced into a skimpy gold bikini by Jabba the Hutt after he captures her in his headquarters on the desert planet Tatooine. She’s also held captive with a chain, which she uses to kill the alien.

“I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little creases,” Fisher recalled in her 2016 memoir, The Princess Diarist. “No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight.

“What redeems it is I get to kill him, which was so enjoyable. … I sawed his neck off with that chain that I killed him with. I really relished that because I hated wearing that outfit and sitting there rigid straight, and I couldn’t wait to kill him.” For the past two decades, Miller also taught at ILM, conducting enrichment classes in the art of sculpting. Miller died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday — two days after his birthday — at his home in Northern California, an ILM spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. He was a cancer survivor and died after an extended stay in hospice care. Richard Miller was 80 years old.

Kansas native Kirstie Alley has died. Kirstie was born in Wichita Kansas on January 12th of 1951. And after growing up and attending Kansas State for a couple of years she left for Hollywood. Alley first appeared as a contestant on Match Game in 1979, winning both rounds. 

She would make her big screen acting debut as the Half Vulcan/Half Romulan Saavik in Star Trek II The Wrath of Kahn. She would act in films like Blind Date, Summer School, Look Who’s Talking and its sequels, Village of the Damned and other films.

She acted in tv, most notably in the roles of Rebecca Howe on Cheers, Veronica Chase on Veronica’s Closet, herself in Fat Actress and many other roles. Her final role was just this year as a contestant on The Masked Singer.

She won numerous awards for her acting work, For her role in the sitcom Cheers, she earned four Golden Globe Award nominations winning one for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1991,[66] and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991. On November 10, 1995, Alley was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures.

She would return to Wichita often and would keep a home in the College Hill part of town. Local news station KWCH reports that quote Wichitans had the chance to meet Alley at restaurants and shops around town, or at Wichita State University home basketball games inside Charles Koch Arena.

Her home in Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood especially sticks out at Christmas time, drawing visitors drawn to the decorative display. The home also further connected Alley with the Wichita business community. Unquote 

Kirstie Alley passed away from colon cancer on December fifth not long after she was diagnosed not long before her death. Kirstie Alley was 71 years old.

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