The Real Treasure Is The Popcorn Buckets We Meet Along The Way

Cold Open And Headlines

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Tonight. Java's lost treasure, World War Z two, award winning, and remember Garrett Graham, all that more on this edition of Multiverse Tonight. Welcome to Multiverse Tonight, your source for Geek News. We dissect films, games, comics, and much more, bringing you inside the commentary on Pop Humble. This is Multiverse Tonight. Now here's your host, Thomas Townley.

Welcome And Quick Check-In

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Well, hello and welcome to episode 274 of Multiverse Tonight. Of course, your host, Thomas Townley. And it's a nice fall day today. Fall finally arrived. Oh, we got out of the hundreds. Had a hundred days of 100-degree temperatures. Too much. And so uh things are looking up. It's getting to be fall.

Paramount Skydance Antitrust Settlement

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But uh, we start off today with some breaking news. It's official. Paramount Skydance have settled the blockbuster antitrust suit brought on by a group of Democratic State Attorneys General. Uh, according to uh California AG Rob Bonta, they announced the deal. This is what the settlement includes, or what the press knows at least. A minimum number of annual films released in both the wide release and anticipated top-growth or tent pole categories, among others, a commitment to spend at least $300 million more annually on film production in the United States than was spent in 2025, and commitments regarding pricing the theaters and remedies including divesture or breach. In our words, the combined company will commit to release a number of films in both wide release and blockbuster for five years, with 30 films a year minimum for the first two years, rising to 32 films per year for the following three. They also agree to spend on U.S. film production $1.5 billion over the course of the agreement and make moves to limit price increases at theaters. At least 20 of the films must be wide released, and at least four films need to be independent. At least 20% of the films will have budgets of over $50 billion. There is also a guaranteed 45-day theatrical window with no SVOD window until at least 90 days. Now, if the company falls short on its film commitments, it will be forced to divest its stake in Miramax. And for each film that falls short, it needs to contribute $30 million toward the healthcare and retirement plans of major Hollywood guilds. The proposed consent decree also requires basic cable commitments, including, among others, separate negotiations for distribution of basic cable channels owned by Paramount and Warner Brothers for the next five years, restrictions on changes to affiliate fee negotiations and agreements with distributors, a restriction on the use of confidential information of one defendant in the negotiations of affiliate fees for the other defendant, and remedies including divestiture for breach. This means that the combined company will need to negotiate pay TV carriage deals as though they were two separate companies, which will make it harder to get the economics of scale through a combined company, but preserves competition. Notably, the settlement does not require any divestitures of cable channels, a structural remedy that some thought would have been in the mix. Instead, the channels will have to negotiate deals as though they are separated. Instead of if Paramount fails to follow through on its promise to negotiate separately, a court can force it to divest some channels. The consent decree also includes additional relief for continuing investments in the entertainment industry, including maintaining the production lots of both defendants, honoring collective bargaining agreements, and committing funds for workforce training, and proposed consent decree also requires formation of a news editorial independence board to establish guiding editorial and journalism principles for the combined and these news channels. Now these are straightforward. We fought aggressively for that remedy. I'm deeply disappointed that we could not do more. So who's on the board? Paramount's board of directors will name the members. Well, so much for that. The editorial independence board shall be made of five established journalists, active or retired, each of whom shall have practiced journalism for a minimum of 10 years, including with credentials for at least three years, as journalist editorial independence board members. No more than two editorial independence board members may be affiliated with the same political party. As for the studio lots, for the duration of the commitment period, the combined entity shall not close or sell the Paramount or Warrenburgh's lots and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to operate the lots in a manner with consistent with past practices, including leasing to third parties and producing films and TV uh shows. So not great. You know I would have I would have rather they just halted this old deal entirely, or at least forced them to you know get rid of you know divest themselves of say CNN, you know, like most of the cable channels, rap, you know, send roll those off into another company. You know, maybe have to sell one of the studio lots to a different company or something. But you know, we'll we'll we'll see where this gets us. Hopefully they do just then make a you know devil's a bargain with the devil in other news.

Jabba’s Lost Treasure Graphic Novel

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Let's uh do a little Star Wars news. There won't be much in the way of distinct news. This is more of a general news type of day. So let's do a little Star Wars news. Roger, Roger. A new Star Wars adventure about Jabba the Hutt's lost treasure is now available. Star Wars Smugglers and Scoundrels, The Race for Jabba's Bounty, arrived on September 15th, bringing several familiar rogues together for a wild race to claim the legendary bounty. The original graphic novel comes from writer Kevin Scott and artist Christian Colbert, or Colbert. It is part of Lucasfilm Publishing and Mad Cave Studios' new line of Star Wars graphic novels for middle school for middle grade readers. What is what is this about? Jabba has lost a valuable family heirloom and wants it recovered. That puts Hans Solo and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon against Jackson T. Tombraca, Bobo Fett, Grito, and other competitors. The story follows smugglers, all these smugglers and scoundrels, as they race across the galaxy for Jabba's prize. Their journeying claw includes risky moves, double crosses, and plenty of questionable decisions. The race for Jabba's bounty marks Jackson's first original graphic novel. According to Scott, the Leppy smuggler also meets on solo for the first time in this story. The Star Wars writer said, quote, Jackson is Star Wars' great underdog, well under Rabbit, doomed never to be taken seriously by his fellow scoundrels. The Leppy smuggler was one of the few, very few first characters I ever experienced in Star Wars, long before I saw the films. And now he's back in his very first original graphic novel, chronicling his very first meeting with longtime rival on solo. Unquote. He said the assignment allowed him to combine his love of scale, character, and atmosphere with visual storytelling. The wider publishing line also includes Star Wars Tales from the RM, The Legend of Baker's Canyon, which follows a young Sky Skywalker and Biggs Darklighter and Tatooine. Again, the Star Wars Smugglers and Scoundrels, the race for Jabba's Bounty, available at comic stores and digital retailers now.

Star Wars Hits IMAX 70mm

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Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company have confirmed a landmark 2027 theatrical program that will bring both the original 1977 Star Wars feature and the upcoming standalone film Star Wars Starfighter to IMAX 70mm. The announcement formed a centerpiece of the year-long 50th anniversary celebration of the movie that launched the franchise and reshaped popular cinema. The restored 1977 film, later titled Star Wars and New Hope, will receive its first ever IMAX presentation on February 19th, 2027. The newly restored version will play in a limited number of IMAX 70mm film auditoriums, as well as in select conventional theaters for restricted engagement. Until now, the picture had never been exhibited in IMAX, whether in digital or analog form. The February dates mark the official start of Lucasfilm's anniversary programming and giving audiences a chance to see the original Space Fantasy Adventure on the largest available screens, its newly refined restoration. Three months later, on May 28th, 2027, the weekend that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the original film's 1977 premiere, Star Wars Starfighter will open in an IMAX 70mm at Slick's group of IMAX film venues. The new picture was photographed with IMAX certified film cameras, will be printed to 70mm IMAX stock for those locations. Director and producer Sean Levy, known for Deadpool Wolverine, and the series Stranger Things, films the project with Ryan Gosling starring as Kate Auburn, a cynical rogue whose encounter with a mysterious past propels him into a high-stakes journey across the galaxy that forces a collision with destiny. The film also includes Matt Smith, Mia Golf, Aaron Pierre, Jamal Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams. The dual IMAX 70mm releases represent a rare pairing of archival restoration and contemporary large format filmmaking. The 77 picture returns in a form never previously sought. Now together the two titles bookend five decades of the franchise on the largest analog screen is still operating. So uh it'll be interesting to see what popcorn buckets come out of this. I guess uh we'll just have to wait. Let's get on with the geek news.

World War Z Sequel Updates

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The long-awaited sequel to the hit zombie movie World War Z is officially moving forward. Paramount has locked in Brad Pitt to return, and they brought on Edward Berger to direct. Now, the original 2013 film was based on Max Brooks's popular novel, World War Z, an oral history of the zombie war. Pitt will produce the sequel alongside D.D. Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner through Plan B Entertainment, while Berger steps in as executive producer and Dennis Kelly handles the script. This marks Pitt's return to the franchise after the first film pulled in over 540 million worldwide. For now, details about the plot are being kept under wraps. Pitt had actually been trying to get a sequel made for over 10 years. At one point, he even convinced his collaborator David Fincher to direct that vision almost happened, but Fincher had to step away over budget disagreements, leaving the project in limbo. Things turned around last summer when Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg took over as co-chairs of Paramount Pictures, and they made World War Z sequel a top priority, even teasing their enthusiasm at Cinacon in Las Vegas.

Harry Potter Series Season Two Casting

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On a different note, three new cast members are joining the Hogwarts family. HBO has officially cast Rafi Spall as Arthur Weasling, Molly Hewitt Richards as Moaning Myrtle, and Jasper Ambrose as Colin Creevy for the upcoming Harry Potter TV series. All three actors have joined the ensemble for season two, which is actively filming at the Warner Studios lot in the UK. The studio is aiming to premiere on HBO during the 2026 holiday season. Audiences recently caught a glimpse of the series on a teaser trailer featuring Dumbledore, Snape, and the Sorting Ceremony. Spahl steps into the recurring role of Arthur Weasley, previously played by Mark Williams in the film version. Arthur's works at The Mystery of Magic as a pureblood wizard and his father at the seven children, including Ron Weasley. Now Molly Hewitt Richards assumes the role of moaning Myrtle, the ghost who haunts the second floor girl's bathroom, a role created by Shirley Henderson in the movies, and Jasper Ambrose takes over the part of Colin Creevy after initial reports from Deadline. Introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Creevy is an enthusiastic young wizard, frequently seen taking photos of Harry around Hogwarts. Although Hugh Mitchell played Creevy in the 2002 Chamber of Secrets, the character did not return for subsequent film entries. These three actors joined the lineup of new season two editions, including Kit Harrington as Gilderoy Lockhart, Bonnie Hill as Jenny Weasley, Lindy Rush as Dobby, and Billy Barrett as Tom Riddle. The recurring core and the returning core and cast members include Dom McMellan, Arbillo Stanton, Alistair Stout, John Lithgow, Janet Tear, and Nick Frost.

Pluribus Scripts And Show Theories

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In TV News, Rhea Seahorn revealed backstage at the Primetime Emmys that Pluris creator Vince Gilligan has finished writing the first two scripts for season two. However, the back best actress winner admitted she hadn't read them. Quote, I don't have anything, the best actress for drama series winner said, meaning she hadn't seen the scripts. Meanwhile, the casting crew of the Pit celebrated their best outstanding their big outstanding drama series win, with Noah Wiley sharing updates on season three. Gilligan, who won for drama series writing, clarified that while the entire season isn't fully written, the overall story art arc hasn't been mapped out. He noted that while the main plot points are set, some actors prefer not to know what lies before they can so they can be surprised along the way. Quote, the rest of them are in various stages of being written, but we know what the whole season is, and we will share it soon with Rea. Sometimes the actors like Carolina and Samba sometimes don't they don't necessarily want to know. They kind of want to be surprised, which I kind of like that, unquote. Season one of Pluribus wrapped up with Carol demanding an atom bomb from that alien hive mind as an insurance policy. Telling Manosus, you win, we save the world. Gilligan and C Horn also reflected on the various fan theories surrounding the show, touching on themes like AI, the pandemic, grief, and isolation, Gilligan managed to have his original idea actually predated both the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent boom in AI. Gilligan said that when it comes to AI and the pandemic being inspirations, quote, the idea for the show predated both of those things. He also added that he enjoys hearing that viewers take away take what viewers take away from the show, noting that all interpretations bring something valid to the experience.

2026 Emmy Winners Rundown

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So while we're here, let's do a quick rundown of the key 2026 Emmy Award categories. In the category comedy category, Apple TV's Windows Bay took home outstanding comedy series, while Matthew Reese won lead actor and Stephen Root won supporting actor for the show. Kay O'Flynn also picked up supporting actress and Betty Gilpin won guest actress. Gene Smart won lead actress in the comedy series for Hacks, while Rob Reiner posthumously was named guest actor for his appearance on The Bear. In drama, HBO Max's The Pit won outstanding drama series, with Noah Wiley taking home lead actor and Ernest Harden Jr. winning guest actor. Again, Rhea Seaborn Seahorn won the lead actress for Plurbus. Allison Janney took home supporting actress for The Diplomat. Tom Pilfrey won supporting actor for Task. And Shailen Woodley won guest actress for Paradise. For limited series, DTF St. Louis took home the top rise with Linda Cardalini and David Harbour winning the Supporting Acting Awards. Matthew Reese picked up the lead actor for The Bear, for the beast in me, while Sally Field won lead actress for Remarkably Bright Creatures. Rounding out the major awards, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which I'm wearing their shirt right now, won Outstanding Variety Series, Peacock's The Traitors won for reality competition, and Michael J. Fox was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award. Congratulations to all those who won.

Prop Masters Guild McGuffin Awards

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Over in other award news, the Property Masters Guild presented its third annual McGuffin Awards, celebrating the top artistic achievements and props across film and television. One battle after another won for contemporary feature film. Frankenstein took home period feature film, and Avatar Fire and Ash claimed the fantasy sci-fi prize. On the TV side, winners include Spider Noir, Fallout, Chief of War, Vamperina, Teenage Vampire, and The Muppet Show. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to veteran prop master Barry Wilkinson for his 40-year career on iconic films like Titanic, Indiana Jones, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Harry Potter. Food stylist Trish Riley received the Presence Award for her work on hit shows like American Horror Story, Obi-Wan, and Roble Moon. The Presence Award was presented to Trish Riley, recognizing exceptional contributions to the property craft by professionals outside the property master role.

Remembering Actor Garrett Graham

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And uh finally tonight, actor Garrett Graham, the interesting character actor who appeared in Fam of the Paradise and three other early films for Brian De Palma and wrote the Grateful Dead song Victim or the Crime with Bob Weir, has passed away. He was 77 years old. Graham died Tuesday in an assisted living facility in Rhinebeck, New York, his ex-wife Dee Dee Taylor told the Hollywood Reporter. The cause was complications from lung disease. Graham also portrayed an aspiring country singer in Paul Bartlett's Cannonball in 1976, a computer nerd opposite Julie Christie in Demon Seed, 1977, the abusive boyfriend of Susan Sarandan's character in Lewis Malley's Pretty Baby, 1978, one of the Used Cars, 1980, and the foster father of Alex Vinson's Andy Barkley in Child's Play 2 in 1990. Graham made his on-screen debut as a conspiracy nut in De Palma's Greetings and returned as another character in the sequel High Mom, both featuring Robert De Niro in early career roles. In one of his best known turns, he portrayed the electrocuted glam rock star known as Beef in Phantom of the Paradise, then he reunited with De Palma in the Kirk Douglas starring home movies, where Graham's guy runs an EST-like camp, summer camp called Spartanetics. Graham and Weir first met in the 1970s through a mutual friend, and he helped out his friend on Victim or the Crime, which Dead recorded for their 13th and final studio album, Built the Last, released in 1989. He said the memorable first line, Patience Runs on the Junkie, was his. Born in New York on November 27, 1948, Graham was raised in St. Louis, Chicago, and Gross Point, Michigan, before he attended Columbia University a few years after DeBama graduated. The two were managers of the school's theater company, the Columbia Players. Graham played the ruthless right-hand man of George Kenney's Carter McKay on CBS on CBS's Dallas in 1988-1989, and voiced Franklin Sherman, the adoptive dad of John Lovett's character on the 1994 to 1905 ABC Fox sitcom The Critic over the years. He showed up on everything from Starskin Hutch, Laverne Shirley, St. Elsewhere, China Beach, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, The Wonder Years, The Larry Wonder Wonder Years, Star Trek Voyager, and Law and Order. His big screen credits include Bobby Joe and The Outlaw, 1976, The Creature Wasn't Nice, 1981, National Lampoons Class Reunion, 1982, The Annihilators in 1985, Last Resort, 1986, and This Boy's Life in 1993. As a screenwriter, Graham wrote on three episodes of the reboot Twilight Zone in 1985-1986, contributed to the films Oliver and Company and The Little Mermaid, and co-wrote the 1999 short film The Prince and the Pauper alongside his brother, Sam Graham. He is survived by his sons, Jack and Henry, and his grandchildren, Nolan, Mika, Vera, and Joey. Again, Garrett Graham passed away at the age of 77.

Where To Follow And Support

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