Aug. 2, 2021

The Light, The Dark and The Doctor

Tonight! The Light of The Jedi Goes Dark, A look at the upcoming animated Star Trek shows and Goodbye and Hello Doctor Who. All that and more on the SciFi Edition of Multiverse Tonight! https://multiversetonight.com

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 Multiverse Tonight is a production of Half-Baked Genre Productions. Copyright 2022  All Rights Reserved

Transcript

Tonight! The Light of the Jedi goes Dark, A closer look at animated Star Trek and Goodby and Hello Doctor Who! All that and more on the scifi edition of Multiverse Tonight!

Welcome to Episode 135 of Multiverse Tonight! Im your host, Thomas Townley. 





Star Wars

If you’ve ever wanted The Empire Strikes Back Symphonic Suite on Vinyl, now’s your chance. The record has been out of print since 1980, but Varese Sarabande Records will be reissuing the LP. The Suite was composed by John Williams for concert performances. In the press release about the release Varese Sarabande Records described it this way quote "Originally released to supplement – not compete with – the 2-LP Motion Picture Soundtrack of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, this 1-LP release, skillfully combines a 'Symphonic Suite' that John Williams created for concert performance with new arrangements of other cues from the film score. This fantastic, long-out-of-print album comes in a gatefold jacket with the original iconic Star Wars paintings by William Stout, images of John Williams, and notes from author Ray Bradbury, composer and critic, Christopher Palmer, and from the maestro himself. Out of print since original pressing in 1980. 180 gm black vinyl pressing."

"I was delighted when Charles Gerhardt asked me if he could record the suite from The Empire Strikes Back, since I am a great fan of his recorded performances. Moreover, I was so pleased with his recordings of the original Star Wars and Close Encounters [of the Third Kind] scores, which he made in association with producer George Korngold, that I have looked forward to this LP with special anticipation," Williams recalled. "The Suite, which I had specially written and adapted for concert performance […] had been skillfully augmented with other music from the film to form a unified whole. A great orchestra and Gerhardt’s opulent sound and dramatic phrasing combine to make a fine addition to a rapidly growing list of great recordings of film music."

If you can’t beat em, hire em. A Deep Fake artist that goes by the name Shamook on Youtube has been hired by ILM/Lucasfilm as a Senior Facial Capture Artist. Shamook came to the interest of Lucasfilm after he did deep fakes of Sebastian Stan as a young Luke Skywalker, deep fakes of Tarkin & Leia in Rogue One, Harrison Ford in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars. He posted on Youtube in a comment quote "As some of you may already know, I joined ILM/Lucasfilms a few months ago and haven't had the time to work on any new YouTube content. Now I've settled into my job, uploads should start increasing again. They'll still be slow, but hopefully not months apart. Enjoy!" unquote

At Comicon@home 2021, Star Wars The High republic showed off the next wave of releases, coming in January of 2022. The list of releases bore the header quote ``The Light of the Jedi goes dark…” THe Third Wave of books set around the Star Wars Universe's High Republic period will see the Jedi and Republic overwhelmed by the Nihil as well as the carnivorous plant monsters the Drengir. Coming in 2022 will be Adult Novel THe Fallen Star by Claudia Grey, Middle School level book Mission to Disaster by Justina Ireland, Young Adult novel Midnight Horizon by Daniel Jose Older and Marvel comic Eye of the Storm by; Charles Soule.

Star Trek

The Star Trek panel at Comic Con at home focused on the new animated treks and there was a new trailer for Star Trek Prodigy and Star Trek Lower Decks Season Two. ON Prodigy we learned that even though it's geared toward kids it’s intended for everyone. Executive Producer Dan Hageman said quote “You just tell a good story from a place of heart, people who we can relate to. So we never really view it from a place of ‘it’s for kids.’ It’s really for everybody. I think when you go from the perspective of ‘these are characters who don’t know Starfleet,’ all of a sudden you’re talking to kids. You’re also talking to people who have been curious about Star Trek, but are afraid to jump into Star Trek. It’s a great entry point.” unquote It’s characters are a group of rebellious kids. The characters are Jankom Pog an inherently contradictory engineer played by Jason Mantzoukas, Rok-Tahk, he even though she looks like a rock monster is just a cute eight year old, played by Rylee Alazaraqui, Zero is a Meduasan, who wears a containment suit in order to keep others from going insane from the sight of her. Played by Angus Imrie and Murf played by Dee Bradley Baker who is quote “Murf is sort of — it’s this blob, it’s this sentient blob that’s kind of like Rok-Tahk’s familiar, or a lieutenant or sidekick or something. So it understands what’s going on, but you don’t always understand what Murf is saying, and that, I think, is going to evolve as the series evolves.” According to Dee.

And of course, Captain Janeway the Emergency Command Hologram played by Kate Mulgrew.

We got a look at Lower Decks season two.  We got word that the mother/daughter relationship between Mariner and Captain Freeman will see some definition Actress Tawny Newsome said quote “So [Mariner and Captain Freeman] do end up working together, and in season two you’re going to see some more of them attempting to work together. It’s strange because Mariner, a lot of her — she defines herself through rebellion. So when that rebellion is taken away it’s like, how do you function?” unquote 

We can expect more silly with our serious Creator and Executive Producer Mike McMahan said quote “We left a lot of bills to pay with characters, and with what was going on in the world. You know, we just keep at it. We were saying this earlier but there is a really great mix of serious Trek and silly Trek. Because if you’re on a Starfleet ship, you don’t know if you’re going to encounter the Jem’Hadar or a guy who traps you in a game, you know what I mean? You’ll see some familiar faces, you’ll see a lot of new stuff. The Cerritos goes through some real rigamarole. I’m just excited for August.” He also revealed that the Pakleds will be back this season. Quote “I’ve gotten this cleared… the Pakleds, we kind of treated a little bit like how the Klingons were in TOS or maybe the Romulans were in TNG, you know, kind of a big bad force that’s been growing, that’s out there that has to be dealt with. But remember, the Cerritos aren't necessarily in charge of the big missions. So every once in a while, because they did encounter the Pakleds first, they do get involved in some stuff. But you’ll see the Titan kind of having to deal with more Pakled stuff.” unquote Lower Decks comes back pon August twelfth and Prodigy has no frim premiere date but it’s due later this year.

From shows with a future to shows that might have a future, The producers of the Section 31 Spinoff are still optimistic about the show that is supposed to feature Emperor Georgiou rebuilding the dark little known organization. Alex Kurtzman, speaking with Trek mOvie dot com said quote eWe actually have a couple of [Section 31] scripts. COVID frankly, just changed the game for everybody and every show. We were on a very specific schedule that then got thrown completely into whack because of COVID. Even Discovery season four started many months later than originally planned, Picard too. Everything got pushed… So we’re actually on a great track with Section 31 and I’m very optimistic about it. Kurtzman also talked about how the third season of Discovery was built to set up the show quote Obviously, it’s no secret that we’ve been working on Michelle’s spin-off show for Section 31. So the big question was, how to do it in an organic way? How to do it in a way that paid off the relationship arc that was set up from the beginning? It’s no accident that in the Discovery pilot [Michael and Georgiou] are walking through the desert, and in their final episode, they’re walking through the snow in a visual echo of what we did in the premiere.

There’s a whole relationship arc that they’ve had from the beginning of the series. And also Georgiou has really never confronted—in an honest way—the consequences of her choices as a Terran. And the closer that she gets to the crew of Discovery—with whom she’s very bonded and does not want to say so—the more she is forced to reckon with those choices. So, in knowing that we were going to bring Michelle into the Section 31 [show], we needed to give her an appropriate goodbye that tied up a lot of the story threads that we set up from the from the premiere of season one. Unquote

Still nothing concrete has been announced and even star Michelle Yeoh is currently busy between the Avatar sequels and the netflix miniseries The Witcher Blood Origin. Could this be the series that gets away?

Star Trek Picard’s first season almost brought back another Voyager crew member, Tom Paris almost came aboard, in an interview with Terk.FM’s Primitive Culture podcast, Robert Duncan McNeil said that he was invited to do an episode of season one, but scheduling just didn’t work out. He did say that there is a chance he might show up in season two saying quote"I did talk to Terry Matalas about Picard Season Two," McNeill says. "He and I have had a few conversations recently and reconnected, which has been great. Terry had talked about bringing me over there as a director or as an actor, bringing Tom Paris, but it's really been about schedule." 

Well your not getting rid of Alex Kurtzman any time soon. Alex and CBS Studios has extended their deal keeping him at the studio through 2026. His production staff at Secret Hideout will expand it’s staff. In a statement CBS CEO George Cheeks said quote “Extending our valuable partnership with the brilliant Alex Kurtzman and Secret Hideout has been a top priority for CBS and Paramount+,” said CBS CEO George Cheeks. “Alex’s vision and leadership of the Star Trek franchise and his ability to create artistic and commercial series across all platforms put him in a special class of creative talent. His substantial accomplishments at CBS and the spirit of collaboration we enjoy with his team are greatly valued and we are excited to build on his already impressive slate far into the future.” unquote 

Geek

A new Trilogy of The Exorcist movies are being put into development by Universal Pictures and Peacock. Ellen Burstyn from the original Exorcist will be returning and she will be joined by Hamilton’s Leslie Odem Jr. The info that has come out states that it is not a remake, but a new tale about Odom’s character, a father who’s daughter becomes possessed, who turns to Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil for help.  2018’s Halloween director David Gordon Green has signed on to direct with Morgan Creek entertainment and Blumhouse productions running the show, which will cost upwards of 400 million dollars.

Doctor Who season thirteen dropped a trailer at COmic con @home. According to showrunner Chris Chibnall, Season thirteen will pick up with the Doctor and Yaz having been traveling together for awhile and we will be rejoining them mid adventure, as they stumble on Companion Dan Lewis, played by John Bishop. Chibnall also said that the new season will be less episodic than the last the seasons saying quote "It's all one story, so every episode is a chapter in a bigger story. We've changed the shape of the series for this year." ;unquote It sounds like he’s returning to the serialization that was a big part of the old Doctor WHo.

Just days after that panel, news broke that thirteenth doctor Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall will be leaving after her third season in the role. She will appear in a six part serial and three specials before she hands the role to the next Doctor.  IN a statement Whittaker said quote “In 2017 I opened my glorious gift box of size 13 shoes. I could not have guessed the brilliant adventures, worlds and wonders I was to see in them,” said Whittaker. “My heart is so full of love for this show, for the team who make it, for the fans who watch it and for what it has brought to my life. And I cannot thank Chris enough for entrusting me with his incredible stories.” “We knew that we wanted to ride this wave side by side, and pass on the baton together. So here we are, weeks away from wrapping on the best job I have ever had. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express what this role has given me. I will carry the Doctor and the lessons I’ve learnt forever,” unquote No word has leaked out about who might be up for the role.

He also spoke of many incoming guest stars including Game of Thrones actor Jackob Anderson who will play a new character named Vinder, who will have his own ship. They had no word on when the show would return except Later this year.

Zack Snyder's The Stone Quarry Productions has signed a first look film deal with Netflix. The two year agreement means that Netflix has the first chance at any new movies the company comes up with, if Netflix passes on a project, he’s free to shop it around to other outlets. In a statement Netflix Film Hea Scott Stuber said quote “I’ve known Zack and Deb for years and was fortunate to be part of Dawn of the Dead, his first film,” added Stuber in a statement. “I have since had the privilege of watching his career grow and see the evolving impact of his work. To see him return to his roots with Army of the Dead, which is now one of our most popular films, and build a world out of these characters with the upcoming Army of Thieves and anime series, is amazing to see. We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s still to come and create with Zack, Deb, Wes and everyone at Stone Quarry.” unquote 

Amazon’s The Wheel of Time series will debut on Amazon PRime this November. A new trailer was dropped at ComiCon@home. THe show according to Amazon quote  Follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.  Unquote  Showrunner Rafe Judkins tried to soothe any fan of the books worried that they would take liberties with the story saying quote "I wanted to stay as close to the books as we possibly can. There will be a lot of things different, but it stays true to heart of the books and the spine of the storytelling." unquote Judkins also said that he has mapped out eight potential seasons based on all fourteen books in the series. 

Paramount has tapped actor Rege-Jean Page to star and executive produce their reboot of the classic series The Saint. The original series from the 1960’s  starred Roger Moore and there was a 1997 movie based on the show with Val Kilmer. The Saint is based on the early 20th century novels by Leslite Charteris about a mysterious man named Simon Templar. No logline for the new series has been released.

Waterworld, the 90’s Kevin Costner box office flop, might be getting a tv series if reports are to be believed. According to a report on Collider dot com, Producers John Davis and John Fox are on board with Dan Tracteberg tapped to direct. Davis in a statement said quote"We're going to do the streaming version of that movie, the continuation of that movie," unquote the indiciation is that we will follow the world twenty years after the end of the movie.

 Snowpiercer has been handed an order for a fourth season, the TNT series based on the movie just finished filming its third season.

Taika Watiti’s Animated Flash Gordon reboot has turned real. According to producers John Davis and John Fox, Taika was tapped to make the animated Flash Gordon movie two year ago. John Davis told Collider quote "Taika is writing it. It was a movie that was a huge influence on him growing up. It is one of his favorite movies. He initially said to me, 'Let's do it animated.' I said, 'Okay.' Then we got into it and started developing it and he said, 'No, let's do it live-action.' I said, 'Even better.'' unquote Flash Gordon began life as a comic strip in the 1930’s by Alex Raymond. It was made into a movie serial and in 1980 was made into a movie starring Sam Jones as Flash Gordon going up against Max von Sydow’s Ming the Merciless

ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill has passed away. The bass player for the band for more than fifty years, he also saying lead on songs like Tush as well as backing vocals and played keyboards. He also appeared in Back to the Future Part III, Mother Goose Rock n Rhyme, WWe Raw, Deadwood and King of the Hill. Hill was inducted with ZZ Top into the Rock adn Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He died in his native Texas on July 27th, he was 72 years old. 

And that brings us to the end of the scifi news. *Show Ender*

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Thanks for watching the SciFi edition of Multiverse Tonight. We will be back in two days with a new comic book edition and two weeks with a new SciFi edition. Now please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. Good Night!  

Multiverse Tonight is a production of Half-Baked Genre Productions. Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved.