Hurry Up! The Schwartz Is 98.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will conclude with season five as planned, while Marvel's Vision spin-off series casts Emily Hampshire as EDITH and Thunderbolts struggles at the box office despite positive reception.

• Paramount confirms Strange New Worlds will end with season 5, currently in production
• Emily Hampshire joins Paul Bettany in Vision series as Stark's AI EDITH 
• Thunderbolts underperforms with $371 million globally despite positive reviews
• Sean Levy's Star Wars Starfighter casts Maya Goth alongside Ryan Gosling
• James Gunn confirms new Wonder Woman film in development at DC Studios
• Peter Sohn to direct Incredibles 3 with Brad Bird writing and producing
• SAG-AFTRA ends video game strike with agreement on AI usage and compensation
• Disney and NBCUniversal sue Midjourney for copyright infringement of characters
• Mel Brooks returns as Yogurt in Spaceballs sequel coming in 2027
• Dan Aykroyd endorses new Blues Brothers graphic novel continuing the story
• BBC developing animated Doctor Who series for preschool audience
• DC Studios announces Mr. Miracle adult animated series based on Tom King's comics
• Veteran actor Harris Yulin passes away at 87

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro and Star Trek News
• 5:30 Marvel Updates and Box Office Challenges
• 10:39 Star Wars Starfighter and DC's Wonder Woman
• 14:39 Incredibles 3 and SAG-AFTRA Strike Ends
• 18:00 Disney Sues Midjourney Over AI Art
• 20:53 Mel Brooks Returns for Spaceballs Sequel
• 26:14 New Series: Blues Brothers, Doctor Who, Mr. Miracle
• 32:02 Remembering Harris Yulin

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Tonight, a strange short season. Meet Edith Wonder Woman in planning stage and Mel Brooks returns to Spaceballs 2. All that and more in this edition of Multiverse Tonight. Welcome to Multiverse Tonight, your source for geek news. We dissect films, games, comics and much more, bringing you insightful commentary on pop culture. This is Multiverse Tonight. Now here's your host, thomas Townley. Hello and welcome to episode 242 of Multiverse Tonight. I'm, of course, your host, thomas Townley.

Speaker 1: 0:38

And well, it seems that summer is creeping in. It's finally getting up into the 90s here in Kansas and it actually got hot enough that we turned on the air conditioner for the first time this year, and other people have turned it on like three weeks ago. But you know, we wait until the very last minute to turn ours on. It's just, you know, saves money, saves the environment. You know all that jazz. I don't really have a lot to talk about here at the top of the show, so let's get on with the Star Trek news. Thank you.

Speaker 1: 1:41

Executives Akiva Goldsman, harry Alonzo Myers and Alex Kurtzman stated that the series aimed to uphold the core values of Star Trek curiosity, hope and the belief in the bare future. They expressed gratitude to Paramount Plus for allowing them to conclude the show over five seasons as intended, and thanked the devoted fans for their support. Knowing that three more seasons are still to come, Now this announcement proceeds. The premiere of the show's third season on Thursday, january 17th, Following the third season, a fourth consisting of ten episodes, will air before the sixth episode. Final season Seasons four is currently in production, with season five being scheduled to begin production later this year. Now, premiere dates for the remaining seasons have not been announced yet, suggesting the series will likely continue into 2027 or 2028.

Speaker 1: 2:32

As a prequel to Star Trek, the original series, the expectation has been that Captain Pike's crew would eventually align with the classic show's timeline. Now this is not expected to occur in Season 5, as the creative team has had advance notice of the show's conclusion. Goldsman had previously expressed the hope to continue it into the TOS era if Paramount allowed it, indicating that this is the intended direction. This news arrives amidst cost-cutting measures at Paramount Global, which announced a 15% reduction in its US workforce last August due to the economic challenges in the industry. After introducing more serialized Star Trek stories with Discovery and Picard, kurtzman's team shifted to the more traditional exploration focused episodic storytelling of the original 66 series with Strange New Worlds. This approach has resulted in the most watched Star Trek series on Paramount+, which has received a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Drama in 2023. However, the Paramount Plus Trek team recently experienced a setback with the streaming film Star Trek Section 31, a spinoff featuring Michelle Yeoh's Discovery character, emperor Philippa Georgiou. The film received the poorest reviews from critics and fans among all Trek productions. Paramount Plus is also currently developing Star Trek Starfleet Academy, led by showrunner Noga Lando. The series will follow a new class of Starfleet cadets trained to become officers and stars, and stars Holly Hunter as a Starfleet captain in charge of the Academy. Filming for Starfleet Academy concludes in February and it's anticipated to premiere late 2025 or early 2026. Kurtzman describes the show as optimistic, fun, funny and emotional, with characters who will resonate with contemporary young audiences.

Speaker 1: 4:18

In Strangely World Season 3, mount is supported by returning cast members Rebecca Robain, ethan Peck, josh Bush, christina Chong, celia Rose Gooding, melissa Naivia, babs Alkmaqson and Martin Quinn, and this season's guest stars will include Rice Darby, patton, oswalt, killian O'Sullivan, melania Scraffano and Carol Kane reprising her role as Pellia. Paul Wesley will also be returning as Captain James T Kirk. Now, if you remember, season three ended with the cliffhanger of the crew facing off against the Gorn. So you know we have. You know, I guess we better rewatch it, because you know that was such a long time ago. You know your memory is not as good as it used to be. I guess we'd better all just re-watch season 2. Anyway, let's go on to the Marvel Comics News.

Speaker 1: 5:30

Marvel Studios' spin-off series about Vision has landed Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire Hampshire as Edith E-D-I-T-H, the Stark Industries artificial intelligence, which was introduced in 2019's Spider-Man Far From Home. She will join Paul Bettany, who is reprising his role as the now reincarnated Synthoid character, who is the physical manifestation of another Stark Industries AI, jarvis. In Far From Home, edith is introduced as a gift that Tony Stark bequeathed to Peter Parker after Stark sacrificed his life in Endgame. Now, peter controlled Edith through a pair of high-tech sunglasses which he unwittingly gave to the film's villain Mysterio, before retrieving them at the end of the movie. The glasses are confiscated after Peter's identity as Spider-Man is revealed to the world, and Edith's fate was left unresolved. Now it's unclear whether Hampshire is just lending her voice to the role or will be embodying it as well, but the character will be one of several AI to populate the series. James Spader is reprising his role as Ultron, the villain from 2015's Age of Ultron, and Tania Miller is playing Jocasta, another robot character from the Marvel Comics universe. Other characters or co-stars include Todd Sashwick and Rudrell Malika. So you know it'll be an AI-filled series. So AI fun town on the town tonight.

Speaker 1: 7:06

Tonight, despite Disney's CEO Bob Iger's initial celebratory remarks hailing Thunderbolts, aka the New Avengers, as a prime example of Marvel's revitalized movie strategy, after a period of underperforming films, the movie has significantly underperformed at the box office. Six weeks after its release, thunderbolts' gross is disappointing $371 million globally, making it one of the lowest-earning entries in the MCU. Now this outcome casts doubt on where this film signals a true resurgence for the superhero franchise. Sean Robbins, a movie analytics director at Fandango, suggests a shift in expectations for Marvel, stating that billion-dollar grosses may no longer be the norm for every MCU movie. While Marvel has been a consistent box office success since Iron man way back in 2008, becoming the highest-grossing film franchise with $31 billion across 36 films. Pre-pandemic even less popular films typically surpassed $500 million worldwide. Pre-pandemic even less popular films typically surpassed 500 million worldwide. However, since 2020, only 6 out of 13 MCU films have reached this benchmark, indicating a decline in consistent commercial performance.

Speaker 1: 8:14

Unlike some recent Marvel disappointments like Captain America, brave New World, the Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, which were plagued by negative reviews, thunderbolts reportedly had positive audience reception. Its box office failure despite this suggests a potential limit for superhero movies not centered on well-established marquee characters. Several factors contributed to this downturn, including a weaker global box office and an oversaturation of superhero content across both film and television. Changes in audience preferences are also evident, with recent top-performing films being more geared toward families, such as a Minecraft movie or that new Lilo and Stitch movie, or original stories like Sinners. Jeff Bach, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, notes that, quote, lower-tier comic book movies unquote are no longer guaranteed success, and expresses concern over Thunderbolt's brief theatrical run. This contrasts with previous MCU films, which enjoyed longer periods in theaters.

Speaker 1: 9:12

This situation arrives at a critical juncture for the MCU. Having previously overwhelmed audiences with intricate, interconnected narratives, marvel is now intentionally reducing its output to prioritize quality. The question remains whether the studio will continue to invest in standalone stories that are no longer reliable hits or focus primarily on major properties like the Avengers and Spider-Man. Marvel's upcoming slate appears to lean towards the latter, featuring high-budget, highly anticipated films such as the Fantastic Four First Steps Avengers, doomsday, spider-man 4, and Avengers, secret Wars, alongside the planned X-Men and Black Panther movies. Meanwhile, projects centered on individualist mainstream characters such as Blade are facing developmental challenges.

Speaker 1: 9:57

The recent success for the MCU has largely been major team of films like Spider-Man, no Way Home and Deadpool and Wolverine, as well as sequels to established series like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Thor, love and Thunder, guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, and Black Panther Will Come Forever. Historically, marvel thrived on introducing less familiar characters, achieving significant popularity with Iron man and Thor before the team-up in the Avengers. This success emboldened the studio to take risks on properties like Guardians of the Galaxy. However, after a series of confusing spin-offs and underwhelming sequels, audiences seemed less enthusiastic about new additions to the MCU.

Speaker 1: 10:39

Now let's go on to the Star Wars news. Excuse me, roger, roger. Maya Goth has been cast in Sean Levy's upcoming Star Wars Starfighter, joining Ryan Gosling in the film. Her role is currently undisclosed. Starfighter is a standalone movie featuring new characters within the Star Wars universe and is slated to begin production in the fall. It's scheduled for a theatrical release on May 28, 2027. Courtesy of Disney Now. This project was officially announced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Chief Creative Officer, dave Filoni, at the Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo this past April. The film's timeline is set approximately five years after Star Wars Episode IX, the Rise of Skywalker, which currently holds the final chronological spot in the saga. The Rise of Skywalker, which currently holds the final chronological spot in the saga.

Speaker 1: 11:32

Goff's recent and upcoming projects included Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein and Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey, alongside a star-stud cast of Matt Damon, tom Holland, zendaya, anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson. Her previous work includes Emma, infinity Pool and Tai West's Trilogy X, pearl and Maxine. Star Wars Starfighter will be Levy's next directorial venture, following the success of Deadpool and Wolverine, which became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, with $1.3 billion globally after its July 2024 release. The screenplay for Starfighter is penned by Jonathan Trooper, who has previously collaborated with Levy on the Atom Project and this Is when I Leave you and also the creator of the Apple TV series your Friends and Neighbors.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Now let's go on to the DC Comics News. Wonder Woman will continue under James Gunn and Peter Saffron's DC Studios, with a new movie currently being written. According to Gunn, dc has not revealed the writer or who will play Princess Diana. This marks a shift from the Zack Snyder-era DC Universe. As Patty Jenkins planned, a third Wonder Woman film was not pursued. Gunn clarified that this new Wonder Woman project is separate from the slow-moving Paradise Lost HBO Max series set on Themyscira, which he envisions as Game of Thrones with Westeros, but with all the inhabitants on Paradise Island. No writers have been announced for Paradise Lost.

Speaker 1: 13:04

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav previously mentioned Superman, batwoman, supergirl and Wonder Woman has key characters for Gunn and Saffron's DC vision, which Gunn confirmed is accurate. Knowing that, while these four are important, they aren't the only focused, they express satisfaction with the direction of two of these characters, with the other two being addressed. Satisfaction with the direction of two of these characters, with the other two being addressed. Gal Gadot stated in August of 2023 that she had not been invited to a meeting with Gunn and Saffron where she was told they would develop Wonder Woman 3 with her and that she was in quote the best of hands. However, dc told Deadline at the time that Wonder Woman 3 was not in development and Pia Jenkins stated that she never walked away from the potential third film and was open to any requests. The announcement of Wonder Woman 3 followed the simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release of Wonder Woman 1984, which earned $170 million worldwide amid pandemic-related theater closures. This was part of Wonder Media's HBO Max the Dynamic Window experiment under Jason Collar. The first Wonder Woman movie film in 2017, also directed by Jenkins, was a significant box office success, grossing over $822 million globally.

Speaker 1: 14:18

Let's go on to the geek news. Incredibles 3 is found. Its director in Elemental and the good dinosaur maker, peter Son. Maker Peter Son, brad Bird, who wrote the screenplays for and directed the first two films in the animated superhero film franchise, is currently writing the screenplay for the third film, which he'll produce alongside Dana Murray, son and Bird's collaboration. History includes Bird's mentorship to Son, who worked on every animated Bird film, including the Incredibles and Incredibles 2,. Up until this year's, ray Gun Son was specifically chosen to carry the Incredibles and Incredibles 2,. Up until this year's, ray Gun Sohn was specifically chosen to carry the Incredibles torch by Bird and Pixar creative chief officer Pete Docter. Sohn is a Pixar veteran, having also voiced characters in various movies for the studio, like Ratatouille, monsters, university and Lightyear. Elemental, sohn's second movie that he directed at Pixar was nominated for the Best Animation Feature Oscar last year. Disney announced the threequel film at August 2024's D23 Expo event, with Bird attached as developing the latest installment. The first two films in the franchise land a combined $1.8 billion in theaters, with a 14-year gap between releases.

Speaker 1: 15:48

Sag-aftra has officially ended its strike against several major video game developers effective Wednesday at noon. Following an attentive agreement reached nearly two days prior, the Interactive Movie Agreement Negotiating Committee and National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, duncan Crabtree, ireland, have both consented to the strike suspension. Although the agreement still requires approval from the National Board and the General Membership, sac-aftra members can now resume work on Interactive Media Agreement productions, including publicity and promotion. Now the Union's National Board is scheduled to meet Thursday to review the agreement. If approved, it will then be sent to members for ratification. Details of the contract are also expected to be released at this time. Sag-aftra initiated the strike in July of 2024 against signatories of the Interactive Media Agreement after more than a year of on-off negotiations and operating without contract since November of 2022.

Speaker 1: 16:46

Our official intelligence emerged as a key point of contention during these negotiations off negotiations and operating without contract since November of 2022. Our official intelligence emerged as a key point of contention during these negotiations. The contract encompasses voice and performance capture artists in video games, and the union has consistently voiced concerns about the potential negative impact of AI on these professions. The video game companies involved in this contract include Activision Productions, blind Light, disney Character Voices, electronic Arts Productions, formosa Interactive, insomniac Games, llama Productions, take-two Productions and WB Games. A spokesman for the company stated on Wednesday that they are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that acknowledges the significant contributions of SAG-AFTRA performers in video games. The spokesperson added that the agreement builds upon three decades of successful collaboration between the interactive entertainment industry and the union, providing historic wage increases of over 24% for performance performers, improved health and safety measures and laying AI provisions that mandate transparency, consent and compensation for the use of digital replicas in games. The companies look forward to continued collaboration with performers to create new and engaging entertainment for billions of players worldwide.

Speaker 1: 17:55

Disney and NBCUniversal have initiated a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against a generative AI startup, midjourney, claiming that the company has illegally used their copyright characters. According to the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, midjourney's website showcases numerous images generated by its AI image service at a subscriber request, which Disney and NBCU allege infringed upon their copyright works. Examples cited in the lawsuit include characters from Marvel such as Deadpool, wolverine, iron man, spiderman and Hulk, star Wars, darth Vader, yoda, r2-d2, c-3po and Chewbacca, disney's Frozen Princess, elsa and Olaf, the Simpsons, pixar's Toy Story, buzz Lightyear and Cars', lightning Queen, dreamworks, how to Train your Dragon and Universal's Shrek and the Minions from Despicable Me. Disney and NBCU assert that Midjourney, since its founding in 2021 and launch of its image generator in 2022, has generated significant revenue over $200 million in 2023 and reportedly $300 million last year and amassed nearly 21 million users by September of 2024. They contend that Midjourney is a copyright-free writer engaging in blatant incorporation and copying of their famous characters and images, and soon videos, without any investment in the creation. The lawsuit states that this piracy, regardless of the technology used, misappropriates the intellectual property and threatens the core principles of US copyright law that foster American leadership in creative industries. They further argue that Midjourney's bootlegging business model poses a broad threat to the motion picture industry, which significantly contributes to the national economy and job creation. Disney and NBCU also claim that Midjourney sells subscriptions allowing users to view and download derivative copies of their copyright characters. Before the lawsuit, disney and NBCU recently reportedly requested that Midjourney cease its alleged intellectual property theft. However, they claim, midjourney continued to release new versions of its image service with even higher quality infringing images. According to the founder and CEO, david Lowles, disney and NBCU are seeking unspecified monetary damages and injunctive relief to prevent Midjourney from further infringing upon and distributing their copyright works. Executives from both companies issued statements emphasizing the importance of copyright law in protecting their substantial investments in creativity and innovation and expressed openness to responsible AI to use as a tool for human creativity, but condemned the alleged piracy as a threat to the creative community. The Motion Picture Association also lauded the legal action underscoring the critical role of strong copyright protection in the entertainment industry.

Speaker 1: 20:41

Mel Brooks, the 98-year-old comedic legend, will appear in a Spaceballs sequel slated for a 2027 theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios. Brooks will reprise his role as Yogurt, the yoga-esque character in the follow-up to his 1987 Star Wars spoof. He directed and co-wrote the original film, also playing President Scrooge. Josh Greenbaum will direct the new film from a script penned by Benji Samet, dan Hernandez and Josh Gad, with Gad also rumored to be among the cast. Amazon has not released any further details about the casting. Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody of Imagine are producing alongside Gad Brooks and Greenbaum. Executive producers include Kevin Slater, adam Mermeems, benji Samet and Dan Hernandez Brooks, an EGOT winner known for directing and writing comedies like Young Frankenstein, high Anxiety and Blazing Saddles, last appeared in a movie with cameos in the 2005 adaptation of his hit Broadway show. The Producers Details about the Spaceballs sequels plot are well non-existent.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Abs on MGM's press release playfully described the movie as, quote a non-prequel, non-reboot, sequel, part two, but with reboot elements franchise expansion film. An exact release date will be announced later. Now. The original Spaceballs, released by MGM a decade after Star Wars, starred Bill Pullman, john Candy, rick Moranis and Daphne Zazia, with Joan Rivers providing a voice. While it earned $38.1 million initially which is about $105 million in today's money and received mixed reviews, it has since gained a cult following as one of Brooks' signature comedies. Josh Gad handed the project back in 2024 in an Instagram post featuring a partially obscured script giver saying it was the funniest and best thing he's ever worked on. Now he has also worked with Sama and Hernandez on Teenage Mutant, ninja Turtle, mutant Mayhem, pokemon, detective PJu Ab's Family 2, and Lego Star Wars Rebuild the Galaxy. Amazon MGM is actively expanding its presence in theatrical release. So, considering that the man is 98 years old and 2027 he'll be 100,. Considering that the man is 98 years old and 2027 he'll be 100, my guess is they gotta get down quick to work and get his part together and filmed Because you never know, with these things he could live to be 105. He could, you know, cease to exist tomorrow. You know it's kind of a gamble, but you know good on him.

Speaker 1: 23:27

Dan Aykroyd is enthusiastic about a new Blues Brothers story the Blues Brothers the Escape of Joliet Jake. A forthcoming graphic novel from Z2 Comics is due out this fall and will continue the adventures of Joliet, jake and Elwood, iconic characters from the 1980 film the Blues Brothers, portrayed by the late John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd respectively. The book is written by Stella Aykroyd, luke Pisano and James Werner, with art by Felipe Sobrero. Judy Belushi-Pisano, belushi's widow, who passed away during production, who contributed to the initial concept Set. Two decades after the movie, the escape of Juliet Jake sees Elwood partnering with a rookie detective after Jake's jailbreak. In his foreword for the Hollywood Reporter, aykroyd, who provided editorial oversight, explains why he considers this story the total, logical third act for Elwood. Preview pages from the graphic novel accompany the foreword.

Speaker 1: 24:27

Ackroyd reflects on the extensive list of offenses Jake and Elwood accumulated during the Mission to Pay Cook County's illegal attacks on the St Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage, estimating around 50 violations. He enjoyed the ride. The idea of them as trophy prisoners, legendary figures like Dillinger and Capone, now considered specimens the authorities want to keep incarcerated. This premise offers a compelling starting point to revisit Jake and Elwood as older imprisoned men. Elwood's new path, complete with a small white Roman Catholic collar, is a total, logical third act in his life. When Jake mysteriously disappears from Joliet penitentiary and old scores need settling, the adventure begins.

Speaker 1: 25:08

The graphic novel format allows for the Blues Brothers legend to continue and be passed on in ways that film cannot. The book preserves the spirit of the Blues Brothers, mischievous recidivists and musical outlaws who, above all, cherish the blues. The request for the briefcase containing unearthed lyrics and music from the greats represents an honorable pursuit. Joliet Jake's escape serves as a passing of the legacy to a new generation, echoing the core of their original story, keeping alive what should not be forgotten. In addition to new adversaries, the story introduces allies who share a deep respect for the blues as a culture to be preserved by all who appropriate its infectious African-American fire and soul. So I liked Blues Brothers. I liked the second Blues Brothers as well. I know it's not as good, but it was a worthwhile endeavor, so I'll look forward to reading this.

Speaker 1: 26:14

Following the Kuti Gatwa's exit from Doctor who, the Who-niverse is set to expand with a new animated series for the BBC's CB's channel aimed at a preschool audience. Expand with a new animated series for the BBC's CB's channel aimed at a preschool audience. This will be the first animated preschool series within the franchise, running independently from the main live-action show. The series will feature the Doctor and companions embarking on adventures through time and space, facing challenges suitable for young viewers. The question of which Doctor will lead this new series remains open, especially after Gatwa's recent departure and Billy Piper's unexpected appearance in the latest live-action finale. Patricia Hidalgo, the BBC's Director of Children's Education, stated quote Everyone is welcome at CBeebies, including the Doctor. This much-beloved franchise contains millions around the world, so it's only right that our younger audience gets to experience the wonder and the magic of the Doctor in a brand new format. This is an extremely exciting opportunity and we are looking forward to welcoming companies to pitch for this new project as we continue our commitment and investment in the UK's animation industry". The BBC is seeking a passionate production company for the animated series, while Bad Wolf produces the main Doctor who series, with Russell T Davies as showrunner. The lead for the preschool series is yet to be determined Now. Familiar Doctors like David Tennant, matt Smith and Josie Whitaker could potentially headline the animated series, or it might introduce a new iteration of the Doctor alongside original companions. Russell T Davies' latest Doctor who concludes in May 2025 with the departure of the 15th Doctor. While future live-action seasons are unconfirmed and there is speculation about the BBC-Disney deal, the development of this animated series and live-action spinoff, the War Between the Land and Sea, suggests a positive future for the Doctor who universe. A debut date on CBB's series and the live-action spinoff are yet to be announced, so watch this space. Mr Miracle is going from the fourth world to its first animated series.

Speaker 1: 28:16

At the Annecy Animation Festival on Thursday, dc Studios and Warner Bros Animation announced the new adult animated series, mr Miracle, based on the 2017 series from writer Tom King and artist Mitch Grads about super escape. Artist Scott Freedy King, part of the DC Brain Trust, serves as a tech producer and showrunner on Mr Miracle, which is headed by James Gunn, and Aquaman producer Peter Saffron is also adapting the Kingpin's Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow series as an into a 2026 feature film starring Millie Alcock King, will also serve as the executive producer and writer on the live-action series Lanterns. Mr Miracle marks the second adult animated series for DC Studios, which released the Gunn-scripted HBO Max series Creature Commandos in 2024. Wb Animation's upcoming DC slate includes the previously announced animated series Starfire, my Adventures with Green Lantern and DC Superpowers, as well as the animated movie Dynamic Duo about Robins, dick Grayson and Jason Todd. Here's the logline for the DC Studios Mr Miracle.

Speaker 1: 29:23

No prison can hold him, no trap can contain him. He is Scott Freed, the worldwide celebrity sensation known as Mr Miracle, and he is the greatest escape artist who ever lived. But can he pull off the ultimate trick and escape death itself? Something has gone horribly wrong with the perfect life that Scott and his warrior wife Big Brarda have built for themselves on Earth. With war raging between their home worlds of Apocalypse and New Genesis, scott's cruel adoptive father, darkseid, seems to have finally captured the anti-life equation, the ultimate weapon that will give Darkseid total dominance over the universe. As the mountains of bodies on both sides grow ever higher, only Mr Miracle can stop the slaughter and restore peace, but the terrible power of the anti-life equation may already be at work, with his own mind, warping his reality, exposing his long-buried pain and shattering the fragile happiness he's found with the woman he loves. And so begins the Odyssey of Scott Free Mr Miracle, a harrowing, hilarious, heart-wrenching journey across the pitfalls of the ordinary and extraordinary, as the son of God raised by the devil tries to save his family, his world and maybe even himself.

Speaker 1: 30:28

Now, in the comics, mr Miracle debuted in 1971's Mr Miracle no 1 by New Gods and Forever People creator Jack Kirby. The son of Isaiah, high father of New Genesis and ruler of the New Gods, scott was given to Granny Goodness and raised her expit. As Orion, son of Darkseid, ruler of Apocalypse, was raised by a high father. The sons were exchanged in part of an armistice reached on the 100th day of the 100th year of the Fourth World's War between the plants of New Genesis and Apocalypse. Forged by the torture of Granny Goodness, scott earned the admiration of the Apocalypse-raised Big Barda, leader of the Female Furies and product of Granny's expit. After finally escaping the Earth, scott became the protege of the escape artist Thaddeus Brown and succeeded him as the new Mr Miracle. The costumed super escape artist would later return to New Genesis and battle the Dark Side alongside Orion and Barda.

Speaker 1: 31:20

King's 12-issue Mr Miracle series. Scott attempted suicide after asking himself the questions what can't I escape from? What shouldn't I escape from? What does anyone escape from Death? No one escapes from death. I love Mr Miracle. Mr Miracle is one of my favorite you know not, you know not mainstream superhero characters. So yeah, I'll check this out. And finally, tonight a veteran character actor, harris Ulan, known for his roles in Scarface, ghostbusters 2, star Trek, deep Space Nine and Ozark, has passed away at the age of 87 in New York City due to cardiac arrest. His manager, sue Liebman, confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly.

Speaker 1: 32:06

Born on November 5, 1937 in Los Angeles, ulan had a prolific six-decade career in film, television and theater, amassing over 100 roles. He made his New York stage debut in 1963 and his first on-screen debut in 1970's film the End of the Road. His Broadway debut came in 1980 with Watch on the Rhine, and he returned to Broadway in productions like the Diary of Anne Frank, the Price and Hedda Gabler. Ulan's film creds include memorable roles such as the corrupt police officer Mel Bernstein in the 1983 classic Scarface, judge Stephen Wexler in Ghostbusters II and another corrupt lawman in the 1994 thriller, clear and Present Danger. He also appeared in Night Moves, st Ives Steel Looking for Richard Bean and the Hurricane, which he first worked with Denzel Washington, larry Nightingale with him for Training Day. On TV, ulan had numerous noble appearances, including a correctly acclaimed performance in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode Duet and an Emmy-nominated role in Frasier. He also had memorable parts in 24, buffy, the Vampire Slayer, entourage and, more recently, as Buddy Decker in the Netflix TV series Ozark. His other TV credits include Veep, the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and, just like that, billions and Divorce.

Speaker 1: 33:26

Beyond acting, yulin dedicated several years to teaching at Juilliard and Columbia University and worked at stage productions such as the Glass Menagerie and the Trip to Bountiful. At the time of his death, yulin was preparing to star alongside his Ozark co-star, laura Linney, in an American classic and upcoming MGM comedy. The film's director, michael Hoffman, remembered Yudelin as quote one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered, presenting his technique, vitality and character. Harris Yudelin survived by his wife, gershon Lohman, son-in-law Ted Minow, nephew Martin Crane and godchildren Marco and Laura Greenberg Again, veteran character actor Harris Ulan, dead at the age of 87. And that brings us to the end of the show for today.

Speaker 1: 34:12

Now please be sure to check us out on social media. We're on Blue Sky and Twitter at Multiverse Tom Threads, facebook and Instagram at Multiverse Tonight. And if you've gotten some value out of the show and would like to pay it back, please head on over to Multiverse Tonight, where you'll find our Patreon and Ko-Fi links, check our show notes, visit our Tee Public Store and so much more. Now, if this is your first time listening, thank you very much and welcome. Now go ahead and hit that subscribe button and share it with others. Now, thanks to Hot Dope for the intro music and Lobo Loco for the outro theme music. Thanks for watching this edition of Multiverse Tonight. We'll be back in two weeks with more sci-fi and comic book news. Now, please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. Good night. Multiverse Night is a production of Fact-Tag Journal Productions. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. This podcast is part of the Top Google Culture Podcast Network.