A Fargin Lego Smart Brick

A rapid tour of the week’s geek news moves from Lego’s Smart Bricks for Star Wars and a record-shattering Action Comics No. 1 sale to sharp updates on Black Mirror, Disney’s live-action Tangled, and a Burton-led monster remake. We close with Godzilla Minus Zero and heartfelt tributes to Richard Dimitri and composer Guy Moon.

• Lego and Disney unveil Smart Bricks with sensors, sound, and light for Star Wars sets
• Record price for Action Comics No. 1 and why it matters to collecting
• Charlie Brooker confirms Black Mirror’s return and creative approach
• Tegan Croft and Milo Manheim cast in live-action Tangled with Michael Gracey directing
• Tim Burton developing Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman with new writers
• Godzilla Minus Zero dated with Takashi Yamazaki returning
• Remembering Richard Dimitri’s screen career and stage roots
• Honoring Guy Moon’s music legacy across animation and film
• Social links and ways to support the show

Please be sure to check us out on social media. We’re also on Blue Sky at Multiverse Tom, Threads, Facebook, and Instagram at Multiverse Tonight. If you’ve gotten some value out of the show and would like to pay it back, please head on over to multiverstonight.com where you’ll find our Patreon and Ko-fi links. Check our show notes, visit our TeePublic store, and so much more. While you’re there, leave some feedback. Go ahead and hit that subscribe and like button and share us with others.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Setup
• 0:59 Star Wars: Lego Smart Bricks Revealed
• 2:46 Record Sale: Action Comics No. 1
• 4:28 Black Mirror Season 8 Teased
• 6:30 Tangled Live-Action Casting
• 8:21 Tim Burton’s 50-Foot Woman Reboot
• 9:20 Godzilla Minus Zero Announced
• 10:36 Remembering Richard Dimitri
• 12:23 Remembering Composer Guy Moon
• 14:03 Closing And Community Links

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Tonight, Legos Get Smart, Action Comics shares a record, Tangled Goes Live Action, and remember actor Richard Dmitry and composer Guy Moon. All then 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 entitled commentary on Pop College. This is Multiverse Tonight. Now here's your host, Thomas Townley. Well, hello everyone, and welcome to episode 256 of Multiverse Tonight. I'm of course your host, Thomas Townley. And, well, we're getting along with uh January alright. You know, it's time to get down to brass tax, do your taxes, or start your taxes, you know, all that stuff. So uh we have a very short episode tonight. Anyway, Star Wars News. Roger, Roger! And Star Wars News begins with Lego and Disney unveiling at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Smart Bricks, marking a significant step forward for the commercial future of the Lego Star Wars line. These new technical technology-infused bricks will launch in LEGO Star Wars sets as early as March 2026. Now, what they do, according to Lego's official press release, and Tom Donaldson, senior VP of and head of Creative Play Lab, the Smart Bricks are designed to integrate creative technology and storytelling, making building worlds and stories even more engaging and all without a screen. Now the bricks offer novel light, sound, and sensor options for builders. And it's been reported in an official Star Wars statement on January 5th that the Smart Brick is, quote, packed with technologies that bring play to life, including sensors, accelerometers, light sensing, a sound sensor, a major speaker driven by an onboard synthesizer, and easy wireless charging. Now these first Smart Brick launch kits will be hitting stores on March 1st, 2026. They include the Lego Star Wars Luke's Red 5 X-Wing, the Lego Star Wars Smart Play Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, and the Lego Smart War Smart Star Wars Smart Play Throne Room Duel and A-Wing. Now both Disney and Lego viewed the Smart Bricks as the most significant Lego in innovation in decades, believing it will be a key to succeeding in today's attention competitive screen-focused reality. So uh Smart Bricks as opposed to as dumb as a brick. Anyway, let's go on with the DC Comics News. Now, this sale, announced this past Friday and negotiated by Metropolis Collectibles and Comics Connect, shutters the previous record of 9.12 million set last November by a copy of Superman No. 1 at auction. The buyer and seller of the Action Comics No. 1 copy, which was once stolen from actor Nicolas Cage's home, choose to remain anonymous. When it first came out in 1938, the comic cost 10 cents and was an anthology featuring various and mostly obscure characters. However, it is historically significant for devoting several panels to the origin story of Superman, detailing his birth on a dying planet, his voyage to Earth, as his adult decision to use his strength to benefit mankind. According to Vincent Zerzulo, president of Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles slash Comic Connect, the publication of this comic marked the beginning of the superhero genre. He estimates that only about a hundred copies of action comics, number one, still exist. Zerzulo emphasized the comic's importance, stating, quote, This is among the holy grail of comic books. Without Superman and his popularity, there would be no Batman or other superhero comic book legends. Its importance in the comic book community shows with his deal as it obliterates the previous record. Now let's go on to the geek news. The unsettling Netflix anthology series, Black Mirror, is set to return for an eighth season, according to its creator, Charlie Brooker. The show, known for its worrying predictions of current technology woes, will hopefully be more Black Mirror than ever, Brooker confirmed in an interview with Netflix Tundem. Quote, luckily it does have a feature, so I can confirm that Black Mirror will return just in time for reality to catch up with it. So that's exciting. That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is wearing away, unquote. News comes as the series heads into the Golden Globes this weekend with its first ever nominations. It didn't win, unfortunately. Season 7 earned nods for Best Television Limited series and Anthology Series for Motion Picture Made for Television. Additionally, Rashida Jones and Paul Giamatti received no nominations for their roles in the episodes and eulogy, respectively. When discussing his creative approach for his new season, Brooker likened the process to making an album. He explained that he uses a useful thought experiment when developing new stories concerning factors like what haven't we done yet and what tone am I looking for? Where does this track come on the album and what musical direction are we going to go into? While he noted that a Black Mirror Hodown is very unlikely, he offered no further details on the new season's content. Season 7 was released back in April of last year and was highly praised for returning to the show's core dystopian and tech-fused themes following the mixed reviews of season six. The uh variety's review specifically highlighted the sequel episode into Infinity, a follow-up to USS Calcer, for expanding on the original premise. Walt Disney Pictures has cast leads for its limited for its live-action adaptation of the 2010 animated film Tangled. Australian rising star Tegan Croft will play Rapunzel, the spirited would-be princess with magical hair, and Milo Manheim, known for Disney Channel's musical zombies franchise, has been chosen as Flynn Ryder, the slick outlaw thief who aids her escape from the tower. Michael Gracie, whose credits include the musical biopics Better Man and the Gray Showman, is set to direct this feature, which, like the original, will feature significant musical elements. Kristen Burr, a producer on last summer's Freakier Friday in 2021's live action Cruella, and who has a long history with the studio as producing, with Jennifer Caton Robinson, rang the script. Now the casting decision followed an extensive search in the US and UK, with finalists screen tested in London in December before the winner holidays. Croft and Mannheim are now stepping into the roles previously voiced by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in the original film, which is now considered a modern classic and a significant part of Disney Animation's second renaissance. These roles carry massive career implications. A Disney live action feature can be a billion-dollar worldwide hit like Leila or Stitch, and uh which was a big hit before Disney's anime Zootopia 2, kept holding relative unknowns to instant fame and opened numerous doors. However, the actors will also face intense scrutiny from fans who grew up watching Tangled on Repeat and singing I've Got a Dream. The original film earned$591 million globally as part of the successful Disney Channel series. The next major role to be cast is the Viola's Mother Gothel, a part that Scarlet Johansson was at one point considered for. Dana Jimenez and Hannah McCann, the screenwriting team behind the Anime Sensation K-pop Demon Hunters, has been hired for a massive project. They're set to write the screenplay for Tim Burton's reimagining of the B movie classic Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman for Warner Brothers Pictures. Now Burton is attached to direct and will also produce alongside Arthur Mitman and Timothy and Tommy Harper. Lucky Chap is also involved in producing and developing the project. Now the original 1958 film told the story of a wealthy heiress recently released from a mental institution who transforms into a gigantess and takes revenge on her unfaithful husband and his gold-digging mistress. Warner Brothers has been developing this remake since 2024, with Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn previously attached to the right to script. The duo, who are just 24 when they co-wrote the K-pop Demon Hunters made by Sony Pictures Animation and a major hit on Netflix last summer, are embracing their newfound success. They shared their excitement with the Hog Reporters saying, quote, We're obsessed with the idea of a 50-foot woman wrecking havoc because a man did her dirty. We have a lot of feeling, a lot of people will relate, unquote. So Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. The sequel to 2023's critically and commercially successful Godzilla Minus One is set to arrive in North American theaters on November 6, 2026, titled Godzilla Minus Zero. The Toho and G Kids film will first premiere in Japan on November 3rd. Director screenwriter Takahashi Yamazuki returns for the follow-up. The previous installment, Godzilla Minus 1, earned over$116 million globally and made history by becoming the first Asian film to win the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards. The November 3rd Japanese premiere date is significant as it honors the release date of the original 1954 Godzilla film. Domestically, Godzilla Minus 1 opened with an 11.4 million and went to growth on more than 57 million. A black and white remastered version also had a brief one-week theatral run in the US in the late January of 2024, following its Japanese debut earlier that month. And finally tonight, Richard Dimitri, an actor known for roles in films like Johnny Dangerously and Let It Ride and for playing twins in the Melbourne's comedy When Things Were Rotten, has died at the age of 83. His family announced that Dimitri died in Los Angeles on December 18th following a long illness involving heart and lung issues. New Yorker of Assyrian descent, Dimitri's career included co-creating the 1993 Fox sitcom Daddy Dearest, starring Don Rickles and Richard Lewis, and writing for comedies such as CBS's House Calls and NBC's Going Bananas. Dimitri had an early start on the stage and appearing in three times on Broadway, including in 1968's The Guide and Hal Princess Zorba, and 1972's Lestrada. Before coming to LA, he had also taught acting at Queen's College. His move to Los Angeles was prompted by his casting as the twins Bertram, the Sheriff of Nyingham's aide, and Ronaldo, one of the Merry Men, in the 1975 ABC Robin Hood spoof when Things Were Rotten, which co-starred Dick Galtar, but only ran for 13 episodes. Dimitri's memorable film roles include Roman Moroni, the malaprobist nightclub owner in Amy Heckerling's 1984 Johnny Dangerously, starring Michael Keaton and the gambler Johnny Cheeseburger in the 1989 film Let It Ride, and featuring Richard Dreyfus. He also appeared in Gene Wilder's The World's Greatest Lover and on various TV shows such as Starskin Hutch, Welcome Back Cotter, and Hawaii 5.0. Additionally, he performed stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store. Born in Yonkers on June 27, 1942, Dimitri was the youngest of two sons. His father left the family when he was a toddler and was raised by his mother Mary and her father. After graduating from Yonkers High School and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1962, he got a start playing Bashir in the 1963 Off-Broadway revival of the Immoralist. In 1998, Dimitri retired from show business due to health concerns and started a second career as an art and antiques dealer with his wife, 26 years, Christiane Inggs, who owned the gallery Ing's Dimitri Works of Art on La Siena Boulevard. Notably, he sold John Deere's 1787 sculpture Venus Reclining on a Sea Monster with Cupid and a Puto to the Getty Museum. Dimitri is preceded in death by his son John, who passed away in 2017 at age 19 from a hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect. Again, Richard Dimitri was 83 years old. And finally, Guy Moon, the Emmy nominated and Annie Award-winning composer, best known for his work on the Nickelodeon's Fairly Odd Parents, has passed away at the age of 63 following an accidental traffic collision. According to the statement released by his family on Facebook and the Los Angeles County Medical Examine report, Moon was killed Thursday morning after sustaining traumatic injuries. Quote, We are overcome with grief to announce the passing of our beloved patriarch Guy Moon. We feel singularly blessed to have been able to call him dad and husband as we stand together at the base of what seems to be an insurmountable grief. We're emboldened to grieve him with honor and courage with the tools that he equipped us with in his beautiful life. He has left an unmistakable legacy and will be profoundly missed by us, his family, and countless others whose lives he impacted. Unquote. Moon was a prolific music writer, serving as the composer on several popular animated series. In addition to his four Emmy nominations for The Fairly Odd Parents, he also composed for two other Butch Hartman created shows, Danny Phantom, for which he wrote the memorable theme song, and Tough Puppy. His credits further included Big Time Rush, Netflix's Johnny Test reboot, Back at the Barnyard, Cow and Chicken, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Beyond Telegrin and animation, Moon composed film scores for projects such as 2017's The Crash, the Brady Bunch movie, a very Brady sequel, and the three live-action Fairly Oddparents movies starring Drake Bell and Daniel Monet. He also contributed to the soundtracks of major films including Minority Report, Fight Club, and Mystic Pizza. His family is tenderly playing a celebration of life on his birthday, February 7th, in the Los Angeles area, with a second event scheduled for a later date in his hometown in Wisconsin. Guy Moon was 63 years old. And that brings us to the end of this edition of the show. Now please be sure to check us out on social media. We're also on Blue Sky 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 multiverstonight.com where you'll find our Patreon and Kofi links. Check our show notes, visit our Tea Public store, and so much more. While you're there, leave some feedback. If this is your first time listening, thank you very much. Welcome. Go ahead and hit that subscribe and like button and share us with others. A special thanks to Shane Ivers 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 Tonight is a production of big genre production. Copyright police stick. Alright, reads our own.