"The Pen" Delayed to October and Johnny Thunder 3 to be Re-Released!

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; September 1, 2018)

     Today, we have LOTS of news to share, so let's go straight into it!

"The Pen" Has Been Delayed!

     In what has seemed to become the norm around here, The Pen has been delayed into the fall, after the filming drastically fell behind schedule. However, given the luxury that the film is actually quite simple from a filming standpoint (it only has five sets), we've pegged October 5 as the new release date, which we are certain that we can hold ourselves to. For the record, Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra is still on track for a November 9 release date. However, we also have a new project in the pipeline that may surprise you all.

"Johnny Thunder 3" Will Get a Special Edition in 2019!

     With the appropriate permission, I've been allowed to impart a secret from the studio here on the press room: hardly anyone at the studio was happy with the way that Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients turned out. Possibly because it was slightly rushed to get it out in time for its debut, there were quite a few quality issues that slipped through the woodwork. Well, these issues are going to be resolved next year, when we release Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients: Special Edition! While I'm not going to reveal everything, here's what we plan on changing.

• All of the old audio (which sounded tinny due to compression) will be replaced with new audio (this was our biggest gripe).
• Almost all of the dialogue (depending on what can be recovered) will be re-recorded, with Alyssia Derenski possibly returning as Sarah Thunder.
• Using Flicker Free (a plug-in for After Effects), all of the light flicker will be suppressed.
• The imagery will be cleaned up and color corrected.
• Since Achu has subtitles, this scene will be reworked to make Achu's voice more ancient (but still understandable by the adventurers).
• Unfinished effects will be cleaned up and completed (we did say that this film was rushed, didn't we?).
• Brand-new special effects will be added to enhance the film.
• And so much more!

This re-release will be ready to go in the spring of 2019, to compliment Patrick: The Movie. A re-release of Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile will occur summer 2019 and a remake of Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo will debut after that, along with a new adventure, Johnny Thunder and the Wonders Beneath the Waves.

A New Canon Update Fleshes out Characters More!

     After looking over our official canon, we've decided to tweak a few things for clarity.

• In Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo, Lord Sam Sinister was cast as a neo-Nazi to make him more evil. However, as we've moved away from that (it doesn't really fit his character), we are now officially ret-conning this detail. Lord Sam Sinister is no longer a neo-Nazi. As Johnny Thunder films are re-released, any mentioning of this will be written out. He still is, however, ethnically German.
• While this technically is not a canon change, we would like to clarify a point that some may have picked up on, but others may not have: LEGO's story line for the adventurers theme is not canon in the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Cinematic Universe (Dimension 418, to be exact). The Johnny Thunder films are an alternate version of the story, even placing the sub-themes in a different order of release.
• The Super Hero Student (from True Identity) is George and Talia Kaahs' daughter, which makes her Ogel's neice! The explosion that killed George and Talia is also the one that gave her her super powers.
• And now she also gets a name. The legal name of the Super Hero Student is Sydney Kaahs.
• After much consideration, a new dimension is being introduced: Dimension 201, the Story-Verse! This universe has a two-year misalignment with Dimension 418 (2018 in 418 would be 2020 in 201) and contains many of the stories written by Andrew Bermudez in his youth and follows, er...it's own continuity. Many of these stories can be found in Crazy Compendium.
• Castle Under Attack (1400)
• The Spider Who Saved the Castle (1400)
• Young Seminole (1702)
• Patt's Cabin (1870)
• Pirate Peril (2001)
• At the Balloon Race (2001)
• Johnny Thunder's Trip to the Dinosaurs (2001)
• The Ice Cream Incident (2001)
• Mummy's Curse (2002)
• Quit Monkeying Around (2002)
• Museum Mystery (2002)
• Return to Dino Island (2002)
• Slyboots, Run! (2002)
• Riddles Everywhere (2002)
• The Bad Bar (2002)
• Who the Real Pickpocket Was! (2002)
• Cows Get Revenge (2002)
• The Big Easter Egg Hunt (2003)
• Unexpected Lessons (2003)
• The Carter Caper (2003)
• Fork in the Road (2003)
• The Applebee's Incident (2003)
• Breakout of Baddy-Do-Bad (2003)
• Jim McCurdy (2003)
• Artifact Theft (2003)
• The Lighthouse Mystery (2005)
• Revenge of the Kid's Ghost (2005)
• The Case of the Golden Dragon Theft (2005)
• Alpha Team: The Deep Freeze (2005)
• Time Chase (2005)
• Alpha Team 2: The Dino Attack (2005)
• Convenience Store Heist Goes Up in Smoke (2007)
• A Scary Story (2007)
• Flamingo's Fowl Play (2007)

If anything else needs to be ironed out, we will inform you of any important canon updates.

Last Call for "Tales of the Desert" Entries and Prize Pool!

     If you are making a desert-set story for our summer contest, this weekend is your last call, as ALL entries MUST be submitted to us by September 3, 11:59 PM PDT. If you want to submit your own entry, just send us a link to your entry via e-mail at andrewberm@sbcglobal.net. As for the prizes, here is what you can win!

• EXCLUSIVE Patrick Hooligans Brickheadz figure!
• Your very own sig-fig making a cameo in the film Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra!
• EXCLUSIVE 2-Gen Art Concept Art Prints for Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra and Johnny Thunder and the Secret of Marco Polo: The Adventure Retold!

Good luck to all who enter and we look forward to seeing everyone's stories!
9/4/2018 Update: This contest has been suspended due to a lack of entries. More details to follow later this month.

Lead-Out

     And that's it for today. Are you looking forward to our upcoming films?  Do you want your own Patrick Hooligans Brickheadz figure? Are you fascinated by the new canon updates? Let us know in the comments!