Wonkybot Launches First Shared Narrative Audio Universe With ‘Dallas’ Star Linda Gray In Major Role

Wonkybot Studios, the award-winning content and podcast company known for creating the best in narrative cinematic audio for kids and families around the world, today announced the launch of Stewart St John’s ‘Tremendous Universe’, a first-of-its-kind, shared audio universe and media franchise that tells a singular narrative centered around the characters and storylines appearing in St John’s superhero, fantasy and science fiction audio multiverse, all connected to the company’s award-winning flagship podcast series Tara Tremendous.

The Tremendous Universe, which plans to further expand into animation, books, TV, movies and video games, will kick off with the season 4 premiere of Tara Tremendous on March 11, then continue the story in the series premiere of Tremendous Boy launching the same day. In addition, a new superhero character named Master Machine will debut in both shows before landing his own series this summer.

“A franchise like this, with storylines and characters crossing between shows, has never been attempted in the narrative audio space before, and I couldn’t be more excited to do it,” shared St John, who is co-founder and executive producer of all Wonkybot content alongside partners Todd Fisher and Michael Plahuta. St John is also the creator, writer, director, showrunner and co-composer of every Wonkybot show, which gives the company an advantage in its ability to create a streamlined universe with a singular vision.

Legendary ‘Dallas’ star Linda Gray has come on board as the centerpiece of the shared Tremendous Universe. She voices two pivotal characters: Dr. Sabine Montgomery, a world renowned scientist who spearheads a secret, multi-national organization known as VORTEX which tracks, studies and — when necessary — destroys alien and supernatural entities threatening Earth, space and alternate realities. She also plays her doppelgänger Lady Sabine, a mysterious channeler from a dystopian parallel world. Both characters ultimately link together the entire TU.

Gray will debut in both the season 4 premiere of Tara Tremendous and the series premiere of Tremendous Boy, with both shows dropping on Friday, March 11 and available to listen to ad-free with a subscription to the Wonkybot Channel on Apple Podcasts, or free with ads on Spotify, iHeart and other major podcast platforms.

“We’re beyond thrilled to welcome the fabulous Linda Gray to the Tremendous Universe,” said St John. “Dallas was and will always be my favorite series of all time. So to get the opportunity to work with the iconic Linda Gray on something that I’ve created and written is a once-in-a lifetime experience and a dream come true.”

“I was so excited to be invited to play two such diverse characters,” said Linda Gray. “I love to do things that I’ve never done before and this was a perfect fit for me. How exciting it’s been to work with the amazingly creative Wonkybot creators who’ve brought the Tremendous Universe to life. Can’t wait to hear it all pulled together!”

Added St John: “She’s brought such heart and emotion to the character of Sabine, and a dangerous mystery to Lady Sabia, beyond what I’d hoped for. We’re all familiar with the magic Linda creates on screen, but I’m excited to reveal she’s just as magical in the audio format. I can’t say enough good things about this amazing, talented woman who is absolutely gorgeous inside and out.”

One of the exciting new series spinning off from Tara Tremendous brings diversity to the audio superhero world: Master Machine features the first African-American lead in a superhero audio series. “As someone who comes from a multi-cultural, bi-racial family it’s a personal thrill for me to introduce a diverse and dynamic superhero character to audiences around the world,” said St John. “Seventeen Again was a movie I wrote and produced starring the Mowry twins from Sister, Sister and it still resonates with audiences around the world a decade later. I wrote it for my nieces and nephews to see a family who looked like them. I wanted to take that same approach in a podcast series because it reaches so many kids and families around the world who I want to make sure feel included and represented in this exciting new space.”

Master Machine introduces Jordan Briggs as Damian Gray, heir to GrayTech Dynamics, the billion dollar science and aerodynamics corporation run by his mother Octavia, a brilliant scientist who saves Damian’s life with a radical procedure that alters his DNA, giving him the power to shift his physical body into massive machine-bots. Now Damian, aka Master Machine, and his older brother Alex, who shares the same ability, are locked in battle with a time-shifting alien race known as the Valkidians.

Actor Mark Taylor from Seventeen Again has been cast as older brother Alexander Gray . “I’m so excited to introduce Jordan and reunite with Mark on this super cool project,” he said. The series will premiere late summer 2022, but the character of Master Machine will make his first appearance in the upcoming season of Tara Tremendous and spin-off Tremendous Boy.

St John’s Tremendous Universe is not just confined to audio content. The company is in active development on the Tara Tremendous musical feature film franchise which St John adapted into a screenplay and co-composed 14 songs with musical partner Plahuta. The project is currently with Katie McNicol at Marc Platt Productions with JoJo Siwa among top casting choices for the title role.