TTV On Air: The Ultra Agents of Astor City is a never-produced adaptation of both The TTV Channel and LEGO Ultra Agents. The film would have centered on a selection of the hosts of The TTV Podcast as they have to deal with a surprise attack on a tech convention from a band of super villains, but was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts in determining the announcement line-up for the 2/1/21 event.
Plot Summary[]
As no script was ever written, no exact plot summary can be written. However, from the few documents and the unpublished official plot summary that do exist, as well as the fact that the film would have basically followed the LEGO Ultra Agents story, an inexact outline can be determined.
The film would have started at FutureCon in Astor City, where members of the TTV Channel are hosting a panel about the future of podcasting. While not confirmed, the panelists (and the TTV members that would have been the film's protagonists) would have most likely been Eljay Johnsen, Mesonak, Varderan, Hayley, Tenebrae Invictus, and Deadmatoro. Also present at the convention are several tech firms, such as Borg Industries, Dr. Leinad Laboratories, and Solarum Industries.
Suddenly, the convention is attacked by a band of supervillains like Psyclone, Infearno, and Drillex. They make off with some of the convention's best technology and scientists, leaving the convention center in ruin. At the same time, Astor City is cut off from the rest of the world, making calls for back-up from forces like Alpha Team futile.
In escaping from the convention center, the members of the TTV Channel have a run-in from Cristina Hydron, a scientist from the Bradford Rant Institute of Cosmic Kinesis, who somehow is convinced that the members of TTV are needed to stop these villains in the form of "ultra agents" (the outline is vague on this point). She brings them under her wing and trains them in the ways to stop these villains, as well as figure out where they're coming from.
After rigorous training from Solomon Blaze, the members of TTV soon discover that a strange entity named Antimatter is creating portals around the city that suck in normal citizens and, using their greatest strengths and weaknesses, turns them into super-powered, ironically destructive versions of themselves (pyromaniac Infearno, for example, used to be a firefighter). They continue to pursue the villains, who are stealing tech left and right for their master. In the meantime, Bradford Rant Institute scientist Professor Brainstein is kidnapped.
While on a mission out on the nearby Point Island (home of Astor City's branch of the Bradford Rant Institute), they discover that Antimatter himself used to be a member of Alpha Team named Morgan Lux who, after becoming fanatical about stopping all crime in the entire world, was dishonorably discharged by Dash. Morgan then came into contact with Baron Typhonus, who promised him absolute control with just a touch of the Maelstrom. Using a Maelstrom Crystal, Morgan tried to craft a staff that could mind control every being on the planet into complying with the law, until an accident caused the staff to corrupt him, turning him into Antimatter. Now believing that the only way to order was through power and brutality, he used his new-found powers to begin corrupting Astor City before taking on the rest of the world. At this time, they also discover that Brainstein himself has been corrupted into one of these beings.
Details here are scarce, but what is confirmed is that, being at the convention himself, Cyrus Borg would have been involved (which would have been depicted as a dream come true for Hayley, herself a Ninjago fan), as well as Invizable and Toxikia being not Antimatter's lackeys, but rather two of the elemental masters (also from Ninjago). The ending would have involved an assault on Antimatter's tech portal, which he planned on using to first corrupt Solomon Blaze, then turn Astor City into a Maelstrom wasteland. While the very end would have almost mirrored the end for LEGO's Ultra Agents line, with the portal destroyed and Astor City's citizens freed from their corruption, it is unknown whether Antimatter would have turned back into Morgan Lux or would have been destroyed. Some production documents lean more towards the latter option.
Production History[]
When plans were being assembled for the 2/1/21 announcement for Mustache Maniacs Film Co.'s post-pandemic future, it seemed like that the sky was the limit. In addition to Project U, a sequel to Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra had already been green-lit (later announced as Pharaoh's Quest: Tyrant of the Chaco), and plans for Twenty Years Young were already taking shape. It seemed that any idea was up for grabs. There was just one problem.
Early versions for Alpha Team: Mission Deep Past were not working, with the two best options being to either adapt LEGO Ultra Agents or to incorporate Charge's story of his disappearance in 2008-2009. Out of options, writer Andrew Bermudez gave the reins for that project over to John Hitchcock while he took the LEGO Ultra Agents idea in a different direction.
The TTV Channel is known for running April Fool's Day jokes, and their most celebrated was the Marvel-inspired TTVengers: Civil War, which cast each cast member as a Marvel superhero. While the joke only lasted three days as a quasi text-based RPG, the joke is remembered fondly to this day, including being featured on a t-shirt that used to be sold in TTV's online store. Andrew randomly wondered one day in December 2020 what would happen if that joke was merged with LEGO Ultra Agents. The answer? This film.
Though never announced, the film was slated to be announced at the highly-anticipated 2/1/21 event, complete with its own plot summary and a projected release in 2027. However, in January 2021, this film came into conflict with the shooting schedule for Legends of the Universe, which is projected to beat out the 245-minute The Wars of Darkness as the longest brickfilm of all time (it is worth mentioning that this is the reason why the number of projects to be released per year takes a nosedive after the conclusion of Twenty Years Young). Faced with this reality, it was determined this film would spread resources too thin. Therefore, On January 11, 2021, this film was quietly cancelled.
Characters[]
- Mesonak (n/a)
- Eljay Johnsen (n/a)
- Varderan (n/a)
- Hayley (n/a)
- Tenebrae Invictus (n/a)
- Deadmatoro (n/a)
- Christina Hydron (n/a)
- Professor Brainstein (n/a)
- Solomon Blaze (n/a)
- Caila Phoenix (n/a)
- Jack Fury (n/a)
- Antimatter/Morgan Lux (n/a)
- Cyrus Borg (n/a)
- Toxikita (n/a)
- Invizable/Paleman (n/a)
- Baron Typhonus (Andrew Bermudez)
- Dash Justice (Andrew Adkins)
Locations[]
- Astor City
Credits[]
- Andrew Bermudez - Initial Idea
Tropes[]
TTV On Air: The Ultra Agents of Astor City contains examples of the following tropes.
- Ambiguously Human: Just like in the LEGO sets, the supervillains look this way, though the human part is irrevocably confirmed when the podcasters find out that they are, indeed, transformed humans.
- Angrish: Production documents stated that Eljay's characteristic short temper was going to be on full display in this film, which would have led to humorous scenes in the overall fight against Antimatter.
- Animated Adaptation: Unusually, this film was going to be the case for both The TTV Channel and LEGO Ultra Agents.
- Awesome Mc Coolname: All of the Ultra Agents and TTV members are named this way. And of course, Dash Justice counts too, who appears here via a flashback.
- Big Bad: The character of Antimatter.
- Body Horror: Some of the supervillains have this look.
- Butt-Monkey: The character of Eljay, who is this for the actual TTV Channel.
- City of Adventure: Astor City is this.
- Crossover: Ultimately, the premise of this film.
- Fangirl: Since Hayley is one for Ninjago in real life, this was going to exploited at the tech convention when she meets Cyrus Borg. This would come full swing again later when Toxikita and Invizable reveal that they're NOT under Antimatter's control, but are rather the elemental masters Tox and Paleman, who are undercover to help save the city.
- Irony: This is what happens to the citizens of Astor City when they're turned into the supervillains. For example, Drillex, a construction worker, was transformed into a villain who uses drills capable of turning buildings into rubble.
- Kidnapped Scientist: This happens to Professor Brainstein.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Christina Hydron's test to turn the TTV cast members into Ultra Agents actually results in this.
- Running Gag: Several from the TTV Channel were going to be adapted for this film.
- Supernatural is Purple: The colors of Antimatter. It turns out that this is because his powers are derived from the Maelstrom, which he obtained from Baron Typhonus.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Throughout the film, it becomes very clear that The TTV Channel cast is NOT cut out to be the heroes of the city, but they do not take this news well, leading the Ultra Agents and TTV Channel to almost always be at each other's throats.
- Was Once a Man: Morgan Lux, whose fanaticism that got him discharged from Alpha Team, led him into an accident with the Maelstrom that turned him into Antimatter.
Trivia[]
- The film title's heading, TTV On Air, is actually named after an official TTV animated series, titled On Air. Just like this film, that series was never released beyond a trailer in 2014.
- This film's premise was born after the concept of using LEGO Alpha Team to adapt LEGO Ultra Agents was dropped. Currently, due to this project, there are no plans to adapt LEGO Ultra Agents.
- This film was seen as pseudo-prologue to B.I.O. Corps, but with this film's cancellation, that film will remain on its existing course.