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Sarah Douglas Joins Voice Cast of 'Tara Tremendous'
by Neil Cole
Tara Tremendous creator/writer/executive producer Stewart St John revealed today that Superman: The Movie and Superman II star Sarah Douglas has been cast as the lead supervillain in the upcoming third season of Tara Tremendous: The Secret Diaries, a serialized, highly produced, full-cast audio drama chronicling the adventures of the world’s most powerful girl. Produced by Metro Media Factory, the new season will be subtitled “The Alien Empress” and distributed this spring through Metro’s podcast arm Wonkybot Studios, as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and other podcast platforms.
“I am so delighted to have been invited to join the cast and team behind Tara Tremendous in her new audio adventure,” said Douglas, who played the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the late 1970s movies directed by Richard Donner. “What a brilliant concept and what an exciting new superhero in Tara Tremendous!”
Centered around a feisty, headstrong and socially conscious tween named Tara Callahan whose life is forever changed after becoming imbued with the powers of every superhero in the world (superheroes existing in St John’s ‘Tremendous-Verse’), the series — which shot to #1 in the Kids & Family category on Apple Podcasts when it originally launched — features an ongoing storyline, captivating sound design and original songs and score composed by St John and musical partner Michael Plahuta. (Season 2 can be listened to for free on Wonkybot.com and is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts while Season 1 is offered exclusively on Audible).
“We’re beyond excited to welcome the incredibly talented Sarah Douglas to the show where she now becomes part of the girl-power universe of Tara Tremendous,” said St John. “I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s since watching her electrifying performance as the villainous Ursa in Superman and Superman II. She is the original super bad-girl of cinema! So this is a particular thrill for me and our entire team.”
The studio has also released a promo video announcing Douglas joining the series:
Douglas, an accomplished actress who has starred in an array of films and TV roles — from classics like Conan The Destroyer and V: The Final Battle to the recent Netflix family feature A Christmas Prince and the CW’s Supergirl series — will play a character in Tara Tremendous called “The Empress”. St John created the role specifically with Douglas in mind, “so when she said yes, we were thrilled.”
“This is just what we all need,” Douglas added. “A positive and uplifting story for all ages with empowering messages and exciting adventures and an opportunity for kids and parents alike to discuss, digest, laugh and question but most of all enjoy!”
“Tara Tremendous: The Secret Diaries is a fully formed, sound-tracked and professionally performed series created by industry veterans and skilled voice actors,” explained executive producer Todd Fisher, co-founder of Metro Media Factory. “We produce everything in-house, from the scripts to the sound design to the original instrumental music you hear in the background of every show.”
St John originally created the Tara Tremendous character when he was a kid growing up drawing and writing his own comic books, then launched the character in 2015 as an audio drama. Tara Tremendous: The Secret Diaries shot to #1 in the Apple Podcast Kids & Family category, and is now included in Apple’s curated content for kids.
“Though we’re initially distributing the series on podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts, the show is so much more than a podcast,” explained St John. “The series is so immersive that it almost feels like the audio has been taken from an established television series, but it’s been specifically produced as an audio-only experience. The fun of audio-only material is that the audience gets to use their imagination, they get to visualize what they hear in their head. It’s a wonderful tool to help inspire children’s imaginations.”
In 2017 the creators launched a live concert based on the series called Tara Tremendous: The Secret Diaries – LIVE!, reproducing the stories and songs from the series on stage in a live musical concert. The first event premiered in NYC and featured Micky Dolenz, MiMi Ryder, Annie Golden and other Broadway stars singing 20 songs composed by St John and Plahuta. An album of songs is available on the Wonkybot.com website.
The third season of Tara Tremendous: The Secret Diaries — The Alien Empress, which premieres this spring, takes place six months after the events of Season 2 and finds Tara caught up in a great space adventure as she comes face to face with her most powerful foe ever: the Empress of Nimboch (Douglas).
St John will return as the voice of Dr. Epic, with Plahuta resuming his roles as Epic’s lovable sidekick 1102 and Mr. Barrington (headmaster of Power U).
