What a crazy couple of weeks! Not only was it revealed that Disney was in talks to buy 21st Century Fox but it was also announced that Rian Johnson would be heading up a whole new Star Wars trilogy, Brian Michael Bendis is moving to DC Comics and that Amazon is making a Lord of the Rings television series! That's a lot to unpack, luckily the ToB Crew is here to break it all down for you.

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Show Notes

Movies

Disney was in talks to buy the film and television branch of 21st Century Fox. What does that mean for their Marvel properties?
- Check out Julian's blog post where he argues that this deal would actually be a BAD thing for the X-Men franchise.
Disney also announced that Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will be spearheading a whole new trilogy in the Star Wars galaxy that will “focus on “new characters from a corner of the galaxy that Star Wars lore has never before explored.”
- Along with that announcement came news that Disney plans to create a live-action Star Wars television show for its upcoming online streaming service that launches in 2019.
The Rock is rumoured to debut his Black Adam character in Suicide Squad 2 according to The Wrap.
Mark Strong is up for the villain role in Shazam!
- 'Andi Mack' Star Asher Angel To Play Billy Batson
The Budget for Justice League is rumoured to be at nearly $300 million according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
- Check out Julian's blog post where he explains why he's worried about Justice League.
Sony is in the process of developing a movie based on the Spider-man villain Morbius: The living vampire according to THR.
Thor Ragnarok remained at number one for the second week in a row at the box office.
- Check out this amazing video essay about Taika Waititi ability to master the happy/sad dynamic in his films.

TV

According to Variety, Amazon has ordered a multi-season commitment for a Lord of the Rings series, including a potential spin-off.
25th Anniversary of X-Men: The Animated Series

Comics

After 18 years with Marvel, writer Brian Michael Bendis is moving to DC comics. He’s signed a “multiyear, multifaceted” exclusive deal with DC.

What We've Been Watching

This Is Us
- Animated dramedies

Apr 25, 2026

Episode 205 - CinemaCon 2026 + News Roundup

It's been a minute since Matt and Julian sat down to cover the latest in film and TV news. Some might say it's been dearly missed. Well wait no more folks because this week it's all news and nothing but the news so help me god! If the last few weeks (months?) of stories weren't enough, CinemaCon 2026 also just concluded which had it's own news deluge. The guys unpack it all (well most of it anyway)! Of utmost priority is the news of Michael B Jordan and Austin Butler's reboot of 'Miami Vice', which is close to Matt's heart. Plus 'Spaceballs 2' gets a title and release date, trailers for 'Dune 3', 'Clayface' and 'Street Fighter' all surprise (in a good way), and a new 'Lord of the Rings' movie is announced (and you won't guess who's writing it!). Plus, a 'Game of Thrones' movie, more 'Transformers' and is 'Avatar' over? All this and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!

Apr 23, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 5 & 6

We’ve reached the halfway point of the season and with it comes a tonal shift back to the roots of Star Wars animation - 'The Clone Wars'. With the arrival of the Empire, the focus shifts away from Maul and his dealings and toward the pair of Jedi as they are now in the crosshairs. The noire tone takes a back seat, next to Maul, as things become more pulpy, mixed with an impending doom that is reminiscent of the final season of 'The Clone Wars'. The set-piece action sequences get an injection of scale and danger, which is exciting, and some of the early seeding of characters like Rylee start to pay off. While maybe a bit different from the previous 4 episodes, the quality and the stakes remain high (well... for every character except Maul I suppose). Join Julian and Rachel as the unpack it all in excruciating detail.

Apr 15, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 3 & 4

Now that the premiere is out of the way, the team at Lucasfilm Animation can focus on driving the story forward with authority. The pacing is much improved this week as time feel more evenly dispersed across the characters. There's a greater concentration on characters who can wield a lightsaber and it's appreciated. No shade to the crime syndicate storyline, but we've kind of seen all that already (it was quite literally a 'Clone Wars' arc). The action remains strong while taking another step forward with lightsaber duels joining the mix. Plus, the fast cutting from last week seems to have been dialed back, which is appreciated as it provides more clarity in action scenes. For example, Devon's engagements with Maul are gripping, and with the additional time provided to Master Daki, the stakes feel ratcheted up. Kevin Kinner's music remains a highlight, the illusions to the Anakin vs Obi-Wan Mustafar theme was a particular highlight. In general, there is still room for more character growth, especially with characters not named Maul, who really can't/won't change - but happy to proven wrong! This show feels like it's in full swing already, which is good because next week things look to be really heating up as we hit the half way mark. Julian and Rachel unpack it all!

Apr 9, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 1 & 2

It's been some time since we've been able to sink our pointy teeth into a meaty Star Wars animated project. Since the finale of 'The Bad Batch' all the way back in May of 2024, all we've had to tie us over were anthology installments of varying quality. Praise the Force, that wait is finally over with the release of 'Maul: Shadow Lord', the latest full length series from Lucasfilm Animation. The series marks another technical leap forward for the animation studio, taking their patented visual style and adding another layer of detail and artistry that jumps off the screen. The story follows the titular, Maul shortly after the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, he's looking for revenge and the series wastes no time dropping us right into the thick of things (3 car/speeder chases in 40 mins is impressive). And while we know much of Maul's criminal dealings (and most of the rest of his life actually), the introduction of a new Padawan into the mix, another apprentice-to-be for Maul, adds a layer of intrigue to an otherwise underworld focused story. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack Chapter 1: "The Dark Revenge" and Chapter 2: "Sinister Schemes", in intricate detail.

Episode 105 - Disney Buying Fox?

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