Much of Hollywood is still in quarantine, which means movie and TV news is limited, but ToB never sleeps. So Julian, Dan, and Jeremy gather to discuss the latest dribs and drabs from the world of cinema and television. A lot which seems to concentrate on sequels and delays, with the most notable of which being the delay of Tenet to July 31st. The guys ponder the fate of movie theatres as Chris Nolan continues to bet on his blockbuster to bring people back to the cinema this summer. In sequel news, Indiana Jones 5 has a new director, which in and of itself is shocking as it marks the first time Spielberg won’t be behind the camera. Meanwhile, Ridley Scott contemplates the future of the Alien franchise, the producers of the Bourne movies are look for a fresh take and the latest from production of The Last of Us at HBO, as they add some new creative talent. The guys also discuss HBO Max temporarily removing Gone WIth the Wind and what if any precedent a move like this marks (spoilers, it’s a good thing). All this and so much more on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.

Side note: we have been experiencing some technical difficulties lately so please excuse the quality of this week’s audio. We will strive to have this resolved before the next show.

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Show Notes

Movies

Tenet delayed to July 31st. Theatres expect to be 90% open by that time. However, AMC theatres has “substantial doubt” that they can remain in business despite closing the majority of their locations around the globe.
Rumours are flying about a Mad Max “Furiosa” prequel film. According to these rumours, it wouldn’t star Charlize Theron, would have a story set before Fury Road, would not feature Tom Hardy’s “Mad Max” character, but would bring back the Fury Road cinematographer. Richard Madden and Yaha Abdul Mateen are apparently up for for roles in the film as well.
Bill and Ted 3 trailer.
Ridley Scott wants to make an Alien Covenant sequel.
Indiana Jones 5 set to be directed by James Mangold with Spielberg to produce.
The Bourne franchise may return.
Gone With the Wind, was removed from HBO Max library after plea from 12 years a slave writer John Ridley. HBO says it will be returned with a disclaimer at the appropriate time.

TV

Creator of HBOs Chernobyl (who is also writing the upcoming Borderlands movie for Eli Roth), Craig Mazin, will be executive producing and writing the Last of Us series along with Neil Druckmann. Johan Renck, who won an Emmy for directing all five episodes of Chernobyl is confirmed to be directing “at least” the pilot episode.
HBO’s Lovecraft Country trailer.

Oct 19, 2025

Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Kingpin (1996)

Before Matt officially joined the show as a co-host he was invited on as guest to talk about one of his favourite movies of all time, ‘Swingers’. Now returning in an official capacity to the ToB Film Club, he brings with him another film from his top-3, another comedy, ‘Kingpin’. A Farrelly brothers film that followed up their smash hit breakout, ‘Dumb and Dumber’, and you can see the through lines. Like ‘Dumb and Dumber’ we follow two guys who are down on their luck as they head out on the road where chaos and hilarity ensue. Unfortunately it wasn’t the hit they hoped despite a killer cast, including legends Bill Murray, Randy Quaid and Woody Harrelson and as a result it didn't leave as large of a cultural footprint as some of the other Farrelly brothers films from this era. It's been nearly 30 years so now seems as good a time as any to revisit this sleeper and see what everyone was missing back then.

Oct 9, 2025

Episode 200 - Meet Matt!

After an extended hiatus, ToB returns with a fresh voice on the second chair. Julian is joined by long-time friend of the show, Matt Tworek. We spend this first episode of the "new" ToB getting to know him and setting up what else is to come.

Jun 5, 2025

SSSW - Tales of the Underworld

Lucasfilm Animation has been hard at work on their next major project, 'Maul: Shadow Lord', but they've found the time to deliver another installment in their "Tales of" anthology series. The first ones covering the Jedi and the Empire, they now turn their focus towards the Underworld. However, be warned, this is a bit of a misnomer. Don't expect any crime syndicates or really any large scale criminality here. These 2 mini-arcs instead focus on Asajj Ventress (I know, not the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Underworld) as she assists a young Jedi on the run from the Empire, and the origin story of Cad Bane. Which admittedly is closer in line with the criminal underworld concept, but is really more interested in telling a western style revenge story instead. All in all, despite the always great visuals and sound/music design, and few interesting ideas, there's not enough meat on the bone here to satisfy most viewers. But most disappointing is its failure to capitalize on the potential of the Underworld concept.

May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

Episode 152 - Delays and Sequels

Show Notes

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