A lot can happen in 2 weeks. Julian, and Jeremy, are reunited with Dan after a couple weeks away, and boy howdy is there a lot to discuss. After the obligatory Tenet check-in, the guys dive deep into the layoffs at Warner Brothers. Layoffs that hit particularly hard at DC. Not unexpectedly, the much maligned DC Universe streaming service appears to be getting the axe, however, it was the move to completely gut DC Collectibles and hobble DC Comics that came as the biggest shocker. This all comes only weeks ahead of DC Fan Dome, the comic book companies much hyped digital comic-con. Fortunately it wasn’t all bad news on the DC front as it was revealed that Rocksteady’s new game would revolve around the Suicide Squad as they hunt the Justice League (which is pretty cool if we’re being honest). After that the ToB Crew jumps over to the bleak future of the theatrical experience as news of Mulan coming to Disney+ became a reality (among other downer news bits on that front). Fortunately, some good news came out of the Emmy nomination as Watchmen was (rightfully) nominated for 26 awards. All that and so much more in this week’s (extra long) Tower of Babble Podcast!

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Show Notes

Movies

“Tenet” update: expected to premiere in theatres in 70 countries by the end of August followed by labour day in the US.
Hanz Zimmer was commissioned to do an extended “ta-dum” theme for Netflix movies in theatres.
DC
- “Death in the Family” animated film
- Snyder Cut - Superman in Black Costume
- Layoffs - https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/dc-universe-dc-comics-layoffs-warnermedia-restructure-1234731181/
- DC Fan Dome
- Rocksteady’s new “Suicide Squad” game
Mulan coming to Disney for $30 US Sept 4th.
Disney also has no plans to release more 4K Blu Rays from their live action catalogue (this includes Fox content).
Universal inks deal to shrink theatrical window to 17 days.
Movie studios are allowed to own movie theatre chains again.
Netflix is reportedly looking for it’s own Star Wars, Harry Potter-esque franchise.
Brie Larson wants to play Samus in a “Metroid” movie.

TV

Emmy Nominations: - https://ew.com/awards/emmys/emmy-2020-nominations-list/
- “The Mandalorian” received 15 despite little effort from Disney.
- HBO’s “Watchmen” with 26. The most and well deserved.
“Archer” coming back for another season in september.
“Solo: A Star Wars Story” rumoured to be continued on Disney+ with Alden Ehrenreich.
Trailer for HBO Max original series “Raised by Wolves” from Ridley Scott.
A dramatic reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is in the works.
Disney unveils new logo for 20th Century Fox Television, simply calling it “20th Television”.
“MacGruber” series ordered by Peacock (NBC). Will Forte to reprise the lead role.

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 154 - DC Doomsday

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