With 2020 now firmly in the rearview mirror, ToB can now return to it's regularly scheduled programming. Or at least as close to it as we can get! It's been a few weeks since a full news show, so there's a lot to discuss. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy break down the biggest stories in the world of film and television, not the least of which being that Warner Bros is apparently doubling down on 'Harry Potter'. They've installed a new VP to oversee the franchise and a live-action series is in early development at HBO Max. On top of that, rumours are swirling about the possible return of Chris Evans' Captain America to the MCU. Plus, Snyder confirms that his Justice League will not be a 4-part series afterall, and instead will be a 4 hour film. Oh did we mention that Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' series got an official synopsis? Well the guys are covering that too! All that and so much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast.

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Show Notes

Movies

James Bond: No Time to Die release date is moved to Oct 8th, 2021. One among many movies still on the move on the release calendar as COVID marches on.
‘Godzilla vs Kong’ trailer.
Paramount is moving forward with their new ‘Transformers‘ film.
Seth MacFarlane wants to remake ‘The Naked Gun’ with Liam Neeson in the lead role.
Netflix has surpassed 200 million subscribers and took in $6.6 billion in revenue in Q4 of 2020. All positive news for the streamer on the tails of it’s announcement of it’s 2021 movie slate.
‘John Wick’ 4 and 5 will shoot back to back and they are hoping to start filming this year.
‘Mortal Kombat’ movie stills are released.
Knuckles is set to appear in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’,

Disney

Feige reveals that with the start of Phase 4, with the release of Wandavision, that it’s “all about beginnings” and won’t feature an ‘Avengers’ movie. However, he did confirm that ‘The Avengers’ will return “at some point”.
Chris Evans is reportedly returning to the MCU as Captain America.
An R-Rated ‘Deadpool 3’ is coming to the MCU with Ryan Reynolds currently overseeing the script.
Matt Damon has reportedly been cast in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
Ethan Hawke is set to play the villain in Marvel’s ‘Moon Knight’.
‘Loki’ S2 is reportedly already in development.
Alan Tudyk reveals that he won’t be appearing as K-2SO in ‘Andor’ but that there are plans for the character. Perhaps hinting at more than 1 season for ‘Andor’.

Warner Bros

Zack Snyder reveals that his ‘Justice League’ will be a 4 hour movie afterall, and NOT a 4-part miniseries.
DC Films president, Walter Hamada, has signed an extension to his contract that will keep him as head of DC Films until at least 2023.
Ray Fisher is no longer a part of the ‘Flash’ film and has parted ways with DC Films.
Warner Bros have appointed a new executive, Tom Ascheim, to oversee and expand the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise. This includes a live action ‘Harry Potter’ series in the works at HBO Max.
Rumour: due in part to the handling of the ‘Tenet’ release, Chris Nolan is unlikely to return to Warner Bros for his next picture. He was apparently “disappointed” by the studio’s hybrid release strategy.
Joel Kinnaman says that ‘The Suicide Squad’ will be the “the biggest budget R-rated movie that’s ever been made”.
Warner Bros is looking at Tom Holland or Timothee Chalamet to play a young Willy Wonka in their prequel movie called ‘Wonka’.
Wonder Woman 1984 review

TV

It’s been 10 years since the last ‘Game of Thrones’ book has been released. Meanwhile, HBO is looking to develop a prequel series on Robert’s Rebellion,
HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ will be directed by indie darling Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole).
Production has begun on ‘Ted Lasso’ S2.
Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series has an official synopsis:
- “Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”

What We’ve Been Watching

Wandavision
Wonder Woman 1984
Sonic the Hedgehog

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.

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

May 2, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E4 - 6

I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're already halfway through this final season of 'Andor'. Fortunately, the quality hasn't dipped one bit as we accelerate into the finish. Join Julian and Rachel as they savour every minute of this 3-episode arch that takes us to Ghorman for the first time on screen. Tony Gilroy and the team at Lucasfilm outdid themselves yet again in crafting every detail. The size of the set alone is impressive, but they take it a step further by developing a unique culture and even language different from anything we've seen in Star Wars before. It all fits seamlessly into this next chapter of the story that has a heavy emphasis on spycraft as the pressure ramps up for both the Rebellion and the Empire.

Episode 160 - Cap Coming Back?

Show Notes

Movies

Disney

Warner Bros

TV

What We’ve Been Watching

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