The turmoil at Warner Brothers Discovery continues, this time in the form of bloodletting. News broke early this week that the HBO Max original ‘Batgirl’, which was finished shooting and in late stages of post production. was going to be cancelled by the studio. Shortly after, an official statement was released and the outcry online was loud. This comes amongst rumours of further shakeups coming to the studio, specifically around their HBO Max streaming service, as they apparently look to pivot away from scripted programming nearly across the board, in favor of cheaper unscripted options. Naturally, Julian and Jeremy break down all the details surrounding this unprecedented decision and what it means for the future of DC on the big and small screens. Meanwhile, on the fun side of the news, over at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel held no punches as they discussed the next 2 phases of the MCU, and announced A LOT of new movies and shows, while finding time to drop a spectacular trailer for ‘Black Panther 2’, amongst a whole pile of other announcements. Oh and a new trailer for ‘Andor’ dropped. The show looks stunning, but you’ll have to wait an extra 3 weeks as they have pushed the premiere to September. That pretty much takes up all the time this episode, but trust us, it’s more than enough.

If you enjoy the show please subscribe and leave a nice review on Apple Podcasts, and check out Patreon.com/TowerBabbleCast to become one of our latest patrons.

Show Notes

WB shelves the ‘Batgirl’ movie amongst rumours of further shakeups to come at HBO Max.
- ‘Aquaman 2’ Will See Ben Affleck Return As Batman.
- Layoffs likely coming to HBO Max, and ‘DC FanDome’ is likely cancelled.
- ‘Joker 2’ is set for release Oct 4, 2024.

MGM Loses the Rights to ‘Tomb Raider’ and Alicia Vikander Is Out as Lara Croft - The Wrap
‘John Wick 4’ teaser

TV

The upcoming Star Wars show, ‘Andor’ receives a stunning new trailer as well as some changes to it’s release. It will now premiere on September 21 instead of its original premiere date of August 31, and that premiere will feature 3 episodes dropping on the same day, as opposed to the original 2.

San Diego Comic-Con

DC’s lackluster presence at SDCC:
- Boos for the Rock, plus new trailer for ‘Black Adam’.
- New trailer for ‘Shazam! Furry of the Gods’
Marvel:
- Phase 6 Confirmed, it will Begin with ‘Fantastic Four’, and end with ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ and ‘Secret Wars’.
  - Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed Shang-Chi, will be taking the reins for ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’.
- ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ gets a first Trailer and plot details. Will feature Namor.
- The fourth Captain America film, ‘Captain America: New World Order’ is coming in 2024.
- ‘She-Hulk’ and ‘Black Panther’ will conclude Marvel's Phase 4, plus details on Phase 5 are revealed.
- Marvel shows, ‘Loki Season 2’, ‘Ironheart’, ‘Echo’, ‘Agatha: Coven of Chaos’, all get potential release windows.
- ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3’ trailer shown.
  - ‘Guardians 3’ will be “more mature” according to James Gunn.
- New Daredevil series starring Charlie Cox officially announced, will start with 18 episodes in spring 2024.
  - Spider-Man and Daredevil will remain “grounded” according to Kevin Feigie.
- ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania’ is a “hard left turn” for the franchise according to director Peyton Reed. Also Bill Murray will co-star in the film.
- Marvel's ‘Thunderbolts’ will conclude Phase 5 in the summer of 2024.

What We’ve Been Watching

Nope
Cocktail
Sea Beast
Grey Man

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 178 - Batgirl Shelved & Marvel Comic-Con

Show Notes

TV

San Diego Comic-Con

What We’ve Been Watching

Support the Show

REcent Episodes