Julian and Jeremy get together to try to make sense of the current tumultuous state of Hollywood. With the actors joining the writers on strike, the pressure mounts for studios, who are currently going through an almost unprecedented streak of box office failures. It's not looking good out there folks! Which is why it was necessary to revive the "Agree or Disagree" segment of the show to really dive into the complexities of the situation. Meanwhile, DC Studios continues to try to steady the ship by announcing casting news for 'Superman: Legacy'. Surprisingly they've gone further than just announcing who will be playing Clark and Lois, and added character announcements for the likes of Guy Gardner, Hawk Girl and more. Unsurprisingly, this leads to some debate on the merits of James Gunn's recent decision making. On top of that, the guys discuss a grab-bag of movie topics to round out the show. All this and so much more on this week's episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast!

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Show Notes

Movies

DC
- ‘The Flash’ will cost WBD $200m. Considered the biggest flop in WB history.
- Ben Affleck’s Batman scene from ‘Aquaman 2’ has been cut from the latest version of the film in an effort to “ensure they don’t promise a movie universe that will not come to fruition” - THR
  - The film has gone through 3 rounds of reshoots and 2 cut Batmen. Test screenings have been mixed. According to THR, the film is now on a positive track after the last round of reshoots, sanctioned by Gunn.
- Casting news for ‘Superman: Legacy”
  - David Corenswet - Clark
  - Rachel Brosnahan - Lois
  - Anthony Carrigan - Metamorpho
  - Ed Gathegi - Mr Terrific
  - Nathan Fillion - Guy Gardner
  - Isabela Merced - Hawk Girl
Bob Iger has decided to stay on as CEO at Disney through 2026.
First look at ‘Deadpool 3’ and the yellow suit for Wolverine.
- Jennifer Garner will return as Electra.
Trailers:
- ‘Napoleon’
- ‘Kraven the Hunter’
Zack Snyder’s Star Wars movie pitch was shot down for being R-rated and lacking existing characters.
Sam Mendes has declined an offer to direct the next James Bond film.
Idril Elba said he is no longer interested in playing James Bond after racist fans turned him off the idea.
Chris Nolan is a fan of the ‘Fast and Furious’ series, according to Emily Blunt, who says, “you never hear him shit talk other people’s movies” - THR
James Cameron says a new ‘Alita’ is in the works.
Donald Glover will return for the ‘Community’ movie. Filming will begin next summer.
‘28 Years Later’ the potential third installment to the ‘28 Days Later’ franchise is back in the news as Alex Garland says he’s finished the script, Danny Boyl is interested in directing, and Cillian Murphy is down to return - Culture Crave
SAG goes on strike in solidarity with the writers. First time in over 60 years.
Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network production workers launch unionization effort - THR
Barbenheimer road trip!

Agree or Disagree

Is risk aversion due to Wall Street involvement in Hollywood led us to where we are now? A thread: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1679977696498192387.html

What We’ve Been Watching

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
The Bear S2
Marvel’s Secret Invasion
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part 1

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.

Apr 24, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Premiere

It's been a long time since Cassian Andor and his band of Rebel compatriots has graced our TV screens. A long hiatus, no doubt, but when you look into WHY this second season took so long the reason becomes clear - they were dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" (along with dealing with the writers and actors strikes, growing and harvesting ancient grains, hand stitching wedding dresses, the list goes on...) to make sure that this isn't just good Star Wars, but indeed the maybe the BEST Star Wars (I'm partially convinced that it may be the best we may ever get actually). Season 2 roars to life in it's first of four, 3-episode drops (essentially a movie a week for a month), not wasting any time picking up with our characters a year after the events of season 1. The sheer scale, scope, and commitment to its heavy themes is laudable, but when combined with the masterful set design, costuming, writing, and acting, you can't help but to stare, mouth agape, at this singular piece bold storytelling, that will likely go down as Tony Gilroy's largest contribution to popular culture, and deservedly so. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack it all. It's going to be one hell of a ride!

Episode 187 - Hollywood Turmoil Paired With A New Superman

Show Notes

Movies

Agree or Disagree

What We’ve Been Watching

Support the Show

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