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.
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Episode 165 - Tectonic Shifts in Streaming
It's been hot minute since the ToB Crew gathered to discuss the latest in film and TV news, but it’s been worth the wait because there are some gigantuan stories that need to be covered, and some of them will have lasting effects for years to come. Firstly, AT&T is done with WarnerMedia, who will be merging with Discovery to become an even bigger player in the streaming wars. Speaking of streaming, Amazon is making their own moves in that space as they look to acquire MGM. On the more creative side of things, news of a new Batman animated series made waves with the announcement that animation legend Bruce Timm would be executive producing. Plus Marvel dropped a sizzle reel and a trailer for Shang Chi. So there's plenty to cover! Join Julian, Jeremy and Dan as they discuss all these stories, plus much more, on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 160 - Cap Coming Back?
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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ToB Interlude - Avengers: Endgame
ToB is back to breakdown the latest, and biggest, Marvel film! Avengers: Endgame is finally here; the culmination of 3 phases, 11 years, 21 movies, and countless interweaving character/story arcs, all leading into the biggest superhero film in creation. This movie continues Marvel’s streak of near-perfect team up films, and manages to maintain the humour, heart, and jaw-dropping action sequences that fans have come to expect. Following the events of Infinity War and the snap heard around the world, how do the remaining heroes pick up the pieces? How do they handle their first true defeat? They couldn’t save the world, now will they be able to avenge it?
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ToB Interlude - Best of 2016
Just like that another year has come and gone and with it came some amazing entertainment. So with the New Year only a few days away the ToB Crew sit down to discuss the best and worst of the years offerings. Julian, Daniel and Jeremy each pick their top three favourite television shows, video games and movies from 2016 and reflect on the year that was.
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Episode 71 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
This week the ToB Crew reviews Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. The latest title from arguably the most talented game studio in the business, Naughty Dog. The development was wrought with drama, including the exit of Amy Hennig from the studio and The Last of Us directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann taking over at the helm. That's without even mentioning several delays, including one only weeks before launch. But after playing it, I'm hard pressed to even remember that turmoil. It's no spoiler to say we all absolutely adored this game and the three of us discuss every amazing detail.
Before any of that however, we of course start by discussing the latest in geek news. We kicked it off with Nintendo, who decided to jump into the movie business and we speculate on which of their properties would make for great cinema. We then touch on a few Marvel stories before moving onto a whole slew of DC news, not the least of which of being Supergirl's move to the CW and the planned four-way crossover planned for next season. All of this and much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 70 - Captain America: Civil War
We took some time off but we're back with a big show this week. Captain America: Civil War has been blowing up the box office and the ToB crew is here to throw in their opinion on the latest Marvel blockbuster. But since it's been so long, we also needed to check in with some of the biggest geek news stories we had missed. We give our take on some of the movie trailers that dropped over the last few weeks. Including; Dr. Strange, Jason Bourne, The Killing Joke and of course Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We also touch on the latest at DC/Warner Brothers after BvS and look forward to whats coming from Marvel. We finish of the news with a chat about the two biggest shooter franchises in gaming, Battlefield and Call of Duty, who both announced their fall games for this year; Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite War. Finally, stick around after the show for a new/trial segment thats a bit less structured and allows us to cover some of the smaller stories that didn't quite make the cut for the news feed.
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Episode 68 - Berlanti's TV Conquest
This week in the Tower we cover all the big comic book show renewals. Specifically what we've been loving about the CW's DC slate. Greg Berlanti, the mastermind behind Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and even Supergirl on CBS had ALL of his shows renewed for new seasons. Something I dont think anyone really thought could happen. We also discuss the future of Star Trek on TV and look forward to Daredevil (which hadn't yet premiered at the time of the recording). On the film front we discuss the announcement of Indiana Jones 5 for 2019, with both Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg returning. We then move onto breaking down the latest Captain America: Civil War trailer that featured our first look at the MCU Spider-Man. Of course there's always a little Star Wars news and this week we take a look at the "short list" of actors up for the role of a young Han Solo. DC had a few topics for us as well, with the big news being the casting of J.K. Simmons as the new Commissioner Gordon. We wrap up by discussing Sony's big VR announcement for the PS4 and what it might mean for the future of gaming. It's all that and so much more in this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 64 - Civil War Trailer and NX Rumours
Once again the ToB Crew sit down to discuss the biggest news in geek culture. Not the least of which including Marvel's Captain America: Civil War trailer, featuring our first look at Black Panther. We also take a minute to look back on the Hunger Games series now that the m final film has been released. We ask why it was so successful and more importantly why we mostly hated it. And of course it wouldn't be a ToB Podcast if we didn't have some Star Wars news to discuss. Tis' the season for all things Star Wars after all. We also look forward to SyFy channels attempt at "Game of Thrones in space": The Expanse, new rumours about the Nintendo NX, and what we've been watching, including Creed. All this and much more in this weeks Tower of Babble Podcast!
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Episode 61 - You Don't Love The Mist
With Julian returning to the island the guys get together one last time before he leaves. We recap all the superhero TV news including Gotham, Arrow and The Flash while we theorize over how the CW Universe and Supergirl might crossover. We touch on what's going on with Nintendo and discuss the success of Amiibo, Mario Maker, Pokemon and their console future. Of course we cover the latest film news and rumours, including Wonder Woman, Dr Strange, BvS, Civil War and we add more evidence to support Julian's "Cap is going to Die" theory. It wouldn't be a ToB without a couple Star Wars discussion and we don't disappoint as we talk rumours, the best sequence to watch the films and more. We have really great discussions about the future of VR (again), whats next for Naughty Dog and Uncharted as well as why Dan and Jeremy love The Wire so much. Finally, The Emmys also happened while we were away and we debate the merits of the winners, particularly Mad Men vs Game of Thrones. Of course none of this is in any particular order but we hope you enjoy it all the same.
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