It's been some time since we've had a chance to do a full news episode, and what with all the exciting trailers dropping these days, it felt like the right time to jump back into the news stream. Starting with Pixar's space-epic, 'Lightyear', a movie that seems to confound people more than excite them. At least it looks very pretty! Moving onto 'The Book of Boba Fett', which has had Star Wars fans waiting with bated breath. It was nice to finally get a glimpse into what looks like an exploration of the Star Wars underworld as Fett and his team vie for power in the wake of Jabba. Next is 'Uncharted', a movie that has been a loooong time in the making, and despite our very serious concerns, it's at least nice to see that it's actually coming out. Finally, 'Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City', which has Jeremy VERY excited, as this movie seems to finally explore the intricate story that the games originally laid out decades ago. Plus some news on 'Dune 2', 'John Wick' spinoffs and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
Read MoreEpisode 163 - The Suicide Squad, Game of Thrones, and Black Widow
Julian, Dan, and Jeremy discuss the latest ‘The Suicide Squad’ trailer, as well attempt to decipher an interview from Variety with a WB executive. Spoilers; according to them, there’s no more Snyderverse and David Ayer’s cut of the original ‘Suicide Squad’ will not be produced, plus everything else happening in the wake of ‘Zack Snyder's Justice League’. The guys then muse about the plethora of Game of Thrones spinoffs in the works. Of course it’s not an episode of the Tower of Babble Podcast unless there’s at least one Marvel story, so they also discuss ‘Black Widow’ and it’s move to Disney+, and look forward at the rest of the Marvel slate. Plus much more!
Read MoreToB Interlude - Zack Snyder's Justice League - Spoilercast
The original release of 'Justice League' hit theatres all the way back in 2017. To say it was poorly received would be an massive understatement. It was a disappointment in almost every sense. To make matters worse, the whole production was mired in studio meddling in its most incompetent form. During those turbulent times, tragedy struck. It was during that time that Zack Snyder stepped away from the project and was replaced by Joss Whedon. A decision that has been widely criticized since. When Snyder left the picture, his original vision was discarded. Replaced by something tonally similar to what Joss had brought to the MCU. Almost immediately following the theatrical premiere in 2017, fans starting calling for the "Snyder Cut" to be released, spawning the infamous hashtag. At the time, the existence of Snyder's version of the movie was considered to be a myth. But slowly over time, more evidence of the existence of the infamous directors cut began to surface. Fuelled by support from Snyder himself, as well as stars like Ben Affleck, the push for the release of the “Snyder Cut” reached a fever pitch. Warner Brothers took notice, and when they needed flagship content for their fledgling streamer, HBO Max, the dream became a reality. ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ would premiere in its full, uncut, 4 hour runtime (and even get a black and white version) to home viewers everywhere. The ToB Crew has spent those 4 long years since Whedon’s version discussing the nuances and discourse surrounding the “Snyder Cut” (for better or for worse), but the time has come to now discuss the film itself. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy break it all down and discuss what worked and what didn’t for what is, in many ways, an unprecedented piece of entertainment. Be warned, full spoilers ahead!
Read MoreEpisode 162 - Snyder Cut, Mortal Kombat and Scorsese
If you’ve been listening to the show for awhile you’ll know that the ToB Crew have been closely following ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, or as it’s colloquially known, ‘The Snyder Cut’, since the theatrical release of the film waaay back when. So of course it’s big news when the official trailer drops, so the guys dive deep into that (and unfortunately, the ongoing drama surrounding it). But when it rains it pours, becasue we also got the trailer for the new ‘Mortal Kombat’ film (another long standing focus of the show) along with another rant from Martin Scorsese who’s back in the news talking about how streaming services are devaluing film (which means it’s time for another “Agree of Disagree” segment!). In addition to all of that, Marvel revealed the official title for Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 3’ and ViacomCBS rolled out details for Paramount+. All this, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast!
Read MoreEpisode 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.
Read MoreEpisode 158 - Fincher Unleashed
As the pandemic rages on, and we adjust to the new normal, so does Hollywood. With news that Wonder Woman 1984 will be coming to HBO Max on Christmas, the future of the theatre going experience becomes even more clouded. Meanwhile, David Fincher is in the press, promoting his latest streaming endeavor ‘Mank’, (and dropping some spicy takes!) fresh off signing a 4-year exclusive deal with Netflix of his own. We watch as the Hollywood landscape is remapped on the fly. But it’s not all doom and gloom! I mean, there’s a ‘Wedding Crashers’ sequel in the works, and a new Predator film coming from Dan Trachtenberg. So there’s SOME hope is all I’m saying. Julian, Dan, and Jeremy also touch on the latest from the Snyder Cut, and weigh in on the pressing subject of whether streaming services should let credits play uninterrupted (you know, the important stuff). All that, and so much more, on this week’s Tower of Babble Podcast.
Read MoreEpisode 157 - Green Lantern, James Bond, and Moon Knight
After a brief hiatus, the ToB Crew returns to cover the latest in film and television news. Of course the film part seems to be less and less relevant these days as streaming services have become the defacto home for all things motion picture. Unfortunately, that means much of the film news is sad and depressing. Like the passing of Sean Connery, or the impending death of movie theatres. But it also means more news from the land of Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and the like. Such as, additional details about the Green Lantern series coming to HBO Max, Oscar Isaac's casting as Moon Night for Disney+, and that Netflix is, once ,again, raising it's subscription prices. The guys also dive into an interesting 'Agree or Disagree' segment revolving around the state of Warner Brothers. Plus a brief discussion on the first season of HBO's Lovecraft Country. All that, and so much more, on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
Read MoreEpisode 156 - Too Soon for the MCU Spider-Verse
With about a month since our last full show, there's been a lot of news piling up. The guys dive into all the juiciest stories to cover the latest in film and television (oh and obviously the biggest story of the month, Steve joining Super Smash Bros). Unfortunately, before getting to the fun stuff, Julian, Dan, and Jeremy, hypothesize about a grim future where movie theatre chains have all gone out of business. It's truly the darkest timeline, but one that seems all too possible, with all the remaining blockbuster releases for this year being moved into next year (or later in some cases). On a more exciting note, the news of Jamie Foxx's Electro joining the MCU for Spider-Man 3, along with Doctor Strange, begs the question if it's too soon to start introducing a multiverse in the MCU. On the DC front, it's discovered that reshoots for the Snyder Cut of Justice League will cost $70 million, and the much maligned streaming service, DC Universe, will officially close its doors as all it's major shows will move to HBO Max (don't worry, it'll live on in a comic book subscription form). Speaking of TV, 'The Boys' is getting a spin-off series, Ted Lasso is renewed for season 2 (I had to mention it) and Nick Fury is getting his own Disney+ series. All that and so much more (I know, I always say that, but this time there's literally so much more stuff!), on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
Read MoreToB Interlude - DC Fandome 2020
With no San Diego Comic-Con (or any comic-con for that matter) this year, the big comic companies are turning to alternate means to get their message out. DC decided the best way to spread the word about their latest projects, was to host their own comic-con, completely online. With intimate panels to massive reveals across their TV, film, and print, properties, the goal was to replicate the feeling of being in the San Diego Convention Centre, but from the comfort of your own home. By all estimations, they largely succeeded in that endeavor. Their 24-hour stream was chock-full of major announcements and reveals. Not the least of which being the first teaser for Matt Reeves “The Batman”, which largely stole the spotlight. Though the trailer for the Snyder Cut of “Justice League” was also exciting (especially for Jeremy). That is without even mentioning the details we got about “Black Lightning” (JSA whaaat!), “The Flash”, or “The Suicide Squad” (gotta love that cast!). Speaking of the Suicide Squad, the latest game from Rocksteady “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League”, was also announced along with “Gotham Knights” a co-op Batman game. Long story short, there’s plenty of content to fill you ears as the ToB Crew break it all down in excruciating detail.
Read MoreEpisode 154 - DC Doomsday
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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