Day 3: Saturday (7/23/16)
Saturday's when it gets real, folks! There's so much happening here we can barely keep up. Here are a few of the highlights.
Marvel Movies
Marvel had a huge panel with a ton of movie reveals. Most of the videos aren't up yet, but you can find descriptions all over if you care to look. (We're not gonna say anything that you won't be able to see here in a trailer, but if you're a hardcore spoiler hermit skip down to the next headline.)
The one trailer we actually do have is the second teaser from Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme's powers have always sort of been influenced by LSD and the kaleidoscoping visuals suggest that they're not shying away from the trippiness.
There's footage from the new Spider-Man: Homecoming. It's been described as having a Freaks and Geeks/John Hughes vibe, which sounds amazing, plus we finally get to see Vulture.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 released footage that reveals who Kurt Russell is playing, who Star-Lord's father is (it's TOTALLY NUTS), and reveals the presence of another '80s-tastic action star turning up in the movie.
They've finally confirmed that Brie Larson is playing Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, and it looks like they're following Kelly Sue DeConnick's badass, feminist take on the character.
Black Panther's cast finally has characters associated with it. Joining Chadwick Boseman in Wakanda will be Michael B. Jordan, playing an insurgent named Erik Killmonger. (Not a subtle name, but...y'know, comics.) Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong'o are playing Nakia and Okoye, two members of the all-female royal guard.
Last but not least, people walking the floor caught a glimpse of this gloriously ridiculous armor for The Hulk that's supposed to show up in the new Thor movie. Fans of the classic Planet Hulk story went wild.
We also got this odd trailer for Legion, an X-Men spinoff that Marvel and Fox are developing for TV. In the comics, Legion is an incredibly powerful mutant, the son of Professor Xavier. He has all of Xavier's telepathic powers and then some, but his abilities have left the echoes of a few other people in his head with him. We have no idea how much of the comics will show up here. They might not even drive home the Professor X connection. At any rate, this looks like a really intriguing psychological drama, from the guy who brought Fargo to FX.
DC Movies
The throngs of people who didn't groove on DC's dour Man of Steel and Batman v(sic) Superman were pleasantly surprised by the studio's latest.
Wonder Woman got the spotlight at a panel celebrating her 75th anniversary. Artists Nicola Scott and Jim Lee were there, as well as director Patty Jenkins and actress Gal Gadot from the upcoming film. They talked about all of the different takes on WW over the decades, her status as a feminist icon, and more. They shared a poster from the upcoming movie, then we got the actual trailer, where she rampages through World War I being such an incredible badass that you could almost forget that this is the first live-action Wonder Woman movie in 75 years! Look at that lasso! LOOK AT IT.
And we got footage from Justice League, and it looks...awesome?! Bruce Wayne's wry sense of humor is back! (Affleck's Bruce is a little more personable than Kevin Conroy, but not as cocky as Clooney. He reminds me of Batman in the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League books from the late '80s, which is great.) They both nodded to (and shut down) the Aquaman haters. Barry Allen is insanely charming. Cyborg was there...kinda. Here's hoping we get more of him. Gal Godot continues to shine as Wonder Woman. Even the logo reminds you of DC's glory days in the '80s. Go watch the trailer. It's every bit as fun as Batman five Superman wasn't.
Speaking of fun, the two trailers for The Lego Batman Movie make it look like it may be the pinnacle of Western culture. A third trailer shows Will Arnett's Batman joined by Arrested Development co-star Michael Cera as Robin. This trailer is a garden of unendingly delight and you should go watch it right now.
Suicide Squad got some press, but since you can't walk around a corner without seeing a new teaser or music video for that, it wasn't quite as awe-inspiring as all this brand new stuff.
Star Trek
We mentioned earlier that Star Trek turns 50 this year. A special panel today celebrated that anniversary with William Shatner from the original series, Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner from Next Generation, Jeri Ryan from Voyager, and Scott Bakula from Enterprise. The panel was moderated by Bryan Fuller, who is helming the new series and took the opportunity to unveil it (a little bit). The show is titled Star Trek: Discovery, after the ship whose adventures it follows. The ship is lovely, and looks like some design work that Star Wars art legend Ralph McQuarrie did for Star Trek: The Motion Picture in the '70s that nobody ever got to see.
We also got word that this series is set in the old-school Trek universe, not the "Kelvin Timeline" of the Abrams movies.
More TV!
There was plenty of sci-fi and superhero action as shows like The Expanse, Arrow, and Outcast geared up to return. But we also got fresh looks at a ton of cool new stuff.
Douglas Adams was best known for Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but he had another great series of books about a "holistic detective" named Dirk Gently who was either a consummate Zen master or an utter con man. We got a great Dirk Gently series once before, but BBC America is trying their hand at it again, with Samuel Barnett as Dirk and Elijah Wood as a perennially put-upon sidekick named Todd. It looks like great, manic fun.
We also got a look at Timeless, NBC's time-travel drama about a historian, soldier, and scientist traveling through time to stop a master criminal who's trying to alter history and destroy the United States. We have a short trailer where we see our heroes break pretty much every non-interference rule for time travelers ever, so that'll be interesting.
In case this isn't on your radar, Archie is getting a TV show! Riverdale is part Archie, part Twin Peaks, and part CW show. No footage is out yet, but people have seen the pilot, and the reactions seem to indicate that it has the potential to be a lot of fun in that classic CW vein.
Son of Zorn is a bizarre half-animated, half-live-action sitcom that's basically about He-Man trying to make it in suburbia. The trailer shown at Comic-Con is mostly made up of stuff we've seen, but it looks like there's potential there. It seems like a more specific incarnation of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things.
Ash Vs. Evil Dead got a panel and a special screening of the Season 2 premiere, which features Lee Majors (That's right, the Six Million Dollar Man) as Ash's dad.
Did you know...
- After her role as First Lady came to an end, Jackie Kennedy went into the publishing business. She became an associate editor at Doubleday and worked mostly on autobiographies. In fact, she was one of two original editors for Michael Jackson's 2009 autobiography Moonwalk, a #1 New York Times bestseller.
- Paris Hilton not only lives in a mansion, she also built a doghouse mansion for her Chihuahua. It's 300 square feet and includes air conditioning and heating. It comes decked out with designer furniture, a chandelier, a pink paint job, second-floor balcony, and enclosed "yard." It's not enough for you to live in luxury. Your dog must, as well.
- Jennifer Aniston's star-defining role on friends started a hair craze in the 90s that even lasted into the early 2000s. Called "The Rachel," Aniston's shoulder-length haircut had grown-out bangs and highlights styled to perfection. A hairdresser in Detroit noted that at the peak of its popularity, 40% of her business was devoted to recreating "The Rachel." Too bad that it was notoriously difficult to maintain on your own at home.
- In February 2020, Jeff Bezos bought the most expensive property in California: a $165 million mansion. It was designed for Jack Warner (the former president of Warner Bros. entertainment company). It took a decade to construct (spanning the 1930s and 40s). It comes complete with 9 acres of Beverly Hills land, a main house, a guest house, a tennis court, a golf course, and terraces.
- In the summer of 2007, Joh Hamm became a household name when Mad Men premiered to critical acclaim and strong ratings. Just over a year and a half later, Ellie Kemper stole America's hearts (and Dwight's and Andy's) when she became the new receptionist on The Office. Before they were famous, Hamm was Kemper's high school drama teacher!