San Diego Comic-Con… the Valhalla of geekiness known to comic/movie nerds around the world. Oh how I wish I was there.
For those who don’t know about San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), it’s a great event host in San Diego (until 2018) which is used as a platform for new announcements and promotions for comic book distributors and film and tv studios. For me, it’s a very exciting time of year for new trailers and headlines about upcoming movies. This year’s Comic-Con is currently underway and the comic/movie panels are delivering some of the most delicious updates, footage, and announcements of some of the most anticipated comics, movies, and tv shows. I won’t have the time to discuss every announcement but I will mention a few of the ones I believe are huge and trust me, they are incredible. The geek in me can hardly wait to discuss this so without further ado, HERE WE GO!!!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII)
The holy grail of sci-fi is about to return and when it does all in the galaxy will be as it should be. The SDCC fans apparently went crazy in the Hall H when director JJ Abrams and numerous cast members were on panel for discussion. Some of the more interesting headlines that came out of it were:
- The films 3rd trailer will debut this fall (mark your calendar).
- Simon Pegg has indeed been cast in the film (yay!!).
- Adam Drive will be playing Kylo Ren (villain).
- Domhnall Gleeson will be playing General Hux (villain).
- Gwendoline Christie will be playing Captain Phasma (villain).
JJ Abrams did release a sort of behind-the-scenes clip on the making of the film. If you are a Star Wars fan, this is incredible and you would be remiss not to watch it now.
Also, after the panel concluded, in truly epic fashion, LucasFilm orchestrated a surprise concert for the roughly 6,500 fans to celebrate with the cast and a symphony playing various Star Wars theme songs. They were, of course, escorted to the concert by a group of Stormtroopers. After a brief message from iconic Star Wars composer, John Williams, the fans enjoyed the concert and then concluded the event with a massive fireworks display. Again, I soooo wish I could have been there. That is what my geek heaven looks like (haha).
Anyway, they also confirmed a release schedule of their cinematic universe as seen below.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII) – December 18, 2015
- Star Wars: Rogue One – December 16, 2016 (Begins filming August 2015)
- Star Wars (Episode VIII) – May 26, 2017
- Star Wars (the Han Solo Anthology film) – May 25, 2018
- Star Wars (Episode IX) – no official release date yet
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Warner Bros and DC Comics/DC Entertainment (DCE) just set SDCC on fire with their release of a new trailer for their upcoming hit, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (BvS:DoJ). The film will feature perhaps the two most popular and iconic superhero’s of all time duke it out. We will see a very battle-weary and disgruntled Batman (played by Ben Affleck) pitted against Superman in retaliation of the events and destruction that played out in 2013’s Man of Steel. The film is pretty much guaranteed to be a success and based on the newest trailer, it most definitely will be. Feast your eyes on this…
Aside from the incredible trailer above, director Zack Snyder arrived at the event driving the new Batmobile featured in BvS:DoJ. This obviously sent fans into a frenzy.
Apparently, they also revealed the concept art for various characters including Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash. Interestingly, the Flash, being played by Ezra Miller, will have long hair. This is most likely to help differentiate him from the current tv version played by Grant Gustin. Word is the Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) were on hand to sign autographs for fans. It would have been amazing to get more of the cast together to do so but I am quite positive that DC’s “holy trinity” was more than enough for die hard fans. For more details on the cast involved in Warner Bros/DCE upcoming Batman v Superman be sure to check out my casting review here!
DCE also confirmed the schedule for their shared cinematic universe and it is indeed a massive release schedule. They obviously have something large in scale planned. See for yourself below.
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25, 2016
- Suicide Squad – August 5, 2016
- Wonder Woman – June 23, 2017
- Justice League: Part 1 – November 17, 2017
- The Flash – March 23, 2018
- Aquaman – July 27, 2018
- Shazam – April 5, 2019
- Justice League: Part 2 – June 14, 2019
- Cyborg – April 3, 2020
- Green Lantern Corps – June 19, 2020
Suicide Squad
DCE will follow up Batman v Superman with a look at the opposite side of the DC moral universe with Suicide Squad; a film that follows a select group of incarcerated DC villains who are given an opportunity to perform certain government missions in order to “redeem” themselves. The film will feature some amazing characters like:
- Deadshot – played by Will Smith
- Harley Quinn – played by Margot Robbie
- Captain Boomerang – played by Jai Courtney
- El Diablo – played by Jay Hernandez
- Killer Croc – played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
- Enchantress – played by Cara Delevingne
- Katana – played by Karen Fukuhara
- Rick Flag – played by Joel Kinnaman
- Slipknot – played by Adam Beach
- Amanda Waller – played by Viola Davis
- Joker – played by Jared Leto
- Batman – played by Ben Affleck (this may be in a very limited role)
This is a surprise treat of a movie in my opinion as it seemed to come out of nowhere when announced so long ago. However, it is being discussed here as they did release some footage to the crowds at the SDCC. Hopefully that will be posted online soon so check back for updates.
Suicide Squad – August 5, 2016
Green Lantern Corps
Warner Bros and DC Comics/DCE have confirmed their plans for a new Green Lantern (GL) movie. Regretfully, with the massive roster of films on their slate, we have to wait a while however, I am sure it will be worth the wait. The film will take on the title of Green Lantern Corps, implying we will likely see more than one Green Lantern. Early rumors are that we will be seeing Hal Jordan (the GL previously portrayed by Ryan Reynolds), John Stewart (the black GL who is probably the most sought after version to be seen), and Guy Gardner. I am anxious to see any or all of these as I really feel like Green Lantern could genuinely be an incredible and lucrative franchise.
Green Lantern Corps – June 19, 2020
** Rumors are saying Chris Pine is in the running to play Hal Jordan… and my fingers are crossed.**
Warcraft
Legendary Pictures is working with Blizzard Entertainment (creator of the hit game) to finally bring us a live-action movie. This is a long-waited movie for some fans, including myself, who feel there is simply not enough big-budget fantasy films in the market. My hope is this film will help change than unfortunate trend.
The movie is set to release early next year so you can expect to be hearing a lot more about this hit in the upcoming months.
Here are two just released movie posters to help sway your opinion.
Warcraft – June 10, 2016
Man from U.N.C.L.E
This is another movie that for me is an unexpected treat. Can’t wait to see this. It looks like a fun take on a spy movie about the American/Russian rivalry of the 60’s.
Be sure to see the SDCC exclusive trailer below:
Man From U.N.C.L.E – August 14, 2015
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse
From 20th Century Fox (via Marvel Comics) is the next installment of the X-Men series. At the SDCC the film studio did release some teaser footage however it was only released for those in attendance. They did however release a new SDCC movie poster which unfortunately, I thought was a bit lame. I was hoping for something more epic.
Then they also released this huge bombshell headline… wait for it… Apocalype’s Four Horsemen have been identified:
- Angel/Archangel (Ben Hardy)
- Psylocke (Olivia Munn)
- Storm (Alexandra Shipp)
- Magneto (Michael Fassbender)
OMG!!! This movie just made my most anticipated list!!!
Also, 20th Century Fox also has a massive movie schedule coming up:
- Fantastic Four – August 7, 2015
- Deadpool – February 12, 2016
- X-Men: Age of Apocalypse – May 27, 2016
- Gambit – October 7, 2016
- Wolverine 3 – March 3, 2017
- Fantastic Four 2 – June 9, 2017
- Unknown X-Men film – July 13, 2018
- New Mutants – no release date yet
Deadpool
Finally, the “Merc with the mouth” is coming! Returning to his soon -to-be-most-memorable-role ever, Ryan Reynolds is back to portray the wise-cracking, smart-mouth, boob-lovin’, chimichanga eatin’, super assassin with a healing factor! This is one of the few comic movies fans have been genuinely and anxiously waiting for. A while back there was some leaked footage of what Fox had planned for a possible Deadpool. The leaked footage was a massive success online and the demand for the movie rose exponentially. Whether or not the “leaked” footage was an intentional move by the studio to “test the waters” of the fan base, I don’t know. Regardless, well played 20th Century Fox. I really hope this is the success it appears to be based on what I have read and seen so far (an “R” rating, breaking the 4th wall, and tons of hilarity and smart@ss jokes that Deadpool is known for).
Apparently, the fans of SDCC were treated to some actual real footage and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Regretfully, the footage shown was only for the fans in attendance but, perhaps in a few weeks we will get a taste of something as well. For the record, comic fans love Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and comic fans have been wanting and waiting for a Deadpool movie for a long time.
I will definitely be seeing this opening night.
Deadpool – February 12, 2016
Fantastic Four
Also coming from 20th Century Fox will be a reboot of the comic favorite, Fantastic Four. The film is being directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle) and stars a slew of Hollywood’s best talent, including:
- Miles Teller as Dr Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic)
- Kate Mara as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman)
- Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm (Human Torch)
- Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm (Thing)
- Toby Kebell as Victor Domashev (Dr. Doom)
Initially I will admit that I was not really ready for another Fantastic Four movie and a reboot felt like the movie nobody was waiting for. However, after seeing what they have planned, I am sold. I am actually looking forward to this and really hope they can improve on the not-so-great Fantastic Four movies from just a few years back.
Here is the latest trailer. What do you think?
Fantastic Four – August 7, 2015
There were many, many other announcements but I just don’t have the time to write about all of the them. However, I will include a few more in very brief description below:
Supergirl (tv show) – Peter Facinelli (Twilight) was cast as Lord Maxwell. The show will air its pilot on October 26, 2015.
The AMC Network’s hit zombie tv show The Walking Dead is getting a spinoff show, Fear the Walking Dead. The trailer premiered (see below). It begins August 23, 2015.
The Flash (tv show) – confirmed that Wally West and Jay Garrick will appear on the show and Barry Allen (the Flash) will get a new ability associated with lightning. Season 2 begins October 6, 2015.
Arrow (tv show) – Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) and Diggle will get a new costumes.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season 3 will air September 29, 2015.
Marvel’s Agent Carter will begin season 2 during the mid-season break in early 2016.
Marvel released their movie schedule:
- Ant-Man – July 17, 2015
- Captain America: Civil War – May 6, 2016
- Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016
- Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017
- Spider-Man – July 28, 2017
- Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017
- The Avengers: Infinity War part 1 – May 4, 2018
- Black Panther – July 6, 2018
- Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018
- The Avengers: Infinity War part 2 – May 3, 2019
- Inhumans – July 12, 2019
Netflix/Marvel will introduce the Punisher on Season 2 of Daredevil. Season 2 will begin in 2016.
Netflix/Marvel gave a brief glimpse of their upcoming tv show Jessica Jones which featured Luke Cage (who will also get his own tv show in 2016). Jessica Jones is set to debut this fall.
A new trailer arrived for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, which will likely air early 2016. You can view it below.
Following the success of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, MTV is releasing their fantasy tv show, The Shannara Chronicles. The series is based on the best-selling and widely acclaimed Shannara series. The series will begin with the second book, The Elfstones of Shannara. MTV released a behind-the-scenes preview teaser and it looks great and was just the kind of extra bonus I was hoping for out of SDCC. The Shannara Chronicles debuts in January 2016.
Well, I would really love to say I saw all this in person. Perhaps next year I will make an attempt to get out there for San Diego Comic-Con 2016.
In any event, I really hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.
Please stop by again. I would love to hear from you.
Take care and thanks for reading. – JDM
