Rueben's Ramblings

The second full day of New York Comic Con 2018 got underway today with loads and loads of panels, focusing on upcoming movies; new, streaming and returning TV shows; special salutes to young adult novels and so much more.

Naturally, it’s impossible to focus on every single panel that took place today, but the following includes brief details, pictures and/or trailers for just some of the panels that were on the schedule; and some cool pictures of just some of the cosplayers.

The Magicians (Syfy)

Executive producers Sera Gamble and John McNamara and The Magicians author Lev Grossman hit the stage to talk about the show’s 4th season, which will premiere on Syfy on January 23.

After spending much of the previous season without magic, The Magicians finally return magic to the world, but Dean Fogg reroutes the flow of magic and gives the group (except Alice) new, magic-free identities, wiping away the memories of their magic life. An ancient, powerful and unkillable Monster finds a host in Eliot. When Season 4 opens, the Monster is seeking out the rest of the Magicians and something else. (Syfy Wire)

An exclusive sneak-peek clip was also featured, which you can see below:

Supernatural Panel with Mark Sheppard

Want to see Crowley (aka Mark Sheppard) in action? You can watch the full Supernatural panel video below:

Titans Panel (DC Universe)

The cast of the upcoming streaming series took to the stage to discuss the new superhero drama, as well as how they drew on their personal experiences to help flesh out their respective characters.

“Everybody did their research,” said cast member Teagan Croft, who plays the demon-possessed Raven. After being cast, she went straight to a comic shop and picked up the original Teen Titans run, as well as Raven’s stand-alone series, to help her prepare.

“I grew up with the Teen Titans,” said Ryan Potter, who plays Beast Boy. “When I moved from Japan to America, Teen Titans was the first animated series that I fell in love with. The animation style was similar to that of something I watched back home, and Beast Boy doesn’t fit into society. But his attempt, through pop culture, to assimilate with friends, I took that as a model to make friends when I did speak English.”

“What’s really fun is when we meet (my character) in the pilot, she doesn’t know anything about herself,” said Anna Diop, who plays Starfire. “She’s an alien, and that’s something I always related to. I come from a different country, I came here when I was young, and always felt out of place and always trying to find my way. I love that about Starfire, too.”

Titans debuts on DC Universe on October 12. (Syfy Wire)

Titans Trailer:

Mortal Engines (Box Office Movie)

Based on the Philip Reeve novels series, Mortal Engines takes place thousands of years after an apocalyptic event. Cities rise up, but they are mobile and the big ones consume the little ones for their resources.

The audience had the opportunity to see the first 25 minutes of the film, which will hit theaters on December 14. (Deadline)

Mortal Engines Trailer:

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman 25th Anniversary

Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher came together in New York to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ABC series, showering each other with compliments and filling the audience at the Javitz Center’s main stage.

Neither actor was shy about their love for the series and its enduring fandom, nor their hope to stay involved in comic book-related media. They talked about their appearances on The CW’s Supergirl, other intellectual properties that interested them, and even the faint dream of reprising their roles.

One prevailing theme of the panel was Hatcher and Cain’s love for the fans. They both talked about “honoring” their loyal audience, and said that that motivated their con appearances and TV cameos.

The panel also came with a couple of surprising tidbits about how Hatcher and Cain have evolved into fans themselves. Hatcher revealed that she herself was now a dedicated comic book reader, picking up both mainstream and indie books on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Cain surprisingly stoked the flames of the Marvel vs. DC debate, declaring his belief that Marvel makes superior movies.

Finally, both Cain and Hatcher made it very clear that they are interested in reprising their roles and revisiting Lois & Clark 25 years later. They both agreed that they’d like to return to the versions of the characters they played in the 1990s, and see how they had evolved since then. Cain postulated that Lois and Clark would likely have had kids by now, and he wanted to see how their relationship had evolved. (ComicBook.com)

The Boys (Amazon Prime)

Showrunner Eric Kripke (Supernatural and Timeless) and executive producer Evan Goldberg sat down with series stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Karen Fukuhara, Laz Alonso, Antony Star, Chace Crawford and Erin Moriarty to talk about the upcoming show and reveal a first look at the adaptation.

The Boys, based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, takes place in a world where superheroes embrace the darker side of their massive celebrity and fame. The story revolves around a group of vigilantes known informally as “the boys,” who set out to take down corrupt superheroes with no more than blue-collar grit and a willingness to fight dirty.

It was revealed that the plot of season one will begin before the comic, bringing together The Boys and the Seven over the first arc, culminating with the two being fully aware of each other and at odds.

Star Trek and Mission Impossible alum Simon Pegg later showed up on stage, announcing that he’d be playing one of the character’s dad, Dougie.

The Boys’ eight episodes hit Amazon in 2019. (Syfy Wire)

The Boys Trailer:

Marvel’s Runaways (Hulu)

Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb held a panel featuring cast members Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin and Allegra Acosta as well as co-showrunner Stephanie Savage.

The cast was asked what they thought their characters are going through as Season 2 begins right where Season 1 left off.

“He’s a boy in the first season…throughout the second season we’ll see him try to become a man,” Gregg Sulkin said of his character Chase. “Also he’s in a beautiful relationship with Gert (Ariela Barer). I think, once they live with each other, it’s great for the journey of the show, great for the journey of the characters.”

The audience got to see the entire season premiere, which will debut on Hulu on December 21. (Syfy Wire)

Marvel’s Runaways Trailer:

American Gods (Starz)

Cast members Mousa Kraish, Crispin Glover, Demore Barnes, Omid Abtahi, Orlando Jones, Yetide Badaki, Pablo Schreiber, Bruce Langley, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning and author Neil Gaiman were on stage at the convention, bringing the audience to his feet after the second season trailer – which can be seen below – screened.

Gaiman shared some book-related elements right off the bat, noting that the second season won’t get to Lakeside, but it will visit the funeral parlor. The former town is under the protection of Hinzelmann, where Shadow (Ricky Whittle) hides out from the New Gods while Wednesday (Ian McShane) recruits the Old.

There was also the reveal that season two will by helmed by a directorial group that’s, on the majority, female.

A final tease for the new season came when Gaiman mentioned that mid-season would feature a segment from the past, which will shows different incarnations of the Technical Boy that evolved over time as technology evolved – like the Telephone and Telegraph Boy.

Season Two of American Gods will air on Starz in early 2019. (Syfy Wire)

American Gods Trailer:

Nightflyers (Syfy)

The first full episode of the new Syfy thriller, based on the novella by George R.R. Martin, was screened at the annual fete followed by a panel which featured cast members Eoin Macken, Gretchen Mol and David Ajala as well as showrunner Jeff Buhler and executive producers David Bartis and Gene Klein.

The cast reeled from the screening, as it was the first time they’d seen the full episode as well.

Nightflyers’ first five episodes will debut on December 2 through December 6 on Syfy. (Syfy Wire)

Nightflyers Trailer:

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)

The cast and crew took to the stage to talk about their highly anticipated Netflix series with series star Kiernan Shipka sharing, “the excitement’s crazy…it’s not even out yet, and the amount of excitement we have from people, fans and cosplayers, it’s so gratifying.”

The series is based on the comic by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (who is also executive producer of The CW series Riverdale) also shared, “it’s a little bit more fun…we spend a little more time in the mortal world than we do in the comic. It’s definitely a horror show. There’s a little more romance, there’s a little more warmth in the Spellman house. The comic book’s pretty nihilistic, and the show has some optimism in it. It’s a nice balance.”

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will premiere on Netflix on October 26. (Syfy Wire)

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Trailer:

The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix)

The cast of the Netflix horror series – Michiel Huisman (Steven Crain), Elizabeth Reaser (Shirley Crain), Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Luke Crain), Kate Siegel (Theo Crain), Carla Gugino (Olivia Crain), and Henry Thomas (Young Hugh Crain) – talked about what it was like filming the scary series based on the iconic novel by Shirley Jackson and adapted by writer/director Mike Flanagan.

Michiel Huisman shared that reading the scripts was even more terrifying than filming the show. “That was the scariest part for me, reading it – now I can watch it because I know it’s coming.”

Oliver Jackson-Cohen agreed, saying “there’s this one scene in it where I knew it was coming, but I still jumped and I screamed and I was still scared, so I screamed again. The scares are terrifying. But I think what Mike (Flanagan) does is he builds this slow tension.

The Haunting of Hill House will debut on Netflix on October 12. (IGN)

The Haunting of Hill House Trailer:

Tell Me A Story (CBS All Access)

The panel featured a conversation with executive producer Kevin Williamson and cast members James Wolk (Jordan), Billy Magnussen (Nick), Dania Ramirez (Hannah), Danielle Campbell (Kayla) and Paul Wesley (Eddie).

Tell Me A Story Trailer:

Check out the official poster below:

A Discovery of Witches (Sundance Now)

The plot of A Discovery of Witches, based on the trilogy of books by Deborah Harkness, centers around the forbidden love of witch Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer) and vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode), set against escalating tensions within the supernatural community over ownership of a mysterious spell book.

The first episode of the new drama was screened during the panel with Deborah Harkness sharing at the conclusion that, “I think that TV’s ability to linger on stories, to develop characters, to give you that sense that you’re on a journey with them, it’s just is so much more feasible to tell a story of big, epic scope with a big cast of characters on a television series than it is on a 90-minute movie framework.”

The 8-episode first season of A Discovery of Witches has already started airing in Britain, and will make debut on January 17 on both Sundance Now and the horror-themed streaming service Shudder. (Syfy Wire)

A Discovery of Witches Trailer:

Netflix & Chills: The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

After the cast of the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Umbrella Academy, which is based on the Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba acclaimed comic book, took to the main stage an exclusive look at the trailer was screened.

The series follows a group of super-powered individuals, who were all born at the same exact moment, all of them birthed from different mothers, who showed no signs of pregnancy. After being born, these kids are adopted by philanthropist/inventor/space alien Sir Reginald Hargreaves.

“This is such a unique property, there’s nothing else like it,” said Aidan Gallagher, who plays Number 5. “When you explain it to people that aren’t fans, they’ll be like ‘Oh, I get it.’ They don’t get it. I think we do a good job honoring the comics. We got some interesting stuff for you.”

One noteworthy change from the comic though appears to be that Spaceboy won’t have his alien gorilla body, and will simply be a character with superhuman strength. Also, the time-traveling assassins Hazel and Cha-Cha won’t always be hiding their faces behind those iconic masks.  Cameron Britton, who plays Hazel, said that he looked at the series as a natural extension of the comic series.

Mary J. Blige, who brings the role of Cha-Cha to life, and was making her first ever appearance at a comic con, was eager to take on such a uniquely challenging role. “I’ve never played anything close to this,” Blige began. “I’ve always wanted to be the superhero or supervillain or assassin, or something where you have to learn martial arts or shoot a gun. [This role] was perfect.”

The Umbrella Academy will debut on Netflix on February 15, 2019. (Syfy Wire)

Tardis Time with Alex Kingston, Matt Smith and David Tennant

The three Doctor Who alums delighted attendees with silliness, tomfoolery and even baked goods. They reminisced on their time on the show, took questions from the audience, offered pastries to those who asked particularly good questions, and brought audience members up to the stage for trivia games, impersonation contests and interviews.

They also expressed their excitement for seeing the new season of Doctor Who with Jodie Whittaker taking on the role. But of course, not before some playful ribbing. When asked if they were excited for Whittaker, Smith initially joked: “No. Jealous, maybe.” To which Tennant chimed in: “Bitter,” before going, “No, it’s very exciting. It’s JODIE!” (Whitaker and Tennant starred in the BBC series Broadchurch together, which was written by new Doctor who showrunner Chris Chibnall.) Smith and Kingston seconded and thirded Tennant’s excitement for Whittaker.

The new season of Doctor Who will premiere on October 7 on BBC America. (Syfy Wire)

Aquaman Extended Trailer:

Marvel’s Daredevil Trailer:

MORE COSPLAYERS

[Photo Credit: Bleeding Cool]

[Photo Credit: IGN]

[Photo Credit: Rodrigo Torrejon/Paul Wood/NorthJersey.com]

More convention coverage coming tomorrow…

Read Full Post »