By Victor Ordonez
Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Nope, it was New York Comic Con and it brought with it big news for all things nerd. From comics to movies to television, NYCC delivered plenty of trailers and previews to excite even the mildest of fans. Here are some of the highlights.
In movie news, War for the Planet of the Apes grabbed quite a bit of attention. Viewers got to see a teaser trailer as well as a seven -minute NYCC-exclusive scene of the movie during its own panel. The teaser was made public after the event, but the scene will most likely remain under lock and key until the premiere.
Sources who saw the clip confirmed that the movie takes place two years after the events of the previous film. In an interview with IGN Entertainment’s Scott Collura, director Matt Reeves said that the film would indeed “maintain the smart, philosophical edge that was found in the other movies.” Reeves went on to add that he had no plans for it to be the last film of the series
More exciting and nostalgic movie news was made when Dean Israelite released the trailer for Power Rangers at NYCC. Israelite also name dropped fan-favorite villain “Goldar,” who is now confirmed to make an appearance. The trailer was made public after the panel and is available online.
Justice League Dark, a DC animated movie, also received a fair share of hype at NYCC. The movie, set to release in early 2017, claims to be a new breed of animated superhero movie. Voice actors and producers filled the film’s NYCC panel to answer any questions they could. When asked about the film’s aesthetic, Jason O’Mara (Voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman) said, “The movie is going to be darker than anything you’ve seen [regarding DC animated films]. It really isn’t for kids.” These claims seem to bode true with the film’s recent “R” rating.
Matt Ryan, voice actor for the character Constantine, was among the actors who were present at the Justice League Dark panel. He rumored that a live-action movie could be in the works. Ryan is also known for playing the live action version of the character in NBC’s “Constantine.” Therefore, these rumors may have some substance, since he very well could be in line for a role.
Television also had its fair share of the spotlight at NYCC. “The Walking Dead” panel previewed the seventh season by picking up where the sixth season ended, showing about two minutes of the premiere episode. The teaser previewed the show’s new villain, Negan, as well as his first victim.
The scene is quite graphic and does its best to make fans feel uneasy as they prepare for a character’s demise in the coming season. Robert Kirkman, the creator of “The Walking Dead” comic, told those who attended the event to expect the leaving of an important character. The teaser was made public after the event and is also available online.
Another notable piece of television news, “Legion,” a show spawned from a collaboration between FX Network and Marvel Entertainment, made an appearance at NYCC. The show itself is an X-Men project that is being partly produced by Bryan Singer, director of previous X-Men films. Twenty minutes of the pilot were shown at the show’s panel after a brief Q&A with the actors.
Dan Stevens stars in the show. Playing David Haller, Stevens portrays a “troubled schizophrenic,” as described by FX’s summary of the show. “However, [Haller’s] psychological manifestations may be more than just figments of his imagination.”
Stevens went on to confirm a few rumors at the event. For instance, when asked about the origin of his character, he confirmed that the show would do its best not to stray far from the origin portrayed in the comics. This eludes specifically to David Haller’s heritage, who in the comics is the first born son of Professor Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart in the X-Men movies.
The first 20 minutes of “Legion” showed at NYCC intrigued viewers by introducing a mystery early on in the pilot. The main portion of what was shown paints the relationship between Haller and his girlfriend. Brandon Maltese, a comic con attendee, described the portion of what he saw as “charming, sweet, and weird.”
Last, but certainly not least: comic book news. “Justice League Suicide Squad” was of special interest at the DC comic panel. Coming in December, the comic pins two of DC’s most epic teams against each other. Joshua Williamson is writing this one, and could not help but give fans some tidbits about the upcoming comic book event at NYCC.
“The Justice League will have their powers used against them in interesting ways,” Williamson said to an IGN Entertainment reporter. Williamson continued to tease the dark themes and how DC comic producers even had some reservations. “There was even one moment where they said it was too sadistic, and I said, ‘Isn’t that a good thing?’”
The Marvel Now: Divided We Stand panel produced some news for the future of some Marvel characters as well. However, an important landmark came when former Runaway character, Alex Wilder, was set to be the newest villain in tenth issue of Power Man/Iron Fist. Interestingly enough, the new take on the character was described as a Doctor Doom meets Childish Gambino.
Plenty more transpired at NYCC 2016. Toys and cosplayers ruled the vendors at the Javits Center. These were just the highlights of movies, television and comic books. To see it all, NYCC attendee Brandon Maltese suggested seeing it first hand, for it is “the once in a lifetime opportunity it promises to be.”
