2016 San Diego Comic-Con Quick Recap

If you live under a rock, or if you have a job so you can’t check comicbook.com about 4 dozen times in a day, you might not know everything that happened at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and that’s why this article exists, to catch you up on four days of comic and comic movie glory in a shorter than normal article.

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Thursday

Almost nothing really big happens on Thursday, until later into the evening at least, and that’s exactly what happened this year, with the huge announcements from Marvel TV about the Netflix shows. At the Luke Cage panel, they released a new trailer for Luke Cage (coming September 30), a first look for Iron Fist, a sizzle reel for The Defenders miniseries, confirmation of a Daredevil Season 3, and confirmation that Iron Fist and Defenders will release in 2017. The trailers were amazing, even the sizzle reel.

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Friday

The morning was dominated with news of The Walking Dead, which includes a first look at Shiva the Tiger and Khary Payton (most notably the voice of Cyborg in about half a dozen DC cartoons) as Ezekiel, the release of the Season 7 premiere date and trailer, and as an added bonus, some new walkers were revealed. In addition to that, Injustice 2 had a new trailer released, which showcased Wonder Woman and a new character Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle (though I would have much preferred Ted Kord, as he is one of my favorite heroes). There was also a new poster release for the Wonder Woman movie, so two things are already crossed off my wish list. Oh, and of course, Niantic Labs is no longer taking requests for Pokemon Go gyms.

In the afternoon, my hopes and dream were confirmed when Ghost Rider was, well, confirmed to be joining Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Gabriel Luna playing the most recent rendition of the character, Robbie Reyes, after months of speculation. I would bet if he does well on the show, he’s getting a spinoff. They also released the first trailer for American Gods. I have no idea what American Gods is. Also, HBO released a teaser trailer for Game of Thrones Season Seven. Has that show really been on for that long?

Later in the day, Warner confirmed an animated Harley Quinn and Batman team-up film to add to the forthcoming DC Animated Original lineup of Teen Titans: The Judas Contract and Justice League Dark. A Blair Witch Project sequel was announced, for some reason. I don’t even know what Blair Witch Project is. It was revealed that Rihanna would be joining the final season of A&E’s Bates Motel in it’s final season. Rihanna will be playing Marion Crane, who is Norman Bates’ original victim in the first Psycho. And that seems about it in movies and TV. Hopefully Saturday and Sunday are massive, because frankly, no offense to the presenters, Friday was really underwhelming, even compared to Thursday, because Thursday was, just incredible.

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Saturday

Saturday was truly the best day of 2016 SDCC, as we got news out of the wazoo about the futures of the DC and Marvel universe. DC started the show with a pretty fantastic Wonder Woman trailer, which honestly made me think that Danny Huston is playing Ares, God of War, which would be a fantastic villain for Wonder Woman to face off against in her first film. They then hit with an unexpected Justice League trailer, which was amazing, incredibly amazing. The high point of the trailer for me was definitely Ezra Miller’s Flash. My doubt about him in the role vanished when he snapped into a haze of blue lightning and grabbed the Batarang out of the air. I really liked the design of his costume, and I really appreciated some of the small details, such as Jason Momoa’s Aquaman having his eyes pure white with a small black pupil, as it would help one see in the dark waters of the ocean. And finally, they released a final Suicide Squad trailer, complete with Imagine Dragons’ new song written specifically for the film “Sucker For Pain”, and it just felt perfect. It felt like it really fit the movie like compilation tracks can’t (Sometimes they can work, though. Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck In The Middle With You” in the scene of Reservoir Dogs where Mister Blonde torture the police officer just made that scene absolutely perfect.)

Flash, Arrow, and Gotham got new trailers. I have not watched them. I have nothing else to say on that subject.

And towards the end of the day, Marvel made a monster performance, that could have been even more monster. They gave out the information that they had cast Brie Larson as Captain Marvel. Then they confirmed a bunch of stuff about Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor. They also released a Doctor Strange trailer which was as fantastic as the last. Where Marvel truly screwed up is that they showed trailers for Guardians, Spider-Man, and Thor, and did not release them. That is a huge no-no. It’s essentially rubbing it in. They could have totally one-up’d DC with FOUR, count ’em, four trailers to the two DC released. Bad decision on their part.

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Sunday

The finale of SDCC 2016 wasn’t major, but it had some good stuff to it. We got the news that Tony Revolori is in fact playing Flash Thompson, and we got first looks at Chris Sullivan’s Taserface and the human form of Kurt Russell’s Ego, The Living Planet (Yes, living planet). Marvel also got a new logo, and some new fanfare theme music. All of the upcoming Phase 3 films except Ant-Man and The Wasp and the Infinity War films, because they’re most likely going to rename the former, and they are 100% renaming the latter two.

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And that’s pretty much everything relevant at  2016 San Diego Comic-Con. Tune in next Thursday for my theories on Suicide Squad, and you can read them right before you go, and I go. The review for that film will be up the Thursday after that. Thank you of reading, and remember, have a nerdy day.

My San Diego Comic-Con Wish List

Listen, we are in the midst of Comic-Con, with it starting earlier this morning, and I have a list for stuff I want announced there, in no particular order. Hope you enjoy.

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1. The Untitled DC Films

The dates in question are October 5, 2018 and November 1, 2019. While the obvious choices are a Man Of Steel sequel, well, technically, threequel, and a Batman solo flick. But it may not be the case, at least for the Man Of Steel sequel. It seems highly illogical to have another MoS film so soon after Justice League (a little more than 10 months after JL), and a little more than 4 moths after Justice League 2 (Part 2?), but it could be a storytelling device, the way it’s scheduled so close to the films. It’s likely that Batman would take the 2018 date, but you never know. Other candidates for the 2019 date would be (Remember, all of these have been announced, but not give dates) Suicide Squad 2 (because I think 2 years is way too close for a sequel, honestly), the Booster Gold movie, the Harley Quinn/ Birds Of Prey movie, Wonder Woman 2 (Hey, I said I think 2 years is too close for a sequel, but Warner is already doing that with the Justice League film.), and Justice League Dark (Or Dark Universe. Whatever you say, Guillermo Del Toro.). Anyways, I need these announced, whatever they may be. It’s alright that Marvel has the last three films on their schedule, but DC’s films are right in the middle of the list. C’mon, man. It could be a film of the Daily Planet for all I care. Not exactly the worst idea, though. But I don’t want it. Yet. Just imagine, Spotlight in the DC Universe, It sounds like the new DC show Powerless. Promo. 

2. Captain Marvel News

We’ve heard news on every single Phase Three film. EXCEPT Captain Marvel. No casting announcement. No director. No nothing. Supposedly, Brie Larson is in heavy talks to play the titular character, and as the Marvel films go on and get bigger, they’ve been able to attract bigger name actors, so some supporting cast announcements would be fun, but highly unlikely. Indie director Emily Carmichael is supposedly the directing frontrunner, and even though I haven’t seen anything she done, I have faith in Marvel, considering it’s track record, but someone a little more high profile would surely ease the minds of the fans, but hey, Marvel has a plan, I’m sure.

3. Luke Cage News

We’ve heard absolutely nothing about Luke Cage since the trailer released alongside Daredevil Season 2, aside from a few set pictures, but that’s not the point. I want to see a solid, two-and-a-half minute trailer, and that’s it. We have almost nothing on the show, and we’re only two months away from release. C’mon, Marvel, you’re better than this.

4. Guardians Volume 2 Villain

Guardians recently wrapped production, and while the Guardians lineup is set, we still don’t have a villain, maybe. I mean, it could be Elizabeth Debicki’s Ayesha, which is Adam Warlock’s ‘perfect mate’, or it could be Kurt Russell’s character, which is Star Lord’s father. Who knows, but this would be the perfect time to reveal all. And considering it’s about 9 months away, a trailer, or at least a teaser, would be nice. I know DC released trailers for both Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, and since Suicide Squad is coming out in August of the next year, so it seems since Guardians is May of the next year, it’s possible and doable. I mean, Marvel wasn’t at Comic-Con last year, and it’d be a fun tradition to get a full trailer for the May film at SDCC, and then a trailer teaser for the July film, with the full trailer released with a December Disney film, namely Star Wars.

5. Wonder Woman Trailer and Cast Announcement

Wonder Woman’s wrapped production, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a trailer. I mean, like I said, Suicide Squad’s debuting in early August, and it got a full trailer. Plus, it seems DC wants to wrap filming on each of it’s projects about 12 months before the release of the film, so, and they like seem to like the buzz from releasing a trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, which is very much possible, considering the special effects application process is well under way. At the very least, I want to know the cast, or at the very least who David Thewlis, Danny Huston, and Saïd Taghmaoui are. We do know, however, that Said is a soldier, and that David Thewlis and Danny Huston are either one or both villains. If there is to be a sequel, I would want Wonder Woman to fight Cheetah. I want Wonder Woman to be a better Captain America: The First Avenger, and the sequel to be just as fun as The Winter Soldier, in respect of villains. For once, I want the more menacing villain, and then one with a heavily interwoven history with the protagonist.

7. Wolverine 3 Title, Trailer, Cast, and Synopsis

This film is less than 8 months away, and still nothing except a few set photos, which look extremely promising. This film has to be like the last few episodes of 30 Rock, where all of the guests from past seasons coming back for a giant, organic finale, but it also has to tease the future of the franchise and the character, and still they have to do the ‘Old Man Logan’ story from the comics,  so the writers are going to have to be very, very careful trying not to cram as much as possible. I’d like to see a poster, so I can stop using fan edits for talking about the movie. The synopsis is a given going along with the trailer. The film has cast almost as many as Spider-Man, but like the webhead, next to none of the supporting cast has been confirmed, so seeing at least a confirmation would be great.

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Well, that’s my list. This is just my list, but I’m open to hear whatever else other people would like revealed. I didn’t want to do the obvious, such as Doctor Strange, Suicide Squad, and Justice League announcements, as those are givens to make a huge splash at SDCC. Either way, it’s going to be four amazing days of announcements, as San Diego Comic-Con always is. I’ll be posting a small recap of SDCC next Thursday. And remember, folks, have a nerdy day.

Upcoming Movie Schedule: The Rest of 2016

I’m simply commenting on the major films of the weekends from now until the end of 2016. I’m just going to put in a little bit of personal input on the end of the movies, and go from there.Okay here’s the key. A ‘Ω’ means I actually intend on seeing this movie because I want to. I’ll see the other ones when I get paid for it. A ‘∑’ means it is a comic movie. Not a whole lot of those I don’t want to see. Except Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Those suck.

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July 8

Secret Life of Pets: It’s talking dogs and shit. I’ve had enough of that. But, hey, Louis C.K.

July 15

Ghostbusters Ω: I wouldn’t judge this movie too soon. It looked a bit off with the first       trailer, but the newer one gave me a lot of hope. {UPDATE: I listened to the new Ghostbusters theme for the film. Comparably, I’ve lost a lot of hope.)

July 22

Star Trek Beyond Ω: Any movie with Idris Elba, I’ll watch. Still haven’t seen Jungle Book,                                             though.

Ice Age 4: What the hell, Ray Romano. People used to love you. Get it?

July 29

Jason Bourne: Never seen the other ones. Also a regret. They all sound fun, minus the Renner one.

August 5

Suicide Squad ∑ Ω: This movie’ll be great. I’m going alone to the Thursday night premier to celebrate my birthday. Why? Because I can. Again, love the cast. Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, and Scott Eastwood (who ever the hell he’s playing) will be amazing.

The Founder Ω: It’s about Ray Kroc and McDonald’s. It’s got Michael Keaton, Patrick             Wilson, Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, B.J. Novak, and Linda Cardellini. It will probably win the Best Picture Oscar because it has Michael Keaton. It’s a conspiracy, guys. The last two winners (Bridman and Spotlight) have had one link: Old Batman. Gotta say, he’s made a huge comeback. It’s probably what got Beetlejuice 2 back on track.

August 12

Sausage Party Ω: Hey, don’t hate. It looks kinda fun. And scary as shit. Like Suicide Squad!

August 19

Nothing good here. Or half decent. Or well known.

August 26

Same here.

September 2

Still, nothing for this week, either. I guess I don’t have to rush to see The Founder and Sausage Party. And Suicide Squad about five more times. You think I’m joking. I found a real gem of a theatre. Cheap tickets, like $8-ish. Reserved seats, which are also recliners. Upgrades on popcorn and soda for members of the club. Amazing. I love it more than life itself.

September 9

Sully Ω: It’s about Sully Sullenberger, the guy who landed the plane in the Hudson. It’s got Tom Hanks. Oscar shoe-in #3 here.

September 16

Bridget Jones’s Baby: It’s about a 40 year old woman trying to have a kid. Yah?

Snowden Ω: Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a movie about one of the biggest whistle-blowers in   American history almost too soon but not really after the actual incident. HELL YEAH!

September 23

The Magnificent Seven Ω: It’s a remake of an Americanized remake of Seven Samurai, starring Chris Pratt and Denzel and more. Basically, a bunch of bandits threaten a village, the village hires a samurai/ cowboy, the one samurai/ cowboy recruits six more. I don’t want to spoil it, I recommend watching it. (The original M7 is a actually a major inspiration for next year’s Justice League.)

September 30

Deepwater Horizon: It’s about an oil rig that goes ass-end up, and Mark Wahlberg gets trapped underwater.

Miss Peregine’s Home For Peculiar Children: It looks like it stars Asa Butterfield before he   started looking like punk rock teenage Benedict Cumberbatch. I know nothing about this film.

October 7

The Girl On The Train: Some random Emily Blunt thriller. It looks like it’s the first act of     Walter Mitty, but dark as all hell.

October 14

The Accountant Ω: This movie looks amazing. It’s about Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), a math genius with intellectual issues, under the cover of a small-town CPA, is actually a master with ‘uncooking books’ (Which is taking financial records that are modified, generally for the mob and other  “bad guys”, and fixing them to look legal.), and a hitman. I’m very excited for this, especially considering it has two of my favorite actors; J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal. I’m pumped.

October 21

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Ω: I really loved the first Reacher. Excited for this.

October 28

Inferno: It’s the third Da Vinci Code film. Why?

November 4

Doctor Strange ∑ Ω: Yes, yes, yes! I’m incredibly excited for this. It stars Benedict Cumberbacth, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It is the next and most magical installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If I don’t stop here, I’ll start ranting. It’s gonna be great. Love the character.

Bleed For This Ω: It’s the story of a boxer that breaks his neck in a car crash, and comes       back against all odds. It stars Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart, both of whom I enjoy. If you think about it, Mr. Fantastic really is elastic.

November 11

All Eyez On Me Ω: The Tupac biographical picture, shot and based in my hometown of Las   Vegas, will no doubt be amazing (or terrible, but probably not). I’m excited to do this. but I may just be the only white guy in the theater.

Loving Ω: It’s a story about the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which eventually         legalized interracial marriage. Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga (currently appearing on Preacher) look a lot like the real life couple, Richard and Mildred Loving. So, it looks great.

November 18

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Ω: It’s the first Potter film since Hallows: Part 2. It’s probably gonna be good. I’ll go see it.

November 23 (Wednesday)

Moana: I guess it’s about Hawaiian culture, but Pixar? Sounds fun. It’ll make money, so       long as someone doesn’t get offended. It’s probably happened before.

November 25 (Friday)

Nothing, because it’s Thanksgiving, and everything good comes out on Wednesday.

December 2

La La Land: Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, La La Land is about a jazz pianist           falling in love with an aspiring actress. Whatever.

December 9

Nothing, man.

December 16

Rouge One: A Star Wars Story Ω: The first non- main trilogies film in Star Wars history. It   is in the best possible point in the timeline that is still connected heavily to the main films, but far enough in idea, Rogue One being a type of heist film, to be it’s own type of thing. I want it.

December 21 (Wednesday)

Assassin’s Creed: I’m not happy about this one. The director and star have never played       any of the games, and the main character(s) is original from the game series. Still, Michael Fassbender.

Passengers: It’s a space opera where a bunch of people are in cryosleep on a spaceship, and two of them wake up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay early. I’m on the fence with watching it in theaters. It probably ends with everyone else waking up and finding the stars’ (Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt) rotting bodies holding each other after an emotional death scene.

December 23 (Friday)

There are actually no films at all debuting on Friday.

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Alright, thank you for reading. I’m moving back my Ghost Corps, Spider-Man VI, and Flash: Rogue articles (Yes, I have finished these.) back each a week. I will have the 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions out relatively soon. I wanted to get this one out be, because I’ve already lost three weeks to waiting. I do have a bit of time on the other ones. Expect all three by the end of September or October. I’m just giving myself some leeway, because school starts back up in the beginning of September, and then I still have a handful of reviews, not including that of Suicide Squad and Luke Cage. There’s 13 weeks after this and my currently finished articles until the end of October, so that’s 5 to 7 weeks between now and then (because I try to switch off between editorials and fancasts). 3 weeks out of 5 for the end of September  and 3 out of  7 to the end of October, so I would say that’s a pretty safe bet. Outside of that, you guys are great, and have a nerdy day.