Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
San Diego Comic-Con has become a mecca of popular culture and this year’s convention proved no different.
The internet has been sent into overdrive as fandoms gorge over glimpses of hotly-anticipated TV and film releases, while also celebrating cult classics.
We’ve already heard about the Buffy reboot and Ryan Reynolds’s desire to explore Deadpool’s sexuality.
Here’s a quick run-down of some of the other big stories and trailers to come out of the weekend.
1. Johnny Depp casts a spell as Grindelwald
The Fantastic Beasts producers are currently in the process of spinning a 128-page book into five feature-length films.
We really could’ve used that kind of padding for some the essays we wrote at university.
Anyway, a very blonde Johnny Depp appeared in character as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald as the latest Fantastic Beasts trailer was unveiled at Comic Con.
He took the opportunity to wave his wand over the audience while delivering a speech about muggles: “I do not hate them. I do not. I say the Muggles are not lesser. Not worthless, but of other value.”
His involvement in the franchise wasn’t popular with everyone – and author JK Rowling released a statement defending his casting last year.
True to its title, the new trailer does indeed feature some fantastic beasts, and it also appears to confirm a long-held theory about Dumbledore.
When Jude Law’s character looks into the mirror of Erised, which reveals the viewer’s true desire, he sees himself with Grindelwald looking back – suggesting he may have been in love with him.
2. Shazam is the superhero we’ve been waiting for
Surely we can all get on board with Shazam. A service which lets you find out the artist and song title of any track you hear anywhere you go, what’s not to love?
We can also probably all get on board with Shazam – the movie, which is entirely unconnected to the app.
This superhero movie teaser was perhaps the surprise of the weekend – charming fans and immediately notching up six million views on YouTube. That’s more than Fantastic Beasts.
The hilarious trailer has something a lot of superhero movies lack, tongue-in-cheek dialogue and a genuine sense of humour.
(Thanks Deadpool for opening these doors.)
3. We get the biggest glimpse yet at the new-look Doctor Who
When the Doctor gets regenerated, it always marks the beginning of a big change in the series – a whole new look, new assistant and this time, a whole new gender.
We all know that Jodie Whittaker is taking over and Comic-Con fans were treated to a glimpse of the first female Doctor at a time when gender in film and television is a huge talking point.
Showrunner Chris Chibnall, who was part of a panel made up of Whittaker, her companions Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole, plus exec producer Matt Strevens, said this series is different as it features writers of colour for the first time, along with female guest writers, directors and editors.
“People need to know the business is for them as well,” Strevens said.
The trailer, which was shown to audiences, also appeared to confirm rumours that one episode will explore the civil rights movement in the United States.
One shot shows the Doctor and her friends in front of a building which bears more than a strong resemblance to the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee where Martin Luther King was shot dead in 1968.
In the background the words ‘Montgomery Motor Freight’ can just be made out. The city of Montgomery is where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger and was arrested. It sparked huge protests involving Parks and a young Martin Luther King. Montgomery later became known as the home of the Civil Rights movement.
The crowd not only got to see the new trailer, but also the Doctor’s new sonic screwdriver.
Whittaker revealed it to fans on stage and it appeared to have had quite the makeover, although the screwdriver still had its iconic sound, so there’s no need to panic.
4. Aquaman: Definitely scarier than Finding Dory
If Jaws made you scared to go back in the water, Aquaman will make you too terrified to ever visit an aquarium.
The action-packed trailer has one particularly scary scene in which the young Arthur Curry commands the attention of all the fish behind the glass.
The DC Comics universe hasn’t always pleased fans and critics – see Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman – but the studio has changed its strategy recently.
Instead of focusing on its expanded universe, the company has moved towards more standalone stories such as this and Wonder Woman.
Aquaman, due to be released in December, will star Jason Momoa, Nicole Kidman and Amber Heard and we are definitely ready for it.
5. Breaking Bad lives on!
No, you’re not tripping, it really has been 10 years since Breaking Bad hit screens.
The tale of Walter White’s transformation from cancer-riddled chemistry teacher to drug overlord – in partnership with his former student Jesse Pinkman – captured imaginations worldwide.
It also turned lead actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul into superstars.
Despite the show’s five-season run ending in 2013, Paul admitted he still misses playing the lovable rogue – but fortunately he’s found a long-lasting (and very cute) way for his legacy to live on.
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The actor proudly presented his five-month old daughter, Story, who stole the show dressed in the yellow hazmat suit and protective mask that made her dad famous.
The pair joined creator and showrunner Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston (Walter White), Anna Gunn (Skylar White), Dean Norris (Hank Schrader), Betsy Brandt (Marie Schrader), RJ Mitte (Walt Jr), Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman) and Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring) to celebrate its impact…. and tease the future.
Asked when we might next see Walter and Jesse back on screen, Gilligan said it would be “sorely remiss” if the pair did not make an appearance on prequel show Better Call Saul.
And as for a Pinkman/White spin-off? “Anything’s possible,” he said.
6. Millie Bobby Brown goes from the small screen to the big
If there’s one franchise out there that needed another film, it was definitely Godzilla.
Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame stars in Godzilla: King of the Monsters – due to be released in May 2019.
This will be the actress’s first feature film (understandable given she’s 14-years-old), and all eyes will be on her to see how she fares on the big screen.
As for the plot? We got a little lost reading the official synopsis.
“The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.”
Right oh.
7. Brooklyn Nine-Nine brought down the house
The rapturous applause that met the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast proved just why NBC saved the dropped Fox show amid a massive fan campaign.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning sitcom has tackled important topics – including police profiling and bisexual representation.
The group discussed Beatriz’s character, detective Rosa Diaz, coming out as bisexual – a watershed moment on US network TV.
“Dan Goor was interested in exploring the idea that Rosa might be queer… but he asked me what I thought about it,” Diaz said.
“He wanted a bisexual voice in the writers’ room, [and] it just so happens the person they wanted to play bi was also bi.”
“I was really glad to have a voice in this and, at least for me, it really reflected what’s happening in my own life,” she added.
8. We do not feel Disenchanted by Disenchantment
Without being told, you could probably guess from the style of the animation that Disenchantment comes from the creator of The Simpsons.
But Matt Groening’s new show is considerably darker than the world of Springfield, and is about a hard-drinking princess named Bean (voiced by Abbi Jacobson).
She’s joined by her elf friend, sensibly named Elfo, and her personal demon Luci, in a series which pokes fun at several sci-fi and fantasy stereotypes.
The first trailer was finally revealed over the weekend, and the 10-episode run begins on Netflix on 17 August.
9. It: Chapter Two was teased
It director Andy Muschietti was unable to attend Comic-Con because he is currently filming It: Chapter Two in Toronto.
It’s got an all-star cast behind it, including Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader and is set 27 years after the first film, for reasons we won’t spoil for anyone who hasn’t seen the original movie.
A couple of teasers were released though, including a picture of young Beverly (Sophia Lillis) alongside grown-up Beverly (Chastain).
Despite the film only being in production for a couple of weeks, clips of the adult cast’s first table read were shown and a script read for the child actors.
It sees the characters reunited in a Chinese restaurant for the first time since they made a pact in the summer of 1989.
Fans of Stephen King’s novel have a while to wait for the film though, which isn’t being released until September 2019.
10. Charmed fans got a first look at the rebooted show
The cast and executive producers of The CW network’s Charmed reboot sat down at Comic-Con to discuss the show, particularly how closely it will follow the original.
Fans were shown the pilot episode before the Q&A, which showed lots of references to the original show.
Executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman explained now was a good time to reboot the series because “the original was so much about female empowerment and sisterhood and women taking over the world and I think we need that right now.”
The original show, which ran from 1998 to 2006, saw three sisters realise they were witches and the same premise exists in the reboot, except they have some more modern problems to deal with.
Another exec producer, Jessica O’Toole, teased fans about the demons the Charmed sisters will come up against, joking about a demon that had the ability to possess your Fitbit, which we all know would be utterly terrifying.
The show will star Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz and Sarah Jeffery as the sisters and is set for release in October.
BBC