After two years of nonexistent or remote versions, San Diego Comic-Con is back and more in-person than ever! All the IP’s gathered under strict masking and testing protocols to announce what our twitter feeds are gonna be discussing for the next few years. And cosplay was back, in a big way. Marvel announced their Phase 5 plans, including a return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in both She-Hulk and his own series. We got trailers for everything from I Am Groot to the new Interview with the Vampire series. And panels, panels, panels. Paul F. Tompkins moderated the Marvel Animation panel, Vulture’s own Anne Clark moderated the What We Do in the Shadows panel, and Kevin Smith moderated William Shatner’s self-congratulation. We learned who’d be returning to Teen Wolf for da movie, who wouldn’t be getting their own A:TLA spin-off series, and whether Hugh Grant is taking the D&D movie seriously (he isn’t). Here’s what popped and what flopped at SDCC 2022.
Hugh Grant Casts Charm Person
Did you know Hugh Grant is in the new Dungeons & Dragons movie? More importantly, does Hugh Grant? The actor/troll was having a whale of a time at SDCC, misunderstanding the mechanics of the game he’s committing to cinema, and coming up with his own version of Lady Gaga’s “100 people in a room.†Be prepared for a year or so of Hugh Grant saying he was a dungeon master, but more in an S&M context than D&D. It will get funnier every time, as long as he keeps making his charisma check rolls.
Which Celebrity D&D Player Will Cameo in the Movie?
Speaking of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, co-director Jonathan Goldstein said that a major D&D-playing celebrity will make a cameo in the film. High probability that it’s Vin Diesel, but he’s not the only guy with a dice bag in Hollywood. Joe Mangianello took a stab at a D&D script in 2017. Post Malone is more of a Magic: the Gathering guy, but he’s been known to throw a d20 or two. And Felicia Day, famously, still exists. It’s anybody’s (tabletop roleplaying) game.
Marvel Phase 5
Marvel revealed another phase, which means Twitter got another photo to edit for meme purposes. In serious news, Feige reported that Phases 4-6 will make up a “Multiverse Saga,†which will finally bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU at the start of Phase 6.
Fantasy Adaptations for Days
Everybody is still looking for their next Game of Thrones, and yes, that includes George R.R. Martin. Amazon’s Wheel of Time got renewed for a season 3 at its Comic-Con panel. And we got trailers for the first GoT prequel series, Netflix’s adaptation of Sandman, and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.
Gaang Gaang
Speaking of beloved series getting the sequel/prequel treatment, Nickelodeon announced Avatar: The Last Airbender would be getting a midquel series about the adult Aang Gaang. Nickelodeon made the announcement by having Korra’s voice actress, Janet Varney, read from a copy of The Rise of Kyoshi. They also called it the “first†feature-length animated Avatar movie, which makes it seem like more (Kyoshi and Korra-focused) movies may be in the offing.
Shatner on Shatner
Star Trek’s William Shatner had a dang ol’ career retrospective at SDCC, moderated by Kevin Smith. He talked about going to space with Bezos, his age, and his enmity for that other big Star ___ series. “Fuck Star Wars,†he said. â€But not Mark Hamill.†Kevin Smith also dropped the news that Shatner would be voicing a character on Masters of the Universe: Revolution. Revolution is the sequel series to Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the darker companion to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Matt Smith Morbs for No Man
Okay, Matt Smith isn’t into meme culture! Good to know! The former Doctor Who star, recent Morbius baddie, and current House of the Dragon promoter didn’t react well to someone shouting “It’s morbin’ time!†at him. Which is fair. If you were the focus of Superwholock for any period of the 2010’s, you’re allowed to divest from online culture. It might even do you some good (cough cough Misha Collins cough).
Wolves, Both Teen and Non-
The Teen Wolf movie trailer provided a big surprise: Allison’s back. Although Dylan O’Brien and Arden Cho aren’t returning, Crystal Reed is back as the hunter Juliet to werewolf Romeo Scott (Tyler Posey). On the same day Allison made her shocking return, it was announced that Sarah Michelle Gellar would be starring and executive producing Wolf Pack, a spinoff of the Teen Wolf franchise. That makes the second comedy-film-turned-supernatural-dramedy of the former Vampire Slayer’s career. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?