With another Comic-con in the books, movie and TV fans have a lot of great footage to tide them over and feed their hunger for the next few months. The annual pop culture extravaganza has become a midyear beacon for all the best upcoming projects, stirring up fan excitement for new movies, new shows, and new seasons, and this year was no different. Now that the event is in the rearview, it’s time to take a look back at the best of the best.
Movies
Aquaman and Shazam
DC had a major showing this year, debuting two trailers in the hopes of rehabilitating their less than stellar brand. Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman, who was first debuted in last year’s Justice League, finally got its own trailer after months of hype, giving fans a new hope that the DC universe can be turned around. It’s difficult not to be a bit skeptical—after all, we’ve been burned before—but it’s also hard not to get a little excited upon seeing what director James Wan has in store. Aquaman is expected in theaters on December 21.
Next up, the long gestating Shazam was also debuted in San Diego; together with Aquaman, it formed a one-two punch of excitement for the future of the cinematic universe,, which has hopefully learned from the mistakes of its past. Unlike previous DC movies, Shazam looks as though it remembers that comic book movies are supposed to fun. Zachary Levi certainly looks as though he’s having a blast as the titular character, and the trailer bodes well for what’s to come. Shazam is expected on April 5, 2019.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The second entry in the Harry Potter spin-off/sequel earned some serious buzz over the weekend, even if the casting of Johnny Depp has earned its fair share of scorn. Still, this universe has serious staying power, and Warner Brothers can, no doubt, count on it to make magic at the box office. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits theaters on November 16.
Glass
The surprise reveal that Split was a soft-sequel to Unbreakable immediately had fans clamoring for more from director M. Night Shyamalan’s superhero universe, and now the wait is almost over. Shyamalan brings the two movies together, uniting James MacAvoy’s villainous Beast with Bruce Willis’s David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass. The trailer presents the suggestion that all three are suffering from a kind of superhero psychosis, implying that none of what we’ve seen in the previous movies is real—or, perhaps, that they’re all coming up against some non-believers. Who knows just how Shyamalan will unravel his twisting journey? We’ll know for sure when Glass hits theaters on January 18, 2019.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Holy shit was that Mothra?! Rodan?! KING GHIDORAH?!?! Best. Movie. Ever. Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters on May 31, 2019.
TV
Doctor Who
Fans have been clamoring for a good look at Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor since the teaser trailer last year, and Comic-con delivered. New show runner Chris Chibnall has stated that the upcoming season would be a great place for newcomers to the series to jump in, at the new trailer seems to verify that. Both he and Whittaker have emphasized that the new run won’t be terribly lore heavy, which has always been an impediment for curious fans feeling a little nervous about jumping in. We’ll know for sure when Doctor Who returns to BBC America some time this fall.
Better Call Saul
The fourth season of the Breaking Bad prequel premieres in just two weeks, but Comic-con welcomed the cast and crew to their first ever panel where secrets about the upcoming series, and its tie in to Breaking Bad, were revealed. While we won’t get into spoilers here, the final trailer hyping the new season leaves us wanting more. Good thing the wait is almost over. Better Call Saul returns on August 6.
Nightflyers
After taking over the world with his fantasy epic Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin turns his eyes to the skies with this sci-fi series. While not much is revealed, we do get a small taste of the kind of intrigue that Martin is known for—betrayal, high stakes, apocalypses. Based on a novella and series of shorts by the author, who gets writing credit for 8 of the 10 episodes, fans are wondering if Martin can strike TV gold a second time. We’ll know for sure when Nightflyers makes its debut on SyFy, though no date has been set.
Disenchantment
Matt Groening’s latest animated series is set to debut on Netflix in just under a month, and the first full trailer looks glorious. Set in a medieval fantasy world, Disenchantment looks decidedly darker than either The Simpsons or Futurama, while still being infused with the kind of irreverent humor the creator is known for. Disenchantment premieres on August 17.
