July 23, 2016 7:50pm PT by Lesley Goldberg, Aaron Couch
Courtesy of Marvel
THR breaks down the best and worst of the film and TV panels from Day 3 at the San Diego confab.
After sitting out Friday, film was back in full force Saturday at Comic-Con with panels for DC Comics, Marvel and Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beats. DC also had a big day on the TV side with sessions for The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow in a day that opened in very Disney style with ABC’s Once Upon a Time. But Saturday’s biggest crowd pleaser on the TV side was the 50th anniversary pane for Star Trek.
The Hollywood Reporter is on the ground in San Diego covering all the hottest events and bringing all the news from inside the jam-packed convention center. Here are the winners and losers from Saturday’s festivities.
HIGHLIGHTS
DC shows its fun side | After the divisive Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. needed to prove to fans that it had learned its lesson for the films moving forward. And the first trailer for Wonder Woman and an extended teaser for Justice League proved that the studio is looking to lighten up for its future slate — with the footage generating genuine laughs and highlighting both Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman — the two elements of Batman v. Superman that fans agreed worked. Ezra Miller’s Flash also has the makings of a breakout.
Star Trek merges the old with the new | CBS All Access showrunner Bryan Fuller moderated the 50th anniversary for the panel, which in addition to taking a stroll down memory lane turned political, using its Hall H presence to deliver a message of tolerance. Plus Fuller also revealed the title of his forthcoming Star Trek and unspooled a first-look at the show’s new ship, the U.S.S. Discovery.
Eddie Redmayne brings magic returns to Hall H | Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them debuted its first full trailer — and the fan reaction was strong. The only thing that topped the trailer was star Eddie Redmayne going out into the audience as Warner Bros. staff handed out wands (supposedly one for each of the 6,500 people in the audience, though THR came up empty handed).
Once Upon a Time enters a whole new world | The ABC fairy tale drama loves to introduce the introduction of major Disney characters at the Con and that was true again this year as producers unveiled Aladdin — complete with Jafar and, after the panel, Princess Jasmine — will be central to the season six story. Plus actual footage? Talk about a magic carpet ride indeed.
Black Panther brings in a fanboy favorite I Marvel’s Black Panther continued to shape up to have one of the finest casts of any upcoming superhero film, with The Walking Dead star (and Tony-nominated playwright) Danai Gurira joining the cast that also includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o, all who were on hand to promote the 2018 release.
Speaking of The Flash | The CW’s Grant Gustin starrer came prepared to wow Ballroom 20 and it did not disappoint as the Greg Berlanti DC Comics drama unveiled its Flashpoint-themed season three trailer. The room went nuts. The same was true for The CW’s DC mash-up Legends of Tomorrow, whose panel was overflowing with news (and another trailer that impressed).
FX’s Legion surprise | Picked up to series May 31, FX used a Marvel panel with its COO to surprise diehards and unveil the first trailer — or any footage, really — of its highly anticipated X-Men take Legion. The drama, from Fargo‘s Noah Hawley, went viral and already has critics eagerly awaiting the show’s 2017 debut. Talk about getting an early promotional start.
LOWLIGHTS
Arrow misses its target | With diehard fanboys growing tired of the show’s island storyline, the season five trailer basically hinted that the introduction of new villain Prometheus (no, not that one) would bring more of the same. Also, that surprising season four death? Yeah, she’ll be back. But thanks for the Hamilton serenade just the same.
Gotham gets lost in the shuffle | DC Comics other broadcast drama — Batman prequel Gotham — had the unfortunate task of being scheduled opposite Supergirl. It forced fans to pick between the heroes with the panel for the Fox drama left out of the back-to-back-to-back-to-back DC marathon of CW shows. Sorry, Bruce.
Supergirl stalls | The first of the DC Comics TV series to panel Saturday, the CBS-turned-CW drama brought out its new Man of Steel but didn’t have anything new to share. With the production’s move from L.A. to Vancouver, the series hasn’t started filming yet and had no new footage. Or casting news. Or images of star Tyler Hoechlin in Superman’s famed tights and cape. In other words, not so super.
Star Trek: Discovery’s mixed message (and opportunity) | While the Star Trek 50th anniversary panel was memorable, the CBS All Access drama missed an opportunity to introduce its new captain and have whomever lands the prime part take a seat on stage next to William Shatner in a room overflowing with trekkies. Another thing for CBS to think about is the show’s abbreviated hashtag — #STD — which was quickly ridiculed online.
Bookmark THR.com/ComicCon to keep up with all the highlights.
