Comic-Con@Home – Round-Up Of TV News & Trailers
Over the past few days, SDCC has been running its Comic-Con@Home event online. Whilst it might not have all the joy and fun of spending five days immersed in San Diego geekery, the event was chocked full of online panels and announcements for returning and upcoming tv shows. Here is a round-up of all the trailers and tv news from the online show!
The Walking Dead Universe
The Walking Dead Universe dominated the Friday night panels, with a raft of announcements about their various shows. The first bit of major news was that ‘The Walking Dead‘ Season 10 finale would finally air on Sunday, October 4th on AMC in the US, and Monday, 5th October 2020 at 9pm on FOX UK. However, it was also revealed that it wouldn’t be the finale, and they have extended Season 10 by six more episodes, which will air in 2021! Whilst they didn’t explain exactly the reason for this, it would seem to be a way to fill the gap caused by the global pandemic. They have not confirmed air dates for the extra episodes, but our guess would be they will be aiming for them to premiere around February 2021, when “part two” of the season would usually air. That would allow them to air Season 11 in October 2021, putting the franchise back onto its usual airing schedule. They released a little clip of ‘The Walking Dead‘ finale episode, which you can see below.
Next, they confirmed new spin-off ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond‘ would premiere straight after the Season 10 finale (Sun, October 4th) on AMC in the US. Amazon Prime Video (who hold the rights outside of the US) will air the series from Monday, 5th October 2020. This was originally scheduled to air in April, but when the finale episode was moved, so was the new series. Whilst we don’t know for sure, it would seem there may be something in the finale which ties directly into ‘World Beyond’. We do know the new show deals with a group called “The Commonwealth”, and we also know that Eugine’s mysterious radio girlfriend, Stephanie (voiced by ‘New Amsterdam’s Margot Bingham, who is set to join the main TWD cast on-screen for Season 11), appears to be from one of the groups who are part of “The Commonwealth”. They also released a full trailer for ‘World Beyond’ which you can see below.
Lastly, it was announced ‘Fear The Walking Dead‘ would return Sunday, October 11th on AMC US, and Monday 12th October at 9pm on AMC UK. Additionally, for those of you watching on Amazon Prime Video, Season 5 will arrive on Wednesday, 29th July 2020. It was also announced There is a new Season 6 trailer, which you can see below.
Invincible – Amazon Prime Video
Somewhat connected to ‘The Walking Dead’, creator Robert Kirkman has a new animated series coming to Amazon Prime Video, which has a lot of current and former ‘Walking Dead’ cast involved! ‘Invincible’ follows the story of Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun), a regular teenager whose father just so happens to be the most powerful superhero in the world, Omni-Man (J. K. Simmon). Shortly after his 17th birthday, Mark begins to develop powers of his own and enters into his father’s tutelage, only to discover that Omni-Man’s legacy may not be as heroic as it seems… Joining former TWD castmate Yeun, are fellow TWD stars Khary Payton, Lauren Cohan, Sonequa Martin-Green, Chad Coleman, Michael Cudlitz, Lennie James and Ross Marquand. You can read more about ‘Invincible’ here.
Utopia – Amazon Prime Video
On Thursday night, Amazon held a slew of panels relating to their shows. One of the most anticipated was their remake of beloved Channel 4 series ‘Utopia‘. Inspired by the British series of the same name, the eight-episode twisted conspiracy thriller is about saving the world, while trying to find your place in it.
From best-selling author and award-winning screenwriter, Gillian Flynn (‘Gone Girl’, ‘Sharp Objects’), ‘Utopia’ centres on a group of comic fans who meet online and bond over their obsession of a seemingly fictional comic called, “Utopia.” Together, Ian (Dan Byrd), Becky (Ashleigh LaThrop), Samantha (Jessica Rothe), Wilson Wilson (Desmin Borges) and Grant (Javon “Wanna” Walton) unearth hidden meanings cloaked within the pages of “Utopia,” predicting threats to humanity. They realise these are not just the makings of a conspiracy; they are very real dangers coming alive right now in their world. The high-stakes adventure brings the group face-to-face with the comic’s famed central character, Jessica Hyde (Sasha Lane), who joins them on their mission to save the world while harbouring secrets of her own.
The series also stars John Cusack as Dr. Kevin Christie, Rainn Wilson as Dr. Michael Stearns, Farrah Mackenzieas Alice, Christopher Denham as Arby, and Cory Michael Smith as Thomas Christie.
Truth Seekers – Amazon Prime Video
The other highly anticipated show coming from Amazon is Simon Pegg & Nick Frost’s horror-comedy ‘Truth Seekers‘, which also got a trailer.
Starring Frost as Gus and Pegg as Dave, ‘Truth Seekers’ follows a team of part-time paranormal investigators who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK, sharing their adventures on an online channel for all to see. However, as they stake out haunted churches, underground bunkers and abandoned hospitals with their array of homemade ghost-detecting gizmos, their supernatural experiences grow more frequent, more terrifying and even deadly, as they begin to uncover a conspiracy that could bring about Armageddon for the entire human race.
Alongside Frost and Pegg, the series stars Malcolm McDowell (‘Mozart in the Jungle’, A Clockwork Orange’) as Richard, Samson Kayo (‘Timewasters’, ‘Famalam’) as Elton, Emma D’Arcy (‘Wanderlust’) as Astrid, Susan Wokoma (‘Chewing Gum’, ‘Crazyhead’, ‘Year of the Rabbit’) as Helen, Julian Barratt (‘The Mighty Boosh’, ‘Sally4Ever’) a Dr. Pester Toynbee, with additional cast including Morgana Robinson (‘The Windsors’) as Janey, Kate Nash (‘GLOW’) as Mary and Kevin Eldon (‘Hot Fuzz’, ‘Sanditon’, ‘The Last Kingdom’) as Jack.
Other Amazon Prime Video News – The Boys, Paper Girls, Vikings & Picard
In addition to the trailer releases, it was also announced that brilliant anti-hero series ‘The Boys‘ would be back for a 3rd Season, before Season 2 even airs on Friday, 4th September 2020! They also revealed that the launch of a new aftershow, ‘Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys’, to run alongside the drama when the 2nd Season, which launches 28th August 2020, with a look back at Season 1. Along with the wonderfully gory Season 2 clip above, you can read more about ‘The Boys’ here, and also watch the entire panel.
In addition to that, it was revealed that another live-action comic book adaptation, ‘Paper Girls‘, would be making its way onto Amazon. The series follows four young girls who, while out delivering papers on the morning after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travellers, sending them on an adventure through time that will save the world. The show comes from Legendary Television in association with Plan B, based on the best-selling graphic novel series by award-winning comic book visionary and television writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Cliff Chiang. You can… *ahem* “read all about it”… here.
There were a couple of other panels relating to shows which air on Amazon Prime in the UK. The cast of ‘Vikings‘ including Jordan Patrick Smith who plays Ubbe, Clive Standen who plays Rollo, Alex Ludwig who plays Bjorn Ironside, Katheryn Winnick who played Lagertha, and Travis Fimmel who played Ragnar got together, alongside creator and executive producer, Micahel Hirst, to take “A Look Back with the Lothbroks”. You can watch the panel here.
The cast of ‘Star Trek: Picard‘ also got together to discuss, for the first time post-launch, the critically acclaimed first season. They talk about the surprises and challenges from working on the show, and in a sweet moment, Michelle Hurd describes Sir Patrick Stewart as “her perfect scene partner”… Aww… You can watch the whole panel here.
Marvel’s Helstrom – Hulu
‘Helstrom‘ doesn’t yet have a UK home, but Hulu did drop a trailer for the Marvel horror series, which premieres October 16, 2020, on the US streaming service.
As the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, ‘Helstrom’ follows Daimon (Tom Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon), and their complicated dynamic, as they track down the worst of humanity – each with their own attitude and skills.
Lovecraft Country – HBO/Sky Atlantic
Jordan Peele (‘Get Out’) and J.J. Abrams (‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’) new horror series ‘Lovecraft Country‘, which premieres August 16th, 2020 on HBO in the US, and Monday, 17th August 2020 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK, got a new trailer.
Based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff, the series follows Atticus Freeman as he joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. What follows is a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.
The series stars Jonathan Majors (‘When We Rise’), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (‘True Blood’, ‘Birds of Prey’), Wunmi Mosaku (‘Luther’, ‘Temple’), Michael Kenneth Williams (‘The Wire’, ‘When They See Us’) and Courtney B. Vance (‘American Crime Story’, ‘Masters of Sex’).
neXt – FOX (US)
Another show without a UK home at the moment. From creator and executive producer Manny Coto (’24: Legacy’) and executive producers and directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (‘This Is Us’), ‘neXt‘ is a propulsive, fact-based thriller about the emergence of a deadly, rogue artificial intelligence that combines pulse-pounding action with a layered examination of how technology is invading our lives and transforming us in ways we don’t yet understand.
Starring Emmy Award nominee John Slattery (‘Mad Men’) as a Silicon Valley pioneer, who discovers that one of his own creations – a powerful A.I. – might spell global catastrophe, and teams up with a cybercrime agent (Fernanda Andrade, ‘The First’) to fight a villain unlike anything we’ve ever seen – one whose greatest weapon against us is ourselves. The series also stars Michael Mosley (‘Ozark’),Jason Butler Harner (‘Ozark’), Eve Harlow (‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’), Aaron Moten (‘Mozart in the Jungle’), Gerardo Celasco (‘How to Get Away with Murder’), Elizabeth Cappucino (‘Jessica Jones’) and Evan Whitten (‘The Resident’).
‘neXt’ premieres October 6, 2020, on FOX in the US. We’ll let you know when we have a UK premiere date.
Archer, Season 11 – FXX (US) / Netflix (UK)
The wonderfully bonkers ‘Archer‘ sees the spy return in Season 11 to the world after a three-year coma on September 16, 2020, on FXX in the US. Netflix hasn’t announced a UK premiere date yet, but it’s usually around three months after the US broadcast, so expect it Winter 2020/Early 2021 on Netflix UK.
While many things changed during his absence, Archer is confident it will take just a little time for him to reset things back to the old ways. The problem: does the rest of the team want that? Everyone else has been doing pretty well and may not be ready for his return to throw a wrench in their well-oiled machine. The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin as the newly awakened secret agent, “Sterling Archer;” Aisha Tyler as super spy, “Lana Kane;” Jessica Walter as Archer’s mother and spymaster, “Malory Archer;” Judy Greer as the surprisingly well-adjusted assistant, “Cheryl/Carol Tunt;” Chris Parnell as the newly-minted alpha male, “Cyril Figgis;” Amber Nash as the lovable comrade in arms, “Pam Poovey;” Adam Reed as the consummate professional, “Ray Gillette;” and Lucky Yates as the unscrupulous scientist, “Algernop Krieger.”
For All Mankind, Season 2 – Apple TV+
‘For All Mankind‘ is a “what if” take on history from Golden Globe nominee and Emmy Award winner, Ronald D. Moore. Told through the lives of astronauts, engineers and their families, the series imagines a world in which the global space race never ended and the space program remained the cultural centrepiece of America’s hopes and dreams. Season 2 moves things from the original 1969 setting, forward to the 80s, and the race between the Soviet Union and America is still very much ongoing, with President Ronald Regan proclaiming “we must maintain peace through strength for as long as necessary.” That’s then followed by scenes of US astronauts loading guns and heading out onto the surface of the moon…
Joel Kinnaman (‘The Killing’, ‘Altered Carbon’) returns to the cast as Edward Baldwin, alongside Michael Dorman (‘Patriot’) as Gordo Stevens, Sarah Jones (‘The Path’) as Tracy Stevens, Shantel VanSanten (‘Shooter’) as Karen Baldwin, Wrenn Schmidt (‘Outcast’) as Margo Madison, Jodi Balfour (‘Quarry’) as Ellen Wilson, Sonya Walger (‘Get Shorty’, ‘The Catch’) as Molly Cobb, and Krys Marshall (‘Supergirl’) as Danielle Poole.
They haven’t announced when ‘For All Mankind‘ Season 2 will premiere, but if you haven’t watched Season 1 yet, it is worth getting an Apple TV+ sub (even just for a month) just to binge your way through it!
