There’s a ton of talent behind DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming release The Wild Robot, including writer-director Chris Sanders(Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) and stars Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. But one of the supporting characters is voiced by an actor of particular interest to the San Diego Comic-Con crowd, which was thrilled to see Star Wars legend Mark Hamill as a surprise addition to the movie’s panel.
Hamill, of course, is also a storied voice-over actor in addition to his work in a galaxy far, far away (as well as other projects, like Mike Flanagan’s Netflix horror series The Fall of the House of Usher). And he brought his wide range of experiences to voicing Thorn, a grizzly bear, in the animated film adapted from Peter Brown’s illustrated novel. First, though, he explained what drew him to the project.
“When they asked me to consider being involved [with The Wild Robot], the first thing I did was order the book, and I was just knocked out,” Hamill said. “I thought, if they can capture just a small percentage of the effectiveness of this book—and I have to tell you, they just did a fantastic job. When I went in to do the voice session, they had footage. I thought, well, one of the great things was to look at the book, and they kept that.”
“But it’s just—you have to see it,” he said. “I feel like back in the day, when I was trying to describe Star Wars without people having seen it. [The Wild Robot] is emotional and it works on so many levels. The kids will love it, but everyone’s going to love it. I remember when my kids were small, [I’d] take them to see these movies [like] The Garbage Pail Kids Movie, [and you had to] keep your opinions to yourself [because the kids are] enjoying it. [But] this is one that the the whole family is just going to fall in love with.”
When it came to voicing Thorn, Hamill explained, “We always have to take a step back and say, what’s my function in the film, to make everything work? What function do I serve? And one of the aspects of the book and movie is that all these disparate animals are thrown into this situation where they have to restrain themselves. Obviously a bear is a predator, but they have to work for the greater good, so they peacefully coexist with the animals that that would ordinarily be their dinner.”
Thorn is just one of the creatures that Roz the robot (voiced by Nyong’o) encounters when she’s unexpectedly marooned on an island filled with a wilderness unlike anything she’s ever encountered. It’s a found-family story with plenty of sci-fi elements; it’s also a story where Pascal voices a crafty fox. The rest of the voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara as an opossum, Bill Nighy as a goose, Kit Connor as a gosling, Stephanie Hsu as a rival robot, and Matt Berry as a beaver. Ving Rhames is also in the cast.
Introduced by Kevin Feige to open the proceedings in Hall H tonight, the footage began at the White House. President Ross (Harrison Ford) is hosting an event about the celestial mass that appeared on Earth. He explains that when that happened, many different people rushed to try and claim it. It was a whole mess. But, thanks to Captain America, they finally have found something of value. A new element: adamantium. Yes, that adamantium.
In a new scene that seems to come after, we see Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Ross speaking in the Oval Office. He wants Cap to rebuild the Avengers but, Cap points out, Ross’ Sokovia Accords previously destroyed the Avengers. So, he asks, what happens when they disagree? We don’t get an answer.
A bunch of action scenes, including a big part of the White House being destroyed, happen and we see Sam in a normal suit strutting into the Situation Room. He says he has to talk to the President. Everyone leaves, except one woman: Ruth (Shira Haas). Ross says she stays no matter what. Apparently, Sam is worried that Ross’s inner circle has been compromised and Ross tells Ruth to put it to bed. Sam says that’s bullshit. Ross says it’s politics.
A person in a hood kills a bunch of people in a room. Captain America and Falcon (Danny Ramirez) are flying around together. We see Cap throw the shield from the air with the wings spread out. The phrase “The Future Favors the Brave” appears on screen.
Ross is giving a speech outside the White House. Shots are fired, he ducks down and starts to Hulk out. Out emerges Red Hulk, with Harrison Ford’s face via motion capture.
Captain America: Brave New World stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who took over the mantle of Captain America from Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. His co-stars include Harrison Ford (as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, a role formerly played in the MCU by the late William Hurt), Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Xosha Roquemore, Carl Lumbly, Giancarlo Esposito—whose villainous role is now confirmed to be Seth Voelker, aka Sidewinder, a founding member of the Serpent Society—Liv Tyler, and Tim Blake Nelson.
Captain America: Brave New World will arrive in theaters February 14, 2025.
San Diego Comic-Con is counter-Olympic programming for nerds everywhere. Running the same weekend as the 2024 Games opened, SDCC features panels from the stars and creators of our favorite IP-driven projects — including Transformers, the Marvel cinematic universe, Lord of the Rings, The Walking Dead, and more — all for the sake of giving fans what they want: a few crumbs or even a whole new detail about releases in postproduction, newly green-lit shows, and maybe a spicy spoiler a panelist spilled, to the horror of press people the world over. Aside from all the trailers, what are we getting? Let’s dive into the Olympic swimming-pool-size highlights out of San Diego Comic-Con 2024, including a surprise virtual appearance from Kamala Harris, plus major news from Dexter, Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Boys, and more.
A July 27 Star Trek panel doubled as an info dump about several differentprojects. The two-episode premiere of the upcoming final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks got a date: October 24. But if the show ending makes you sad, you can rest assured that the franchise still other content in the works. For example, Alex Kurtzman is co-writing a live-action, half-hour comedy with Justin Simien (Dear White People) and Star Trek: Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome. Currently in development at Paramount+, the show will follow Federation outsiders who are serving on a gleaming resort planet — and having their day-to-day “exploits” broadcast to the entire quadrant.
It also seems like some sort of Star Trek musical, in the vein of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode “Substance Rhapsody,” might be on the way. Per Deadline, EP Akiva Goldsman told a fan who asked if there would be any similar episodes in the future, “We’re in the very early stages of figuring out whether we can bring a version of that to the stage.” Meanwhile, Cillian O’Sullivan has joined the cast of the upcoming season of Strange New Worlds and will recur as the legacy character Dr. Roger Korby.
Show creator Matt Groening surprised the audience by playing a clip of Kamala Harris during a July 27 panel, introducing her as a Simpsons “super fan.” Quoting the 1996 episode ‘Treehouse of Horror VII,” Harris said, “We must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.” Per The Hollywood Reporter, this is a resurfaced video message that was taken years ago, so it wasn’t recorded specifically for Comic-Con. Still, after a presidential campaign that has included Brat summer memes and an appearance on Drag Race, it doesn’t seem like Harris would mind an opportunity to keep courting the stan vote.
IFC Films and Shudder had Johnny make a surprise appearance in a July 26 panel to help announce that we’re getting In a Violent Nature 2. Chris Nash will return as screenwriter for the slasher sequel.
Michael C. Hall made a surprise appearance in a July 26 panel where Showtime announced that he would return as Dexter in the new series Dexter: Resurrection, a present-day follow-up to 2021’s Dexter: New Blood. It is set to premiere in summer 2025. Hall will also narrate the inner voice of young Dexter in the previously-announced origin story Dexter: Original Sin, which is expected to launch in Decemeber 2024.
The Who-niverse is expanding. Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw will lead the cast of The War Between the Land and the Sea, a five-part spinoff from Russell T Davies ordered by the BBC and Disney+. The news was announced in Hall H on July 26. Per an official description, the show will see a “fearsome and ancient species” emerging from the ocean to trigger an international crisis. It sounds like UNIT — including Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Colonel Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient) — will have to do their best to save humanity without the Doctor.
We also got some casting news for the main show. A preview of the Christmas special showed Nicola Coughlan’s character, Joy, coming face to face with a Silurian and the Fifteenth Doctor. Meanwhile The Little Mermaid star Jonah Hauer-King was confirmed to star in Doctor Who’s next season as part of Ruby Sunday’s story.
Haven’t had enough of The Boys? Don’t fret; there’s more coming even after the series concludes with season five. Prime Video has green-litVought Rising, a prequel following the rise of the franchise’s New York–based evil media empire in the 1950s. Aya Cash and Jensen Ackles reprise their roles from the original series, while Boys writer and executive producer Paul Grellong will serve as showrunner, Prime Video confirmed. The news was announced at a July 26 panel featuring Boys creator Eric Kripke and cast members Anthony Starr, Jessie T. Usher, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, Claudia Doumit, Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Nathan Mitchell, and Chace Crawford. It’s the series’ second spinoff after the college drama, Gen V.
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten some comic adventures featuring the Justice League. Granted, after they died and got revived in Dark Crisis a while back, they shelved the team and done smaller teamups when needed. But you can’t keep a superhero team down for long, and that means it’s time for the League to make another grand return to the forefront.
During yesterday’s panel for the future of DC, the publisher offered a short look at Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Justice League Unlimited. The monthly series will see the League come together again in the aftermath of Aboslute Power and build out its ranks. Along with the main heavy hitters, the book’s new stars include Captain Atom, Star Sapphire, the Atom, and Black Lightning. The team’s first order of business? Tangling with Darkseid, who’ll operate as the book’s big bad and do something that result in the creation of the upcoming Absolute comics.
Hello folks! I posted the wrong color version of my wrap around cover for Justice League Unlimited! This is the correct one, my apologies! pic.twitter.com/jWzJ5xuJVc
The book’s name carries some weight behind it: the Justice League Unlimited cartoon was a big deal back in the day, and part of why the DCAU was held up for so long. Waid and Mora appear to be borrowing more than just the name: the book will feature a rotating cast just like in the show, and the League will be operating out of the Watchtower space station. It’ll be interesting to see how much of the show informs this upcoming comic, particularly since it’ll also probably lead to some kind of crossover with the Absolute universe once that world’s characters have gotten their acts together.
Justice League Unlimited kicks off on November 27. Funnily enough, the JLU show turns 20 years old at the end of July, and all three seasons are available over on Max.
Who’s ready for San Diego Comic-Con? Sure, last year was a little weird for the convention — there were a lot of Hall H cancellations amid the Hollywood strikes, and some panelists who did show up had to avoid talking about struck projects. One thing that didn’t change, though? A bunch of trailers dropped during the convention. We can look forward to that tradition continuing this July. The SDCC panel schedule for 2024 includes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Transformers One, Everybody Still Hates Chris, and more. There are also the usual suspects: Marvel is set to update its plans for the next phase(s) of its cinematic universe, and there are several Star Wars panels scheduled. So far, it’s already been confirmed that HBO’s The Penguin and AMC/AMC+’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carolwill debut trailers at SDCC. Other panel descriptions are more coy, only vaguely mentioning a first look or preview, but we know they’re coming. Keep checking back for updates below on all the new trailer debuts out of SDCC, including for Transformers One, season two of Rings of Power, and more.
There’s more where that’s coming From. The teaser for season three of the MGM+ show suggests that the horrors are nowhere near over in this creepy town. Looks like it won’t be so easy for sheriff and de-facto mayor Boyd Stevens to save everyone.
In the trailer for the spinoff’s second season, Negan has reunited with Lucille, the baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire and named after his wife. That’s one way to get back into the … swing of things.
Let’s check in on the newlyweds. Korvo and Terry seem to be enjoying married life in this preview of the fifth season of the adult animation series. Will their alien team finally decide how they feel about Earth? Who knows, we’re too busy looking at the shirts!
Set three billion years before the events of the live-action Transformers, the upcoming animated flick reveals the untold origin story of Megatron and Optimus Prime, old pals who transform into enemies. They should work it out on the remix.
Season two of Amazon Prime’s expensive-looking fantasy series teases the fall of many rings (nine) and a gruesome battle against Sauron in his quest for power. As he descends on Middle Earth, war is imminent, and gifts are not what they seem.
When the movies stop and TV shows end, what’s a Star Wars fans to do? The written word, you should turn to. Star Warsbooks have always, and continue to, to thrive, with stories in all different time periods, through various mediums, written by tons of exciting voices. This was on full effect at San Diego Comic-Con this week at the “Star Wars: Stories from a Galaxy Far, Far Away” panel, which included a ton of new book announcements, and even an action figure for good measure.
Most of the books are, understandably, centered on The Acolyte, it being the most recent Star Wars story we saw.
First up, there’s Star Wars: The Acolyte Visual Guide by Pablo Hidalgo. Out March 4, 2025, this will detail all the awesome new characters, creatures, and technology introduced in the series. A nice companion to that is The Art of Star Wars: The Acolyte (Season One) by Kristin Baver. Besides that exciting “Season One,” this book will dive into all the designs that went into the series and more. It’ll be out next summer.
For all you Jecki and Yord fans (RIP), Tessa Gratton is writing an untiled YA novel about their exploits which will be out July 29, 2025. Moving up the Jedi ranks, Justina Ireland has a new novel on the way called Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker, diving deeper into the past of Vernestra Rwoh and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Master Indara, and, as revealed here on io9, Cavan Scott is doing a new comic about another Jedi Master, Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca #1. That’s out September 4.
And, just for the fun of it, the panel also revealed that Hasbro’s next Acolyte Black Series toy will be none other than Vernestra Rwoh. Pre-orders start July 27 at 5 p.m. EST on Hasbro Pulse.
The Vernestra Black Series – Hasbro
That’s everything specifically Acolyte that was announced but, just adjacent to all that, is a few new releases set in the same time period: the High Republic. Cavan Scott has a new comic called Star Wars: The High Republic – Fear of the Jedi, which will continue the story of the Jedi’s battle against the Nihil. It has art by Marika Cresta and is out in February. A second volume of The Art of Star Wars: The High Republic is also on the way, which will cover phases two and three of the saga. It’s out in February.
Finally, the next major Star Wars story coming to your home is Star Wars Outlaws, the video game out in August. Well, it wouldn’t be a Star Wars release without an art book commemorating it and so, The Art of Star Wars Outlaws is on the way on June 3.
It may be months or years until we see a new Star Wars show or movie but the galaxy is thriving in print. Which are you most excited about?
It’s a battle of Halloween season announcements with Universal Studios—plus, summer conventions are heating up with San Diego Comic-Con, D23 Expo, and Midsummer Scream.
Peak vacation season is in full swing at Disney Parks and Universal Studios, where the latest attractions are drawing in major crowds. Whether you’re keeping cool on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or taking in the cinematic sights of Universal Pictures’ Cinesational, there’s something to do for everyone as the time draws nearer for spooky season.
Long before Halloween arrives, however, major conventions like San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Disney’s D23 Expo, and Midsummer Scream will be gathering genre fans en masse. Find out more in this week’s theme park news and fan-tastical destinations update.
Haunted House Announcement: Insidious: The Further Don’t get trapped in The Further as terrifying demons try to ensnare you. Enter the Red-Faced Demon’s lair behind The Red Door. And try to keep away from KeyFace, so he can’t lock up your spirit. All tickets are now on sale, link in bio for more details. #HHN#HHN33
Get ready to tip-toe through the tulips once more! The latest Halloween Horror Nights house theme announced for Universal Studios Hollywood (opening September 5) and Universal Studios Florida (opening August 30) is James Wan’s Insidious franchise. For more info and tickets visit here.
Six Flags Fright Fest 2024
The reaction from the haunt community has been a resounding “hell yes!” for this year’s Fright Fest at Six Flags across North America. This year’s event will feature major IP in mazes including WB’s Conjuring Universe, Netflix’s Stranger Things, and more! For more info on which mazes will be featured at your nearest Six Flags location, visit here.
Walt Disney World Country Bears Jamboree
At Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the Country Bears Jamboree has reopened with its new slate of songs. The iconic characters are now performing Disney classics sung by country’s best in the business today, including Mac McAnally, Allison Russell, Chris Thile, and Emily Ann Roberts. Read more about it here.
Beating SDCC to the punch by a day, D23 Expo unveiled its slate for this year’s event in Anaheim, CA. Here are some of the panels we’re super excited about outside of the Honda Center’s major events, which will be Friday’s Disney Entertainment showcase and Saturday’s Disney Experiences showcase—where we’ll see the future of all the studio projects and theme park plans from under the Disney banner be teased including major Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney Animation news!
30 Years of Toy Story Celebrate 30 Years of Toy Story with filmmakers and Pixar Legends as they reflect on the making of the groundbreaking classic nearly 30 years ago and share never-before-heard anecdotes about how the historic film came to be.
Exploring New Parts of the Mind: Behind the Design of Inside Out 2 + a Dreamy Surprise! Join Inside Out 2 production designer Jason Deamer as he gives an in-depth look at designing the new emotions joining Headquarters as Riley enters teenagehood. And stick around for a special dreamy sneak peek of an upcoming Pixar series!
Jolly Holiday: A D23 Musical Celebration of Richard M. Sherman From Mary Poppins to Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, a heartwarming and joyous musical tribute to our beloved Disney songwriting legend Richard M. Sherman—with unbelievable performances and delightful surprise appearances by some of the people who knew and admired him best.
Marvel Animation Sneak Peek See what’s coming next to Disney+ from Marvel Animation, with special guests and first looks at hotly anticipated series including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda, future seasons of What If…?, X-Men ’97, and more!
MARVEL COMICS: Celebrating 50 Years of Wolverine Look back at 50 years of Wolverine with Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski and writer Jason Aaron as they dive into the legacy of Marvel’s most popular mutant (and what’s next!). PLUS: an exclusive giveaway while supplies last, and a sneak peek at what’s in store for Marvel’s 85th anniversary!
Making A Goofy Movie: The Road to Lake Destiny The creatives behind the A Goofy Movie phenomenon reunite, reminisce, and share clips from a new documentary about the incredible origin story of this beloved cult classic.
Bringing the Worlds of Disney Animation to Life in Disney Parks Team members from Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios discuss bringing the worlds of Disney Animation to life in Disney Parks around the world, including such projects as World of Frozen (Hong Kong Disneyland), Zootopia (Shanghai Disneyland), Fantasy Springs (Tokyo DisneySea), and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Magic Kingdom and Disneyland).
The Muppets 70: A Glamorous Miss Piggy Retrospective Join Walt Disney Archives director Becky Cline and the Muppets producer Dani Iglesias for a fabulous look back on the past 70 years of the Muppets, but mostly Miss Piggy! We will dive into the vaults to uncover nostalgic artifacts along with how we preserve this collection today!
For the full lineup of show floor pavilions that fans can experience at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event from August 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center, visit ultimatefanevent.d23.com.
SDCC 2024 has begun to reveal its schedule for the convention happening in San Diego this month, including a panel celebrating Interview With the Vampire and AMC’s Immortal Universe. The full slate of events will be revealed this weekend.
Another big Southern California fan gathering, Halloween and horror convention Midsummer Scream, will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center July 26-28.
Here’s what you can expect:
Over a dozen haunted attractions, including the Gears of Fear maze, a torturous immersive experience packed with scenes from iconic Lionsgate films.
Presentations from SoCal’s biggest Halloween attractions offering a preview of the scares coming this spooky season. (We’re most excited to find out more about Fright Fest)
Celebrity appearances from Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the casts of “Black Phone,” “Monster High,” and more.
Starting Friday, August 2, Disney fans and families can dive into Disney’s The Little Mermaid X CAMP in Los Angeles, a new musical and immersive experience inspired by Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Here are some details of activities that will be part of the experience:
Sing and dance to their favorite songs from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, including “Under The Sea,” “Part of Your World,” “Kiss The Girl,” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”
Explore King Triton’s Palace, controlling the seas from his throne
Discover Ariel’s Grotto and embark on a scavenger hunt for gadgets and gizmos aplenty
Climb through an abandoned shipwreck through cargo net tunnels and unlock treasure chests
Watch a magic show in Ursula’s lair
Shop exclusive Disney’s The Little MermaidX CAMP apparel and accessories
Disney’s The Little Mermaid X CAMP is a limited time offering at CAMP’s West Coast Flagship location at Westfield Century City. Tickets start at $34 per person and are available here.
Willy’s Candy Spectacular Premiere
Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody of the infamous “immersive” Willy Wonka pop-up disaster has set its director for its Edinburgh Fringe run. The musical will be helmed by filmmaker and theatrical director Andy Fickman, known for cult fave Heathers: The Musical and movies like She’s the Man and The Game Plan.
“I can’t stress enough what a thrill it was when the brilliant Richard Kraft asked me to direct Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody. Aside from just loving candy, I fell in love with these songs—written by some of the best in the business,” Fickman said in a press release. “On a personal note, one of my first jobs in Hollywood was Director of Development for Gene Wilder, the original Willy Wonka, so this opportunity feels like a very sweet return home.” The show runs August 9-26.
Tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe run are now available here.
Meow Wolf Las Vegas
A new immersive side quest is coming to Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart in Las Vegas, as teased above!
