Author: Trafficblast

The Star Trek franchise is full of series’ that introduce and flesh out legendary characters, but usually, those series come to their ends and we never see most of the characters again. Occasionally those influential commanding officers get off-hand mentions in future Star Trek runs–but Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard is breaking the mold with Star Trek: Picard, a new series that delves back into the life of the Star Trek: The Next Generation captain.

The series will appear on CBS’s streaming service, CBS All Access, but a lot of details are still pretty hazy about the story the show will tell. San Diego Comic-Con 2019 attendees got a few additional hints and looks into Captain Picard’s life and career, and there’s a lot of peripheral information that gives a sense of where the series might go. Here’s everything we’ve learned about Picard and what we expect from the show based on its first few teasers.

First Picard Trailer Takes Jean-Luc Out Of The Vineyard

Comic-Con finally brought the first real Picard trailer, and it sets up the story and shows that Jean-Luc won’t be spending all his time in the vineyard. It also showcases many of the returning characters and elements from The Next Generation, including the Borg.

Returning The Next Generation Characters

Those returning Next Generation characters aren’t just minor ones. Among those coming back are some of the key players from TNG, including:

• Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (obviously)
• Brent Spiner as Data
• Jonathan Frakes as William Riker
• Jeri Ryan as Borg’s Seven of Nine
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi

A Look At The First Duty

As Cait Petrakovitz from GameSpot sister site CNET detailed, Comic-Con is home to a Picard exhibit that looks into the biography and career of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D captain.

Most of the items and information in the museum are things fans will recognize from The Next Generation, but looking into Picard the man is sure to provide some helpful context for the next phase of his life when the series kicks off.

It’s Set After Captain Picard’s Retirement

A central focus of everything we’ve seen so far for the show is a vineyard. Though we last left Captain Picard when he was still a member of Starfleet, we know from a time skip in the finale episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that Picard’s retirement eventually finds him taking care of his family’s vineyard in France. It seems that’s where we find him in the show, but the circumstances of what led Picard to choose a farming life over his Starfleet commission are still mysterious.

The First Teaser Suggests Things Ended Badly For Captain Picard

The first teaser trailer for Picard, released on May 23, provides a little more context to how one of Starfleet’s most celebrated leaders left the space exploration life. Voice-over narration provides some hints, while leaving quite a bit of mystery. Watch the teaser below.

The narrator is a member of a group of people who were in some unexplained dire straits some 15 years before the start of the series. Picard, an admiral at the time, led the largest rescue armada in Federation history in order to save those people–and from the sounds of things, they revere him for it. But it seems something horrible also happened during the mission, and that’s the event that sent Picard into retirement.

The Captain Has A Very Good First Mate

CBS All Access revealed a Picard poster on July 10, letting slip another important detail about the admiral’s retirement life: he has a dog.

The inclusion of what appears to be a pitbull as Picard’s new No. 1 is also a nod to Stewart’s real-life work of fostering and helping rescue dogs.

Who’s Behind The Scenes

We know Stewart is serving as an executive producer on Picard, which makes sense, given he played the role for more than a decade. Star Trek: Discovery creator Alex Kurtzman is also an executive producer on the show. Novelist and screenwriter Michael Chabon is on board as Picard’s showrunner, and Hanelle Culpepper is directing the premiere episode–which will make her the first woman director to launch a new Star Trek series.

Longtime Star Trek director Jonathan Frakes, who helmed the TNG movies Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, is around to direct some episodes of the series as well. Frakes also played Picard’s first officer on the Enterprise, William Riker, for the entire run of the series and its four follow-up films, so it seems very likely Frakes will reprise the role on Picard in some capacity.

Where We Last Left Jean-Luc Picard

Stewart originated the role of Captain Picard way back in 1987 with the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The series ran until 1994, and was followed-up with four movies featuring the same crew: Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis.

That last movie came out in 2002, and found Picard battling a cloned version of himself raised in horrific conditions by Romulans, with the plan of using the clone to place a spy in Starfleet. That clone, Shinzon, instead led a military coup against the Romulan Empire, and while he initially makes overtures to diplomatic relations with the Federation, Picard later discovers Shinzon means to invade and use his ship to wipe out all life on Earth. Picard manages to stop Shinzon, but the movie serves as an interesting examination of Picard’s character as he wonders about how he might have turned out differently as a person if he’d faced the hardships that Shinzon did.

At the time, Picard was still a captain, having refused promotions because of his desire to be an explorer. We know he eventually becomes an admiral, so there’s a lot more to learn about Picard between where we last saw him in Nemesis.

When Can You Watch?

There’s no hard-and-fast release date for Picard, but we know it’s coming to CBS All Access sometime in 2019.

It will soon be two years since the DC flop Justice League hit theaters, but some fans are still desperate to see the so-called “Snyder Cut” of the film. Director Zack Snyder left the movie during the production, and ever since then have been rumors that he turned in a superior version before his exit. Now some fans have taken their campaign to the skies during San Diego Comic-Con.

A small plane was spotted flying above the convention, trailing a banner behind it that reads “WB #ReleasetheSnyderCut of Justice League.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plane and sign were hired from the San Diego company FlySigns by “a private citizen,” and will have cost $1,170. It was also pictured and tweeted by THR’s Patrick Shanley–check it out below:

The banner follows a series of “Snyder Cut” billboards and posters that were spotted around San Diego in the build-up to Comic-Con. Snyder left Justice League in May 2017, following a family tragedy. Although he had completed principal photography, Avengers director Joss Whedon was brought in to oversee extensive rewrites and reshoots, as well as post-production.

There have been many rumors that Snyder had screened a version of Justice League to Warner executives before his departure, but it’s unclear in what state that cut was in. Snyder himself recently stated that “there is a cut,” while last month storyboard artist Jay Olivia revealed there were “multiple cuts of Zack’s film.” But in any case, the movie is owned by Warner, and to date the studio has not commented on the issue.

The DC movie universe is absent from this year’s SDCC. However, the studio’s TV output features extensively, including panels focusing on The CW’s range of DC shows, and an event showcasing some of DC Universe‘s upcoming series. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.

There’s a lot happening in the Star Trek TV universe, and much of it will feature at the franchise’s San Diego Comic-Con event later today, Saturday, July 20. Details of what fans can expect from the various Star Trek panels have now been announced.

There are three separate panels happening, one after another in Hall H. The first panel will focus on Star Trek: Discovery, which finished its second season in April. The SDCC Discovery panel takes place at 11:30 AM PT and will reveal some of the new cast members that will appear in Season 3. There will also be an update on Short Treks–this series of short films was released online in advance of Season 2, and it sounds like we’ll be getting more ahead of Season 3. Fans can expect a number of key cast and crew members at the panel, including showrunner Alex Kurtzman and star Sonequa Martin-Green.

The Discovery panel will be followed by the first look at Star Trek: Lower Depths, at 11:50 AM PT. This animated series has been developed by Rick & Morty writer Mike McMahan, who will appear at the panel alongside “surprise guests.” The panel will look at the casting for the series, and reveal the very first footage .

The third panel is the most anticipated. At 12:10 PM PT, Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart will appear alongside other cast members to discuss the highly anticipated Star Trek: Picard, and this will be followed by an exclusive SDCC trailer and imagery from the show. It was previously announced that Stewart will be joined by showrunner Michael Chabon and co-stars Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera, and Harry Treadaway.

In addition to the Hall H event today, there is also a meet-and-greet session to meet Star Trek talent, plus an “immersive transporter experience” during the whole weekend. There will also be limited edition Star Trek pins available from the Star Trek booth on the convention floor. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.

Disclosure: CBS is GameSpot’s parent company.

The first trailer for the upcoming Creepshow TV series has been revealed at San Diego Comic-Con. The show is based on the classic 1982 anthology movie, which was directed by George Romero and written by Stephen King, and it will hit the horror streaming platform Shudder in September.

The trailer suggests that the makers have gone back to the original film and produced something that fits in with its visual style and comedy/horror tone. There will be 12 individual stories spread across six episodes, and while the trailer mixes them all up, it looks like huge fun. In particular it seems to retain the movie’s bold, comic book-inspired visuals and there are some impressive physical make-up effects in there–which is to be expected given the showrunner is VFX legend Greg Nictereo. Check the trailer out below.

Creepshow will premiere on Shudder on September 26. The episodes include include “The Finger,” written by The Crow’s David J. Schow, “The House of the Head,” from Birdbox author Josh Malerman, and “Gray Matter,” based on a Stephen King story. At the SDCC panel, Nicotero revealed that unlike many shows released in one go onto streaming services, episodes of the new Creepshow will be released weekly.

Nicotero also spoke about how the original Creepshow was the first movie set he ever visited, and how Romero’s daughter Tina had come to see him shooting the new version, and told him that the legendary director would’ve loved it. In addition, fans should look out for Easter Eggs throughout the series that tie back into the movie.

Nicotero is also known for directing many episodes of The Walking Dead, and that show featured heavily on Friday at SDCC. The first trailer for the upcoming Season 10 was released, and it was announced that three movies focusing on Andrew Lincoln’s character Rick Grimes will be getting full theatrical releases. Check out all the other San Diego Comic-Con news on GameSpot here.

There’s still more than a month before the 10-episode Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance–a prequel to the classic Jim Henson film–arrives on Netflix. However, producer Lisa Henson, director Louis Leterrier, and stars Taron Egerton and Mark Hamill came to San Diego Comic-Con ready to impress fans of the movie.

The panel kicked off with a special look behind the scenes of the series, which also included a ton of new footage. Most impressively, the new teaser showed just how much of the series is done practically, with puppets and physical sets, each meticulously crafted to replicate what was seen in the film. “Everything is hand-sculpted, hand-painted,” Henson said of the project’s production and puppet design. Interestingly, Brian Froud, who served as conceptual designer on the original film, is back for Age of Resistance. Likewise, Wendy Froud, who worked on Dark Crystal, is joining him in constructing this world once again, as is their son Toby Froud–who you might remember from his role as baby Toby in Labyrinth.

As for the scenes that were teased, they are massive in scope and show a war erupting between the Skeksis and the Gelflings. According to Egerton, what plays a big role in setting off the conflict is his character–a Gelfling named Rian–witnessing the Skeksis draining the life force of a fellow Gelfling. From there, Rian sets off on his journey to warn other groups of Gelflings.

Outside of that, the Age of Resistance team made sure not to share too many details for fear of spoiling what’s to come. However, Leterrier did tease that among the creatures from the movie that will be seen again are Fizzgig, the furry little balls of hair. Hamill also shared the voice he’s given his character–a Skeksi known as The Scientist–and it’s equal parts chilling and silly.

In a touching moment, Hamill was also presented with the Comic-Con 2019 Icon Award by the San Diego Comic-Con organizers. “I told you how lucky I feel to be able to do all the things I loved as a kid and get paid for it,” he said upon accepting the award. “This seems wildly excessive but appreciated… If it weren’t for you, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here. I started coming to these cons years before I knew George [Lucas].”

To wrap up the panel, those in attendance were treated to a screening of the first episode of the series. The rest of the world, however, will have to wait until August 30 to see it on Netflix.

Things are only going to get worse with the Whisperers in The Walking Dead. A new trailer released at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 shows that Michonne, Daryl, Ezekiel, Carol, and the rest of their gang are once again going to face a vicious adversary when Season 10 kicks off this fall. Watch the trailer below.

The trailer hints at a lot of new developments on the way as the people of Alexandria and Hilltop struggle to deal with the spooky Whisperers, who seemingly just won’t leave everyone alone. After the events of Season 9, it seems people are starting to put aside their differences with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the face of another adversary. The trailer spends a lot of time discussing the fact that people are growing more and more afraid of the Whisperers, and that’s causing divisions. “People are putting their s—-ing pants back on,” Negan remarks.

At Comic-Con, Danai Gurira confirmed that Season 10 is her last in the role of Michonne on The Walking Dead. The trailer suggests she’ll get a proper sendoff, but that the season is going to be a fraught one for her emotionally. With Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) gone, she’s lost her partner. The final shot of the trailer shows Michonne wielding Negan’s bat, Lucille, which suggests the pressures she faces might be enough to push her to the dark side.

The trailer also reveals the date for The Walking Dead Season 10’s premiere: October 6. According to panel moderator Chris Hardwick, AMC plans to spend the 10 weeks ahead of the season’s launch dropping big reveals on fans about what they can expect. AMC also showed a teaser for the first of the three Walking Dad movies centering on Rick, teasing the character’s return. The teaser revealed that the movie won’t air on AMC as previously believed–instead, it’ll be shown in theaters.

In a rather unexpected San Diego Comic-Con announcement, Cartoon Network announced that Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog is making a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of its popular animated series, OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes. And it won’t only be the blue blur who’s joining in on the fun, either. He’ll be accompanied by longtime side-kick Miles “Tails” Prower, because why wouldn’t he be?

The reveal came in the form of a short clip, which shows the series protagonist K.O. finding his battle buddies too tired to be heroes. With no one around to help him, you can probably imagine what comes next. Watch the nostalgia-packed clip, which contains sick music and a genius nod to Sonic 3D Blast, in the video player below.

For the uninitiated, OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes is a cartoon series created by artist Ian Jones-Quartey. It debuted on Cartoon Network in 2017 and follows the adventures of K.O., a courageous and foolishly optimistic child attempting to be the greatest hero he can be in the video game-inspired world of Lakewood Plaza Turbo.

The upcoming Sonic crossover episode is titled “Let’s Meet Sonic” and will premiere on Sunday, August 4 at 4:45 PM ET PT on Cartoon Network. You can also watch the episode via Cartoon Network’s app.

This isn’t the first time Cartoon Network’s OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes has touched anything games-related. While the series has been known to frequently reference classic video games, it has actually had a game of its own called OK K.O. Let’s Play Heroes back in 2018. GameSpot reviewer Alexander Pan was rather mixed about the game, giving it a 6/10 and saying, “As far as adaptations go, OK K.O. Let’s Play Heroes looks and sounds fantastic in a way that is distinct yet faithful to the source material. But the shallow mechanics, the repetitiveness of the gameplay loop, and narrative pacing issues prevent the game from being a rousing knockout.”