San Diego Comic-Con is famous for dropping all kinds of casting news, movie announcements, and trailers for upcoming releases. This year we didn’t get the huge Marvel Cinematic trailer releases as we await the outcome of the finger snap heard around the universe, but we did get a handful of clips from new movies and TV shows for the coming months. Here’s a one-stop spot to see all the trailers from this year’s SDCC.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is coming, and while the casting might be embroiled in online controversy, fans are delighted by the prospect of more stories within the Harry Potter universe. We won’t have to wait too long, as the movie comes out this November.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Godzilla is back, and this time the monster isn’t alone. The big lizard will be fighting several other monsters, including Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah, while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) watches on. This is the sequel to 2014’s Godzilla and the third in the Legendary Studio’s MonsterVerse that also includes Kong: Skull Island. This flick destroys theaters on May 31, 2019.
Glass
After the huge hit that was Split and it’s mind-blowing credits scene (no spoilers, but c’mon, this trailer is a spoiler), it was only a matter of time before we got our first look at Glass. This movie combines the characters of Unbreakable and Split while introducing a few new people as well. Sarah Paulson has a lot of work ahead of her as she attempts to aide David Dunn (Bruce Willis), Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) with their delusions of being superhumans. Glass hits theaters on January 18, 2019.
While Hall H was relatively subdued compared to previous years of announcements and trailer drops, DC Comics and Warner Bros. owned the room this year. Our first real and full look at the King of Atlantis and his breakout solo live-action film was met with thunderous applause and glee from previously heartbroken DC fanboys/girls. The fun is apparent in this trailer for Aquaman, and so is the action. Director James Wan is bringing the fire and the fear with what looks to be his take on Aquaman villains The Trench, monsters from a memorable The New 52 run of comics. You’ll also find peeks at Orm (Aquaman’s brother) and Aquaman’s longtime archrival, Black Manta. Aquaman swims into theaters December 21.
Shazam!
The trailer that had the world buzzing was also our first real look at the DC Comics / Warner Bros. first attempt at a light-hearted kid-friendly film – Shazam! and all its Big-inspired glory. This trailer proved that the studio doesn’t only make grim and dirty films, but can bring the funny and bring the light. The story of a boy who can instantly turn into an adult superhero is something that’s always fascinated the young minds of comic book fans forever. It’s the perfect story for a child who loves comics and superheroes, and this trailer captured that fun and excitement. Shazam! strikes theaters on April 5, 2019.
The Walking Dead – Season 9
It’s that show that just might be hitting the wall. With Andrew Lincoln announcing he’s leaving the series, The Walking Dead sets its sights on keeping you entertained by the other characters you know and love so well. While it appears the series might be losing its steam, this trailer for the ninth season gives fans a lot to look forward to, and not just for this season. Maybe there’s more left in the tank!
Fear the Walking Dead – Season 4
Morgan is front and center for this trailer as he debuted this season in the spinoff companion series, Fear the Walking Dead. Entering the second half of their fourth season, everything seems as dire and dramatic as always. The show returns this month, August 12, to wrap up the season’s remaining eight episodes.
Disenchantment
In a brand new series from the genius behind The Simpsons and Futurama, Matt Groening now gives us the fantasy-filled world of Disenchantment on Netflix! The first trailer provides an introduction to our main story and main characters – Princess Bean, Elfo, and Luci. The adventures will take place within the medieval kingdom of Dreamland, and the voice cast features many of the beloved actors Groening has employed in his shows in the past, like John DiMaggio, Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeille. The series is set to hit Netflix on August 17 with ten episodes, with another ten already ordered by the studio.
Star Trek: Discovery
The first season of Star Trek: Discovery met with some mild irritation from die-hard Trek fans but was overall deemed a success, and they loved the series. While the initial season got a 15-episode order on the CBS streaming service, the second season will only feature 13 and will debut in January 2019.
Nightflyers
While this series might not ring a lot of bells with fans, the name George R.R. Martin will ring clearly. Nightflyers, his new series based on his novel and short stories of the same name, is more science-fiction based than the fantasy-filled world of Game of Thrones. Martin contractually won’t be involved in the series, but he was delighted by the casting choices. Nightflyers will air on the SyFy network.
Better Call Saul – Season 4
One of this writer’s favorite shows of all time is Breaking Bad (I know, such a controversial statement), and this writer also loves its spinoff, Better Call Saul. The comedic timing and dramatic skills of Bob Odenkirk shine in every moment that he’s on screen. After the conclusion of Season 3, fans can’t wait to see what happens next to Jimmy and how in the world he ends up where we find him in Breaking Bad. The fourth season will begin its 10-episode run on August 6 and is already renewed for a fifth season.
Doctor Who – Season 11
This is the big one! The first woman portraying the Doctor. Excited is not enough of a word to describe the feeling of (most) fans for this new version of the Doctor and HER new season! The trailer is loaded with fun moments and glimpses into Jodie Whittaker’s take on the Thirteenth Doctor and all the adventures she’ll have with her companions. We can expect the series to begin its season in October of this year!
The Orville – Season 2
When you think back to the trailers we discussed last year at SDCC, you’ll already notice that a lot of those new shows are missing from this list. That’s not the case for The Orville. The smash hit on Fox will return for a second season with our new favorite crew of space explorers. Before the season debuted, we weren’t quite sure what we’d get from Seth MacFarlane and a sci-fi series in the mold of Star Trek, but this show delivered! It wasn’t overtly comedic, but the funny was there, and it had a lot of poignant and touching moments that were reminiscent of the Star Trek series of the past, mainly Deep Space Nine (although this writer was rewatching that series while episodes of The Orville were airing, so that’s probably why I tied it so closely to DS9). The pacing and musical notes within the episodes leading in and out of commercials felt so much like a classic Star Trek episode, but not blatantly ripping it off. As you can see, I loved this show and am excited to see it return with a two-hour premiere on December 30.
The Gifted – Season 2
Another instant favorite from last year’s batch of new shows, this series based within the world of mutants we love (the X-Men) found its footing very early and then blasted full speed ahead when introducing great characters from the comics. The new season will continue this trend while giving us little clues as to what happened to the X-Men and why they aren’t around right now. The action picks back up on September 25 with the show’s 16-episode second season.
Titans
Talk about a trailer sparking controversy. Regardless of where you stand on this trailer, Titans has sparked a ton of interest. The first live-action series based around the main core Teen Titans as they initially band together is bound to get a lot of people subscribed to the DC Universe streaming service. The first live-action series for the debuting streaming service will appear later this year, with the service itself going live in September. The series will see Dick Grayson forming the group, and the first season seems to be centered on Raven and her father. Plus, DC Universe is already working on a spinoff focused on the Doom Patrol.
Iron Fist – Season 2
Fans at the convention were gifted with some exclusive footage of Danny Rand’s continuing story as he takes Matt Murdock’s dying request to assume his role as defender of this city. This season, we’ll see everyone doing a lot more of their own stunts, and the fight scenes and choreography have hit an all-time high with this set of episodes. Detractors of the first season will be looking for the things they disliked from Season 1 to be improved in this follow-up season, and by the looks of it, they’ll be happy this time around. Iron Fist will drop all 10 episodes on September 7.
Black Lightning – Season 2
Add another successful comic book series to the already impressive list over at The CW. Black Lightning was a big hit last season when it debuted and had fans clamoring for more of the same. The first season was a mid-season pickup running only 13 episodes. The second season will debut on October 9 of this year. While this show is not set on the same Earth as the Arrowverse (like Supergirl), it does drop subtle hints to the other shows throughout the first season.
Supergirl – Season 4
Coming off a very dramatic season finale, with the departure of fan-favorite characters and the introduction of a new series regular, the cliffhanger finale also left some open-ended questions. It would appear that we’ll see an adaptation of the beloved Superman: Red Son storyline from the comics, but this time with Kara in Clark’s shoes yet again. The series returns to The CW on its new night, Sunday, October 14.
Arrow – Season 7
With Oliver in prison as our backdrop to begin things, this season should be intense, to say the least. During the panel at SDCC in Ballroom 20, we were told we’d also see the Longbow Hunters make their debut on the show. Among other things (like Batwoman making her entrance into the Arrowverse during the mid-season crossover event), Season 7 proves this show hasn’t even begun to showcase great storytelling and shows no signs of slowing. Arrow is set to return on October 15.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow – Season 4
The more campy and comedic of the shows on The CW, Legends Season 4 will find the team with a world of new issues and time-traveling paradoxes to deal with. Namely, as seen in the trailer, with Ava Sharpe (Jes Macallan), Constantine (Matt Ryan), and Nora Darhk (Courtney Ford) joining the cast as a regular, mayhem will be aplenty. We can pretty much guarantee a Beebo reunion as well. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns to The CW on October 15.
The Flash – Season 5
With the shocking conclusion in the finale of The Flash, we discovered that the future daughter of Iris and Barry has come back. And from this trailer, we see she’s brought a gift for Barry in the form of his Flash ring! It’s a small token from the comics that fans (and Grant Gustin) have been waiting for since the show debuted. This season we’ll get another non-speedster as the big baddie in the form of Cicada (Chris Klein), so things are sure to get crazy really fast. The new season will premiere on October 9.
