Jeri
Jacquin
Once again, it is hard to believe that we are only one day away from finishing San Diego Comic Con International 2026. Saturday is going to be such a busy day as more people, thank you weekend, are going to be downtown to immerse themselves in everything SDCC has to offer. Inside the convention center is always bustling, and outside, well, outside is where fun can be had by everyone because many of the events do not require a hard-to-get badge. I will be back in Hall H, so let's go!
First up, hosted by Ron Diamond, an animation producer himself; he is also the 1990 founder of Acme Filmworks. He spoke on international animation festivals where new talent is found. Also, connecting with directors of indie film for ad agencies. Sharing the vision behind the athletics, Diamond spoke on how the industry and fine-art animation have helped make Acme Filmworks a leader.
STAR TREK UNIVERSE is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an opening by Rod Roddenberry. A panel including Michael Dorn, Robert Picardo, Dominic Keating, Cirroc Lofton, Doug Jones, Michelle Hurd, Jerry O’Connell, Christina Chong, Karim Diane, and my excitement to finally see George Takei. Karim Diane got the opportunity to bring up Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, a reveal that new Academy cadet Ruaridh Aldington will be joining as Keats, a young alien with a mysterious past. Just know, he’s more than he seems. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brings executive producer Akiva Goldsman, and he shows the crowd a trailer showing what is coming for the U.S.S. Enterprise in season four. The panel included executive producers/showrunners Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Meyers and Alex Kurtzman. Also included are Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Melissa Navia and Paul Wesley.
Scott Mantz announces that the first original animated YouTube series, Star Trek: Scouts, will be available on Star Trek Day on September 8th. The show tells the story of three eight-year-olds, JR, Sprocket, and Roo, who are training to be Starfleet Explorers. Going on epic journeys, the series is produced by Nickelodeon Digital Studios.
Apple TV makes its first-time appearance in Hall H of San Diego Comic Con. I am a huge fan of the streaming service with so many favorite shows and movies, so I’m excited to see what they are bringing here. Moderated by Josh Horowitz, Apple TV brings a list of films, sci-fi, and comedy. In its second season, Dark Matter brings creators Blake Crouch along with Matt Tolmach, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, the panel also includes stars Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, and Dayo Okeniyi. If you haven’t seen Dark Matter, put it on your must-see watch list because it is amazing. If you love stories about alternate realities and multiverses, then this is the show for you. John Cena is up for MATCHBOX: The Movie, also starring Jessica Biel, Arturo Castro, Sam Richardson, and Teyonah Parris. After a long time away, Sean returns to his small town and no one knows that he’s an undercover CIA agent.
My excitement came when Silo came to the panel. Showrunner Graham Yost brings the damn stellar cast of Rebecca Ferguson, Common, Tim Robbins, Ashley Zukerman, Jessica Henwick, and Alexandria Riley show up for the third season. Season 3 has already started, and the panel discusses what they call the “Before Times” story in flashbacks and conspiracies from long ago. Ferguson talks about what happened to Juliette when she was forced out to clean and the continual problems with the new power. She describes her character as a hero who is “sedimented with trauma” (which is so true). Yes, there will be a season four, but it will be the final season. It is just amazing to see the camaraderie between the cast, especially for a show that is so dark, dangerous, and tense. Directors John Francis Daley and Johnathan Goldstein are up to talk about their Ryan Reynolds/Kenneth Branagh movie MAYDAY. Reynolds plays Troy “Assassin” Kelly who flies a mission over Soviet Airspace in 1987, and when things go wrong, he meets Branagh’s character Nikolai Ustinov.
WIDOW’S BAY is celebrating 19 Emmy nominations for Apple TV. The series is a story created by Katie Dippold and stars Matthew Rhys as a Mayor Tom Loftis who is trying to make a New England island that is supposedly cursed into a tourist spot. The only problem is the supernatural evils and legends that might have something to say about it. The show also stars Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root. Rhys came to the panel through Zoom, and on stage is O’Flynn, Stephen Root, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Kevin Carroll, and Dale Dickey. Root decided to start off the panel with “Let’s get started. – with cannibalism, right Mayor?” Rhy reminded him that “we don’t talk about cannibalism!” He also says that his character Tom has a lot of enthusiasm and wants what is best for the island.
Finally, MARVEL and H.E.R.B.I.E. get to kick off the presentation, having everyone singing Don’t Stop Believin’. Kevin Feige takes over the stage, and what all those people who stood in line for days to see. AVENGERS: Endgame is going to be re-released, which will have Doomsday peeks. “In 2019, one cinematic event brought the world together; this is the encore.” Of course, if you’re going to be part of Marvel, you can trust that Doom masks and green cloaks will be part of the fun. That means over 7,000 people turned Hall H green with a wave of doom! He announces that Shawn Levy of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE fame will be directing Ryan Gosling jumps into the franchise in the new GHOST RIDER film slated for a 2028 release date. Gosling says that Levy is the man behind the film, adding, “As you know, this is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time.” Feige also took time to congratulate Gosling on STAR WARS: Starfighter. Spider-Man: Brand New Day brings Jon Bernthal to the stage. The last time I saw him at Comic Con was in 2010 for THE WALKING DEAD, so I cheered a little bit louder for his return. He brought exclusive footage of Spider-Man and the Punisher fighting an out-of-control Smart Hulk!
Directors Jo and Anthony Russo are up for AVENGERS: Doomsday. Feige says he feels bad for people in the back of the hall, but then two platforms show the cast of the film. On one side are the X-Men and the other are the Avengers. New footage of DOOMSDAY is shown with Doctor Doom sitting on a throne. I enjoyed watching Reed Richards, played by Pedro Pascal, go against Robert Downey Jr. I swear this movie is going to be fun. It seems most of the audience side with Doom when Robert Downey, Jr. says “It’s not easy being green!” I’m sure Kermit the Frog can attest to that comment. Let’s not forget Ryan Reynolds taking his shot at the stage wearing what he called a “Canadian Tuxedo,” which was really Deadpool's suit, but instead of the regular colors, it was totally grey. He also didn’t want to mess up his tux with anything Doom-related.
To wrap up the Marvel panel, a Black Panther III logo shines as Feige and director Ryan Coogler announce that David Jonsson will take up the role of the new Black Panther as the son of T'Challa, with a release date of December 15, 2028. Coogler says, “The last time we were together, we got to make a movie; we introduced a character that was the son of the character that the late Chadwick Bosem played.” The crowd gave him an amazing welcome.
It has been another long but very eventful and informative day packed with so many surprises, so many announcements, and ending with some of the coolest Marvel surprises. Tomorrow is the last day; hold your tears because you still have time to get there for deals on the last day and all the outside fun you can handle. Don’t worry, I’ll be there as well because I want to get slimed!
Until then….
