Every year, fanatics of all stripes descend on key cities across the U.S. for comic book conventions, otherwise known as Comic Con. Aside from the opportunity for comic geeks to rub shoulders with one another, the event's biggest attractions tend to be the debuts of various movie and television trailers. These presentations are frequently accompanied by panel discussions, where the respective stars of those vehicles drop hints about the upcoming projects.
The 2016 New York Comic Con (NYCC) was a master class in nerd culture titillation. It offered entertainment junkies a smorgasbord of trailers and teasers of upcoming projects, including Netflix's highly-anticipated "Iron Fist," series (a Marvel property), Dreamworks' Trollhunters (another Netflix original), and the "Planet of the Apes" reboot.
CNBC, which was present for several of these sessions, compiled a sample of some of the more buzz-worthy reveals at this year's confab.
'War is coming'
Caesar, the brooding, intelligent ape at the center of the 'Planet of the Apes' movie reboot, is back for a third installment next summer.
At a NYCC panel discussion and sneak preview of 'War for the Planet of the Apes' last week, the director, producer and star of the series explained the upcoming film would be much more emotional and visceral than the ones that preceded it. The discussion featured 8 minutes of raw footage from "War", and an as-yet unreleased trailer.
Iron Fist
Inhabiting the same universe (actually, the same city) as Daredevil, Jessica Jones and most recently Luke Cage, Danny Rand is a martial arts master who teams up with the afore-mentioned characters to form "The Defenders." At NYCC, it was revealed that "Aliens" alumna Sigourney Weaver will play a prominent role in the "Defenders", when it debuts next year. "Iron Fist" will premiere in March 2017.
Power Rangers
Nostalgia is a big motif behind most comic book and action entertainment, and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers were important to the formative years of many Millenials (and even some Generation Xers).
Those memories are set to be revived with "The Power Rangers Movie," based on the hit TV live action series in which five small-town teenagers are thrown together by an alien presence, and get to display an impressive array of fighting moves and high-tech gear. The movie premieres in March 24.
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Wynonna Earp
Wynonna Earp, an adaptation of a Western horror comic book, is debuting its sophomore season on the SyFy channel (SyFy is owned by Comcast, the parent company of CNBC). At a panel discussion at NYCC, showrunner Emily Andras announced a run of 12 episodes (up from the first season's 10) that will feature higher caliber demon antagonists.
At NYCC, Andras was joined by cast members Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp) and Tim Rozon (Doc Holiday) and Wynonna Earp creator Beau Smith.
An '80s icon makes a comeback
The giant robot that fired up the imaginations of countless 80s kids is gearing up for his second season. "Voltron Legendary Defender" will premiere on Netflix in January, and the upcoming season promises to reveal more about the five individuals who pilot the lion robots that form Voltron.
Comic Con attendees got a sneak peek of a full episode from season 2, and were treated to a big reveal about one of the major characters.