IT: CHAPTER 2

Set 27 years after the events of 2017’s It, the Losers Club returns to their hometown of Derry to confront the evil they thought they’d destroyed decades before. Based on the 1986 novel by horror maestro Stephen King, It was first brought to life via a well-received TV miniseries that made an entire generation terrified of clowns. Where that version had Tim Curry (Home Alone 2) as Pennywise the clown, 2017’s big screen version had Bill Skarsgård (Atomic Blonde) take on the reimagined creature. This time around, James McAvoy (X-Men: Dark Phoenix), Jessica Chastain (Interstellar), Bill Hader (TV’s Barry, SNL), Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice guy!) lead the cast as adult versions of the Losers. With a strong cast and director Andy Muschietti at the helm, It: Chapter 2 could very well be that rare horror sequel that actually does its predecessor proud.

21 BRIDGES

Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame) stars as New York Police Detective Andre Davis known for taking down cop killers. When two cop killers flee the murder of 8 officers, their only means of escape is through one of Manhattan’s 21 bridges. Unfortunately for them, Detective Davis is on their trail.

In an interview, the erstwhile King of Wakanda said, “When I read the script, I could tell that this was gonna be a ride. It’s a ride when you watch it. At the same time, it took me back to my theater days where you have the fast-paced language…I lived in New York for years. I feel like this movie sort of captured that sort of thing.”

Produced by Avengers Infinity War and Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo, the film also stars Sienna Miller (American Sniper, GI JOE: The Rise of Cobra), JK Simmons (Spider-Man: Far From Home) Keith David (They Live, The Thing), and Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Wolverine: Origins).

THE WALKING DEAD

When series star Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually) left The Walking Dead in Season 9, fans were assured that his Rick Grimes would return in two standalone films. What we didn’t know until SDCC was that the first of those films would be released exclusive to theaters! Generating further buzz is the teaser’s lack of plot points, save for the appearance of a mysterious helicopter, which could conceivably be a callback to the one last seen in Season 1. With one more film in the pipeline, Season 10 on the way, spin-off Fear The Walking Dead renewed for a 6^th season, and the announcement of a new show about growing up in the zombie apocalypse, it doesn’t look like this franchise will be going away anytime soon.

STEPHEN UNIVERSE: THE MOVIE

We did not see this one coming! Scheduled to air on Cartoon Network in September of this year, Steven Universe: The Movie picks up two years after Season 5 of the beloved animated series. In the film, a now-16-year-old Stephen must take on his greatest challenge when it is revealed that a new sinister Gem has (what else?) malevolent designs on planet Earth (i.e. she has a giant, life-sapping drill, and she isn’t afraid to use it). Billed as a musical, a single from the film, “True Kinda Love” has already been released to generate hype; but to be fair, just knowing that a high-quality animated film starring the same cast as the show was on the way was more than enough to get our attention!

JAY AND SILENT BOB REBOOT

First introduced in Kevin Smiths’ Clerks (1994), the characters of Jay and Silent Bob have become mainstays of the outspoken director’s View Askewniverse, appearing in Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999) before being promoted to their own film in 2001’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. As their first dedicated big-screen adventure in 18 years, Jay (Jason Mewes) and best friend Silent Bob (Kevin Smith, Live Free or Die Hard) are on a quest to stop a reboot film based on their fictional alter egos of Bluntman and Chronic from being produced. Taking merciless jabs at the film industry’s current obsessions with sequels, reboots, and remakes, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot promises to be a return to form for Smith, especially following the less-than-stellar reception of his recent films, such as Yoga Hosers, and  Tusk. In any case, shooting this reportedly healed the longtime rift between Smith and old friend Ben Affleck (Argo, Justice League), who has a cameo in the film, so at least there’s that!

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

After years of sub-par sequels, the Terminator franchise makes its latest stab at credibility by making the film they should have years ago. Linda Hamilton returns to the role that made her famous, looking every bit as battle-hardened and world-weary as an aged Sarah Connor should be. But how did she get this way? Didn’t she and her son, John (Edward Furlong, Detroit Rock City) stop Judgment Day back in 1991? And how the heck is Arnie back as yet another aged iteration of his signature cyborg? Truth be told, we have no idea, but thanks to the involvement of franchise progenitor James Cameron (Aliens, Titanic) and Deadpool director Tim Miller, we don’t want to know until opening day. Because, honestly, NOTHING could be worse than Terminator: Genisys, right?

DC ANIMATED FILMS + SHORTS

At the world premiere screening for Batman: Hush, it was announced that the two of the next three DC original animated films would center around the Man of Steel himself, Superman. The first of the two, Red Son, will be based on Mark Millar’s (Kick-Ass, Wanted) 2003 comic book miniseries of the same name, telling the tale of a Superman who crash-landed as a baby in Soviet-era Russia instead of the midwestern United States. Raised on communist values, the story promises a fascinating look into the argument of nature versus nurture as viewed through a comic book lens. The second Superman project, Man of Tomorrow, was scant on details, but the film coming out between the two Super movies, Justice League: Apokalips War is set to be a sequel to 2017’s surprisingly decent Justice League: Dark. In addition, the previously-announced DC Animated shorts –including the much-awaited, first-ever animated onscreen appearance of Neil Gaiman’s Death!– will be released alongside these films.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Imagine you waited 12 hours in line to get into SDCC’s fabled Hall H for a day of movie presentations, and the Terminator: Dark Fate panel has just ended. You’re cautiously excited from their announcement that T2: Judgement Day’s Edward Furlong was returning to the role of John Connor, when all of a sudden, Tom freakin’ Cruise (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) walks out on stage and offers to make you the first audience in the world to see the trailer for his long-gestating Top Gun sequel. Well, that’s pretty much what happened, as the world’s biggest movie star brought the house down with a trailer that hit all the right notes of action, drama, and nostalgia. Speaking of notes, they even managed to slip in a few from the “Top Gun Anthem”, which rivals Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” on the original film’s soundtrack for sheer 80s awesomeness. We’re not crying, you’re crying.

What were your favorite reveals? Tell us below!