Steven Prusakowski
Every year New York Comic Con delivers an amazing four-day celebration of fandoms, movies, TV, comics, art, artists, cosplay, celebs and so much more. And, each year Awards Radar covers as much as humanly possible as you have seen on the site over the last couple of weeks. In case you missed it, here’s an overview of almost all of our coverage in one convenient place.
This year the event was thrown a big curveball when the SAG/AFTRA strike continued throughout its run limiting the ability for celebrities to attend and what topics they could speak about. Thankfully, even the celebrity restrictions could not damper the spirit of NYCC 2023. The event was packed with captivating panels, parties, and a sea of fans celebrating their favorite fandoms among their peers. on the ground covering it all with me were The ‘Verse!‘s Emilia Yu and Norm Felker.
Even with the SAG strike, many of Hollywood biggest names were on hand including Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Ewan McGregor, David Tennant, Charisma Carpenter and many, many more were on hand providing unique fan experiences to the masses.
Awards Radar attended all four days from open to close to provide coverage of the most sought after moments of the event from Archer & the BuffyVerse to Scott Pilgrim and Star Trek. Check out our coverage with exclusive photos, trailers, and interviews with more to come.
Apple TV+ presents “For All Mankind’s” Alternate New Millennium
The science fiction series explores the possibilities of a world where the space race continues. In this alternate reality the US is not the superpower leading the way, falling behind the USSR who beats them to the moon and changes the course of world history.
The Apple TV+ series rocketed into NYCC with a treat for fans in attendance for the panel, the season 4 premiere episode almost a full month before it is scheduled to premiere on November 10th. Attendees were asked to keep the episode details under wraps but we will share it is exciting, emotional and fascinating – essentially, what For All Mankind fans have come to expect.
Although the cast could not attend the panel, attendees were treated to a Q&A with the team behind the space drama including: Ronald D. Moore (Creator), Matt Wolpert (Creator/Showrunner), Ben Nedivi (Creator/Showrunner), Garrett Reisman (NASA Tech Advisor), Seth Reed (Production Designer), and Esther Marquis (Costume Designer).
The panel shared details and stories of what it takes to bring the space race back to life. Everything from the spacesuit design to the choice of Stephen King novel to place on a character’s night stand. Reisman, a real-life astronaut, called the working on the show was a career highlight. “I’m an engineer. The likelihood that I’d end up in a writers’ room or on a TV show was nil. To have the opportunity is fantastic.”
Watch for full coverage including more of the panel conversation and exclusive video interviews with the show creators and team coming to Awards Radar in the days before the November 10th premiere. Below are some photos from the event and season 4 trailer which premiered at the event.
‘“‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ with Series Creators Bryan Lee O’Malley & BenDavid Grabinski
Fans of Scott Pilgrim in all its iterations packed the main stage for some details about the highly-anticipated Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off which is coming to the streamer thanks to creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, BenDavid Grabinski & Edgar Wright. Awards Radar was lucky enough to have seen the entire eight-episode anime series and while we were sworn to secrecy about much of it, we can say this, the series rocks – Sex Bob-Omb hard.
The series reunites cast of the Edgar Wright directed to reprise their roles. Everyone is back including: including Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers), Satya Bhabha (Matthew Patel), Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim), Brie Larson (Envy Adams), Alison Pill (Kim Pine), Aubrey Plaza (Julie Powers), Brandon Routh (Todd Ingram), Jason Schwartzman (Gideon Graves), Johnny Simmons (Young Neil), Mark Webber (Stephen Stills), Mae Whitman (Roxie Richter), and Ellen Wong (Knives Chau).
Grabinski recalled the series development, “We were trying to find some ways to expand the story and spend more time with all the supporting characters. We were completely on the same page about what the best version of the show would be. We just jumped into the deep end from there. It was a 24-7 process for two to three years. If we weren’t sitting and working together, we were texting each other 24-7. Some of my favorite stuff on the show would be at 11 o’clock, I’d text Brian and say, ‘What if we blank?’ He’d usually respond, ‘That’s a really cool idea.’
More of our interviews with O’Malley & Grabinski and panel coverage be coming to Awards Radar closer to the November 17th premiere of the Netflix series. To hold you over here’s the trailer for the series.
Star Trek Universe
Star Trek had a multi-part panel that covered a couple big news event spanning the Trek universe. First was the announcement of the Kid Cudi collaboration. The music artist recently released a new single and music video dedicated to his father and Star Trek, of which his father got him into. The collab doesn’t just end with a music video. There is also a Fortnite experience and a clothing line designed by Cudi that could be pre-ordered on the showroom floor. Cudi suprised fans in attendance by appearing at the panel for a brief discussion about his love of the franchise and his partnership.
The second part of the panel was dedicated to Star Trek: Lower Decks. Starting with a sneak viewing of episode 8, “Caves”, a full week in advance. For the panel, creator Mike McMahan started by telling fans how cool it was to watch an episode of Lower Decks with the fans. Joined by Alex Kurtzman, Star Trek’s big boss, the two talked about why they think Lower Decks is so beloved by the fans.
Speaking of Kurtzman, he gave an update on all of the current and upcoming Star Trek properties including the announcement of Star Trek: Prodigy being saved and moved to Netflix. “Star Trek: Prodigy is back! And Star Trek: Prodigy is back because you guys brought it back,” said an enthusiastic Kurtzman. “What you did has not been since since the original series. Star Trek belongs to two entities: Gene Roddenberry and the fans. That’s it. It is because of you, because of your almost 35,000 signatures on that petition, a plane over Netflix, and they heard you.”
Find our full coverage of Star Trek at 2023 NYCC here.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Norm Felker)
Audible Presents: Slayers: A Buffyverse Story
Twenty years ago the world was saved by Buffy (again) as the popular series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, closed shop forever… or so we thought. Thanks to Audible much of the old gang is back for an all-new audio drama in Slayers: A BuffyVerse Story. The cast took to the Main Stage at NYCC to introduce the new venture to thousands of fans that has fan favorites returning to take on a familiar big bad in a multidimensional adventure.
Taking the stage were James Marsters (Spike), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia), Emma Caulfield Ford (Anya), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), a new teen slayer named Indira (Laya DeLeon Hayes), James Charles Leary (Clem), and Amber Benson (Tara) who not only created the series, but also co-wrote and co-directed it with long time Buffy contributor, Chris Golden.
When asked about returning as Spike, Marsters it was a dream come true, “Just the idea that I could go back and play Spike was really exciting,” exclaimed Marsters. “I was excited to just be able to come back at all because I told the producers when we were filming (the TV series), they have seven more years if they want me to play, because I’ve been playing it for seven years, and I think 14-year window for a vampire is about enough.”
In a very moving moment Charisma Carpenter addressed the toxic relationship with the series creator and discussed taking back the series. “It’s painful. But now we kind of get to heal. That is why doing this project means so much to me,” said Carpenter.
Check out the full cast interviews, panel coverage, and exclusive photos from panel and the very cool Slayers Society activation that allowed fans to visit Sunnydale, enjoy some Slayers themed drinks, photo opps and more.
Futurama
After a 10 year hiatus, Futurama returned with new episodes on Hulu. So why not celebrate with the fans that brought the beloved show back…again, at NYCC? Fans were treated to a screening of the newest season’s finale before a panel with the show’s creative team including David X. Cohen (EP/Showrunner), Claudia Katz (EP), Lee Supercinski (Producer), Peter Avanzino (Supervising Director), Edmund Fong (Supervising Director), and Crystal Chesney-Thompson (Director). The team started off thanking the fans for their love and devotion to the show.
Cohen and Katz regaled about the upcoming 25th anniversary of the show recalling how much harder it was back when they first started working on the show versus now. “We were building a world from scratch. Some of it is anchored in New York…New New York, but there was no internet,” explained Katz.
After almost 25 years of being on and off the air, the fans at NYCC were still hyped for the SciFi animated series. During the screening multiple moments of boisterous laughter could be heard from the crowd. The biggest part of this panel was the moment where fans learned that the fate of Futurama lies in their hands after the guaranteed second season from Hulu.ics, ??
Find more of our extensive Futurama NYCC panel and interview coverage, here.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Norm Felker)
AMC Networks and AMC+ Present The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
The Walking Dead has been a Comic-Con mainstay for years now and the franchise maintained its influence this year with a special early screening of the season one finale of the spinoff, Daryl Dixon, alongside a teaser trailer and release date for The Ones Who Live (below), which will see the hotly anticipated return of original series protagonists Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). The AMC event also featured a playfully bloody first-look scene from season two of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, as well as a thrilling new teaser for Orphan Black: Echoes (below).
Following the screening was a panel with Daryl Dixon executive producer and series star Norman Reedus, executive producers Greg Nicotero, Scott M. Gimple, and showrunner David Zabel. They reflected on the faith their audience had in them to engage so strongly with the spinoff, the novelty of filming in Mont Saint Michel where the locals aren’t quite as used to seeing zombie extras in the streets, and confirmed the return of Carol (Melissa McBride) as a series regular for season two.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Emilia Yu)
A Spotlight on Chris Evans
NYCC’s biggest star this year was, most likely, Chris Evans. Evans sat down for a half hour spotlight that focused more on his personal life than his professional one. The Boston native confirmed that his favorite season was fall (autumn) for all the simple reasons. “The colors of the leaves, cider, and the food.” Evans beamed brightly. Evans also talked about his dog, Dodger, and his previous rescue dog, East. Anyone who follows Evans is more than familiar with Dodger. The boxer-mix and Evans are as close as Turner and Hooch or Shaggy and Scooby. Evan’s love of shelter dogs lead to his collab with pet brand, Jinx. He talked about the team up and how he suggested going to shelters to show love to the dogs there, urging people to adopt or rescue when they can.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Norm Felker)
DAVID TENNANT SPOTLIGHT
David Tennant took to the NYCC stage to a packed house but due to the ongoing actors strike had to remain tight-lipped about anything having to do Doctor Who, Good Omens, Broadchurch, Jessica Jones or any of the dozens of TV shows and films fans love him for.
That did not stop fans from trying to pry details from the beloved actor. Tennant made a hand motion to signal that he was keeping his lips sealed, attempting to address the current situation with a quick, “Come on, SAG!” Instead, fans learned about his upcoming role as MacBeth in London, his favorite NY food, and even proved to the audience that he CAN tie his shoes after spending the majority of the panel with untied laces. He closed out the panel with some life advice, “Strive for a comfortable shoe.” No matter the topic, Tennant is a charmer.
Even without The Doctor, Crowley or Killgrave to discuss, the conversation with the actor, start to finish. Below are some exclusive Awards Radar photos.
Ewan McGregor Spotlight
“Hello there!” someone shouted from the crowd as Ewan McGregor entered the stage for a conversation about the Star Wars superstar’s very first New York Comic-Con experience, his Shakespearean upbringing, and proper tea-brewing etiquette. Reinstating his support for the SAG-AFTRA strike, McGregor refrained from discussing any past or future projects, settling in instead for a relaxed fireside chat about his life.
He chronicled his early love of motorcycles and the worldwide bike journeys chronicled for the Long Way Round documentary series, as well as the charity work he’s done as a UNICEF UK ambassador raising awareness about child poverty and malnutrition.
And because I know you’re wondering, he brews his tea in a teapot. Rinse the pot with boiling water. Add your bags and boiling water. Steep for three minutes. Assuming it’s not a herbal cuppa, drop a splash of milk in the mug, pour the tea, and skip the sweetener.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Emilia Yu)
BLUMFEST NYCC
Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, took the stage to discuss several of the studio’s newest films including Night Swim, Totally Killer and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The first director to join Blum on the stage was Nahnatchka Khan to talk about here totally rad 1980’s totally time traveling comedy/horror film, Totally Killer. The film, starring Kiernan Shipka, Julie Bowen and Olivia Holt is a hell of a lot of fun, mashing up genres and decades as a slasher returns for more victims 35 years after the original killing spree. Blum and Khan discussed the mixing of horror and comedy. “The scare can’t come where you think it’s gonna come,” said Khan. “When we start laughing, we relax, so when you’re relaxed – it’s easier to scare,” replied Blum.
The very self-aware Totally Killer is a great spooky holiday season watch for fans of everything from Back to the Future to Scream. It is streaming on Prime Video. Watch the trailer below.
Just how Jaws ruined the ocean for audiences, director Bryce McGuire wants to ruin swimming pools for you. Blum brought him out to discuss his upcoming film Night Swim. The film, produced by James Wan, had been in development hell while McGuire struggle to find a way to turn his short into a feature length film. Once he discovered the emotional substance in his story he was ready to proceed. The film releases in January. You can watch the terrifying trailer below.
Panel attendees were greeted with a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza box (sadly no pizza was included) to get them excited for final film to be discussed during the panel, the incredibly popular (based on all the related cosplay alone) Five Nights at Freddys. The film stars Mary Stuart Masterson, Josh Hutcherson, Christian Stokes, and Matthew Lillard in a warped story, based on the video game, about a security guard whose job at a pizza place is more of an animatronic hell complete with not-so-cuddly creatures from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Director Emma Tammi, who only played the game after being approached about the project, revealed that one FNAF character that has yet to be announced will appear in the movie. The news earned cheers from the devoted fans, almost as much as the exclusive first look clip the director shared. Five Nights at Freddys is now streaming on Peacock. Take a peek inside FNAF below.
FX’s Archer: Exclusive Screening
FX’s Archer came to NYCC for a victory lap on the show’s final season. After 14 seasons, the animated spy comedy was one episode away from the series finale… or so fans thought. The screening gave fans a chance to rewatch the penultimate episode where the U.N. threatened to do away with freelance spy agencies, potentially crumbling the lives of the main cast. Fans laughed from start to finish of the witty and crass banter-filled episode. After which, fans were treated to learn some exclusive news, the season finale would actually be split into three parts and will start airing on December 17th. Watch the trailer for the Archer finale event below.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Norm Felker)
“GOOSEBUMPS” — A THRILLING NEW SERIES FOR A NEW GENERATION ON DISNEY+ AND HULU
The new Goosebumps from Disney+ delivered chills and thrills to the NYCC audience with a screening of the premiere episode of the series. What they found was a much more mature version of the iconic series that ramps up the terror and humor. Awards Radar had the chance to talk with series executive producers Pavun Shetty and Conor Welch about their love of the book series and their goals to bring to expanded audience.
“The thing that I remember about the books, which hopefully is infused into the show, is everyone remembers the stories and how scary they are. But, I just remember how funny they were, too,” explained Shetty. You can read and watch more of our interview with Shetty and Welch, here.
AR also attended “Goosebumps” Spine-Chilling Soirée! to celebrate the launch of the series at New York’s Chelsea Factory (pics below).
Karen Gillan, Chukwudi Iwuji, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn & Pom Klementieff In Conversation
The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 talked about working together while never actually using the project title. They instead had a thinly veiled discussion about ‘Security Guards of the Milky Way’. The panel put all their chemistry on full display while Michael Rooker (as always) provided some memorable moments. The bizarre standout had to be when the actor applied a ‘piercing’ he found on the ground to his nostril – surely a NYCC first. The panel delivered a lot of laughs and satisfied the filled room with tales form the ‘Milky Way.’
The panel closed with the following advice from the cast to the audience:
“Keep being curious.” – Pom Klementieff
“It’s not about you.” – Sean Gunn
“Make sure you get paid.” – Michael Rooker
“Craft.” – Chukwudi Iwuji
“Be so, so, so persistent.” – Karen Gillan
Matthew Vaughn: From Kickass To Kingsman To Argylle
The panel opened with an impressive retrospective sizzle reel covering the career of Matthew Vaughn, including his upcoming film, Argylle. The clip show was followed with the producer and director taking a film by film journey through his filmography: Layer Cake, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, the Kingsman films and Rocketman to name a few. While filled with hits it was often a tumultuous road that had him ready to leave Hollywood several times.
This included the story behind him leaving X-Men 3. “One of the main reasons I quit X-Men 3,- and this is a true story – is Hollywood is really political and odd,” said the director. He met with studio executives who had an alternate version of the film’s script for Halle Berry. Vaughn recalled,”I grabbed it and opened the first page. It said, ‘Africa. Kids dying from no water and Storm creates a thunderstorm to save all the children.’ I thought it was a pretty cool idea.”
“I asked, ‘What’s this?’ They said, ‘This is the Halle Berry script because she hasn’t signed on yet. This is what she wants it to be. Once she signs on, we’ll throw it in the bin.’ I thought, if you’re going to do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm, I quit,” said Vaughn. \
The panel was chock full of story after story only someone with such an illustrious career could share. Vaughn also delivered some news that excited Kick-Ass fans in the audience, “We’re doing it again! “None of the other characters from the other Kick-Ass are in it, though we’d like to have them back after the reboot. I can’t really talk about it, but it’s fun!”
Vaughn shared an extended action-packed clip of Argylle featuring Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill and Bryce Dallas Howard. He calls it “the ultimate movie” and explained how it will defy expectations. “We get away with the cake and eat it too because I’m shining a spotlight on some of the tropes that I’ve done before,” said Vaughn. “I’m reinventing them in a different manner, but they’re still there. So you get some of that anyway.” The Apple Studios film hits theaters on February 2nd. Watch the trailer below.
Attack on Titan 10 Year Celebration and Dub Panel
The original language anime, Attack on Titan, will wrap in early November with a single finale episode, but English-speaking viewers still await an air date for the dub. But they’re not alone in their suspense. Voice actors for the series protagonists, Bryce Papenbrook (Eren) and Trina Nishimura (Mikasa), revealed at a 10-year celebration panel that they don’t know what happens yet either. They discussed their methods for inhabiting such intense characters and the close bonds they’ve formed with each other and with the AoT fanbase.
The dark fantasy anime achieved what few others do by breaking into a mainstream audience and finding a dedicated home there. Papenbrook referred affectionately to his co-star as Aunt Trina, while Nishimura spoke emotionally about a young fan who took inspiration from Attack on Titan during their battle with leukemia. After a lengthy and spirited Q&A session, the voice actors performed a live table read, and finished with an audience selfie saluting the camera.
(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Emilia Yu)
Queer Love in Every Genre
In today’s hostile political environment where book bans are at a record high and many of the books being challenged feature racial or LGBTQ themes, a panel featuring veteran and rising queer authors felt more necessary than ever before. David Levithan (Two Boys Kissing, Will Grayson, Will Grayson) and A.S. King (Attack of the Black Rectangles, Still Life with Tornado) spoke about the early landscape of queer YA and the hope they have for the evolution of the genre. Meriam Metoui (A Guide to the Dark) and Camryn Garrett (Friday I’m in Love) weighed in on the challenges that remain with intersectional representation and the importance of writing authentically.
Though all four authors strive to some extent to resist tropery, everyone acknowledged the staying power of a good old enemies to lovers plot. But why stop there, they wondered collectively. Why not enemies to indifference? Lovers to 35? Allyship to ‘oh wait, I’m gay too!’?
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(Coverage by Awards Radar contributor and The ‘Verse! host Emilia Yu)
ParamounT+’s “PEAK SCREAMING” party
In addition to the Star Trek Universe panel (see above) a fan screening of a chillingly good episode of Evil and the Hold the Sauce! Good Burger is Back! Panel which had surprise guests, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell Paramount+ threw a party of their own inspired by the their popular horror offerings, Pet Semetary, Yellowjackets, Scream, etc. . It was a night of partying complete with games, show-themed cocktails, spooky delights, photo-ops, dancing (and a dancing Shrek – the party MVP). We even ran into the Good Burger duo.
The Escape to Shining Vale Party & ‘Shining Vale’ S2 Premiere Screening
Starz’s also got into the Friday the 13th spirit beginning with giving fans an early screening of season 2 of the horror comedy Shining Vale, starring Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, and Mira Sorvino. Then to help take the edge off they threw a show themed party that invited fans for a night of drinks, food, and dancing set at the psychiatric hospital where Cox’s character begins season two… creepy good fun.
In anticipation of the season 2 premiere Awards Radar spoke with showrunner and producer, Jeff Astrof about the series which is essentially, according to him, The Shining as a comedy. Intriguing right? Watch our interviewand the season two trailer below.
NYCC 2023 COSPLAY
Of course during New York Comic Con every room of the massive Javits Center is filled with wall-to-wall cosplayer celebrating every fandom out there across genres and mediums. It must seen to be believed. Here are a small selection of cosplay from this year’s event.
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