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The best of NYCC 2021: Ghostbusters surprises, Star Trek: Discovery, Chucky’s debut, The Expanse & more
It’s been a while since genre fans were able to assemble in mass for a large-scale comic convention — but with vaccine and mask requirements firmly in place — New York Comic Con made its long-awaited return to Javits Center in New York this past week. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes (the Jean Grey version, of course), comic cons are officially back.
The 2021 edition of NYCC featured plenty of major genre stars, shows and movies across its four day run from October 7-10, and SYFY WIRE was there for… well, all of it. So we’ve put together a rundown of the biggest, coolest and sci-fi-iest stories from NYCC 2021.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife surprise premiere
Ghostbusters: Afterlife made its surprise world premiere on Friday night, with the creative team and cast offering up some fresh intel on what it’s been like to bring the franchise back to its roots after all these years — then shocking the room with news that they’re just going to go ahead and show the whole movie right there. Thankfully, the buzz was great, and the film is shaping up to be a worthy successor that new (and old!) fans will love.
Chucky takes NYCC
Chucky also slashed his way out at NYCC for a world premiere, with fans getting a chance to hear from creator Don Mancini and some of the new and OG cast members teaming up for the SYFY/USA series that picks up where the big screen movies left off. They also showed off the pilot episodes, and according to the fans, the show is straight up killin’ it. In a good way.
The Expanse's farewell
The Expanse wraps up! Amazon Prime’s acclaimed space opera The Expanse is coming to an end this December with its sixth and final season — and the cast and crew were on hand to discuss what it’s like to say goodbye to the series, and set-up what fans can expect from the final batch of episodes aimed at wrapping up the journey. Even better? They also debuted a new trailer setting the stakes.
Saga is finally back!
Saga returns! Though there were plenty of big TV and movie franchises on hand, this is a comic convention after all, and we also had some big headlines on that front. The biggest? News that Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ award-winning series Saga will officially return soon with Issue #55. It's been more than three years since a new issue has been released in the series. The comic series is set to resume on January 26, 2022, and will roll on with 54 new issues aimed at finally closing the 108-chapter saga.
Star Trek lands at NYCC
Star Trek also brought the heat this year, with a new trailer and intel from the cast on the fourth season of Paramount Plus’ Star Trek: Discovery, which will finally find Sonequa Martin-Green's Michael Burnham taking her rightful place in the captain's seat just in time to face new threats and a future of unknowns. New animated series Star Trek: Prodigy also landed, with fans getting a first look at the long-awaited return of Trek legend Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).
Psych! is back
Peacock brought two of its genre-friendly projects to the con, dropping the debut trailer for Psych 3: This is Gus, which will continue the long-running hit series with another film; and a deep dive discussion with director Krysten Ritter on the Buffy-esque new Crypt TV series Girl in the Woods.
From Shatner to Harbour
Reunions! There were also a whole lot of sci-fi legends on hand to talk about the good old days, sharing stories and secrets from their careers. William Shatner took the stage to talk about his pending real-life trip into space; Battlestar Galactica favorites Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos reunited to talk about their real-life bond; George Takei opened up about accidentally attacking his former Trek stars while practicing his fencing; and David Harbour spilled a bit on Stranger Things 4, including how he sees his arc as the Gandalf of this season.
Outlander lives
NYCC staple Outlander also showed up this year to give fans a first look at the long-awaited sixth season, with a discussion among the cast and a new trailer giving a peek at how the Christie family will shake things up when the show returns to Starz.
Wheel of Time
Wheel of Time rolls on! Amazon’s upcoming fantasy epic Wheel of Time also brought some new footage to NYCC, plus some casting news that will ripple out into the second season of the series, which has already been commissioned before Season 1 even premieres.
Just Beyond
Disney+ also upped its family-friendly horror game, with the creators beyond R.L. Stine’s anthology horror series Just Beyond on hand to talk about the Twilight Zone-esque series. They’re billing it as an entry-point kind of project to get kids into the horror genre. Just don’t confuse it with that Chucky premiere — might wanna keep that one for the parents and let the young ones work up to that level.
Cosplay!
Cosplay, cosplay, cosplay! There was also a ton of great cosplay to check out. We’ve recapped the highlights already from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4. But that’s not all! Check out all of our NYCC coverage, including some deeper dive comics news and plenty of other shows and projects, right here.
