The cast and producers of AMC’s hit scripted series “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Preacher” will return to this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego, CA, with the network’s new supernatural horror series “NOS4A2” and Ridley Scott-produced anthology series “The Terror: Infamy” making their Comic-Con debut.
In addition, AMC will have a significant presence in and around San Diego with activities and partnerships including a Walker Horde, the return of the “DeadQuarters” fan zone, a partnership with Feeding San Diego, and demos of the upcoming VR game “The Walking Dead Onslaught,” among other gaming activities.
- “Fear the Walking Dead” panel on Friday, July 19 from 12:00pm-1:00pm in Hall H
Panelists include cast members Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Danay Garcia, Maggie Grace, Jenna Elfman, Alexa Nisenson, Austin Amelio, Rubén Blades and Karen David, along with chief content officer of “The Walking Dead” Universe, Scott M. Gimple, showrunners and executive producers Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, executive producers Robert Kirkman, Dave Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd and Greg Nicotero, and director and co-executive producer, Michael Satrazemis. The panel will be moderated by “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick.
- “The Walking Dead” panel on Friday, July 19 from 1:00pm-2:00pm in Hall H
Panelists include cast members Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira, Ryan Hurst, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Avi Nash, Nadia Hilker, Eleanor Matsuura and Cailey Fleming, along with chief content officer of “The Walking Dead” Universe, Scott M. Gimple, showrunner and executive producer Angela Kang, executive producers Robert Kirkman, Dave Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd and Greg Nicotero. The panel will be moderated by “Talking Dead” host Chris Hardwick.
- “Preacher” panel on Friday, July 19 from 7:00pm-8:00pm in Hall H
Panelists include executive producer Seth Rogen and cast members Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Graham McTavish and Mark Harelik. The panel will be moderated by IGN’s editor-in-chief of entertainment Terri Schwartz.
- “The Terror: Infamy” panel on Friday, July 19 from 4:45-5:35pm in Room 6A
Panelists include cast members Derek Mio, George Takei, Kiki Sukezane and Cristina Rodlo, along with co-creators and executive producers Alexander Woo and Max Borenstein. The panel will be moderated by Indiewire senior editor Hanh Nguyen
- “NOS4A2” panel on Saturday, July 20 from 5:30pm-6:30pm in Room 6A
Panelists include cast members Zachary Quinto and Ashleigh Cummings, along with showrunner and executive producer Jami O’Brien, and author and executive producer Joe Hill. The panel will be moderated by Entertainment Weekly senior writer Clark Collis.
An overview of AMC’s activations, partnerships and activities around San Diego is below:
- “DeadQuarters,” the official fan zone of “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead,” will feature a curated walk through of settings from both series, including the Winter Escape from the Season 9 finale of “TWD,” as well as an elaborate treehouse and plane crash site inspired by the Season 5 storylines in “Fear.” Fans can pre-register here to beat the lines.
- Located on Martin Luther King Promenade, in front of the Hilton Gaslamp Hotel (4th Avenue and L Street, across from the Convention Center), “DeadQuarters” will open for a press preview on Thursday, July 18 from 10:00-11:00am and to the public Thursday, July 18 through Saturday, July 20 from 11:00am-6:30pm; Sunday, July 21 from 11:00am-4:00pm.
- AMC is partnering with Feeding America and encouraging “DeadQuarters” visitors to donate canned foods throughout Comic-Con weekend to benefit the organization’s local chapter, Feeding San Diego. Donors will receive an exclusive Hilltop Token, which can be used to unlock special deals on food, retail and entertainment around San Diego

Movie
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters

If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Events
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023


Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm