The annual San Diego Comic-Con is the biggest pop culture extravaganza of the year. Thursday, the first day of the four-day convention, offered up movie trailers for two anticipated sequels and the first film version of a much-loved Broadway show. Let’s take a look.
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Thirty-three years after the original “Top Gun,” Tom Cruise returns to the danger zone in the sequel to the 1986 action flick about fighter pilots training at the Naval flight academy.
Cruise is back in the cockpit as Capt. Peter “Maverick” Mitchell, a flight instructor who has taken Miles Teller, the son of his dearly departed friend, Goose, under his wing. The aerial stunts throughout the trailer look breathtaking. The 57-year-old Cruise, known for doing his own stunts, is more than up for the challenge.
The film also stars a returning Val Kilmer, as well as Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm.
“Top Gun: Maverick” takes flight June 26, 2020, in theaters.
“It Chapter Two”
Two years after “It” gave moviegoers nightmares, the Losers Club reunites to take on demonic clown Pennywise in the continuation of Stephen King’s horror novel. The terrifying trailer recreates the dread and unease from the first film.
The adult versions of the Losers Club, now played by James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, James Ransone, Jay Ryan, Isaiah Mustafa and Andy Bean, return to Derry, Maine, 27 years after the events of the first film to confront Bill Skarsgard’s terrifying clown once and for all. The young cast from the 2017 movie – including Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer and Sophia Lillis – are back to play the characters’ childhood selves.
Judging by the trailer, the adult actors are well-matched to their childhood counterparts. McAvoy and Chastain shine in some intense sequences. And Skarsgard continues to make Pennywise the stuff of nightmare fuel.
“It Chapter Two” floats into theaters Sept. 6.
“Cats”
The first film adaptation based on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical blends CGI animation with live-action performances. The bizarre trailer’s quirky vibe is catching a lot of buzz online.
The fantasy film boasts a stellar cast: Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Ian McKellen and Rebel Wilson. Whether the unusual flick will be the cat’s meow for audiences in time for the holiday season is anyone’s guess.
“Cats” sings and dances its way into theaters Dec. 20.
Rebecca Kivak and Joe Baress write about movies for Take 2 blog. Together, they review current flicks and offer their insights into the latest movie news. Rebecca is a copy editor and page designer at The Times-Tribune. She started her career with Times-Shamrock Newspapers in 2005 and has won several professional journalism awards for page design and headline writing. She also covers NASCAR races from Pocono Raceway. Contact: rkivak@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5126; @TTRebeccaKivak
