5 big takeaways from New York Comic Con 2022

The first time Michael J. Fox met Christopher Lloyd, Lloyd was quite literally hopping out of the Delorean on the set of Back To The Future—or, at least, that’s how Fox recalled it during a between the two friends and colleagues on Saturday. As the film’s 30th anniversary edges nearer, the duo reunited onstage to recall their favorite memories from filming—naturally, Fox wore a Marty McFly t-shirt. Both actors lauded the other for their craft and spontaneously embraced multiple times throughout, with Fox sharing: “[Lloyd’s] brilliantly entertaining… I would be like, ‘I gotta watch my ass, because this guy will blow me off the screen.’” Lloyd and Fox both confirmed taking things from set: for Lloyd, a Western-themed shirt from Back to the Future III his wife apparently won’t let him wear. For Fox, the gift is more metaphorical—when he spoke about his Michael J. Fox Foundation, which has raised over $1 billion for Parkinson’s research, he emphasized the importance of friends like Chris, and fans like Back To The Future’s.“People like Chris have been there a lot for me, and so many of you have,” Fox shared, to rousing applause. “It’s not about what I have, it’s about what I’ve been given—the voice to get this done, and help people out.” [Hattie Lindert]

Would it be Comic Con in October if there weren’t plenty of horror franchise celebrations? NYCC delivered a screening and panel with the cast and crew of Netflix’s . Mike Flanagan’s new drama has already ushered us into Halloween month with quite a splash. Most of the talented actors are new to the Flana-verse, but the creator teased audiences by asking us to keep an eye out for cameos from Hamish Linklater, Kate Siegal, and Carla Gugino. “They will be hard to spot,” he said. (Unless you already have?) Speaking of Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis got extremely emotional on stage to commemorate the end of Halloween’s (allegedly final) trilogy. She made it a point to continually thank fans who’ve been passionate about her iconic Laurie Strode character for decades. Now, they’ve made an incredibly huge deal about being the last film ever, but if the 12 preceding have indicated one thing, it’s that Michael Myers never dies. While everyone’s marketing this as the last one, it’s fair to assume Halloween will return in some form. But maybe this is the end of Laurie as we know her, and she passes the baton to her granddaughter in the end? Curtis told NYCC audiences that what drew her to David Gordon Green’s take was that Laurie has a “fractured family,” so it wouldn’t be too surprising. Whether Halloween can continue without Laurie is a whole other debate. NYCC’s other spooky season surprises came via a send-off for , ending with season 11 this November. But does that conclusion hold merit if we know most of the main characters are getting a spin-off? Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) are heading to apocalyptic New York City in , which comes out in April 2023. Daryl (Norman Reedus) is off to France post-TWD, while Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira are returning for a Rick and Michonne series. No one will let this franchise die in peace, so a goodbye panel, while essentially nice, didn’t feel like a goodbye at all. Finally, AMC is going all out with Anne Rice adaptations. After the successful (and sexy), next in line is Mayfair Witches, led by Alexandra Daddario. While they wouldn’t reveal if or how both shows will connect—they don’t need to—we got a . [Saloni Gajjar]