By Danielle Broadway
SAN DIEGO, July 25 (Reuters) – Apple TV revved audiences up for “Matchbox The Movie” at its San Diego Comic-Con debut on Saturday with a high-octane trailer that paid homage to the classic miniature Mattel toy cars.
The panel unveiled first-look footage showing a group of childhood friends reunited as adults and thrust into an action-packed adventure involving life-size Matchbox cars.
John Cena, who plays former soldier Sean, said he performed some of his own stunts and was “scared for his life” throughout filming. Joking about the intensity of the action, he said his castmates reassured him they would find him a fresh pair of pants if needed.
The cast, who filmed in locations including Budapest and Slovakia, reflected on their favorite shooting spots.
“My favorite location? Hall H,” Cena said, referring to Comic-Con’s famous venue.
The movie, which begins streaming on October 9, is produced by Apple Studios, Skydance Media, and Mattel Films.
FRESH START ON ‘DARK MATTER’
The “Dark Matter” panel revealed new footage from Season 2 of the series, premiering August 28.
Created by Blake Crouch and based on his 2016 novel, the series stars Joel Edgerton as physicist Jason Dessen, who travels between alternative realities. After the events of Season 1, Dessen and his family seek a fresh start.
“Imagine your home’s been taken away. You’ve lost all your friends,” Crouch said, describing the new season’s themes of loss and the search for belonging.
The panel also offered an early look at “Neuromancer,” the upcoming sci-fi series based on William Gibson’s 1984 novel.
Created by Graham Roland, the cyberpunk drama follows a former hacker and a street samurai who join forces for a high-stakes heist. The series premieres on Apple TV on January 22.
Another highlight was the action-comedy “Mayday,” starring Ryan Reynolds as a U.S. Navy pilot named Troy. First-look footage showed Troy and Nikolai, played by Kenneth Branagh, being pursued by the KGB as they scrambled for survival. The film begins streaming September 4.
Horror series “Widow’s Bay” debuted footage from its Season 2, arriving in 2027. The show’s first season, released in 2026, earned 19 Emmy nominations.
The preview featured Tom Loftis, played by Matthew Rhys, trapped in a narrow crawl space. A mysterious figure approaches, ultimately revealing himself as a violent clown in what turns out to be a nightmare.
Loftis is the widowed mayor of the superstitious town of Widow’s Bay.
The panel concluded with footage from “Silo” Season 3, which premiered on July 3.
Set in a dystopian future where 10,000 people live inside a 144-level underground silo, the series stars Rebecca Ferguson as engineer Juliette Nichols. Comic-Con attendees saw characters attempting to open a sealed door that had never been breached, as the new season explores more of the silo’s secrets.
(Reporting by Danielle BroadwayEditing by Rod Nickel)
