Comic-Con 2018, Day 2: 'Walking Dead' Departures, 'Star Trek' Arrivals and an Emotional 'Halloween' Moment

Will our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man come face-to-face with Venom?

That was one of the most pressing questions of Comic-Con weekend, and during Venom's Hall H presentation on Friday, director Ruben Fleischer stated that there are "no heroes" in the movie. So of course, he was immediately asked where that leaves Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

"Well, I think we can all agree that it would be pretty amazing to see Spider-Man and Venom face off in a film," Fleischer said. "I have to think that the studio is thinking the same thing and somewhere down the road, the characters will cross paths."

(Studio rights aside, it would be confusing to see Peter Parker anytime soon, considering what happened to him in Avengers: Infinity War.)

Star Tom Hardy, who plays the symbiote anti-hero, played equally coy, only saying, "They may." But when asked if he wants to take on Spidey, he joked, "What? Toe to toe with Tom Holland?" He laughed, "I'll have a go, yeah."

--John Boone

Transformers touched down at Comic-Con for the first time ever, with a pitstop in Hall H for a rockin' panel that kicked off with singer Stan Bush, playing an electric guitar, performing "The Touch" -- which fans will recognize as the theme song to the 1986 animated movie -- as lasers shot across the room and '80s-esque graphics teased new footage from Bumblebee.

Director Travis Knight was first to take the stage to discuss developing the movie and making sure the robots didn't ultimately look like "two Radio Shacks reenacting the Kama Sutra." This is an origin story about who Bumblee was before he met humans and how he came to love us. But Bumblebee isn't the only Transformer you'll recognize: It's official. Optimus Prime will make a cameo. (Peter Cullen, the voice of Prime, also made a surprise appearance in Hall H to ask how to get his own solo movie!)

The Decepticons in the movie are Dropkick and Shatter (voiced by Justin Theroux and Angela Bassett, respectively), so-called "triple changers," which means they can transform into not only robots and muscle cars, but also aircrafts. Then there is the human villain played by John Cena, who made quite an epic entrance for his very first Con, strutting through the crowd and high-fiving fans before joining co-stars Hailee Steinfeld and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. on the dais. "I just got real excited real quick," Cena grinned. "Which is how it goes for me. But that's another story for another time."

--John Boone

It's Halloween in July! Jamie Lee Curtis, one of the undisputed queens of Comic-Con, returned to Hall H to preview the latest episode in the long-running horror franchise. Curtis got perhaps the biggest standing ovation of the con so far, and that applause only got more rapturous when she revealed what drew her back to director David Gordon Green's sequel.

As Curtis explained, Laurie Strode was 18 when she was attacked by Michael Myers. "A random act of violence that stayed with her her entire life," she explained. "She has carried the trauma and the PTSD of someone who was attacked randomly." But not anymore. Now, she is learning that, as Curtis put it, "'I am not my trauma. The narrative of my life is not as the victim.' This is a woman who has been waiting 40 years."

That idea, of taking back your legacy, is something Curtis says resonates now more than ever. "I know you're nerds," she joked to the Comic-Con crowd. "I don't know if any of you watched the ESPYs when all of those women stood together, when that M.F. -- there are kids in the audience wearing Mario and Luigi hats, so I won't say what I want to -- rots in prison. Those women stood there and said "you do not control our narrative anymore.'"

--John Boone

The star-studded cast of Castle Rock -- Sissy Spacek, Melanie Lynskey, Bill Skarsgård and Jane Levy -- sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier on Friday to dish on their new horror series, which is based on Stephen King's extensive body of work. For Skarsgård, the show was somewhat familiar territory, having starred as Pennywise in the 2017 adaptation of King's novel. 

So, is the 27-year-old actor, who also starred in Netflix's horror series Hemlock Grove, carving out a scare-centric niche for himself? "It's just happened this way," Skarsgård said of his career so far. "I like dark stories, dark characters, it's fun. I don't like doing the same thing over and over again, [so] I'll do a happy rom-com next, I think."

How's this for a twist? When M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable came out in 2000, he say, the studio told him, "We can't mention the words 'comic book' or 'superheroes,' because it's too fringe. It's those people who go to those conventions' -- that was literally a quote." (Shyamalan called the reception to the movie "disheartening.")

After writing the script for Split, he didn't know who to cast as Kevin Wendell Crumb -- until he met James McAvoy at a Comic-Con party. Now, the world has caught up to Shyamalan and he's in Hall H -- along with Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson and Anya Taylor-Joy -- with Glass. (McAvoy couldn't be present because he's "really, really sick.")

"I've been dreaming about being in this hall forever," the director gushed. "I live in Philly, so I've been heading about, Hall H, Hall H, Hall H. This is the mecca right here!" The panel, hosted by the delightful Yvette Nicole Brown, included the action-packed, first trailer for Glass, a tease of 21 personalities for McAvoy's character and, yes, Jackson made sure to drop a "motherf*ker."

--John Boone

Jamie Lee Curtis and Halloween director David Gordon Green sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier to explain why the upcoming new installment in the iconic slasher franchise -- in which Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, Michael Myers' first victim -- couldn't have come out at a better time.

"It's a movie about trauma. It's a movie about what happens to somebody when you're 17 years old and you have this horrible trauma perpetrated on you, and you have no help," the actress explained. "This is a woman who has carried, for 40 years, her entire adult life, this trauma."

"And as we are seeing in the world today, all of these women, primarily women, who have been traumatized in all sorts of ways, physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence, and in Laurie's case, actually knife attack violence... all of those women are having the moment where they will no longer allow that to be the narrative," Curtis continued, seemingly referencing the recent #MeToo and Time's Up movements that have brought change to Hollywood and beyond.

"No longer does that define them, that they are standing up and saying, 'Enough.' And this is a movie about 'enough,' at a time when it happens to be a national and worldwide message," she added. "And so it couldn't be timed better, and it couldn't have been written better. Because you see, what other life could Laurie Strode have? She was 17!"

--Jen Drysdale

Star Trek: Discovery is boldly going to new heights.

The CBS All Access original series debuted first-look photos from its anticipated sophomore season and an early glimpse inside the premiere episode -- featuring the first footage of USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in action -- during its Comic-Con panel in coveted Hall H on Friday.

Mount, who joined the series earlier this year, revealed an exciting bit of casting news during the session. "We're going to meet the original Number One," he said, referencing the unnamed second-in-command who served under Captain Pike. "I can't tell you who it is, but her initials are Rebecca Romijn. I'll let you figure that one out."

The newly-released trailer revealed major teases to Spock's potential arrival in the series, and showrunner Alex Kurtzman essentially confirmed that the iconic character, famously played by Leonard Nimoy (and Zachary Quinto in the recent big-screen films), would be coming this year. There had been speculation that viewers could be meeting Spock after the events of the finale, when Captain Pike sent a distress call to the USS Discovery. (Spock was a crew member on the Enterprise before he became Kirk's second-in-command.)

"Yes, you will be seeing Spock this year," Kurtzman said in the affirmative. 

--Philiana Ng

Ahead of their panel, the cast of Star Trek: Discovery sat down with ET's Leanne Aguilera to dish on returning to Comic-Con after debuting their first season on CBS All Access. At last year's convention, the series had yet to premiere -- which meant the cast had a lot to keep under wraps -- but this time around, they felt the love from fans who have become invested in the franchise's new journey to the stars.

"We really feel embraced," star Sonequa Martin-Green marveled. "We feel welcomed into the fold, it's amazing."

"And it's really fun to see people cosplaying as our characters that they didn't know last year!" added Doug Jones.

Everyone wants to know what John Cena's role is in the upcoming Bumblebee action film, but they'll have to wait until it hits theaters this December to find out more. Cena plays Agent Burns, an authoritative figure in Sector 7, and while chatting with ET's Kevin Frazier on day two of Comic-Con on Friday, he -- along with co-stars Hailee Steinfeld and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. --brought along a Bumblebee helmet to show off, and revealed that he had some intense action scenes.

"I have some stunts," Cena said while wearing the Transformers helmet. "It's in my wheelhouse. We get to do some cool stuff."

Director Travis Knight also made a surprise appearance during the interview to give some more insight on Cena's role, adding, "There's a lot of action within the film, and John gets into some of that. He gets to scrap a little bit."

Knight also added that the spinoff is "a different layer of experience for someone who's not familiar with the other Transformers," but fans will still get "good Easter eggs and cameos" from previous Transformers films. Meanwhile, as Cena continued to wear the helmet throughout the interview, Frazier jokingly asked if the mask was going to patch things up between him and his ex, Nikki Bella."

"Yeah, this is the mask that is gonna win her back," he quipped. "If that truly is the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing I have not correctly evaluated my relationship."

--Liz Calvario

The Big Bang Theory stars and producers took the stage for a panel moderated by Jerry O'Connell (aka Sheldon's brother, George) on Friday, dishing on everything from Sheldon and Amy's sweet nuptials in the season 11 finale, to their "hardcore honeymoon," which kicks off the upcoming 12th season!

“Watching Mayim and Jim do the scene, we became fans in that moment,” Kunal Nayyar said of the moment he witnessed the two characters recite their vows. “It’s a testament to the show we’ve come to love that even we are fans of it. I’ll admit, I watch reruns of the Big Bang Theory. I hate watching myself. But watching that scene was like being a fan of the Big Bang Theory, watching these guys do that magic.”

“Coming back we’ll see Amy and Sheldon on their honeymoon,” added showrunner Steve Holland. “It’s going to be the hardest we’re pushing the boundaries with CBS!”

--Leena Tailor

During The Walking Dead's Hall H panel on Friday, series star Andrew Lincoln confirmed the long-rumored news that the AMC zombie series' upcoming ninth season would be his last as sheriff's deputy-turned-apocalyptic leader Rick Grimes.

“I want to say something. There seems to be an elephant in the room at Comic-Con and many of you have questions  about whether or not this is my last year," Lincoln told the crowd, growing emotional but promising not to cry: "I've done enough crying on the show."

"This will be my last season playing the part of Rick Grimes. Now hear me out, please, I love this show -- it means everything to me. I love the people who make this show… I’m particularly fond of the people who watch the show, you people, and this has been the most extraordinary, amazing and beautiful experience of my career, made largely because of you guys and our relationship we have with you guys this room and in rooms across America and the rest of the world."

Things are about to get a whole lot darker on Vikings. 

The History hit debuted the first trailer for season 5B to nearly 5,000 fans during their Comic-Con panel on Friday, and let's just say, it's worth the wait. 

Six months after we last saw Ivar (Alex Høgh Andersen) battle it out with Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) in January's midseason finale, it's clear he's still hungry for blood.

The trailer shows Lagertha, Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig), and Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith) fleeing Kattegat in their defeat, heading to England with Bishop Heahmund (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) to seek refuge from King Alfred (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) -- though being back in England may lead Heahmund's allegiances away from the Vikings. 

Back in Kattegat, meanwhile, tensions appear to rise between Ivar and the only brother he has left on his side, Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø). Bjorn isn't happy with running, and looks to take advantage of the growing wedge between his brothers to take the throne in Scandinavia. 

The sons of Ragnar go head to head in a fight the Seer warns will take them even darker, but they're not the only ones hitting a rough patch. Towards the end of the trailer, we see Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård) coming to terms with the possible failure of his journey to Iceland, as he cries out, "The Gods are not here!" 

And because it wouldn't be Vikings without a good surprise, we're also treated to a little glimpse of Rollo's (Clive Standen) return. "May I ask, why are you here now, in person?" King Harald (Peter Franzén) asks. 

"Because I missed the old place," Rollo perfectly replies. 

--Jen Drysdale

The stars of The Passage -- Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Saniyya Sidney, Jamie McShane and Henry Ian Cusick -- sat down with ET's Kevin Frazier on Friday to chat about their upcoming Fox series, based on the Justin Cronin novels of the same name, which takes place in an apocalyptic world that's being ravaged by a vampiric epidemic.

"Its about a government experiment that goes horribly wrong," Gosselaar explained. "It has good intentions. It wants to try to eradicate infectious diseases and make us healthier. In turn, things go wrong and things go bad really quick."

However, in the real world, Sidney, 11, is just catching up on some of her co-stars' other well-known roles, admitting she "loves" watching Gosselaar on Saved By the Bell.

"It's awesome to see him as a blonde," she said with a laugh. "It's like seeing little Mark-Paul."

Gosselaar noted that his young co-star has even started doing the patented Zach Morris time freezes on set, joking, "I'm very possessive of my Time Outs."

--Meredith B. Kile

The Sharknado franchise is officially coming to an end.

Five years after the Syfy film franchise made its debut, the sixth and final installment, The Last Sharknado: It's About Time, is set to premiere on Aug. 19 on Syfy. Tara Reid, Jonathan Bennett, Cassie Scerbo, Alaska, Ian Ziering and director Anthony C. Ferrante all joined ET's Kevin Frazier for an exclusive chat at Comic-Con on Friday, where they shared their thoughts on the epic series' swan song.

When asked if this is "really the end," Ziering said, "Who could say for sure?"

"The fact that this movie got made in the first place tells us that anything is possible," he explained. "So is this the end? Looks like it."

"This is," added Reid. "Every good thing eventually comes to an end. So I think as of now, it will be an end, but who knows? In 10 years, it could be a reunion of another Sharknado."

"It comes full circle," she continued. "How they wrote it, it's amazing."

--Desiree Murphy

Joss Whedon reunited two of his stars, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, for the 10th anniversary of the 2008 Internet sensation, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, made during the Writers Guild strike of that year, bright and early in Hall H on Friday, where the trio waxed poetic about being one of the first successful scripted digital series. While there had been talk (and hope) for a sequel following the release of Dr. Horrible, there was no mention of a potential follow-up in the near future. (It would prove difficult to logistically pull off, considering how busy Whedon, Fillion and co-star Neil Patrick Harris’ schedules currently are.)

In an interesting side note, Whedon revealed that he had originally pitched Dr. Horrible to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos when they were figuring out financing and distribution, but Amazon -- now in the original programming business -- was “skittish” and passed. Whedon ended up self-releasing Dr. Horrible, ultimately crashing the servers on release day.

--Philiana Ng