Issue date: 
Friday, 10 July 2015

San Diego Comic-Con is back for 2015 and this year there is an impressive number of high-profile film and television productions with a New Zealand involvement in attendance.

The convention, which runs from 9-12 July, attracts over 130,000 fans each year and is one of the world’s most iconic pop-culture events.

This year New Zealand has a strong presence at the event with major film and television productions with significant New Zealand involvement being showcased. These include Saban’s Power Rangers, Legendary Pictures Krampus, MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles, STARZ Ash Vs Evil Dead, Pukeko Pictures/ITV Studio’s Thunderbirds Are Go as well as productions involving the work of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital.

Made in Auckland for more than a decade, Power Rangers is one of the top rated and longest running kids' live-action television shows. The show is now in its 22nd season (and its 10th season made in New Zealand), Power Rangers Dino Charge. The cast of Power Rangers Dino Charge, including the New Zealand Ranger James Davies, will participate in a panel on the first day of the conference, with exclusive sneak peeks, giveaways and a Q&A session. Saban will also be hosting interviews with the cast and the executive producer of the series.

Ash vs Evil Dead, which is currently in production in New Zealand, is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film franchise The Evil Dead. The creators of the show including the executive producers and original film-makers will be hosting a panel at this year’s event alongside New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless who stars in the series.

The Shannara Chronicles is an adaptation of Terry Brook’s fantasy book series and is a 10-part series for MTV. The series is currently filming in Auckland and stars both world-class international and domestic actors including John Rhys-Davies. The Shannara cast will be doing a Q&A session as part of the conference.

Krampus is a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty which will be released in December by Universal Pictures. The film is supported by the Oscar®-winning creature-effects wizardry of Weta Workshop and the Oscar®-winning visual effects of Weta Digital. Legendary Pictures will show footage and present cast members from Krampus at this year’s event.

ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures, in association with Weta Workshop are bringing the US premiere of Thunderbirds Are Go exclusively to Comic-Con. Executive producer Richard Taylor and head writer Rob Hoegee will screen an episode and the team responsible for creating this beautiful re-imagining of the much-loved classic series will answer audience questions.

To view the full Comic-Con programme visit the official website here or head to our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing Kiwi Comic-Con highlights throughout the weekend.