With anime studios gradually recovering from the pandemic, this past week has seen a huge wave in new trailers for upcoming anime films and series to be released throughout the autumn. Not to be outdone, streaming services like HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix unveiled their own eagerly anticipated original programming while Marvel Studios is poised for a big return to the cinema.
Here are all the biggest and best trailers, teasers, and promos released this past week, as summer begins to wind down and autumn looms on the horizon.
Adventure Time: Distant Lands
Next month brings the fourth and final Adventure Time continuation special on HBO Max, Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Wizard City. The special follows Peppermint Butler as he joins up with a wizarding school while trying to keep the more unsavory moments from his past a secret from his new classmates as he becomes a prime suspect in a major school incident.
Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Wizard City premieres Sept. 2 on HBO Max.
Call of Duty: Vanguard
The Call of Duty franchise got its start recreating the biggest battles of World War II, and the first-person shooter game series is returning to its roots with its next major installment, Call of Duty: Vanguard. A cinematic trailer for the upcoming game teases sprawling battlefields, with a small squad ready to turn the tide of battle and win the war.
Developed by Sledgehammer Games and Treyarch and published by Activision, Call of Duty: Vanguard will be released Nov. 5 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
86 EIGHTY-SIX
After enduring a production delay due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the popular anime series 86 Eighty-Six returns this October, picking up its epic story where it left off. Based on the light novel series by Asato Asato and Shirabii, 86 follows a world where wars are seemingly waged entirely by giant robots before the truth behind the nature of futuristic warfare comes to light.
Based on the light novel series by Asato Asato and Shirabii, 86 EIGHTY-SIX will return for its second part this October, with a simulcast on Crunchyroll.
Eternals
While the wide theatrical release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still weeks away, Marvel Studios has unveiled the final theatrical trailer for its next feature film, Eternals. The latest look at the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie teases the cosmic race's Celestial origins while hinting what the Eternals were up to during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
Directed and co-written by Chloé Zhao, Eternals arrives in theaters Nov. 5.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov's highly influential Foundation science fiction novels are being adapted into an ambitious television series for Apple TV+ next month. As the Empire learns of a cataclysmic threat that could completely end their way of life, it sets out to create a foundation for future civilizations to rebuild and thrive as an interplanetary conflict looms.
Developed by David S. Goyer, Foundation premieres Sept. 24 on Apple TV+.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
While Netflix has a separate Masters of the Universe animated series currently running on its platform with Masters of the Universe: Revelation, it's also launching a new all-ages friendly CG animated series simply titled He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The upcoming show retells Prince Adam learning how to transform into He-Man for the first time as he takes on Skeletor to defend Eternia.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premieres Sept. 16 on Netflix.
Kingdom
After its own pandemic-related delay, the hit anime series Kingdom has finally made its return to continue its third season. Based on the manga series by Yasuhisa Hara, Kingdom is set during the Warring States period in 2nd century China, with rival kingdoms battling amongst themselves for conquest and supremacy. While heavily fictionalized, the anime series incorporates historical figures in its sweeping look at Chinese history.
Based on the manga series by Yasuhisa Hara, new episodes of Kingdom are simulcast by Funimation on Mondays.
Komi Can't Communicate
The eagerly anticipated coming-of-age anime Komi Can't Communicate is slated for a premiere this October, with a live-action television adaptation of Tomohito Oda's manga series set to premiere in Japan next month. Komi Can't Communicate follows a shy teenager named Hitohito Tadano who helps classmate Shouko Komi emerge from her own shell and make new friends.
Directed by Kazuki Kawagoe and Ayumu Watanabe, Komi Can't Communicate premieres in Japan on Oct. 7.
The Moon, Laika and the Bloodsucking Princess
Vampires are about to join the space race in the upcoming anime series The Moon, Laika and the Bloodsucking Princess. Adapting the series of light novels Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu by Keisuke Makino and Karei, the series presents an alternate history of the space race, with the military enlisting vampires to serve as test pilots in their international contest to reach the Moon first.
Directed by Akitoshi Yokoyama, The Moon, Laika and the Bloodsucking Princess premieres in Japan this October.
Pokémon
Now is a fantastic time to be a fan of Nintendo's popular RPG franchise Pokémon, with the video game series releasing news and trailers for multiple titles coming to the Nintendo Switch in the months ahead. November sees enhanced remakes for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, originally released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS, while January will see the release of a spinoff prequel Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Developed by ILCA, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl releases Nov. 19 for the Nintendo Switch. Developed by Game Freak, Pokémon Legends: Arceus releases Jan. 28 for the Nintendo Switch.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The MCU's Phase 4 continues on the big screen with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, bringing Simu Liu as the martial arts superhero. With the film's wide theatrical release weeks away, a new trailer hosted by Liu and co-star Awkwafina showcases the movie's actions while directing audiences to ticket preorders to welcome the next MCU hero.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Daniel Callaham, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters Sept. 3.
Star Wars: Visions
Lucasfilm and seven different anime studios are teaming up for the new Star Wars anthology series Star Wars Visions, premiering next month on Disney+. Lucasfilm has unveiled both original Japanese language and English dubs of the debut trailer for the upcoming series, with seven different stories slated to highlight a different side to the Star Wars Universe.
Star Wars: Visions begins streaming on Sept. 22 on Disney+.
Twelve Minutes
The newly launched mystery video game Twelve Minutes boasts an all-star cast, with James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe among the big names lending their talents to the story-based title. McAvoy portrays a man named Aaron trapped in a time loop, searching for a way to break the cycle and survive with his pregnant wife before a killer comes for him and his family in each deadly loop.
Developed by Luis Antonio and published by Annapurna Interactive, Twelve Minutes is available now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
