Sam Mendes’ WWI epic 1917 is getting a panel at New York Comic Con 2019. The upcoming war film stars George MacKay (11.22.63) and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones) as two young British soldiers who, with the First World War raging around them, are ordered to cross enemy territory in order to deliver a message that will prevent a deadly attack from happening. It’s the first non-James Bond movie that Mendes has directed in ten years, following his efforts on the last two Daniel Craig 007 adventures (Skyfall and Spectre), and his theater work since then.
Between its creative team (which includes Oscar-winning cinematographer and Mendes’ frequent collaborator, Roger Deakins) and subject matter alone, 1917 has the potential to become a contender in the 2019 awards season race. However, since the film is skipping out on this year’s major festivals, it could use an extra boost to improve its chances of standing out among this fall’s crop of Oscar hopefuls. Turns out, it’ll be getting just that at the start of October.
NBC Universal has announced that 1917 will get an official panel at NYCC 2019 on Thursday, October 3 at the AMC 34th Street Theatre from 4-5 p.m. Among those slated to attend the event are Mendes, Deakins, MacKay, and Chapman, along with producer Pippa Harris and Penny Dreadful writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns (who cowrote the 1917 script with Mendes).
Although they won’t be attending the NYCC panel, MacKay and Chapman’s costars in 1917 include respected names like Colin Firth, Richard Madden, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch in key roles. Unsurprisingly, the first 1917 trailer briefly pauses to highlight several of the film’s prestigious cast members, while at the same time showcasing Deakins’ crisp photography, and not so subtly channeling Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning WWII thriller Dunkirk (right down to its ticking clock audial effect). It’s not exactly the sort of movie that typically has a presence at NYCC, as opposed to the other films confirmed for this year’s convention (like The Grudge reboot). Even so, NYCC 2019 is taking place at the perfect time for the high-art historical war drama to kick-off its next wave of marketing, ahead of its December launch.
In a way, the most exciting thing about 1917‘s NYCC panel is the news that Deakins will be in attendance. The cinematographer is a bit of a legend among movie buffs thanks to his years of collaboration with not only Mendes, but also the Coen Brothers, Denis Villeneuve, M. Night Shyamalan, and Angelina Jolie, among others. He only just won his first Oscar in 2018 for Blade Runner 2049, but was already famous by then for having left his mark on a variety of genres (ranging from westerns to crime-thrillers, sci-fi dramas, musical comedies, and, of course, James Bond adventures). It should be pretty interesting to see how he approaches 1917, for that very reason.
New York Comic Con takes place next month from October 3-6.
Key Release Dates
1917
Release Date:2019-12-25
