- Masood hits first ton for four years to power Pakistan to 233-1
- Fritz wins delayed match to reach Shanghai Masters third round
- Naomi Osaka pulls out of Japan Open with back injury
- Weather may delay launch of mission to study deflected asteroid
- China to flesh out economic stimulus plans after bumper rally
- Artist Marina Abramovic hopes first China show offers tech respite
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on US jobs data
- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
Fans return as Comic-Con awaits new 'Thrones' and 'Rings' shows
Tens of thousands of cosplaying fans will converge on San Diego Thursday for the first full-scale Comic-Con in three years, with new "Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones" TV series set to be unveiled at the world's most famous pop culture gathering.
Hollywood studios including Disney and Warner Bros. are also in town to show off their upcoming films, and have done nothing to quell frenzied rumors of a first look at Marvel superhero sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and a new Superman movie announcement.
The past two editions of Comic-Con had to be held online due to the spread of Covid-19, while limited numbers attended a scaled-down "special edition" in San Diego last November.
But attendance this week is expected to match pre-pandemic levels, with more than 130,000 fans -- whether dressed as hobbits, dragons or princesses -- required to wear face masks as they pack into the sweaty convention center.
"I think it'll look like Comic-Con from 2019," said the event's communications and strategy chief David Glanzer.
"We weathered it. And now coming back, maybe we're going to have tears of joy... it's very emotional," he told AFP.
The comic book, science fiction and fantasy extravaganza begins this year with Paramount's "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
Marking the first time the world's most popular role-playing game has received a mega-budget silver-screen adaptation, the movie out next March stars Chris Pine, Hugh Grant and former "Bridgerton" heartthrob Rege-Jean Page.
But the week's headlines are set to be dominated by two huge fantasy series coming to television screens soon: Amazon Prime's "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" and HBO's "House of the Dragon."
"The Rings of Power" is Amazon's enormously ambitious saga taking place in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, and set long before the events of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning trilogy of films.
The series -- playing out across five seasons, the first of which launches September 2 -- is reported to have cost Amazon well over $1 billion, and is said to be a personal obsession of founder Jeff Bezos.
Much of that cost went into buying the rights to the Tolkien universe and investing in lavish production values, with a healthy sum set aside for "activations," or immersive fan experiences, at Comic-Con.
Amazon on Friday will bring its cast of hobbits, elves and dwarves to the venue's cavernous Hall H, where fans -- who line up for hours, or even days -- anticipate seeing the first detailed look at the series.
- Rings v Thrones -
The following day, "House of the Dragon" -- the first spin-off to "Game of Thrones" set in George R.R. Martin's fictional world of Westeros, out August 21 -- will be unveiled by HBO.
Martin has played down talk of a rivalry between the two mega-franchises, insisting, "I want both shows to find an appreciative audience, and give them great television. Great fantasy."
"The more fantasy hits we have, the more great fantasy we are likely to get," he wrote in a blog post.
But HBO hopes its prequel can match the wild popularity of the original "Thrones," which over eight seasons became must-see television, spawned countless imitations and delivered 59 Emmys -- a record for a drama at television's equivalent of the Oscars.
Starring Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans and Emma D'Arcy, "House of the Dragon" tells the story of the murderous, dragon-breeding Targaryen family, some 300 years before the events of "Thrones."
Its stars will appear in Hall H immediately after a movie presentation from HBO's sister company Warner Bros., which is set to feature Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is promoting his upcoming superhero flick "Black Adam."
The week will also feature a send-off for AMC's "The Walking Dead," as the juggernaut zombie TV series bows out with its final season -- and launches a new spin-off, the anthology-style "Tales of the Walking Dead."
P.Mathewson--AMWN