Italy’s Lucca Comics & Games, which is Europe’s biggest pop-culture and cosplay meet, is back in full post-pandemic swing with a slew of premieres and high-caliber talent set to engage with thousands of fans in the medieval Tuscan town.
The immersive Oct. 28-Nov. 1 event, dedicated to fandom and the whole universe of comics — including movies, TV and music – has been increasingly gaining traction with studios and streamers. So much so that Netflix has chosen Lucca to launch Tim Burton’s “Wednesday” series, starring Jenna Ortega as gothic feminist icon Wednesday Addams. The hotly anticipated show’s first episode will have its European fan screening on Oct. 31 in the Renaissance gem with Burton in tow.
In the series, Wednesday attends Nevermore Academy, where she attempts to master her new psychic abilities and solve a murder mystery connected to the Addams family’s past.
Lucca Comics – which regularly attracts more than 200,000 ticket-buying fans and is considered second in size globally only to Tokyo’s Comiket convention – will not have any specific pandemic restrictions this year. Still, the event’s chief Emanuele Vietina, has “decided to self-contain,” he says, by setting a limit of 75,000 tickets a day, which is fewer than in 2019, to avoid having attendees feel that they are too close for comfort as the coronavirus continues to circulate.
“We want to put the experience of being in Lucca at the center of everything,” says Vietina, who boasts that this unique geek meet is “more than a [mere] festival” given that the setting, lineup and overall mood make it a “big ritual event.”
The theme at Lucca this year is “hope,” reflected in Lucca’s poster designed by Canadian artist Ted Nasmith, who is known for his illustrations of J.R.R Tolkien’s works, including “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” It’s inspired by Yavanna, who represents the “healer of nature” in Tolkien’s universe.
Another streamer, besides Netflix, with a strong presence at Lucca this year is Disney +, which is bringing in “Andor” stars Denise Gough and Kyle Soller to plug their series, exploring a new perspective of the Star Wars galaxy. And “Willow” cast members Amar Chadha-Patel, Erin Kellyman and Ellie Bamber will be on hand on Nov. 1 to present exclusive footage to the Lucca audience from their upcoming epic fantasy series that serves as a sequel to the Ron Howard-directed 1988 film, which debuts on Disney + on Nov. 30.
The myriad other Lucca events comprise a celebration of the 50-year anniversary of iconic video game console maker Atari with company founder Nolan Bushnell on hand, and a live symphonic concert titled “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Music from the Continent” conducted by Irish-born composer-conductor Eímear Noone, who made history in 2020 as the first woman to lead the orchestra of the Academy Awards. She is widely considered the world’s premier composer and conductor of video game scores, including “World of Warcraft.”
The “Witcher” concert, performed by an Italian youth orchestra, will alternate theme songs from Netflix’s “The Witcher 3” series with short pieces by Lucca’s own late great composer Giacomo Puccini, “who these days would be composing music for video games,” Vietina says in a burst of localist pride.
On this score, Vietina is also particularly happy that “Dampyr,” a live-action movie adaptation of the eponymous popular independent comic book franchise, which marks the first effort of this type from leading Italian comics publisher Sergio Bonelli Editore, which he calls “Italy’s Marvel,” will be having its world premiere in Lucca. The English-language fantasy action thriller – which is a co-production between Eagle Pictures, Bonelli and production outfit Brandon Box – features an international cast led by Australian actor Wade Briggs (“Please Like Me”) as Harlan, the Dampyr, who is half human, half vampire.
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