San Diego Comic Con: Peacock's "Those About to Die" and "Teacup" are stars on Thursday

San Diego Comic Con is known for not only its new television and film releases, but the way in which teams of creators and cast members come together to shed new light on established or upcoming projects.

Bread and Circuses

Streaming service Peacock featured two such shows in its Thursday programming with a collaborative discussion of Those About to Die and the upcoming horror series Teacup from Ian McCulloch and James Wan.

Those About to Die boasts a truly impressive cast that sees Sir Anthony Hopkins take the throne as a Roman emperor, and explores the stories behind the brutal gladiatorial competitions. Thursday included a new behind-the-scenes featurette. JoJo Macari notes in the clip that "this is [Roland Emmerich's] first step into the land of TV. The scale on which he thinks... It's incredible."

The behind-the-scenes footage shows incredible dedication to practical and digital effects and the passion of the multi-national cast and crew. The panel included not only the visionary producer, but stars Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins Moe Hashim, Jojo Macari, Dimitri Leonidas, and Gabriella Pession. The panel moderated by Perri Nemiroff continued the featurette's discussion of such things as stunts and VFX.

In addition, the day saw "a real-life chariot race spectacle," according to Variety's Katcy Stephan:

"Outside the panel, "Those About to Die" took to the San Diego streets for a real-life chariot race spectacle. The special activation allowed fans to step inside the betting tavern, join one of the coveted factions and experience the adrenaline thrill of the race. Upon entry, guests were divided into the 5 factions from the show and given the chance to whip a pair of reins to power their team's chariot to victory in a Gaslamp District "Circus Maxiumus.""

- Katcy Stephan

The combination of audience attention and participation made for a thrilling dynamic for this Roman epic.

"A no-holds-barred gargantuan spectacle"

Coming to Peacock in October is a horror project that is promoted as a horror thriller. Teacup features Executive Producers James Wan, Ian McCulloch, E.L. Katz and the source novel's author Robert McCammon. The novel, Stinger, is cited by McCulloch as being "along the lines of The Stand, Independence Day, and Mars Attacks." Says Wan, "Teacup defies easy labels. It's a genre-bending blend of horror, mystery, and drama, with layers that unfold like a captivating puzzle."

The associated creative team certainly has the credentials to tackle such a project. Between the producers alone, credits include Yellowstone, The Haunting of Bly Manner, and The Conjuring Universe. The cast of this "disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive" includes Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman Chaske Spencer, Kathy Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Emilie Bierre, and Luciano Leroux.

The first two episodes will be released on October 10 with two more episodes arriving weekly throughout what some call the spooky season.