Comic Con

The Player at San Diego Comic Con

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With the debut of the new NBC drama The Player set to debut this Thursday night (after the debut of the reboot series Heroes Reborn, I might add), it was the right time to go back to the show’s appearance at July’s San Diego Comic Con.

Taking the stage at that summer panel were series stars Philip Winchester (from Strike Back) and box office film star Wesley Snipes (the Blade franchise) as well as series creator and executive producer John Rogers (The Librarians and Leverage).

The Player stars Snipes as Mr. Johnson, the mysterious pit boss and Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall and Mockingbird Lane) as Cassandra King, the dealer for a high-stakes game, where an organization of wealthy individuals gamble on the ability of former military operative turned security expert Alex Kane (Winchester) to stop some of the biggest crimes imaginable from playing out.

According to both Wesley and Philip, they were both attracted to the writing in the pilot script and are fans of The Blacklist (producers from that show are involved in The Player). And John shared that he wants people watching the show to say, “I can’t believe (they) did that”.

When asked what he knows about his character, Wesley shared that he does know “some things about his mysterious character, but not all”. He also shared that he and Philip “pretty much do everything, at least what they’re allowed”. In fact, John shared that viewers will “see stunts not seen on TV before”.

NOTE: And if the stunts featured in the pilot episode that was screened during the panel are any indication The Player is going to have a lot of action sequences.

John wasn’t willing to give away too many secrets about the show, but he did say there will be “mythology laced” within the series and he also shared that it’s easier to write the show “with Philip and Wesley” as the leads. He was willing to share that the arc of the first season will be “power; who has it, who’s responsible for it, (who is) right or wrong” and that it is possible viewers may learn “how the house was born”.

The Player will debut on NBC tomorrow Thursday, September 24 at 10 PM.

Photo Credit: Rueben

Using her favorite online handle, Rueben is an East Coast-bred gal who is now a permanent Californian and a lifelong tv-oholic. She watches at least 25 TV shows a week, goes to the movies as often as possible, listens to music every waking moment, reads every day and “plays” on the internet every chance she can. Some of her current favorite TV shows are Outlander, Sweet Magnolias, Wednesday, The Mandalorian, The Equalizer, Fire Country, Miss Scarlet, Hudson & Rex, SkyMed, The Rookie, Cobra Kai, Virgin River, The Witcher, Leverage: Redemption and School Spirits. She is looking forward to the long-awaited return of Bridgerton, is curious about the debut of Orphan Black: Echoes and the 3rd and final season of Sweet Tooth coming in June, and the season finales of the abbreviated 2023-2024 TV season. Follow her at @ruebenrambling or contact her at rueben@nicegirlstv.com.